Modding a gen 15000 Royal Oak with non-gen parts?

[Blakevalenta]

So I'll just start this off by saying I have seen some amazing frankens on this sub and I have huge respect for the OGs that accomplish this. You guys really do amazing work and I love seeing new posts about them. So when I had trouble sourcing some gen parts for a RO this was the first place I thought to ask. You guys are geniuses. I'm glad there is such a cool community for this kind of stuff, because I'm pretty sure I would get crucified for even thinking about asking this in any other AP forum haha.

Anyways, I purchased a gen 33mm royal oak 15000SA (the two tone model) and I want to swap the bezel, bracelet, dial, and hands to all stainless steel. If anyone follows the market Im sure you're aware that the SS models have a substantial premium over the two tones and spending THAT much more money on top of an AP just wasn't in the cards for me. So I figured I could learn to live with some compromises. So I'm trying to source some parts that will work with little to no modifications. I'm trying to swap parts because I'd prefer to have the original parts on hand if I ever needed to send it in to service at AP or sell it.

Here are my questions:

1) will the bezel and bracelet off of the JF 33mm RO rep be compatible with the gen? They claim 1:1 and everything I've read has had relatively good reviews on their quality.

2) I've sourced a gen dial, but I cannot for the life of me find a gen handset... how hard would it be to find someone to make a handset? My other option would be having the original hands plated in white gold, but then I feel like I would have to worry about re-luming them unless there was a way to cover the lumed portion so it doesn't get ruined in the plating process. Overall just a big hassle.

3) The last part of this mod would be the date wheel. The two tone date wheel has an off-white/cream color where as the SS is all white. Would my best bet be an overlay? having a datehwheel fabricated? I don't want to ruin the integrity of the original and honestly keeping this part gen wouldn't bother me that much as I feel like it would be somewhat unique.

The other option I would have is to just have the gen bezel, bracelet, and hands plated with white gold/rhodium (maybe palladium as I believe its closer to SS in color). But as I understand it this would essentially nullify any further servicing from AP (which is frustrating to say the least, but that's a whole different topic...). I know there are plenty of talented and reasonable watchmakers that could do the servicing, but not having the option to send it back to AP in case of an emergency would probably weigh on me a little bit.

Anyways, I really appreciate the help and the knowledge. Any advice would be greatly appreciated and I'm hoping to post more on this journey as it goes along!

 

[W47chl0v3r]

If I were you I would be looking for/sourcing a genuine (presumably white) date wheel for your watches caliber because putting an overlay on an already genuine date disk is a hassle. A 33mm overlay doesn’t exist at the moment I believe. Not only that, but I would find a genuine SS bracelet for your watch because the finishing on the replica bracelets is hit or miss. I don’t think a 33mm RO replica from JF is even close to a genuine bracelet if cost is not an issue. Same with the bezel. You already have the Crystal so I would find a genuine SS crown and bezel to match. The reason a replica bezel would not work is because the inner rubber gasket on a royal oak usually needs a genuine bezel to make everything fit nice and clean without modding. I’ve made a 15202 and 26400 franken and both had issues that I’ve have to sacrifice things to make them work. No franken is easy to make. I had to even find genuine hands from another 26400 model to fit my watch and the finish is darker and not exact to my model but oh well, that’s the hobby. Knowing limitations is key, and that it won’t be gen without papers from AP to prove it. Good luck on the hunt for parts.

 

[Blakevalenta]

Thanks for the info! I’ve been keeping an eye out for about 2-3 months now and parts are super uncommon so I was just exploring my options

 

[Blakevalenta]

If I were you I would be looking for/sourcing a genuine (presumably white) date wheel for your watches caliber because putting an overlay on an already genuine date disk is a hassle. A 33mm overlay doesn’t exist at the moment I believe. Not only that, but I would find a genuine SS bracelet for your watch because the finishing on the replica bracelets is hit or miss. I don’t think a 33mm RO replica from JF is even close to a genuine bracelet if cost is not an issue. Same with the bezel. You already have the Crystal so I would find a genuine SS crown and bezel to match. The reason a replica bezel would not work is because the inner rubber gasket on a royal oak usually needs a genuine bezel to make everything fit nice and clean without modding. I’ve made a 15202 and 26400 franken and both had issues that I’ve have to sacrifice things to make them work. No franken is easy to make. I had to even find genuine hands from another 26400 model to fit my watch and the finish is darker and not exact to my model but oh well, that’s the hobby. Knowing limitations is key, and that it won’t be gen without papers from AP to prove it. Good luck on the hunt for parts.

Do you know if watchmakers are able to get things like hands/bezels/bracelets as replacement parts from AP? Or do they basically reserve those parts for watches that are serviced in house?

 

[W47chl0v3r]

Do you know if watchmakers are able to get things like hands/bezels/bracelets as replacement parts from AP? Or do they basically reserve those parts for watches that are serviced in house?

I personally keep my search to online and member-to-member sales. Some people have connections however, and those that can find genuine parts usually do not share these.

I am not even confident this is what happens so feel free to correct me but the following is only my opinion. Only AP has these “stock” parts and if you want to buy a replacement part you need to provide the serial number of the watch, and they only provide parts for that serial number if you even have a connection to begin with. Just being a watchmaker doesn’t make it so you can order parts you have to be an AD and that “AD” list got reset or reduced recently because AP began taking their sales and service in-house or something.

 

[Blakevalenta]

I personally keep my search to online and member-to-member sales. Some people have connections however, and those that can find genuine parts usually do not share these.

I am not even confident this is what happens so feel free to correct me but the following is only my opinion. Only AP has these “stock” parts and if you want to buy a replacement part you need to provide the serial number of the watch, and they only provide parts for that serial number if you even have a connection to begin with. Just being a watchmaker doesn’t make it so you can order parts you have to be an AD and that “AD” list got reset or reduced recently because AP began taking their sales and service in-house or something.

Yeah that makes a lot of sense. Definitely going to make things difficult but I think half the fun is in the search so it will keep me occupied. I really appreciate all your advice! Let the search begin huh? Haha

 

[legend]

So I'll just start this off by saying I have seen some amazing frankens on this sub and I have huge respect for the OGs that accomplish this. You guys really do amazing work and I love seeing new posts about them. So when I had trouble sourcing some gen parts for a RO this was the first place I thought to ask. You guys are geniuses. I'm glad there is such a cool community for this kind of stuff, because I'm pretty sure I would get crucified for even thinking about asking this in any other AP forum haha.

Anyways, I purchased a gen 33mm royal oak 15000SA (the two tone model) and I want to swap the bezel, bracelet, dial, and hands to all stainless steel. If anyone follows the market Im sure you're aware that the SS models have a substantial premium over the two tones and spending THAT much more money on top of an AP just wasn't in the cards for me. So I figured I could learn to live with some compromises. So I'm trying to source some parts that will work with little to no modifications. I'm trying to swap parts because I'd prefer to have the original parts on hand if I ever needed to send it in to service at AP or sell it.

Here are my questions:

1) will the bezel and bracelet off of the JF 33mm RO rep be compatible with the gen? They claim 1:1 and everything I've read has had relatively good reviews on their quality.

2) I've sourced a gen dial, but I cannot for the life of me find a gen handset... how hard would it be to find someone to make a handset? My other option would be having the original hands plated in white gold, but then I feel like I would have to worry about re-luming them unless there was a way to cover the lumed portion so it doesn't get ruined in the plating process. Overall just a big hassle.

3) The last part of this mod would be the date wheel. The two tone date wheel has an off-white/cream color where as the SS is all white. Would my best bet be an overlay? having a datehwheel fabricated? I don't want to ruin the integrity of the original and honestly keeping this part gen wouldn't bother me that much as I feel like it would be somewhat unique.

The other option I would have is to just have the gen bezel, bracelet, and hands plated with white gold/rhodium (maybe palladium as I believe its closer to SS in color). But as I understand it this would essentially nullify any further servicing from AP (which is frustrating to say the least, but that's a whole different topic...). I know there are plenty of talented and reasonable watchmakers that could do the servicing, but not having the option to send it back to AP in case of an emergency would probably weigh on me a little bit.

Anyways, I really appreciate the help and the knowledge. Any advice would be greatly appreciated and I'm hoping to post more on this journey as it goes along!

To answer your questions:

1. Yes the JF 33mm RO bezel can fit the gen. Some machining may be needed to ensure the fit is optimal but nothing which is worrisome.

2. Gen handset can be sourced of course. I always eschew the chrono24/ebay site as prices are often high and authenticity of parts can be questionable (I have received rep parts in fact from owners claiming they bought them as gen). If you choose to plate the hands, of course the lume strip will need to be removed and the hands relumed afterward. The hands of the rep are respectable for this model. They just need to be refinished and refined a little.

3. Again, gen datewheel can be sourced along with the gen hands. Takes time, but not mission impossible.

 

[Blakevalenta]

To answer your questions:

1. Yes the JF 33mm RO bezel can fit the gen. Some machining may be needed to ensure the fit is optimal but nothing which is worrisome.

2. Gen handset can be sourced of course. I always eschew the chrono24/ebay site as prices are often high and authenticity of parts can be questionable (I have received rep parts in fact from owners claiming they bought them as gen). If you choose to plate the hands, of course the lume strip will need to be removed and the hands relumed afterward. The hands of the rep are respectable for this model. They just need to be refinished and refined a little.

3. Again, gen datewheel can be sourced along with the gen hands. Takes time, but not mission impossible.

This is really comforting to hear coming from you. Definitely a confidence boost. I'm assuming the JF 33mm RO is the best bet? I haven't done a ton of searching but that's the only factory that comes to mind that I've seen for the 33mm. Maybe there are others and I just haven't noticed.

 

[legend]

This is really comforting to hear coming from you. Definitely a confidence boost. I'm assuming the JF 33mm RO is the best bet? I haven't done a ton of searching but that's the only factory that comes to mind that I've seen for the 33mm. Maybe there are others and I just haven't noticed.

Avoid the JF 33mm diamond bezel versions, as they are constructed differently from the SS bezel variants somehow (bezel not removable in the diamond version 33mms) You may wish to do a little research on the thickness to ensure that the automatic caliber will fit in the rep case (quartz movements/cases are much thinner). The 8F factory also produces the 33mm AP reps. The single specimen I have handled from the 8F factory did not have good quality finishing, though this can be addressed separately.

 

[Blakevalenta]

Avoid the JF 33mm diamond bezel versions, as they are constructed differently from the SS bezel variants somehow (bezel not removable in the diamond version 33mms) You may wish to do a little research on the thickness to ensure that the automatic caliber will fit in the rep case (quartz movements/cases are much thinner). The 8F factory also produces the 33mm AP reps. The single specimen I have handled from the 8F factory did not have good quality finishing, though this can be addressed separately.

I actually won’t be using the case. Just swapping the bezel and bracelet onto a gen case!

 

[legend]

I actually won’t be using the case. Just swapping the bezel and bracelet onto a gen case!

I hope the bracelet can fit the gen case nicely. Not sure about the fitment.

 

[Blakevalenta]

I hope the bracelet can fit the gen case nicely. Not sure about the fitment.

Me too. I’ll be sure to let you know whenever I get both watches. Could be a couple more weeks.

 

[Tamajirou]

I also bought a JF factory 33mm RO! I'll share the image when I get it!! I am not an English speaker and apologize for any inconsistencies in this sentence.

 

[Tamajirou]

Hello! Finally my RO 33mm quartz has arrived! I am very satisfied.:thumbsup:

 

[tokeinokoibito]

which manufacturer did you get your AD from? and did you do any other mods to it? thinking of getting an AD for my second rep so asking around haha

 

[ADCJ]

Hey, I have a gen bracelet that I picked up at a great bargain on ebay that might interest you. I'd been planning to put it on my 41mm, but it's too small. Not sure if it would fit your 33mm or not, but I'm happy to check the exact dimensions. (And if it's a bracelet for a 36mm or 39mm, perhaps it would fit a 33mm if you removed the top link? IDK...) Please feel free to shoot me a PM