I was give a fake Rolex "Yachtmaster" recently. The owner dropped it, and thought I could use it for spares, knowing I 'm a WIS.
Needless to say I'm not into fakes, but curiosity got the better of me and I dismantled the watch.
I was quite surprised at the decent quality of the case and bracelet. The movent is a typical Chinese 21600bpm auto unit, and also not too shabby. The pallet fork was stuck, and after freeing it up and regulating it, it is running very well indeed!
Well, what to do with this "Yachtmaster"? I couldn't get myself to gift it to someone to wear, let alone keep it in the current livery. So, project sterilization begins...
I have a number of sterile 29mm dials, but none with feet in the right position for this movement. I then proceeded to painstakingly remove the information on the dial with a scalpel blade. Not perfect, but decent enough for the intended beater...
With a dremel tool I removed the Rolex crown from the crown, and polished out the trademark on the side of the case as well as the caseback.
Have you heard of a "GAS ESCADE VALVE" before?
The inside of the caseback is the only reference to the dubious fraud that this watch represented, which stays intact. It is stamped into the metal and impossible to remove. Have a chuckle:
After assembly and on the timing machine: not too shabby!
The lume is amazing!
And finally, the end result. I fitted a white stiched brown leather strap from CW which looks good with this yellowish dial.
It was a fun project, and I actually like my new beater!
The only lie left to deal with is the "Swiss made" on the dial. Unfortunately my eyes and unsteady hand din't allow for this to be removed with the scalpel......I'll get my 16 year old son to help me do this some time....
Last edited on Wed Sep 26th, 2012 09:15 am by Graham
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