Okay, so I’ve been wanting to mess around with watches for a while now, and I finally decided to give it a shot. I’ve always been into the look of those classic Rolex GMT-Master II watches, especially the “Root Beer” bezel ones. You know, the ones with the brown and gold bezel? They just look so darn classy.
So, I started looking around, reading reviews, and stuff. I stumbled upon some info about the Rolex 126711CHNR, which is a newer model with Everose gold. Fancy, huh? But man, those things are expensive! I wasn’t about to drop that kind of cash, not for my first try. But it gave me a good idea of what I was aiming for.
I then remembered reading some Amazon reviews about Stuhrling, which is some American brand. Seemed like they make some decent imitations. But I wasn’t really feeling their style, plus I wanted to challenge myself a little more than just buying something off the shelf.
I kept digging and found this cool website called “Watches Off 5th” where they were talking about a discontinued Rolex GMT Master II, the 116718LN. This one had a yellow gold case, a full black ceramic bezel, and a green dial. It looked pretty sweet, and it was different enough from the regular GMTs to be interesting. I started to think, “Maybe I can make something like this, but with the Root Beer bezel?”
After a lot of searching, I realized I could get parts that looked similar to what I wanted, I spent a few days on it, I finally found it. They weren’t Rolex parts, of course, but they were close enough for my little project. I ordered a case that looked like the 126711CHNR, a brown and gold “Root Beer” bezel that was similar to the one on the new watches. I even found hands and a dial that looked kinda like the real deal. The dial was black, not green like the 116718LN, but I figured it would still look good.
- First, I spent a lot of time cleaning up the parts. Man, were my fingers sore after that!
- Then, very carefully, I put the movement into the case. This was nerve-wracking, I felt like a real watchmaker.
- Next, I put the dial on. This was tricky, but I managed to do it without messing it up.
- After that, I attached the hands. This was probably the hardest part, those things are tiny!
- Finally, I put the bezel on. It snapped right into place, which was a relief.
And, boom! There it was. My very own “Root Beer” GMT-Master II imitation. It wasn’t perfect, of course. Some of the parts didn’t fit together as smoothly as I would have liked. But hey, it looked pretty darn good for a first attempt, right?
It felt great to actually build something with my own hands. Plus, I learned a ton about how these watches work. It’s not as easy as it looks, let me tell you! I’m definitely going to keep practicing and maybe even try to build some other styles. This was a blast!
I’m really happy with how it turned out. It’s not a real Rolex, and it’s not perfect, but it’s mine, and I made it. That’s pretty cool, I think.
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