Okay, here’s a blog post about the Rolex GMT-Master II Pepsi Bezel, written in the style you requested:
So, I’ve been messing around with watches again. You know how I get when I find a new thing to tinker with. This time, it’s the Rolex GMT-Master II, the one with the red and blue “Pepsi” bezel. Man, that thing is sweet, but way out of my price range. So I thought, why not try to make a high imitation of one?
First thing I did was to get my hands on the best base watch I could find. Spent a good chunk of time scouring forums and those shady online marketplaces. Finally, I found a decent starting point that looked pretty close to the real deal in terms of the case and bracelet.
Then came the real work: the bezel. Getting that iconic red and blue just right was a real pain. I tried a couple of different methods. I painted one, but it looked like garbage. The color was off, and it chipped if you looked at it too hard. I messed around with some dyes, too, but that was an even bigger mess.
- Painted one, looked like garbage.
- Messed around with some dyes, even bigger mess.
Finally, I found a guy online who makes custom ceramic inserts. I sent him the specs, showed him a bunch of pictures of the real Pepsi bezel, and crossed my fingers. A few weeks later, the insert arrived. It wasn’t perfect, but it was way better than anything I could have done myself. The colors were almost spot on, and it had that nice, glossy ceramic finish.
Swapping out the original bezel insert for the custom one was a bit nerve-wracking. I was afraid I’d break something or scratch the watch up. I watched a bunch of videos online, took a deep breath, and went for it. Used some tools I picked up – nothing fancy, just some basic watch repair stuff. It was a tight fit, but I managed to get the new bezel on without any major issues.
After that, I started looking at the dial and hands. The original ones were okay, but I wanted something that looked a bit more high-end. I found a place that sells aftermarket parts. I picked out a new dial and a set of hands that were almost identical to the ones on the real Rolex. Getting those installed was a bit trickier than the bezel. I had to take the whole movement out of the case. But, I got everything put back together, and it was running smoothly.
The last step was the movement. The original one was a pretty standard automatic movement, nothing special. I thought about upgrading it, but that would have cost a fortune. So, I just gave it a good cleaning and oiled it up. Made sure it was running accurately and keeping good time.
Results
And that’s it! My very own “Frankenstein” Rolex GMT-Master II Pepsi. It’s not perfect, but it looks pretty darn good, and it’s way cheaper than a real one. Plus, I had a lot of fun putting it together. It’s a cool feeling to wear something you built yourself, even if it’s just a copy of something else. Now I’m thinking about what watch to tackle next… maybe a Submariner?
Click to consult