Okay, here’s my sharing about how I did a high imitation of the Rolex GMT-Master II, just like the one from the official flagship store.
A few months ago, I got this crazy idea to try and make a super close copy of the Rolex GMT-Master II Batman Bezel. You know, the one that everyone wants but is hard to get your hands on? Yeah, that one. I’ve always been pretty good with my hands, building stuff, taking things apart, and putting them back together. So I thought, why not give it a shot?
First things first, I needed to find something that looked similar to start with. I remembered someone saying that the Rolex Explorer II has a similar movement, the Calibre 3285, whatever that means. So, I started looking around for a busted-up Explorer II that I could pick up for cheap. That took some time, searching through online marketplaces and some shady forums. I finally found one that was pretty beat up but still ticking. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a good enough starting point for me.
Then came the hard part – taking it apart. Man, those things are put together tight! I had to buy some tiny little screwdrivers and other tools just to get the back off. It was nerve-wracking, let me tell you. One slip and I could ruin the whole thing. I took it slow, really slow, and finally got it open. Inside, it was like a tiny city of gears and springs.
- First step was to find a similar-looking design.
- I heard that the Rolex Explorer II has a similar movement, the Calibre 3285.
- I went online and found a beat-up Explorer II, but still worked.
- I bought some tiny tools to disassemble it.
- After opening it, I saw a complex structure of gears and springs.
Next, I had to figure out how to make it look like the Batman. The bezel was the biggest challenge. I spent hours online looking at pictures, trying to figure out the exact colors and how they were put together. Eventually, I found some materials that looked pretty close and started experimenting. I messed up a bunch of times, let me tell you. It was a lot of trial and error, gluing, painting, and more gluing. My workspace was a mess, covered in little bits of metal and paint. My wife was not happy, complaining about the smell and the mess all the time. But I was determined to get it right.
The Detailed Process
It was super tricky getting the two colors on the bezel to look right. I had to use some special tape to separate the sections and then carefully apply the paint. I learned how to polish the surface after painting so that it wouldn’t look rough. Then there’s this tiny little triangle on the bezel that had to be perfect, or the whole thing would look off. I had to use a magnifying glass and a tiny brush to get it just right. I spent nights and weekends working on it, sometimes losing track of time completely. It got really frustrating when it looked messed up again and again, but finally, I got the hang of it.
After what felt like forever, I finally got the bezel looking pretty good. Then I had to put the whole thing back together. Putting the movement back was really hard, much harder than taking it apart. I had to put all those tiny gears and springs back in the exact right place. One wrong move and it wouldn’t work. I used a pair of tweezers and worked under a bright light, my hands shaking the whole time. After a few tries, I finally managed to get it all back together and ticking. I was so relieved when I heard it ticking again! It felt like a huge accomplishment.
I wore it around for a few weeks, showing it off to my buddies. They couldn’t believe I’d made it myself. It wasn’t perfect, of course, but it was pretty darn close. I even took it to a watch guy I know, and he was impressed. He pointed out a few things that weren’t quite right, but overall, he said it was a pretty good job. Now it’s sitting in my watch box, a reminder of that time I decided to make my own Batman. It was a fun project, but man, it was a lot of work! I’m proud of myself for doing it, though. It was a real challenge, but I learned a lot about watches and myself along the way.
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