PatronSaintofChainsaws 1 Posted September 3, 2009 I originally post this over on Homage Forum, and in the spirit of promoting the HF <-> RWG Tutorial Trade Agreement of 2009, I'm reposting it here, for your viewing pleasure. Here's a link to the original thread, if you care to read it. One of the things that really makes the appearance of a vintage Submariner is the faded insert, having been exposed to years of wear, sun, saltwater, and whatever else. A good modification when building a vintage-homage is fading/bleaching the insert, so as to create the appearance of years of wear and tear. There's no real functional reason why anyone would want to do this...it just looks cool is all. Items that you will need: 1x Bezel insert 1x Container of bleach 1x Small glass 1x Glue 1x 3M Scotch-Brite pad (optional) First, if the insert that you want to age is still installed, you'll need to remove it from the bezel. If you're working on one with a modern-style pearl, the easiest option is to pry off the pearl (using your fingernail, or a razorblade, depending on how strong the glue is) and then insert some sort of makeshift prybar into the hole and gently lift up on the insert. Once lifted, catch the edge of the insert with some sort of foreign object and carefully work your way around the outside edge until it pulls free. These inserts tend to warp easily, so it's important to work slowly and carefully to prevent this from happening. Don't force it...if it wont lift easily, you're better off removing the bezel and then pushing the insert out from the back (I'll cover bezel removal in a future tutorial). If the insert is solid all the way around and doesn't have a pearl, then I'm not sure what the best option would be. Use your best judgement in that case. Next, remove the glue from the back of the insert. Depending on the type of original glue, sometimes it can be rubbed off easily, other times you may need to apply something to the glue in order to loosen it it. Here, I'm using a Q-Tip dipped in rubbing alcohol. Pour enough bleach into your glass so that the insert can be submerged completely in it, then sink the insert to the bottom of the bleach. Watch the insert carefully for any visible changes, as it could take as little as 1-2 minutes for a major change to occur. In this instance, the insert I was trying to fade had a glossy coating, so it took almost an hour for any noticeable change to occur. Once you can see a color difference, tilt the glass until part of the insert is no longer submerged, so as to see what the insert looks like dry. When submerged, the insert will appear darker than when it is dry, so be careful not to overdo it. Once it has reached the desired fade, take the insert out and wash it off, then wipe it dry. In the case that your insert is resistant to fading, like if it has a glossy finish and/or appears not to change after being in the bleach for over an hour, use a Scotch-Brite pad to carefully buff the surface of the insert. Once the glossy coating on the insert has been reduced slightly, put the insert back into the bleach and repeat the prior steps. After you're done, apply a layer of the glue of your choice to the back of the insert and pearl, and reinstall the insert back into the bezel. As the glue sets, you'll need to rotate the bezel intermittently to keep any excess glue that seeps down from freezing the bezel in place Here's the pictured insert installed in the bezel, sans the pearl. That's it! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
greg_r 81 Posted September 3, 2009 Great tutorial, mate. Thanks for the re-post! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
trailboss99 994 Posted September 3, 2009 I find a few drops of acetone on the insert will wick under and melt the glue usualy found on these inserts. It will also melt a plastic pearl so remove it first! The same trick is great for freeing up a gumed up bezel. Col. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RolexAddict 1 Posted September 3, 2009 very interesting PatronSaintofChainsaws, I will make short: very intersting PSC, I had read on french forums some articles about the bleach soak trick, this sounds like to be the best, Personally I tried some different experiments, but no way, the result was crap... I am not an expert. So, here we have the right technology, Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tissotman 0 Posted March 9, 2011 some great tips there Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tissotman 0 Posted April 8, 2011 Thats really good how that happens great tip there ive got a vintage sub i need to do that to. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Daytona_Dreamer 0 Posted October 3, 2015 This was perfect advice for a vintage 5513 that needed bezel work. Don't forget that you can dilute the bleach to get a slower reaction, and give yourself a little cushion on the clock. This gave me more time to get the fade just the way I wanted it...without going overboard. I did a 4:1 dilute and got the perfect fade over about 15 to 20 minutes. Thanks PSC! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Robin195959 2 Posted October 3, 2015 This was perfect advice for a vintage 5513 that needed bezel work. Don't forget that you can dilute the bleach to get a slower reaction, and give yourself a little cushion on the clock. This gave me more time to get the fade just the way I wanted it...without going overboard. I did a 4:1 dilute and got the perfect fade over about 15 to 20 minutes. Thanks PSC! This was perfect advice for a vintage 5513 that needed bezel work. Don't forget that you can dilute the bleach to get a slower reaction, and give yourself a little cushion on the clock. This gave me more time to get the fade just the way I wanted it...without going overboard. I did a 4:1 dilute and got the perfect fade over about 15 to 20 minutes. Thanks PSC! Great tip DD Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chiruku 25 Posted June 29, 2016 (edited) Massive thanks to the OP for posting this - my experiment below is simply adding my 2 cents on personal experience with insert quality. My first couple of attempts were with (what I now know to be) lesser quality inserts. Same process as above (I used normal household bleach) and no more than 10 seconds per dunk before a wash off and dry. These cheaper blue ones - one went a nice shade of purple, and the other a horrible aqua blue really quickly. As soon as you put them in you could see the bleach discolouring so the paint was obviously not that deep. So, a quick peruse on Cousins UK led to 2 new inserts arriving a day later. These took much longer to get going - and took about 6 lots of 10 second dunks (each followed by wash and dry) to get the desired effect. I also found that with a better quality insert, there was very little difference right up to round 3 or 4 - and then all of a sudden it went really quickly - so thats something to watch out for. Anyway - might be useful to someone reading this one day! The setup: The result: Edited June 30, 2016 by Chiruku Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nuvolablue 2,051 Posted January 10, 2018 Has anyone tried using a wood stain to darken a bezel insert that has been over-ghosted? Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bloon 0 Posted January 10, 2018 Trade agreement!? Awesome! Hey OP @PatronSaintofChainsaws, wonderful tutorial. Know it's time consuming but could you please reupload the pics? It'll be good to walk through the steps! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites