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Nikosaldente

DIY Platinum Ceramic Bezel mod

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Nikosaldente

As we all know, the Achilles heel of most of High end Rolex reps is the color of the "Platinum" engravings on the Ceramic Bezel! Under Sun/Flash light they seem OK, but inside and under low light conditions they tend to appear Greyish!

My 116610 LN from ARF is  no exception!

Indoors, Flash photo:

IMG_20171122_124938.jpg

Indoors, No flash:

IMG_20171001_155858.jpg

 

So after coming back from Rolie for a slight issue, I thought a Bezel "Makeover" would make my Sub look truly amazing!

I decided to go with the "Sharpie" method that I saw "next door" at RWI.

Since we don't have the Sharpie brand in my country, I tried to find something equivalent. After playing around with a few brands, checking the color and the ink flow, I decided that the "Pilot" brand was the best to use for the task!

Filling the engravings with a continuous flow is fairly easy! You can't use too much....Just be careful not to overdo it! No worries regarding the removal of the excess paint; it's easily done with an disinfectant wipe and a cotton kitchen towel. The glossy Ceramic Bezel makes it very easy to clean.

After applying the paint, I let it rest for a while or you can speed up the drying process with a hair blow dryer (if you're in a hurry)

IMG_20171125_164116.jpg

You then use gentle strokes back and forth with the alcohol wipe + towel ( in turns) to remove the excess paint covering the Bezel.

Put some elbow grease and after a while here's the result:

Indoors No Flash

IMG_20171125_182457.jpg

IMG_20171125_182512.jpg

Indoors with Flash:

IMG_20171125_182540.jpg

IMG_20171126_101327.jpg

Indoors, No Flash:

IMG_20171126_101200.jpg

Pretty cool, huh?

Thanks for watching!

Cheers!

 

 

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McGilli

I can't compare to Gen - but just wanted to say I love DIY projects - that's half the fun sometimes! Enjoy!

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Nikosaldente
12 minutes ago, McGilli said:

I can't compare to Gen - but just wanted to say I love DIY projects - that's half the fun sometimes! Enjoy!

Thanks mate!

I can't compare it next to a Gen, only from the Google photos!

Any Gen Owners out there feel free to chime in:D

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Glaude

I love everything DIY-related, so just for that : Thank you Nikosaldente !

Wondering, the pilot marker is just a white ink marker right ? 
On the gen the letters are supposed to be white or "Metal" ? Asking that because of the "Platinum" title.

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Nikosaldente
14 hours ago, Glaude said:

I love everything DIY-related, so just for that : Thank you Nikosaldente !

Wondering, the pilot marker is just a white ink marker right ? 
On the gen the letters are supposed to be white or "Metal" ? Asking that because of the "Platinum" title.

Thanks for your comment!

The Pilot market is "Silver" as it's written on it!

I played with Platinum Metallic, Platinum, Silver Metallic!

The Gen looks like this:

m116610ln-0001.png?impolicy=upright-maje

As it's stated by Rolex about the Bezel: 

Unidirectional rotatable 60-minute graduated, scratch-resistant Cerachrom insert in ceramic, numerals and graduations coated in platinum.

Link to official site:

https://m.rolex.com/watches/submariner/m116610ln-0001.html

Cheers!

 

 

 

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Glaude
1 hour ago, Nikosaldente said:

Thanks for your comment!

The Pilot market is "Silver" as it's written on it!

I played with Platinum Metallic, Platinum, Silver Metallic!

The Gen looks like this:

m116610ln-0001.png?impolicy=upright-maje

As it's stated by Rolex about the Bezel: 

Unidirectional rotatable 60-minute graduated, scratch-resistant Cerachrom insert in ceramic, numerals and graduations coated in platinum.

Link to official site:

https://m.rolex.com/watches/submariner/m116610ln-0001.html

Cheers!

 

 

 

For dummy post like the previous mine, you can directly call me an idiot for not looking well on your pictures.. DOH ! Sorry mate I should have looked more carefully ! :facepalm:

Thank you for your response ! 

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Nikosaldente

Fixed the 50 and the 0 in 40 a bit.....:giggle:

IMG_20171127_201327.jpg

 

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Nikosaldente

I'm loving the way it looks now!

IMG_20171211_205821.jpg

 

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Glaude

That's indeed, much better ! Great work again ! :) 

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LiZnoGouD

Looks way better, I also found I could get a more gen-like appearance by applying a white coat and then a silver coat over the top.

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pilch23
13 hours ago, LiZnoGouD said:

Looks way better, I also found I could get a more gen-like appearance by applying a white coat and then a silver coat over the top.

Any photos please?

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10:10 Watch Repair

Don't wipe off the excess with solvent. Scrape it off - you won't scratch the ceramic, and you will leave more paint in the engravings. 

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LiZnoGouD

Sorry for the delay.  Some of it has come off near the 30 marker, but I like the finish.

25624782_10155894419160797_1998522649_o_

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Nikosaldente

I believe that without the white looks better...

Check out the Platinum Mod in Outdoor light:

IMG_20180102_100830.jpg

Photos don't do justice at all!

It's awesome in the flesh!

IMG_20180102_100824.jpg

Cheers!

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bloon

Cheers mate, thanks for the write up. Will have to add it to the to do list

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Slash

Would an actual Rolex bezel fit into the arf and noob? 

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Slash

@Nikosaldente What would the colour be on a sharpie? And what finish did you use? 

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Nikosaldente
35 minutes ago, Slash said:

@Nikosaldente What would the colour be on a sharpie? And what finish did you use? 

That would be the "Silver Metallic"

53575.jpg?mark64=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5qZXRwZW5

I actually found it at a local store and consider redoing it with the Sharpie!

If I feel like it and do it,  I will update this thread:D

 

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Slash
54 minutes ago, Nikosaldente said:

That would be the "Silver Metallic"

53575.jpg?mark64=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5qZXRwZW5

I actually found it at a local store and consider redoing it with the Sharpie!

If I feel like it and do it,  I will update this thread:D

 

Would it disappear if you swam with the watch? 

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Nikosaldente
3 hours ago, Slash said:

Would it disappear if you swam with the watch? 

I don't really think so....

It's a permanent marker....

Only if I swam in alcohol it should dissolve...In water there shouldn't be any problem with the Bezel, although....

Compromising the water resistance of the watch would be my major concern though!

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LiZnoGouD

Rubbing alcohol takes the paint straight off but otherwise it's pretty stubborn :)

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Slash

@Nikosaldente. @LiZnoGouD So swimming in a pool would be ok because if all the chemicals like chlorine. And what about salt water if you decided to take a paddle at the seaside? 

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Nikosaldente
14 hours ago, Slash said:

@Nikosaldente. @LiZnoGouD So swimming in a pool would be ok because if all the chemicals like chlorine. And what about salt water if you decided to take a paddle at the seaside? 

Any kind of water should be fine mate!

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Slash
1 hour ago, Nikosaldente said:

Any kind of water should be fine mate!

That’s good to know 

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Dusk

My platinum modded v7

I agree they look mega in the flesh 

20180106_103935_zpsznfhxjc2.jpg

 

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