Building a "FrankenJust"

[KBH 7]

Thought this might be of interest to some folks here. I picked up a gen case and dial from the Bay - $220, Gen 18k crown from the Bay -$25, Eta clone movement $60 and an adapter ring from "Stilty" over on RWG.cc. Special thanks to Stilty. That adapter made it an easy swap.

 

Here's the new parts with my old DateJust from Joshua.

 

Remove the crown and stem and the 2 retaining tabs, and then take out the movement.

 

Take off the hands and dial.

 

New dial and adapter ring ready to go. The 2 legs on the back of the dial have to be taken off and I used a couple of dabs of rubber cement to hold the ring in the proper place. No problem here.

 

Movement is assembled and ready to go into the new gen case.

 

Next we change the stem from rep crown to gen crown. Easy and a perfect fit.

 

And, she's ready to go. Add a gen Daytona vintage band and gen 18k Rolex vintage clasp from the 70's, and you've got a (pretty much) genuine Rolex Datejust from the 60's - 70's era.

 

I love the vintage crystal. It's like looking into a pool of water when the light hits it just right.

 

And the lug holes add a nice "vintage" touch.

 

And one last one. Here's with a cheap TT bracelet. I guess I'll be looking a a real gold one soon.

 

Hope you enjoyed the show.....

[dingle 57]

mad skills you have B.................one day I hope to be able to do something like this....

[greg_r 81]

GREAT post, my friend.

 

That's easily one of the nicest DJs I've seen short of the real thing - wish they didn't feel so damn small on me. Gorgeous thing.

[Member X 91]

Thanks for the post

 

I've been wanting to do this for a while but finding the dial I want is difficult!!

[JoeyB 0]

That is very nice! That's just about as gen as it can get except for the movement, and at rep money. Outstanding.

[trailboss99 994]

A gen case and dial for 220? OMFG you did well there!

Nice work too mate.

 

 

Col.

[KBH 7]

A gen case and dial for 220? OMFG you did well there!

Nice work too mate.

 

 

Col.

 

Well, those prices are a year old.

[cybee 0]

That is a great looking watch. I once paid $200 just for a dial

 

The vintage band really adds to the look. Very nice.

[Crab 0]

Absolute masterpiece.

[Brightlight 0]

Great job KBH!! Prices have gone way up in the past year, and sellers have got sneaky, now they'll sell the bezel, and sometimes the crown, separately, which all adds to the cost. I'm a great fans of Frankenjusts, built two of them last year and they are all I have worn since, fortunately they fit my wrist well. It's got to be a vintage with acrylic crystal for me! I'm so glad I bought the parts for mine when they were (relatively) cheap and plentiful! Both the watches below are all genuine parts apart from the 2836.2 movement, date wheel and Tudor hands. The fluted bezels are white gold, a very classy look in my opinion but good for everyday wear.

 

This one has the 'Tapestry' Dial, long a favourite of mine and since the pic was taken has gained a gen bracelet and end pieces -

 

 

The classic silver 'stick' dial -

 

Edited April 30, 2010 by Brightlight

[KBH 7]

Bump for an oldie!

[ebzen02 341]

Bump for an oldie!

 

 

I might ship some parts KBH.. since you live about an hour or two from me..lol!

[KBH 7]

Bump for an oldie!

 

 

I might ship some parts KBH.. since you live about an hour or two from me..lol!

 

 

Every time I sell or give away a watch to a friend, it always seemed to have an unlimited implied warranty. I can imagine if I started building them.

 

 

 

 

That's why I stopped working on computers for friends many years ago. Except for this: