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JoeyB

Rolex 6542

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JoeyB

I knew I wasn't a watchmaker by any stretch of the imagination. Hell, it took me forever to regulate a 21j movement. But I keep reading what you guys do and say to myself, 'I can do that!'.

 

After PMing with RolexAddict I went on the hunt, and came across a project on RWGjr by freddy333. He had just finished his 6542 and making final tweaks to it. I read through and said 'I can do that!'. But sometimes I forget that I'm not 24 any longer...

 

Sourcing the parts was easier using freddy's legwork. The case came from Silix who has about 6 or 7 Vintage Submariners with cases that are without crown guards and the needed 'coin edge' bezel. They also have a Turn-O-Graph. It has '6542' between the lugs, as pictured. When Rolex made the 1st GMT for Pan Am they took a Turn-O-Graph and converted it. freddy333 used the Sub that had rounded sides, but the TOG looked in the pics to be flat, so, I ordered it. Just under $200, with help from Trailboss99 to get them to ship it right and quickly. It was flat and shaping the case was pretty easy from there. I had to flatten out at the case tube, and open the lugs holes, and had to take down the outside rim where the crystal sits so the insert would sit down properly far enough.

 

The original insert was made of bakelite and the numbers were lumed with radioactive material. Rolex recalled them, they were dangerous, and replaced every one that came back with the metal stamped insert we all know now. They cracked easily, and deteriorated quickly, so speculation is that none we see today are the original bakelite. Today's replacement inserts are plastic, and not quite correct but close. It seems the Vietnamese took watches they found from our fallen soldiers and copied them to sell. They have 'replacement' cases, backs, inserts, bezels, dials, hands - everything. There might be more but all I've read of are 3 suppliers of the insert, all from Vietnam, and all expensive. The insert here in my watch came from Michael Young at Classic Watch Parts, and was initially used in freddy's project. I bought it from him with the crack at the '6' for half price. I did that for several reasons, money being foremost, but experimenting right there too. There is one gen 6542 pic I saw that I just fell in love with, and the insert had been fitted and rounded to the bezel. I wanted that look, and didn't want to screw up a $200 piece of plastic. My thinking was right, and it worked better than I had hoped, that insert really makes the watch for me. The coloring is the 'aged' look that goes nicely with the gilt dial, but it isn't 'right'. freddy333 went with the insert from Yuki, which is better coloring, but the dots in between the numbers are too high. As Brightlight said, ND Trading also has it all, and to my eye their insert is the best. Bright coloring and white numbers with the right dot placement. But the best price I could get from her was $180 for the insert alone, no bezel, and I just can't see that kind of money for 25¢ worth of plastic and paint. I even tried to get her to discount for RWG, and then telling her I had been a 'guest' in her country a while ago, but she said I had been "on the wrong side!" I've since sourced another Michael Young insert, new, and with the bezel. I plan on selling that on Ebay and maybe getting the insert from NDT.

 

 

The dial is a genuine singer. It was beautiful, a Gilt Dial, and I lucked out and didn't pay much for it through a friend of a friend. Getting the gen dial to sit right in the case was tricky, but a 'centering ring' did the trick. The date window is off to the movement, but I modified the date window to work. Then I killed it. This is when I started using the 'sconey, I fucked up my watch' hot-line. Being able to unload in a PM to him and have a different point of view back was priceless. I was trying to use an ETA 2836-2 GMT movement, and the 4th hand didn't have enough to 'bite' to stay installed. I attempted to 'step' the dial from the back in it's center and proceeded to bend, fold and mutilate it. I tried a few things, none to satisfaction, and I really wanted to use that dial. So, I straightened it, took it down to bare metal, moved the date window out a bit, and re-finished it myself. It is mostly a water-slide decal, and some hand painting. My pics don't do it justice, it is really bold and clear in person, and was printed in the highest resolution I have, 2400dpi. Taking pics of gen dials from the internet and adjusting in photo-shop type program was time consuming, but fun. It's supposed to be a 45+ year old watch, so the lume is not an issue, but I wanted some 'aged' texture to it. The decals come in white background or clear, most printers don't print white. I went with clear, and painted my dial with an almond color spray paint. The Gilt comes out nicely with that underneath it. For texture I 'splattered' the spray. It has little bumps all over it, and when the decal went on it came out as I had hoped. It has that 'aged' look to it. Trimming the date wheel opening was a challenge, even using a surgical scalpel kept leaving tiny little tags. I used black paint and a toothpick on the edges and 'folded-over' the decal to stick, and it neatened right up.

 

I 'aged' the hands using 'Kitchen Bouquet' which is a browning sauce for steaks and meat. It gives me that charred outside to my rare inside that I like, and it stains everything it touches. The GMT 4th hand was still an issue, the broach size was wrong for the ETA 2836-2 and still wouldn't 'bite'. I had made the hand using two regular sized GMT hands and soldering those teeny tiny things together, these old eyes were really hurting. It seems that our Chinese friend use different size GMT 'hub' depending on the factory. The gen is 1.8mm, the one I had was 2.0mm. Then I ran into an ETA 2893-2 at a very good price, $160, from Switzerland. The gen hand fit perfectly, the hub is a bit longer so it had all the bite it needed, and the ETA 2893-2 is considered at least the equal of Rolex' movement. I put it all together, and found that I had fucked up the movement! PM sconey. Put the .45 away. Found a Rolex Authorized watch repairman, and got it fixed. Put it all together. It would run for 10 to 25 seconds and stop. PM sconey. Put the .45 away. Repairman says 'No, he won't work on it any more', PM sconey. Put the .45 away. Went to the ETA site sconey sent me to, removed the rotor and looked at all the marvel of a self winding movement. At first, all I saw was dollars in the garbage. These tired old eyes, with a loupe and magnifier headgear and a set of binoculars and telescope and satellite imagery didn't see the tiny little speck that was the culprit. PM sconey. Put away the .45. Looked again and there it was! It couldn't be that tiny thingy, but sure as hell a little puff of air, it left and the watch ran!

Thank you sconey!!

 

 

The date wheel is red and black alternating, like the gen is. I found a picture of a genuine date wheel on the net. There are some aftermarket ones, but they have the closed '6' at the number '26', while open '6' and '9' on the rest. And Rolex' date wheel moves counter-clockwise, while ETA moves clockwise. So, with my rusty, trusty computer I made the date wheel, or actually an overlay for the date wheel. I literally 'plucked' each number off of the gen pic so as to have the right font and color, and pasted them on a separate 'sheet' in my computer with the background color to match the rest of the watch. I measured the date wheel and made a template, and pasted each number on it by eyesight. I printed that at 2400dpi on 'peel and stick' photo paper, cut it out and applied it to the date wheel. Turned the wheel, marked down the numbers that were off center, too high or low, and went back to my template, adjusted and did it again. It took about 5 or 6 times to get it right all around the dial. A few weeks later I ran into a post by sylar on RWGjr who had done something similar, not the colors, and he had a program that would have made it easier to do. Oh well. It kept me off the streets.

 

The crystal, dial, spring bars, case tube and crown are genuine Rolex, the hands genuine Rolex Tudor, sourced through Clark Watch parts. Gary has aftermarket, but can get the genuine stuff too. The ETA 2836-2 that I didn't use, and the Jubilee bracelet came from Mary. I drove her nuts with this project, so 'Thanks Mary!!'

 

I'm certain that I will fiddle with the watch here and there, but it did come out as I had hoped. The key things for me were the insert, smaller 4th hand and the alternating red/black date wheel that freddy333's did not have, as that's what makes a 6542 'special'. I did not want the slow-beat movement like the gen, and what freddy333 used, but did want the modern one so I could actually use the watch the way I like, and the ETA 2893-2 is perfect for that. I've looked at so many genuine 6542 pics, and found that Rolex not only replaced the insert if they got their hands on it, but they replaced the date wheel with all black numbers, and the dial too. I've seen at least 5 different dials used on this watch. While the 6542 originally came with the riveted bracelet, I've seen many with the Jubilee. That makes this project a little easier in that you can use some 'artistic creativity', and Lord knows I did. I always liked the GMT but in black/red, not the 'Pepsi', and I never liked any of the bracelets until the new 'glide-lock' with solid mid and end links. But now the red/blue Pepsi with a Jubilee looks very good to me, so I'd like to get a more red and bluer insert. The Jubilee Mary got me is the newer 'hidden clasp' model, which is much better than those ugly stamped steel cheap looking clasps I just don't like. I've seen 6542s for sale on Ebay from $7,000 all the way to $45,000 with no rhyme or reason to it. Some really beat up stuff are at the highest prices."

 

And the result, 100 per 100 fake and franken:

 

5329709204_4d29ed5be9_b.jpg

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AllergyDoc

you need to get it ARed; I can't see the time.

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speedzmaster

Awesome! I love the seconds hand.

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KBH

Looks great. You just need to give it to your son and let him beat the snot out of it for while.

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greg_r

wow - great job, Joey! :kinkythegayviking:

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GC

WOW... did you say almost older than you?

 

So what were the dinosaurs like in real life :kinkythegayviking:

 

Sorry couldn't resist, wonderful watch btw!

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trailboss99

Nice, a little ageing and it will be great!

 

 

Col.

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KinCaidk

Looks awesome, Joe!!

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Brightlight

Come on Joey, details!! Silix case? Your own patented dial decal construction? Movement? Looks really great :D

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Member X

The skills of some people never fail to amaze me :D

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alistairw

Just magnificent, sensational job Joey!

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dingle

awesome work Joe. :D

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sconehead

You're getting good at this modding stuff UJ...and seeing as your pics are getting better too, how's about a dial/decal tuto someday??? :lol:

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Luthier
Awesome! I love the seconds hand.

Looks like third or even fourth hands to me...

:lol:

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shaneaubrey13

Amazing work...... Hope to see it for sale on fay :)

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