Yesterday, I was browsing the internet and got really into the Rolex GMT-Master II. You know, the one with the “Batman” or “Pepsi” bezel? They are just so darn cool! I really wanted one, but geez, they’re expensive! So, I thought, why not try making a knockoff version myself? I’m pretty handy, so I figured it couldn’t be that hard.
First, I needed to find something that kinda looks like it. I remembered I had an old Timex watch lying around. It was an Allied Three GMT model, which, you know, has “GMT” in the name, so it felt like a good starting point. I dug it out of my drawer and got to work.
The Timex already had the four hands like the Rolex—hour, minute, GMT, and seconds—so that was a good start. But, I noticed that the order of the hands on the Timex was different from the real Rolex. On a genuine GMT-Master II, it goes Hour, GMT, Minute, and then Seconds. Mine had the GMT hand at the bottom, then the Hour, then the Minute. I had to fix that!
So, I got my tiny screwdrivers and carefully took the watch apart. Man, those screws are small! I almost lost a few. Anyway, I managed to get the hands off without bending them too much. Then, I carefully put them back on in the right order: Hour first, then GMT, then Minute, and finally Seconds. It was like a delicate operation!
- Take the Timex watch apart with my tools.
- Detach the hands carefully.
- Re-attach the hands in correct order: Hour, GMT, Minute, Seconds.
- Put the watch back together.
Next was the bezel. The Timex had a pretty plain black bezel, nothing like the cool two-tone ones on the Rolex. I thought about painting it, but then I found some colored tape that looked about right. I carefully cut the tape into two semicircles, one blue and one red, like the “Pepsi” bezel. It was a bit tricky to stick them on straight, but I got it done. It doesn’t look perfect, but hey, it’s kinda close!
After putting everything back together, I have to say, I’m pretty pleased with the result. Sure, it’s not a real Rolex, and anyone who knows watches could probably spot it as a fake from a mile away. But from a distance, in dim light, and if you squint a little, it kinda resembles the GMT-Master II. It’s my own little “homage” to the real thing. Plus, it was a fun little project to do on a lazy afternoon. Who knows, maybe I’ll try “modifying” some other watches in the future. It’s a lot cheaper than buying the real deal, that’s for sure!
My Little Conclusion
So there you have it, my little watch-modding adventure. It wasn’t perfect, and my Timex-Rolex mashup isn’t going to fool any collectors, but it was a fun way to spend a few hours. It shows that with a little bit of creativity, and a lot of patience, you can kinda-sorta make your own version of something fancy. Just don’t try to pass it off as the real thing!