Well, I’ve always been a watch guy, you know? But let’s be real, those luxury watches, they cost an arm and a leg. So, I started looking into these high imitation watches. And that’s how I got started with this project to make a Rolex No-Date Black Submariner, Classic Style.
I did some digging online, trying to figure out what this watch is all about. Turns out, it’s called the “No-Date Black Submariner.” Sounds fancy, right? And apparently, some James Bond guy, Sean somethin’, used to wear one. That’s kinda cool, I guess. It seems only 1,500 were made and less than a third are left.
Getting Started
First, I needed to find parts that looked like the real deal. I searched around, found some online stores that sell all kinds of watch parts. I’m not gonna lie, it felt a bit overwhelming at first. There are so many little pieces! But I focused on the basics: the case, the band, the face, the hands.
- Case: I found a stainless-steel case that had that classic Submariner shape. It wasn’t perfect, but it was close enough.
- Band: I went with a simple, black band. Some folks like those metal bands, but I prefer something more understated.
- Face: This was the tricky part. I wanted that clean, no-date look. I ended up finding a face that was pretty darn similar to the real Rolex. It had those little round hour markers and everything.
- Hands: I found some hands that matched the style of the original Submariner. You know, those classic, simple hands.
Putting it Together
Now came the fun part – actually assembling the watch. I’m not gonna pretend I’m some expert watchmaker. I watched a bunch of videos online, read some articles, and basically just hoped for the best. I got myself a little watch repair kit, which had all these tiny screwdrivers and tweezers. It was like a surgeon’s kit, but for watches!
I started by attaching the face to the movement, which is like the engine of the watch. Then I carefully placed the hands on the face. This part was super fiddly. Those hands are tiny! Next, I put the movement and face into the case and screwed it all together. Finally, I attached the band. There is timing, date, timer and all that, but I didn’t go for those. I just want the classic style.
The Result
After a few hours of tinkering, I finally had my very own high imitation Rolex No-Date Black Submariner. And you know what? It looked pretty good! Of course, it wasn’t a real Rolex. A real watch expert could probably spot the differences in a second. It is not going to be a high quality watch like Omega, Tudor, IWC, Cartier, Breitling, or Grand Seiko, and it definitely doesn’t worth 90% of the original price, but I still learned a lot through the process. But to me, it looked awesome. And it kept time just fine.
Some people might say I should have just saved up and bought a real Rolex. But honestly, I don’t have that kind of money. And even if I did, I’m not sure I’d want to spend it on a watch. This project was more about the challenge and the fun of making something myself. And I learned a lot along the way. I know some of you will say this is not a good thing to do, but hey, it was fun! I got myself a watch that looks like a million bucks, even though it didn’t cost anywhere near that much. Now I feel like James Bond a little bit!
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