You know what, I’ve been wanting to share this for a while now. So, I recently decided to take on this project, and I thought, why not make it a kind of “high imitation” Rolex GMT-Master II? The “Root Beer” bezel version, you know? That classic look. And I wanted it to be something I could find easily in an online store, just to see how close I could get without actually buying a real one.
So I started digging around, looking for parts. It’s not like you can just buy a ready-made fake that’s exactly what you want. I wanted it to be a fun DIY kind of thing. I found this website selling watch parts, and they had a “Seacolt GMT Collection” which looked kind of like the Rolex. Not perfect, but a good starting point. I ordered a case, a bezel that looked like the “Root Beer” one, and a movement. I went with a Swiss automatic movement, 39mm, from the “Ocean 39 Vintage GMT Premium Ceramic” I found. Figured it’d be decent enough for this project.
I also stumbled upon some info about the original Rolex. The new GMT-Master II “Root Beer” ref. 16713 appeared in 1989 and Rolex put the “nipple dial” and it is selling this Rolex GMT Master II reference 126711CHNR, apparently. Interesting history, I guess, but not really what I needed. I just wanted the look. And I knew the real one had a “Triplock” winding crown that’s super waterproof. I knew I wouldn’t get that, but it was cool to read about it.
Then, the waiting game. Once all the parts arrived, it was like Christmas morning. I laid everything out, feeling like a real watchmaker, even though I totally wasn’t. I’d watched a bunch of videos online, so I felt kind of prepared.
Putting it together was…tricky. Definitely not as easy as the pros make it look. There were some close calls, and I might have scratched the case a little. Okay, maybe more than a little. But, hey, it adds character, right?
Anyway, after a few frustrating hours, lots of tiny screws, and some colorful language, I finally had something that resembled a watch. And you know what? It actually worked! The movement was ticking, the hands were moving, and the bezel rotated. I’m not gonna lie, I was pretty proud of myself.
- Step 1: Sourced the parts online.
- Step 2: Waited for them to arrive.
- Step 3: Assembled the watch (with some difficulty).
- Step 4: Tested the watch. It’s alive!
The Final Result
It’s not perfect, not even close to the real deal in terms of quality or precision. But it does look somewhat like the “Root Beer” GMT-Master II, at least from a distance. And it was a fun project. I learned a lot about watches, and it gave me a new appreciation for the craftsmanship that goes into the real things.
Would I wear it out and try to pass it off as a real Rolex? Absolutely not. This was just for fun, a little experiment. But now I have a unique watch that I built myself, and that’s pretty cool in my book.
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