Okay, so, I’ve been messing around with watches lately, and I gotta say, it’s been a wild ride. Today, I’m gonna spill the beans on my little project: trying to make a knock-off Rolex GMT-Master II, the one with the red and blue “Pepsi” bezel. Yeah, I know, it sounds crazy, but hear me out.
It all started when I saw this post online about some guy asking for help to find a replacement bezel for his 16710 Pepsi. That got me thinking, “Why not try to make one myself?” I mean, how hard could it be, right? Famous last words, I know. I’ve always liked the Pepsi bezel, but the price is way too much.
Find the right watch
First things first, I needed a watch to work with. I spent a few days, maybe even a week, just scrolling through online listings, trying to find something that wouldn’t break the bank but still had that GMT-Master II vibe. Ended up finding a decent-looking one for around 200 bucks. It wasn’t perfect, but hey, it was a start. The original one will set you back anywhere from 10,000 to 100,000, I will never afford that.
Disassemble and measure
Once the watch arrived, it was time to get down to business. I carefully took it apart, making sure not to lose any of those tiny screws. Trust me, they’re like ninjas – disappear the second you look away. Then came the measuring. I had to get the dimensions of the bezel just right, or else the whole thing would look wonky.
Find the materials
Now, this was the tricky part. The real Rolex Pepsi bezel is made from some fancy ceramic stuff, but I obviously wasn’t going to use that. I read somewhere they use ruby and sapphire, which I can not get. I toyed with the idea of using plastic or some other cheap material, but then I stumbled upon these colored glass pieces online. They weren’t exactly what I was looking for, but they were close enough, and most importantly, they were cheap.
Assemble the bezel
With the glass pieces in hand, I started putting the bezel together. I used some super glue to stick the red and blue pieces together, along with some white stones to imitate the hour markings. This was a pain, let me tell you. Getting everything lined up perfectly was a nightmare, and I definitely messed up a few times.
Put it all together
After what felt like forever, the bezel was finally done. It wasn’t perfect, but it kinda looked like the real deal, at least from a distance. I put the watch back together, popped the new bezel on, and… well, it worked! I was actually surprised at how decent it looked.
- Find a base watch: Look for an affordable watch with a similar design to the GMT-Master II.
- Disassemble the watch: Carefully take apart the watch, paying close attention to the small parts.
- Measure the bezel: Accurately measure the dimensions of the original bezel.
- Source materials: Find affordable materials that mimic the look of the Pepsi bezel, like colored glass and stones.
- Assemble the bezel: Carefully glue the materials together, ensuring proper alignment and spacing.
- Reassemble the watch: Put the watch back together with the newly crafted bezel.
All in all, it was a fun little project. Would I wear this watch every day? Probably not. But it was cool to see if I could actually pull it off. And who knows, maybe I’ll try my hand at another watch project in the future. But for now, I think I’ll stick to admiring the real Rolexes from afar.
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