Okay, so, I’ve been wanting to get a nice watch for a while now, and I really liked the look of those fancy Rolex GMT-Master II watches, especially the “Root Beer” one. But man, those things are expensive! So, I thought, why not try to find something that looks like it without, you know, costing a fortune?
I started digging around online, looking for something similar. I found out that the official Rolex Root Beer has this brown and black bezel, which is the part around the watch face. The reference number for the real deal is 126711 CHNR, and it came out in 2023. It is super hot! Pretty hard to find on the market, and the price is crazy!
Then it hit me, why not build something that looks like it myself? I’m no watchmaker, but I figured I could find parts that look the part. I found a company named “Timex,” that makes a watch called the “Allied Three GMT.” It doesn’t look exactly like the Rolex, but it has a similar vibe with that brown dial and a gold-brown GMT bezel.
Making the “Root Beer” Bezel
- Finding a Base: I decided to start with this Timex watch as my base. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a good starting point, and way cheaper than a real Rolex.
- The Bezel Hunt: The bezel was the key. I needed something that looked like that iconic “Root Beer” two-tone. I searched a lot of places on the web, and it was not easy to find a perfect fit, but, it looks okay.
- Putting It Together: This was the tricky part. I had to remove the original bezel from the Timex, which was a bit nerve-wracking. But I found a guide online, used some simple tools, and managed to do it without messing up the watch. Then, with a bit of care, I attached the new “Root Beer” style bezel.
It wasn’t a perfect match, of course. The colors weren’t exactly the same as the real Rolex, and the overall quality obviously wasn’t on the same level. But, you know what? It looked pretty good! It gave me that “Root Beer” vibe I was going for, and it didn’t break the bank.
I’ve been wearing it for a few weeks now, and I’m pretty happy with it. It’s not a Rolex, but it’s my own little custom piece, and that’s kind of cool. Plus, I learned a bit about how watches are put together, which is always a bonus.
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