Okay, so, I’ve been wanting to get a Rolex GMT-Master II with the Root Beer bezel for a while now. But, you know, the price tag is just insane. So, I thought, why not try to make my own “high imitation” version? Yeah, sounds crazy, but I was up for the challenge.
I started by doing some digging online. Found out that the original Root Beer bezel was used in the 16713 reference, which was produced until 2006. Rolex brought it back in 2018 with the ref. 126711CHNR. Nice to know the history and all that, but it didn’t really help me make one myself.
Next, I started looking for a base watch. Something that looked kinda like a GMT-Master II and had a similar movement. I found a couple of decent options. I ended up getting one that wasn’t too shabby. It wasn’t perfect, but it had potential.
Now, the hard part – the bezel. I needed to find a Root Beer bezel that would fit my base watch. I looked all over, on websites and forums. Let me tell you, it was a pain. I found some that were okay, but nothing that really nailed the look.
But then, after weeks of searching, I stumbled upon a small online seller that had a ceramic bezel insert that looked promising. The colors looked good in the pictures, and it had the gold-filled index markers like the Squale Atmos Heritage Ceramic 1545. I know, it’s a diving watch, but I really liked the look of that ceramic. I decided to take a chance and ordered it.
While waiting for the bezel, I took the time to practice. I watched some videos and learned how to remove and install bezels. I even messed up once, but I had a second watch. I’m glad I did! Practice makes perfect.
When the bezel finally arrived, I was stoked. It looked even better in person than in the photos. I carefully removed the original bezel from my watch and installed the new one. And let me tell you, it was a perfect fit. And it looked amazing!
Here’s what I did, step-by-step:
- Found a base watch: I got a watch that kinda looked like a GMT-Master II and had a similar movement.
- Searched for the bezel: I looked everywhere online and found a ceramic Root Beer bezel with gold-filled markers.
- Practice Time! I watched videos and practiced removing and installing bezels.
- Installed the new bezel: Once it arrived, I carefully put the new Root Beer bezel on my watch.
I’m really happy with how it turned out. It’s not a real Rolex, obviously, but it looks pretty darn close. And it didn’t cost me an arm and a leg. Plus, I learned a lot along the way.
So, if you’re thinking about doing something similar, go for it! It’s a fun project, and you might be surprised by what you can achieve.
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