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Restoring a Vintage Rolex GMT

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Re: Restoring a Vintage Rolex GMT

#11

Post by implements »

bjt2n3904 wrote: post #6

I bought a Seiko automatic that I wore for a while, until it stopped -- I think I got some sand in it. The watch shop asked for more than the cost of the watch to service it, so I watched a few videos and tried to do it myself. Make no mistake, those gears are TINY. Insanely so. I had imagined that I'd put them into place carefully, lining up the teeth... But they're so small it's closer to "well I dropped you into p…

It’s extremely hard to get a decent mechanical watch without the ‘date complication’ - which I thought was odd as it’s a pain to adjust it nearly every month, so much so that you can’t be sure the current display is even correct.

Re: Restoring a Vintage Rolex GMT

#12

Post by alexgrover »

implements wrote: post #11
bjt2n3904 wrote: post #6

I bought a Seiko automatic that I wore for a while, until it stopped -- I think I got some sand in it. The watch shop asked for more than the cost of the watch to service it, so I watched a few videos and tried to do it myself. Make no mistake, those gears are TINY. Insanely so. I had imagined that I'd put them into place carefully, lining up the teeth... But they're so small it's closer to "well I dropped you into p…

It’s extremely hard to get a decent mechanical watch without the ‘date complication’ - which I thought was odd as it’s a pain to adjust it nearly every month, so much so that you can’t be sure the current display is even correct.

I’m not sure where you’re looking but every brand offers no-date watches in pretty much every style you might want

Re: Restoring a Vintage Rolex GMT

#13

Post by philjohn »

djtriptych wrote: post #7

Watched a few of his videos just last week - the YT algorithm must love him. Really, really good photography and narration - worth a watch IMO.

The YouTube algorithm always seems to find cool stuff - I've been suggested (and watched) this, LockPickingLawyer and Mentour Pilot.

Re: Restoring a Vintage Rolex GMT

#14

Post by dylan604 »

steveBK123 wrote: post #10

Old "tools" like vintage watches, cameras, etc are pretty cool. In my experience they were built to be more serviceable, but also due to less precise manufacturing, there were seemingly a lot more tolerances built into the designs. It's great watching people restore Rolexes, Leicas, etc. Similar to the video here, I have my grandfathers Rolex. He wore it while trimming hedges and doing all sorts of yard work. Why not…

>These days you see the exact opposite behavior. Everyone has just become so precious about their goods. "It's really expensive so I need to protect it / use it sparingly / use great caution". Look at the entire ecosystem of protective cases for iPhones/Apple Watches/etc. On upscale cars you have the obsession with paint protection films, ceramic coatings, etc.

what the wha??? i see people give their toddlers their mobile devices who then gleefully whack it on whatever surface is convenient. i see people just toss their devices around. case or no case. so many people don't even think of it as an expensive device since it's just a part of their monthly fees. seemingly, only the people that buy the phone outright are familiar with the actual costs. with insurance plans and cheap replacements, people care less about the fragility of the thing and just think of it as a kitchen utensil. so i guess the circles you and i run in are quite drastically different in this regard.

Re: Restoring a Vintage Rolex GMT

#15

Post by steveBK123 »

dylan604 wrote: post #14
steveBK123 wrote: post #10

Old "tools" like vintage watches, cameras, etc are pretty cool. In my experience they were built to be more serviceable, but also due to less precise manufacturing, there were seemingly a lot more tolerances built into the designs. It's great watching people restore Rolexes, Leicas, etc. Similar to the video here, I have my grandfathers Rolex. He wore it while trimming hedges and doing all sorts of yard work. Why not…

>These days you see the exact opposite behavior. Everyone has just become so precious about their goods. "It's really expensive so I need to protect it / use it sparingly / use great caution". Look at the entire ecosystem of protective cases for iPhones/Apple Watches/etc. On upscale cars you have the obsession with paint protection films, ceramic coatings, etc. what the wha??? i see people give their toddlers their m…

I think you said it yourself - case or no case. Look at all the people who use cases on their phones, theres an entire ecosystem for it that never existed for startacs. I think its evolved over time but it seems like the majority of people have some sort of case on their phones.

Same for portable game systems like the Gameboy brick we all used naked vs all the cases on the switch, etc.

Re: Restoring a Vintage Rolex GMT

#16

Post by implements »

alexgrover wrote: post #12
implements wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s extremely hard to get a decent mechanical watch without the ‘date complication’ - which I thought was odd as it’s a pain to adjust it nearly every month, so much so that you can’t be sure the current display is even correct.

I’m not sure where you’re looking but every brand offers no-date watches in pretty much every style you might want

There’s a few very expensive purely mechanical no-date watches, but I haven’t been able to find an affordable one.

Re: Restoring a Vintage Rolex GMT

#18

Post by lexapro »

steveBK123 wrote: post #15
dylan604 wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>These days you see the exact opposite behavior. Everyone has just become so precious about their goods. "It's really expensive so I need to protect it / use it sparingly / use great caution". Look at the entire ecosystem of protective cases for iPhones/Apple Watches/etc. On upscale cars you have the obsession with paint protection films, ceramic coatings, etc. what the wha??? i see people give their toddlers their m…

I think you said it yourself - case or no case. Look at all the people who use cases on their phones, theres an entire ecosystem for it that never existed for startacs. I think its evolved over time but it seems like the majority of people have some sort of case on their phones. Same for portable game systems like the Gameboy brick we all used naked vs all the cases on the switch, etc.

I only have a case so that the iPhone cameras don't stick out and I can lay it flat on the table without wobble.

I know other people who have it because they want better grip or they just want to customize the looks of their phone. Protection is not always the #1 reason.

Re: Restoring a Vintage Rolex GMT

#19

Post by zuzatm »

I don't know why, but I find watch mechanics super fascinating.

Few favorites for people with spare time (and lots of money if one wants to buy these):

Tourbillon: a watch complication where the main mechanism is mounted on a rotating wheel so that gravity doesn't affect the watch in a single direction.

Spring drive: A very recent mechanism that produces a perfect sweeping motion of the seconds hand. It combines both mechanical power (no battery) with a quartz crystal in a super cool way.

Minute repeater: a mechanical way for a blind person to tell the time.

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