Okay, so, let me tell you about this little project I got into the other day. I’ve been messing around with watches lately, and I got this idea to try and make a high-quality imitation of a Rolex Cosmograph Daytona, you know, the Everose Gold one. It’s a pretty slick-looking watch, and I figured, why not give it a shot?
First things first, I needed to get a good look at the real deal. I spent a bunch of time just staring at pictures online. I mean, really studying them. I noticed this one has a “Sundust” dial with diamonds and these cool-looking black rings around the little dials. Also from the info, I know this dial is called “Sundust and bright black dial with snailed counters”. I needed to find something as close as possible, but man, finding an exact match was tough. I ended up settling on a dial that was pretty similar, but not perfect, from a supplier I found after digging around for a while.
Next up, the case. This thing is made of “18 ct Everose gold,” which I learned was introduced in 2005 and is used on all pink gold Rolex Oyster models. I couldn’t exactly afford real gold, let alone this special “Everose” stuff. So, I had to get creative. I went with a high-quality stainless steel case and got it plated with a rose gold finish. It took a couple of tries to get the color right, but I think the final result looked pretty darn good.
Then came the movement. Now, I’m no watchmaker, but I’ve tinkered enough to know my way around a basic movement. I sourced a decent automatic movement that would keep good time and give the watch that nice, sweeping second hand. Getting it all fitted into the case was a bit of a challenge, I’ll admit. Lots of tiny screws and delicate parts. My hands were definitely shaking a few times, but I managed to pull it off. And I also know the watch is 40mm.
- Finding the dial: This was a pain. So many options, but nothing was quite right.
- Gold plating the case: Getting the right shade of rose gold was tricky.
- Fitting the movement: Tiny screws are the enemy!
- Assemble the watchband: Need to make the band fit the case, and make sure it could be worn properly.
After a lot of trial and error, and a few choice words when I dropped a screw for the tenth time, I finally had a finished product. And you know what? It actually looked pretty good! I mean, it’s not a real Rolex, obviously, but it’s a decent imitation. It felt good on my wrist, had a nice weight to it, and the rose gold color really popped. This Daytona has a Sundust dial, and the little dials inside have these black rings. I spent hours online looking at the real thing, and honestly, mine looks pretty close.
The Final Touches
I wore it around for a few days, just to see how it felt and if anyone noticed. I even got a few compliments! Of course, I didn’t try to pass it off as the real thing, but it was fun to see people’s reactions. This whole experience was a good time. Learned a lot, messed up a lot, and ended up with a pretty cool watch. Might try another model next. We’ll see!
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