New & 'Exploring'

[bms259]

Hi!

I just discovered the site, and am looking forward to learning.

What brought me here is a search for a great homage to the Rolex Explorer 14270. I came to the conclusion awhile ago that the Explorer 14270 would be nearly the perfect watch for me. I love it's simplicity, it's ruggedness, it's history, it's small size, the Oyster case and 369 dial, and most of all it's understated awesomeness. It's got so much going for it, and yet it's so under the radar. It fits perfectly with my personality.

For a lot of personal & lifestyle reasons (not least of which are modern Rolex prices), I just can't justify the purchase. Had I been old enough and aware enough in the early 90s, it might have been a different story then, but for now it means I am left looking for a great homage (or hoping someone decides to just give me one!)

I've got a Sinn 556 that I've tried really hard to fall in love with, but it's just not the rugged elegance of the 14270. I've got an Alpha Explorer that, for $100, is actually pretty awesome, but ultimately falls a bit short. The dial, with it's matte grey finish, very bad logo, and maxi 369 numerals, just isn't quite good enough. Plus, I really love drilled lug holes. I've never worked on watches before, but I've considered trying to find a replacement dial for the Alpha, but I haven't found anything great yet. And I still want those drilled lug holes....

So here I am, "exploring" these parts, trying to learn and hoping to find my grail! I don't know if I can try my hand a building something, or if there's someone around these parts that can build on for me, but I'll take any advice I can!

[TimemiT]

Welcome ... small size, simple dial vintage rolex ... you can go anywhere from a couple hundred dollars to a closer to genuine build ... depends on your budget.

Hopefully others can chime in ... here are some places to look

here you can find very well made replacement cases and parts (some on various forums will refer to these parts as "Vietnam", it's just the location of the maker) ... parts can be pricey, but they are of great build quality and 316 stainless
http://vintagewatchesmq.com/minhquy/ind ... itstart=20

on the lower end, but still respectable quality .. is Yuki ... his parts and cases are more so you can drop in a much more economical Eta movement ... much more economical and simple build ... maybe a great place to start looking for your first build
http://www.yukiwatch.com/case.html

the 14270 or the 1016 can be very simple builds, the dials are clean with no date windows or cyclops crystals to deal with .... some of these cases you can even use Genuine crowns, tubes and dial ..... this is where this hobby gets to be fun

good luck!

http://www.yukiwatch.com/catalog/item/9 ... 355202.htm

http://www.yukiwatch.com/explorer-dial.html

[bms259]

Welcome ... small size, simple dial vintage rolex ... you can go anywhere from a couple hundred dollars to a closer to genuine build ... depends on your budget.

Hopefully others can chime in ... here are some places to look

here you can find very well made replacement cases and parts (some on various forums will refer to these parts as "Vietnam", it's just the location of the maker) ... parts can be pricey, but they are of great build quality and 316 stainless
http://vintagewatchesmq.com/minhquy/ind ... itstart=20

on the lower end, but still respectable quality .. is Yuki ... his parts and cases are more so you can drop in a much more economical Eta movement ... much more economical and simple build ... maybe a great place to start looking for your first build
http://www.yukiwatch.com/case.html

the 14270 or the 1016 can be very simple builds, the dials are clean with no date windows or cyclops crystals to deal with .... some of these cases you can even use Genuine crowns, tubes and dial ..... this is where this hobby gets to be fun

good luck!

http://www.yukiwatch.com/catalog/item/9 ... 355202.htm

http://www.yukiwatch.com/explorer-dial.html

Thanks so much! That's really helpful.

I had seen reference to the "Vietnam" parts before, but didn't know what that meant.

The Yuki stuff looks good too. I'm not sure I have the skill to build something on my own or not. However, he doesn't seem to have anything for the 14270. I'm noticing there are a ton of 1016s, but few (1)14270s.

[TimemiT]

contact them about 14270 ... give them a few days to reply, they are not speedy with communications

[bms259]

contact them about 14270 ... give them a few days to reply, they are not speedy with communications

I emailed both of those folks, and no luck on the 14270 parts. I did find a site called rafflesdial that has some parts, including a dial that will fit (I think), the Alpha Explorer I have right now. I may go that route for a stop gap.

But I’m wondering - are there folks around here that will build watches like this on order? I’d love to get something in between the really expensive franken watches with mostly gen parts and the cheap dial replacement on my Alpha. And I’d really love to have drilled lug holes, but that’s way beyond my ability.

Is there somewhere or someone I should try to get in touch with who could help me out, if not with building a whole watch, at least with drilling lug holes?

Thanks!

[Tanukjaju]

Welcome aboard.

came to the conclusion awhile ago that the Explorer 14270 would be nearly the perfect watch for me

There is no near perfect ONE watch... perhaps 4-5.... not just one

[bms259]

Welcome aboard.

came to the conclusion awhile ago that the Explorer 14270 would be nearly the perfect watch for me

There is no near perfect ONE watch... perhaps 4-5.... not just one

Ha! You’re right! That’s why I said “nearly”! Seriously though, with a date window, and a more affordable price, I wouldn’t need another watch. I’d still want a few of the ones I have, but I really have fallen in love with the 90s-2000s Explorers. The older 1016s are awesome too, but the 14270s are right up my alley.

I’ve got a 1964 Omega Seamaster and a Hamilton GG-W-113 military field watch from the 70s, and an Invicta Pro Diver with a Dagaz dial on it.

I’d love it be able to add some homage or build of the the Explorer to that mix somehow.

[Tanukjaju]

Some pics of your watches please.

[bms259]

Some pics of your watches please.

I'll try to take some good ones here soon!

[TimemiT]

drilling hole lugs is simple work for some of the genius watch smiths we have here ... it's best if you approach them when you have a complete build or parts ready to go

I have only experience with our watch smiths on Panerai builds .... Rolex builds are a different group of guys