This is why people despise the rolex community. Notice i didn't say rolex watches. People bitching about someone customizing a watch and how it "hurts the value" or helps it if it was a factory error. Enjoy your stuff. Life goes by fast and it's silly to get your blood pressure up over what someone else likes

People should just wear and use their watches how they want to. That’s what should matter. It’s just jewellery. This weird “passing it onto the next generation”, and “watches as investments” delusions that we’ve been sold by watch brands and influencers is stupid. Wear the watch for you, not for anyone else or for some arbitrary scenario 50 years down the line.

Blasphemy. I’ve always been of the mindset that you can do wherever you want with your watches. Looks interesting.

I like what your friend did to his Explorer II. Technically, it is a Frankenwatch (defined as a watch that has been modified by combining parts from two or more watches into one watch). This is exactly what your friend did. But who cares? It is his watch and he has the right to do anything he wants to it (except to pass it off as being original from Rolex). Cheers!

To me, if it’s all Rolex, then I’d consider this to be a firmly modified watch. It’s not a Frankenstein and it’s not a fake. It doesn’t try to be a model that it isn’t, and it isn’t using aftermarket rubbish. It’s a very interesting take on a Rolex. For me, personally, I prefer to keep the watches factory. It’s not a crime though.

This looks incredible. Such a good idea

I'm with you. Especially if he's keeping the original parts so that he can return it to the original condition later if he wants, I think it's kind of cool to have a customized Rolex. Modded Rolex's are pretty rare, so that instantly makes it way more interesting. Personally I'm not a fan of that look, but that's beside the point. (When I first saw it I wondered if it were a GMT Master with an Explorer 2 dial).

I also love what Matt Farrah did with his Explorer two dial! It’s amazing when people personalize and add a touch of themselves, kills off the nasty “investment” word that comes with watch collecting.

It’s freaking cool is what it is

Is a nike sneaker fake if you swap the laces?

These are the kind of Rolex mods I like. You can give yourself a unique look you want, but change back to the OEM configuration if you need to.

Can you do a black vs white 16570 video? I can’t decide which color

My GMT and Explorer have both been modded. I had a permanent link removed from the 6 o’clock side of the bracelets so the clasps would be centered. This keeps the watches from rolling toward the far side of my wrist. The links were destroyed by removing them and the adjacent links were reprofiled to maintain the taper of the bracelet. The work was done for free by Rolex and is completely unnoticeable unless you know there should be 5 links there instead of 4. I’m sure it tanks the resale value but I don’t care since i don’t plan to sell and it made the watches MUCH more enjoyable to me.

Fantastic mod! I want one! Whats the wait for one of those? 😂

Interesting topic. The main question I have…If you return it back to all original parts from the original watch then I would say it’s authentic if you were ever to sell it.? So to my thinking if you want to mod your watch then yes go for it and enjoy it. Funny, to me it’s almost like changing out straps on a watch. I get so much enjoyment when I do it. It now feels new, different and it gets more wrist time. TY for this discussion

Flipping hell man, that looks class

I just looked into luxury watches modding. There is a small community that is interested in Rolex modding, especially modding the 16570 with different bezel and GMT hand colors. Omega FOIS modding seems to be more popular.

Do what you want with your own watch/car, you own them! Personally I would never pull the engine out of my 1966 Land Rover, I just learned how to work on it. I quite like this modded Rolex though!

I agree with what you say, but there’s only one correction which I think you would agree with also. You say I think an owner should be allowed to blah blah blah blah they’re damn well allowed to they can do whatever they want with it. The only conversation is around, reselling it to the next person. It’s imagining what the next person might want or not want. Personally, I think it’s ridiculous. That people pay a premium over the factory made a mistake and therefore rare… Not the kind of person I want to become. However, there’s people out there with that stories important. Joe at the factory had a bad day and quality control at Rolex. Catch it, wow this is now a priceless watch. Get real. Thanks for the great content and your lovely personality. I just want to encourage you to keep doing what you’re doing.

I got a 16550 with a black dial that I want to do this to. Such a cool look. You can always change the bezel back if you want to sell it. You only live once 😂

This is awesome. As long as everyone is clear on what it is, there is probably a set of folks (myself included) who would seek something like this out…probably won’t see someone else wearing the exact same watch as you in your day to day with something like this…very cool!

Its awesome. That painted bezel also looked great

Looks quite cool

This is proper moding. Value is not important, if you do this, you do it for your own pleasure. I would never buy one, but if I modify it, I would never sell it

I’ve swapped the dial on my gv milgauss to the black dial without orange markers at 3,6,9 as comes on the non gv version. When I bought the dial it came with a spare set of hands, I took the “new” orange lightning bolt seconds and stripped the orange paint. It’s now more true to the original vintage milgauss. I feel it’s more tasteful than it was but carries the milgauss quirks in a more subtle way. I still have all the original parts so can swap back.

Nice video , good spotlight. I think this can be done with the Tudor black bays too, but with a more public accepted appreciation since it’s not “a Rolex”. I want to see someone mod a bb steel (red text dial) with a black bezel and see what that looks like. Most people wouldn’t be able to tell the difference anyways

I think this is awesome! I do get why folks would say if they just had the one modded watch it would be worth less. Having all the original parts though I’d pay more.

I suppose it's technically a franken, but man does this look cool with the coke bezel. I can sympathize with not wanting to mod a watch that's pushing 10k though - it's not the same as customizing a Seiko as a hobby, but I suppose people tune sports cars and not just Toyota Corollas.

Such an awesome watch. Absolutely love the customization.

I have long thought of doing this but with a yachtmaster case I just can’t afford it , I’ll stick to changing my bezel inserts on my gmt

Personally I envy him for having the guts to create something thoughtful and original, knowing it will inevitably taint the value of the piece. Some people count on being able to sell a watch in a pinch, or if they fall out of love with it and want to use the money to roll it into another piece, but if you're not planning on ever selling, or don't care about the perceived value then I believe you are free to do whatever the hell you'd like with your own property. Hell, musicians and celebrities have been molesting watches with aftermarket "ice" for decades... I much prefer this modification any day. I think its extremely tasteful and I hope he enjoys every minute of wearing his creation. Thank you for sharing Harrison!

Is the bezel rotatable? If so, sign me up!

Funny that nobody talks about this with the Rolex space dweller model. They found loose Rolex space dweller dials and a patent from Rolex showing the intention to create the watch. They sold the dials via a Sotheby’s auction. Years later, Rolex space dweller watches are popping up at auction. Turns out, all those space dwellers are modded 1016s with the dials sold via the Sotheby auction. Rolex never actually made the space dweller yet the ones with the modded dials sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Opinions aside, the value of the watch is higher with the original Explorer 2 parts. So if your "friend" ever wants to sell it, he can just put them back on. The Rolex models that have appreciated the most over the past decade are the manual movements like model Oysterdate 6694. Five years ago they were $800, but have shot all the way up to over $3,000. This is because they are both out of production and commonly used as daily wearers. So they get water damage or other types of damage, further increasing scarcity of the mint condition dials (and other parts). That's why the mint condition dials of the Rolex 6694 are more expensive than OP or Datejust dials in equal condition. People who bought Rolex GMT Masters in the 1960s typically wore them every day as they were primarily tool watches. That is why they are scarce and therefore valuable now. People who buy GMT Master 2's typically wear them as status symbols, so they are less likely to get damaged, and therefore are less likely to become scarce.

It’s just a mod. Really common with Seiko, not so much with Rolex. A Frankenstein or Frankenwatch usually implies that someone is trying to pass off a watch as original when it’s not and are not transparent about it. That’s also called fraud 😂 Do what you want to your watch, but the value will always go down. And be transparent about it when you come to sell it.

Take from someone semi-new to the watch collecting world: this looks dope, like a limited edition. I’ve seen the (much hated for some reason?) video from Hodinkee with Ed Sheehan, and this watch looks like Ed’s “one of one” custom Patek…this to me is like it, it tells a story and is unique. Absolutely awesome. It’s “worth” (objectively) might have gone down, but the “value” (subjectively) has exponentially gone up - to me at least.

This is the way to mod. Original parts, tasteful changes. Having said that, I do prefer keeping watches factory. For me, uniqueness comes from wearing it and making it your own through dings, scuffs, scratches, etc.

I love watch modding. Make your watch unique and how you like it. It will be different than the millions of other Rolex GMT's out there.

Love the watch - I want one 🎉🎉🎉

Do what you like - it’s your watch. That said, if you want a GMT Master II, why not just buy one? Why buy the Explorer II and then change it to be something else?

I love modding watches but I find the enjoyment in doing the actual mod work myself so I stick with Seikos where the parts are inexpensive and therefore low stakes. If I were going to mod a Rolex it would be too stressful to do myself and I wouldn’t appreciate it nearly as much if I had to pay someone to do it for me. To each their own!

I love it!

How about replacing the dial with an Omega dial 😅 ? I like the owner doing his own thing.

Rolex offers a lot of dial options for DJ and OP, but not so much for professional models. Having a few more dial colors to choose from wouldn’t hurt. Anyways, I like the watch. It sure is personal and does stand out.

I like this a lot. Do whatever the hell you want with your watch. It’s your watch.

I modded my polar too by swapping the sapphire for a non cyclops one

This was pretty much business as usual in the 70s, 80s and 90s. There are literally 10s of thousands of Datejusts out there with dials that are genuine Rolex but were never sold on the watch they are on. An AD back in the day would swap out parts to make what you wanted. It was very common. I am surprised that there isn't more of this going on. No watch is perfect but you can mod them to get darn close. I have always thought about picking up a Tudor steel and throwing in the Heritage (black) bezel. Bingo bango a Tudor Sub. Not much of a need to do this now with the Monochrome out there. I am all in with making watches how you want them.

Any time you make a Rolex look like a Tudor it’s a bad thing 😂

I say this is just a Rolex Mod. No different Honda Civic tuners optimizing engine performance. I mean Rolex mods or Frankenstein their own watches via transitional references all the time. Look at the Mk 1 39mm Explorer. They took leftover hand sets from the 36mm Explorer and popped them into the 39mm. They took a maxi dial, put that into a pre-ceramic case, added a green bezel and we got the Kermit. For over a decade Rolex GMT & Explorer II are practically the same watch minus the bezel and white/black dial Explorer/GMT master stamped on it on the black dial. They use leftover President bracelets when they went to quick set on the Day Dates and add them on to gold Date Just in the 70's. White gold GMT Pepsi black dial on stainless steel Pepsi GMT's? To each his own, but I will say put the original bezel back when your friend takes his Explorer in for service. Otherwise they might refuse to service it, or he will lose the GMT bezel. Rolex will keep it. Awesome insight on price increase/inflation on Rolex timepieces. However, with new ceramic 904L steel, silicone hair springs, solid link bracelets, anti reflective coating on sapphire crystals, and these great bells & whistles. Will modern Rolex models age at all? Will they age different from one another? Will they age the same as pre-ceramic Rolex. Even the precious metals Rolex uses today will not patina or tarnish like vintage precious metal Rolex. So my question. Technically modern Rolex are built with materials that will not fade, tarnish, or discolor. Even the case design was changed to hold it shape in it's lifespan when a watch gets polished and overhauled. Where's the character and charm in that, what will make modern Rolex different in the future? I bet my 2024 124060 Submariner will look more or less like yours and thousands of other Sub owners in 30 years. Another thing to take into consideration. will a 124060 2024 41mm no Date Submariners value be more in 30 years than a mint 5513 matte dial Submariner from 1979 valued at 2024 prices? Did Rolex kill it's own future collectability value in over engineering their products? I guess what will stand out are short production runs, slight variations in dial color/stamping, transitional models, or just limited references (like the Le Mans Daytona).

You can do whatever you want, it's your watch. I have never seen this on a Explorer II but after seeing it I would have no problem getting a coke or all black GMT bezel and putting it on my Polar, I much prefer colored bezels to the all steel look.

I prefer my watches stock, but you do you.

It’s not “factory correct” if the owner is happy, fine, although Rolex being as they are, they’d take a dim view of it at service and insist on returning it to its “authentic” state - they consider these sorts of modifications as violations of their designs.

I think that it's a frankenstein watch in the truest sense. If there were non-Rolex part then it would be (in part) fake. Not that there is anything wrong with it, it's your watch, you can do as you please. Only time I have a problem with those kinds of watches is when it's being listed for sale and it isn't properly stated what was done.

I guess, when it comes to Rolex the concept of a modding should be left to the Seiko SKX.

Art is typically not considered valuable unless it falls into the category of rare masterpieces, such as the iconic works of Picasso and others. In such cases, the buyer is well aware that the decision to sell artwork is often driven by financial need. It is worth noting that the assessment of an artwork's value can vary greatly, as it heavily relies on subjective judgments.

Cool mod. Not a fake, unless someone tries to claim it's all original

Very nice Harrison it’s much more nicer than the Tudor gmt white 😊

As long as no one tries to pass it off for a rare original

A custom watch. If the owner likes it it's his decision 😊👍🏻👍🏻

It’s a Fraken watch. Anything that should not be on the reference makes it a Fraken. If the watch goes in for a repair and newer parts for that model are applied it, it doesn’t make it Frake in a technical sense, because those parts are for that model. I do recognize the fact that one could argue that any replacement parts that are not period correct could make the watch a Fraken, just not in the same sense that the watch in this video is.

Whatever floats your boat but would never sell it like that. Even if you are honest about how it came to be, eventually someone would pass it off for something it isn’t.

When it comes to luxury goods people want things genuine and not modded. I've heard that rolex won't even service a watch that is sent in on an aftermarket strap. Personally I'll live modding for cheaper watches.

It's not fake . It's after market . If its your watch and you alter it . That's your choice .seem to remember that theres a story that some white dial versions of these where made 🤔

The B roll of the Explorer 2 with black bezel is in fact just painted (black with white numbers)

I love this,I would do it in a heartbeat. Watches are not an art, they are a craft, just btw.

I love it😢

Just enjoy. Your watch. How you want it

I modded my Sub 16610LV Kermit with a black insert. No biggie.

It’s a legit Rolexstein

Frankenwatch. If Rolex wouldn’t service it it’s wrong. Cheers

I don't think he did anything wrong; he modified the watch to his liking, and that's totally fine. Others might not like it, but why does it matter? Nobody cares when someone modifies a Seiko SKX or a Vostok Amphibia. So why should people care about the Rolex? Is it just the value? This only makes sense because many Rolex buyers don't buy a "watch"; they see it as an "asset." Therefore, I think we should actively encourage the modification of Rolex watches to keep the hobby full of real enthusiasts. Classic car enthusiasts are the same; people pay extra for a matching numbers car over a car with an LS engine and modern disc brakes. Ultimately, it doesn't matter to the owner-do what you want with your car or your watch. I happen to think this watch looks really cool!

I think as long as you don’t claim that it’s a previously unknown to the market unique Rolex prototype, create a fake backstory along with fake documents, artificially age the dial and list it for sale at auction with Phillips for 1 million then this is totally fine ;)

Agree with the other comments. All Rolex parts = modded Rolex watch. I think it looks great. People need to get over themselves - why so negative ?

I think it looks cool, it’s not original though. But I feel like you’re not going to get mugged wearing this watch, because people will think it’s fake. That would be a huge plus!

We should remember Rolex are mass produced, machine made, robotic assembled branded goods. They are not art where each piece is unique. 4,500 units a day out of the Rolex factory. More akin to a well made Porsche than a piece of art. Don’t misunderstand me, I own a Rolex and love it. I wear my Sub on a Rubber B strap, which modifies it enough for my own satisfaction, and can be easily put back onto its original bracelet.

Tbh - even if your friend bought the watch just so his mrs can use it throw at him and against the wall then he spent his hard earned cash how he intended, others should keep quiet and just spend their money on how they like even if they just want to keep it in a safe for 30 years

1. People can and should do whatever they wish to do with their watches. 2. Watches as investments is a very silly concept. 3. However, and in my personal opinion, I would still consider this a mistake, like someone buying art, or the status linked to a name or even the quality reputation of a brand, then deciding to 'improve' on it and making it their own, like so many screenplays trying to improve on the source material. 99% of time, it's just bad fan fiction.

Vanilla Coke

I'm sorry, but classifying watches as an asset class is plain wrong - fiscally misguided at best and wanton negligence at worst. Sure, particular references of certain brands may have decent value retention and even appreciate over time, but I would only ever consider pieces of specific, individual watches of certain significance assets, if that. By and large the watches you or I will be able to get our hands on will overwhelmingly depreciate and should _never_ be bought with the expectations of what one might hold for an asset. Whats the CAGR of a Daytona, versus lets say, Paul Newmans Daytona? This is a red line for me but I'm aware that everybodys risk tolerance is different. If you think differently then I'm curious to know your reasoning, plus it would make a great video, cheers. (In my humble opinion)

If it’s hit watch and he loves it, then who da-f cares. But it is a Frankenwatch.

No its look like a Tudor 😂😂😂

I don’t like it