Bleaching my 1680 insert

[Pikfjæs]

Yes. You heard me. Thats what i’m gonna do.
I love the look of a faded insert together with the beautiful patina.
I have no intention on ever selling the watch, this has nothing to do with greater value of the watch, its solely because i love the faded look.

My insert is a fat font mk3. It looks very new, the article when i bought the watch said it was all original, and although its the right insert, i believe it has been changed.

Now, i’ve just tried bleaching it with chlorine, and nothing has happened. Doesnt look the slightest faded yet, and i did it for 30-40 minutes. Has anyone had a good experience using chlorine, or is that not the way to go?

First i used 2/3 chlorine, 1/3 water, but then changed it to only chlorine.

The water looked a bit grumsy, showing little transparent pieces, but didnt change in color in other ways. Could this be the first layer of the insert coming of before it starts to bleach the color?

I would love to hear from someone who tried this before, maybe even with chlorine.

Thanks in advance.

[Dan S]

I don't have first-hand experience trying to damage an authentic Rolex part, but here's a thought. If you really believe that you have a valuable period-correct vintage insert, why not just put it aside and play around with an aftermarket or service insert.

[zapokee]

Originally Posted by Dan S

...why not just put it aside and play around with an aftermarket or service insert.

Originally Posted by shaunylw

On a side note, might be worth finding a service insert vs doing this to an original.

Originally Posted by winst

Definitely follow this and similar advice from previous posters, if not you are unnecessarily damaging the value of your watch.

Absolutley. If there's anything I've learned on this journey, it's to not mess with original stuff.

[swish77]

Well, sounds like you're determined to do it, so ..... Can you post some photos? I'd be curious to see what the insert looks like before, during and after.

As above, would be best to experiment with an aftermarket or service insert.

[swaini3]

Agree with the comment above, or trade it with someone for a faded one. There are some youtube videos on bleaching inserts but it ruins the look IMO. Your insert, your call ofc but if you ruin it that's $2k down the drain.

[offrdmania]

Bleaching inserts is obvious and its easy to tell the difference between a naturally faded insert and one thats been bleached.

[shaunylw]

I’ve done it, but not with Rolex inserts. I bleached a seiko skx insert and it came out great. I used bleach and a paper towel and sort of rubbed it off. I left it in the bleach for quite a while. Like others mentioned, check YouTube for how to tutorials. On a side note, might be worth finding a service insert vs doing this to an original.


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[winst]

Originally Posted by shaunylw

I’ve done it, but not with Rolex inserts. I bleached a seiko skx insert and it came out great. I used bleach and a paper towel and sort of rubbed it off. I left it in the bleach for quite a while. Like others mentioned, check YouTube for how to tutorials. On a side note, might be worth finding a service insert vs doing this to an original.


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Definitely follow this and similar advice from previous posters, if not you are unnecessarily damaging the value of your watch.

[JustinK]

So if you have a nice fat font insert why not sell it or trade it for another insert? You will probably ruin the insert.

Another option would be to buy a replica insert, they make some really good faded replica inserts now for not a lot of money.

[alwayshere]

Originally Posted by Pikfjæs

Yes. You heard me. Thats what i’m gonna do.
I love the look of a faded insert together with the beautiful patina.
I have no intention on ever selling the watch, this has nothing to do with greater value of the watch, its solely because i love the faded look.

My insert is a fat font mk3. It looks very new, the article when i bought the watch said it was all original, and although its the right insert, i believe it has been changed.

Now, i’ve just tried bleaching it with chlorine, and nothing has happened. Doesnt look the slightest faded yet, and i did it for 30-40 minutes. Has anyone had a good experience using chlorine, or is that not the way to go?

First i used 2/3 chlorine, 1/3 water, but then changed it to only chlorine.

The water looked a bit grumsy, showing little transparent pieces, but didnt change in color in other ways. Could this be the first layer of the insert coming of before it starts to bleach the color?

I would love to hear from someone who tried this before, maybe even with chlorine.

Thanks in advance.

i'm shocked that the chlorine didn't do anything. That should work in terms of fading the insert. People have used bleach as well.

Anyway, as others have said, wouldnt try it on a genuine but your bezel insert, your call.

[77T]

A couple of thoughts + a reco.

It’s your watch but I wouldn’t experiment with original insert unless you’re made of money and can afford to ruin it. (And if you are, then spend thousand on a naturally faded insert)

Next, you need to accelerate the chlorine reaction with heat. Perhaps 140°-150° for the solution - but it is dangerous. Also, Clorox bleach doesn’t have enough Sodium Hydroxide to do this quickly. Be patient. If you go too far there is no going back.

Here’s a reco - find a place that anodizes aluminum and see if they’ll sell you a small amount of Eastwood Anodize Remover. It’s rich in Sodium Hydroxide. Again, this is poisonous in a closed room without powerful ventilation. Do it outside.

That’s how the pro’s reverse (or fade aluminum) to do color matches when NOS part is installed into things where other anodized parts have naturally faded from uv exposure.

BTW, you may also go too fast and actually etch the metal. Slow and easy…


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[Swearengen]

Careful as you go, NaOH (Sodium Hydroxide) will eat aluminum pretty fast

Originally Posted by 77T

A couple of thoughts + a reco.

It’s your watch but I wouldn’t experiment with original insert unless you’re made of money and can afford to ruin it. (And if you are, then spend thousand on a naturally faded insert)

Next, you need to accelerate the chlorine reaction with heat. Perhaps 140°-150° for the solution - but it is dangerous. Also, Clorox bleach doesn’t have enough Sodium Hydroxide to do this quickly. Be patient. If you go too far there is no going back.

Here’s a reco - find a place that anodizes aluminum and see if they’ll sell you a small amount of Eastwood Anodize Remover. It’s rich in Sodium Hydroxide. Again, this is poisonous in a closed room without powerful ventilation. Do it outside.

That’s how the pro’s reverse (or fade aluminum) to do color matches when NOS part is installed into things where other anodized parts have naturally faded from uv exposure.

BTW, you may also go too fast and actually etch the metal. Slow and easy…


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[Wahlberg]

I bleached my pepsi bezel from my Seiko SKX009 a couple of years ago and the result was really good. The colours became lighter and that's it, no weird stripes or marks. I think it's easy to pull off to be honest but I would buy a few cheaper bezels to try and experiment to get the hang of it. It's easier to do on a Seiko than a Rolex, so be careful .

Depending on its current state I would put it into the bleach for 20-30 seconds first, rinse it with water and take a good look. And repeat the process. I would take it out every 10-30 seconds though after the first try because it can go fast and it's noticeable when you put it in.

[Kingface66]

Clorox bleach.

[77T]

Ergo the advice to use a dilute solution like Eastwood’s + to go easy.


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[karleone]

I have done it on a 16610 insert. It looks horrible and you could tell from a 100 miles it has been artificially faded with bleach

[1675-David]

This thread needs som pix.

[Old Expat Beast]

Originally Posted by 1675-David

This thread needs som pix.

Yeah, I wanna see some bleached SKX009s!

[Wahlberg]

Originally Posted by Old Expat Beast

Yeah, I wanna see some bleached SKX009s!

I really liked how it turned out from the original colours. The blue is even better because it's lighter and goes kinda grey'ish in certain lights or angles. The red feels more sweeter as well.

[swish77]

Originally Posted by Wahlberg

I really liked how it turned out from the original colours. The blue is even better because it's lighter and goes kinda grey'ish in certain lights or angles. The red feels more sweeter as well.

Nice! A great example of how you don't need to spend a ton of money to get a cool watch.

[brandrea]

Originally Posted by Wahlberg

I really liked how it turned out from the original colours. The blue is even better because it's lighter and goes kinda grey'ish in certain lights or angles. The red feels more sweeter as well.

[Old Expat Beast]

Originally Posted by Wahlberg

I really liked how it turned out from the original colours. The blue is even better because it's lighter and goes kinda grey'ish in certain lights or angles. The red feels more sweeter as well.

Looking good

[zapokee]

This is the only insert I've ever bleached, because it's cheap and it was a fun project. SKX007s are made for modifying. I just left the insert in a cup of undiluted household bleach for a couple of minutes. It was jet black before, and it was literally fizzing when it came out.

It also taught me how to spot a bleached insert, which was a valuable lesson. A genuinely faded insert would probably be darker at the inner and outer edge parts that are sheltered by the bezel and the crystal.

If you're going to do it, do it little by little until you get the fade you want. You can always fade it more, but you can never un-fade it.

I would never do this with a genuine Rolex insert, though.

[Thuilln]

[southtexas]

How’s the project coming along? I’d like to see him turn it a nice brown color. Those have been popping up with greater frequency lately.


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[zapokee]

Originally Posted by southtexas

How’s the project coming along? I’d like to see him turn it a nice brown color. Those have been popping up with greater frequency lately.

Hoping he's come to his senses and decided not to do it...

[southtexas]

Originally Posted by zapokee

Hoping he's come to his senses and decided not to do it...

Boo :)


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[Paka]

Soak it into the chlorine, wait 30 minutes and then rub it with very fine sand paper. It will do the trick!

[zapokee]

Originally Posted by Paka

Soak it into the chlorine, wait 30 minutes and then rub it with very fine sand paper. It will do the trick!

Not 30 minutes! It will be gone. Do it two minutes at a time, then rinse and repeat until you get what you want.