Refinishing and/or modifying Datejust 16013

[csong825]

Hi everyone,
I'm new to the Rolex Forums and this is my first post. I've been interested in mechanical watches for a few years and now I'm looking for my first "nice" watch. After mulling over different options such as a Sinn 556, Omega Speedmaster Reduced, and Nomos Club, I ended up deciding on a Rolex. Given my budget of $1500 or so, a new Rolex was out of the question but a vintage one seemed within reach.

As it turns out, my dad had a Datejust 16013 from 1979 that he hasn't worn for 25+ years and it's been sitting in a closet. He agreed to give it to me to service and wear so that was a nice surprise.

There's obviously some wear on the case, bracelet, and crystal. The dial looks to be okay. I haven't received the watch yet so I'm not sure if the movement is any good. In any case, servicing this watch will still be cheaper than buying a used one and having to service it down the road.

The catch with this watch is, while I love the DJ, I hate the two-tone design. I think it makes the watch too dressy and ideally I want a watch that is versatile; one that I can wear with a suit and with jeans. So basically, I was wondering if it would be possible to change the bezel, dial, and crown to stainless steel to essentially eliminate the two-tone design. I would wear it on a leather strap as I know obtaining a Rolex bracelet on its own can be quite expensive.

Obviously I would want original Rolex parts for this transformation and would keep the original gold parts. So is this possible? If so, would the cost be reasonable? Based on my research, I think just servicing the watch alone would likely run $600-800. Or should I not even attempt this and just be thankful that I have a Rolex. Maybe putting a dark brown leather strap on the two-tone case wouldn't be a bad combination. Any thoughts and opinions would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance.