16753 bezel question for two tone

[ravenhome777]

16753 bezel question for two tone gold and black models. Has anyone ever noticed that some of the arabic numerals on these bezels look bright yellow, while others look more gold? Is that just the lighting in the room or did Rolex switch the materials that they used for the gold coloring on these bezels?

I know some say 14k and some say 18k. Not sure if that impacts the yellow color on the bezel.

[ravenhome777]

Compare the yellow on these two bezels:

https://www.matthewbaininc.com/watch-details/2808

https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/vint...l-t256338.html

See the difference?

[springer]

I have also noticed variations in the yellow color on black/yellow GMT inserts. I would suspect it has something to do with who manufactured the insert for Rolex. I have also observed color variations in the sapphire "Pepsi" inserts through the years.

[ravenhome777]

Pardon my naivety, but I was under the impression that Rolex manufactured the bezel. Is that not the case? It wouldn't surprise me, because I do not believe Rolex manufactured their boxes, as I've seen "Made in the USA" on a couple of them. Although, manufacturing a box and manufacturing a watch component are two different things.

[offrdmania]

Originally Posted by ravenhome777

Pardon my naivety, but I was under the impression that Rolex manufactured the bezel. Is that not the case? It wouldn't surprise me, because I do not believe Rolex manufactured their boxes, as I've seen "Made in the USA" on a couple of them. Although, manufacturing a box and manufacturing a watch component are two different things.

Up until the last decade or so, Rolex outsourced quite a few parts like dials, inserts, hands, etc, etc to other companies so there are variances.

[JustinK]

I believe Rolex had different suppliers for the bezels over the years and this is why you see slightly different colors, fonts and manufacturing differences between inserts. It has been discussed before and as far as I know no one is sure who manufactured them.

Here is a picture of multiple tt inserts all with different color variations.

[ravenhome777]

wow - that's a lot. I have seen 16753's with the white arabic numbers on the bezel. I was wondering if they were legit. Apparently they are.

[JustinK]

Originally Posted by ravenhome777

wow - that's a lot. I have seen 16753's with the white arabic numbers on the bezel. I was wondering if they were legit. Apparently they are.

Yes I believe they are actually silver. Some probably started out that way and others faded from gold.

[El Cascarrabias]

Originally Posted by ravenhome777

Compare the yellow on these two bezels:

https://www.matthewbaininc.com/watch-details/2808

https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/vint...l-t256338.html

See the difference?

Looks like it's just a variation in the two photos. You'd have to have both watches in the same photo to make a reliable judgement.

[springer]

Originally Posted by ravenhome777

Pardon my naivety, but I was under the impression that Rolex manufactured the bezel. Is that not the case? It wouldn't surprise me, because I do not believe Rolex manufactured their boxes, as I've seen "Made in the USA" on a couple of them. Although, manufacturing a box and manufacturing a watch component are two different things.

For clarification, I was referring to the bezel insert. A bezel is the stainless steel ring that holds the insert.

Which were you referring to?

[TimeLord2]

Originally Posted by JustinK

Yes I believe they are actually silver. Some probably started out that way and others faded from gold.

Yes, some definitely started out as silver. Mine is a champagne color but I have noticed distinctly yellow versions. There is also some ver slight chipping around the edges.

[ravenhome777]

I was referring to the bezel insert. I didn't realize that the metal piece around the insert was actually the bezel. Learn something new every day!