116610 blue custom bezel (Help)

[soxfan39]

I love the color of the Smurf but don't need the white gold bracelet or the mid $20's price tag. Would love to hear opinions on buying a 116610 with a custom smurf bezel. For 1/3 of the price I can get stainless steel and the color I love. A good friend who is really Rolex knowledgeable says HELL NO because of the voided warranty. There's a possibility I'd want to resell in the future but would be buying it to keep long term. What else should I be thinking about?

[The_Watch_Clocker]

So you'd change dial and bezel to have a knock off white gold sub?

You can do it, like people drive Shelby Cobra kit cars.
Anything is possible, but it's not the norm.

FYI if you do it through an individual watch guy and keep the originals, you'd want to have them put back on before you sold or serviced the watch. Voiding the warranty if you give it to Rolex aka if they knew about it. (But look at it like swapping the rims on a lease. You put the originals back on before sending it back.) Change the bezel and dial before and you're good to go.

My feedback on the change? Don't like it. I don't like the flat blue dial. I don't like the shade of blue.

BTW - what are you going to do with the bracelet? Polish the center links?

[mtgjr]

Originally Posted by soxfan39

What else should I be thinking about?

Where you're going to find an aftermarket blue ceramic bezel insert (the OEM version won't fit a SS bezel, and the white gold bezel won't fit a SS Sub case).....and who is going to install the insert onto your bezel assembly.

[soxfan39]

Thanks excellent feedback so far. Mike are you sure the bezels aren't the same size? Do a quick search on ebay (I'd provide links but don't have enough posts yet) for rolex 116610 blue and you'll see there'a about 6 options for these that have already been done. From reading descriptions I was under impression it's the same exact bezel and insert from the 116619.

And I guess the point was not to create a knockoff of the Smurf (wouldn't try to polish the center links on the bracelet etc) but just to have a SS blue smurf color.

[rossi46]

Originally Posted by mtgjr

Where you're going to find an aftermarket blue ceramic bezel insert (the OEM version won't fit a SS bezel

Actually, I think it does. Isn't there a member here on the forums that installed the blue bezel onto their 116610?

[AK797]

Don't do it, it is just cheap to try and make a SS model look like WG, and even worse if you use fake parts.

[Mystro]

Yea it’s still a Rolex with exactly the same movement but kinda like putting a S class badge on a E class car. Think of it as a integrity violation.

[soxfan39]

Thanks all for the guidance. I wasn't thinking that they would be non Rolex after market parts. yuk. Was thinking it was same exact bezel and insert from the Smurf...but forgot Rolex doesn't sell OEM parts.