# Custom MKII LRRP "Explorer II"...



## Dennis Smith

Hi all,

Here was the dream...seems like a year ago (near enough ;-) )...










The watch arrived yesterday and it is fantastic. I opted against the triple timezone dial in favor of a simpler, cleaner look. It's everything I've always wanted the Explorer II to be...a tad larger, flat black dial, large hour markers without white gold surrounds, domed sapphire crystal with AR on the underside, huge crown, triple the water rating (300m). 
This hunk of steel goes well with my silver Cross of Lorraine ring (made famous on "Magnum P.I.")...



















You'll notice the bracelet is not stock. The MKII Oyster bracelet is VERY nice and fills the lugs much better than this aftermarket (22mm Seiko Oyster). Before you ask, let me tell ya...I switched because the Seiko already has one of my MarineMaster clasps on it (my favorite, with instant micro-adjustability) and because the non-solid end link fits a smaller wrist like mine (6.4") far better. You can see in one picture below how the solid end link hangs out too far for a very small wrist. 90% of you will love the MKII bracelet and will see no reason to swap.














































The friction bezel is nice. For a pilot the ability to instantly turn it either way is preferred. While playing with my kid (turns five soon) the bezel rotates a bit inadvertently. At work or play it stays put, though. I broke in the watch with an hour swim in the lake today...it performed flawlessly and the bezel did not turn at all. Being a custom build this watch is regulated very well. It has gained one second per day.



















OK I'll say it. This watch looks JUST RIGHT and wears very comfortably. It glows like the dickens and has greatest dial ever designed (I love the clarity of this dial, hence why I didn't go for the "McQueen" style dial). It's my new fav! :-!


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## narwhal

It looks excellent. Thank you for the photos. Enjoy it!


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## Cowbiker

Congrats!!! First custom pix posting honors and a nice configuration to boot.


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## sunster

Congratulations and thanks for posting your pictures....incidently how does the look, feel and build compare to your GMT?

come on everyone where are your LRPPs!


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## Dennis Smith

Feel and build are absolutely on a par.
Looks are another matter. The GMT has a jewel like quality about it, with its polished sides, white gold details, cute little cyclops. The LRRP is a tool watch the way Rolex was in the 60's-70's. No messin' around, no prettyin' up. 
"Use me, abuse me, and I'm still going to look great"


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## TheDude

Fantastic!

I have to admit, I'm a bit concerned about the LRRP end-links so it's nice to see how that bracelet works. I like it.


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## Wild1z2

I like it a boat load! It would appear that the long wait was well worth it. How is the Lume compared to your Rolex?


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## TheDude

Well, seeing as how the 16750 was produced between 1981 and 1988, it might not be a fair comparison due to dimming from age.

I'd be happy to compare it to my new GMT IIc when I get my LRRP.

This is a great site for history...

The 16750:

http://www.gmtmasterhistory.com/gmt-master_ref_16750.html

The current model, the 116710:

http://www.gmtmasterhistory.com/gmt-master_ref_116710.html

If anyone watches "Biggest Loser", trainer Bob was wearing the green-faced 50th Anniversary 18K gold GMT-II this past season.


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## Wild1z2

I guess I should have asked, how is the lume?  Would it compare to the glow of a Seamaster? If I order one I want glow.  This is the model I would consider. Thanks for the links, BTW.


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## TheDude

Mine is a special custom... Bill is going to snip the tail off of a type 48 second hand to give me a "straight hand" 1655 look.


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## bottom of the ninth

thank you for your posting and photos. your watch looks great and enjoy it in good health!:-!


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## Dennis Smith

The lum is fantastic and compares about equally with the Rolex dial and hands, which are new after a service recently (the tritium stuff was replaced with modern SL). 
I've always like MKII lum. You have no worries there.


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## JDS (Ohio)

Nice custom. Now I'm starting to jones a bit more for mine to hit.

I wonder if anyone has received a non-GMT version yet, like a Mil Sub variant?


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## pablo7

Congrats I really like that peice a whole lot....very nice.


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## TheDude

You know something... the bracelet from an SDDS might be a really nice fit. It's designed for a monster like the LRRP.

I'm sure the fakes will have nearly perfect bracelets soon if they don't already, which would make for a good donor.

Not my watches...





































It has this nifty "Glidelock" clasp...


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## Peahi

Looks great and a nice clean look!!! Love your choice of mercedes hands and the milsub dial!!! I can't blame you for wanting to put the MM300 clasp to make it even more usable.


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## Wild1z2

TheDude said:


> Mine is a special custom... Bill is going to snip the tail off of a type 48 second hand to give me a "straight hand" 1655 look.


That's very nice mate. I was going to do the same but I like shiny silver things. Even as a child, my mom had to watch me around the silverware. ;-)



Dennis Smith said:


> The lum is fantastic and compares about equally with the Rolex dial and hands, which are new after a service recently (the tritium stuff was replaced with modern SL).
> I've always like MKII lum. You have no worries there.


This is what I was hoping for. I see people sending in Ocean-7's and Steinharts to Kent Parks for a decent lume. From what you describe, it's not needed here. Thank you Sir! :thanks


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## usc1

I see that you are a Magnum PI fanatic as I. 

Nerd info:

In the show, Magnum's father died in the year 1951 and handed the Gmt model 1675 (like yours) to Magnum as a child. The major flub was that the 1675 wasn't produced until 1960. Anyways, the 1675 is known as the Magnum watch nonetheless. 

Nice combo. Take care.


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## mr1973

usc1 said:


> I see that you are a Magnum PI fanatic as I.
> 
> Nerd info:
> 
> In the show, Magnum's father died in the year 1951 and handed the Gmt model 1675 (like yours) to Magnum as a child. The major flub was that the 1675 wasn't produced until 1960. Anyways, the 1675 is known as the Magnum watch nonetheless.
> 
> Nice combo. Take care.


And here's the pic 










Another P.I. fanatic here ;-)


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## mr1973

Sorry for hijacking, Magnum had a Chronosport too btw:


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## usc1

mr1973 said:


> Sorry for hijacking, Magnum had a Chronosport too btw:


I knew there was at least one more fan out there. awesome.

he wore another watch as well correct? i seem to remember that he had three different watches. :think:

funny moment yesterday, while driving i saw a guy's custom license plate as "magnm pi" with the "did you see the sunrise?" on the license cover. that is hardcore. hahaha.

did you notice something familiar about my avatar?


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## Dennis Smith

"Did you see the sunrise"...That IS hardcore 
Yep...I noticed your Avatar right away. Looks like the King Kamehameha Club logo usually seen on Mag's tank top. I was a fan of the show originally, and now my wife loves it since we got the complete series on DVD. It's fun to relax at night with an episode. Besides, it's better than anything on TV currently 
I don't remember a third watch, but in the episode "Home From the Sea"...the one where he's swimming the whole episode...the Rolex in flashback often looks like a brown dial version with two tone gold/brown bezel.
Need to dress up your ball cap? You can get these at uswings.com...










http://www.uswings.com/images/patches/vm02_patch.jpg


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## usc1

I was wrong. Magnum only had two watches.The Chronosport Sea Quartz 30 was used for the first three years and then the GMT. 

I must be boring and annoying non-magnum fans. No more magnum facts, promise.


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## usc1

Dennis Smith said:


> "Did you see the sunrise"...That IS hardcore
> Yep...I noticed your Avatar right away. *Looks like the King Kamehameha Club logo usually seen on Mag's tank top*. I was a fan of the show originally, and now my wife loves it since we got the complete series on DVD. It's fun to relax at night with an episode. Besides, it's better than anything on TV currently
> I don't remember a third watch, but in the episode "Home From the Sea"...the one where he's swimming the whole episode...the Rolex in flashback often looks like a brown dial version with two tone gold/brown bezel.
> Need to dress up your ball cap? You can get these at uswings.com...


right on the dot! :-!


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## Conrad

Great looking watch. Can you share where you aquired the ring? Magnum fan here as well.


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## obie

I googled it and found numerous locations. Here is the 1st one to come up:

http://www.ourotherstore.com/COL-Magnum-PI-Team-Ring-Large-SS.html


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## Dennis Smith

Yeah, that's where I got it. It's a Southern California store. I bought the smallest one, low profile...very comfortable. I got my wife a matching necklace pendant, silver and gold.


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## JDS (Ohio)

Dennis Smith said:


>


 I wonder if Bill thought of doing a pepsi version of the bezel? For those of us unable to scare up a 1675, or who might just like a 42mm version of the matte dial classic....


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## -thorsten-

usc1 said:


> I must be boring and annoying non-magnum fans. No more magnum facts, promise.


At the risk of flogging a dead horse (and incurring the wrath for doing so), I so enjoyed watching this program through the 80s, I moved to Hawaii and lived there for almost 7 years. I ended up driving a red convertible, living on the water and paddling a bit on the weekends. And I don't think I ever took off my Seiko 6309 (didn't know about the Chronosport Sea Quartz at the time but thought it looked close enough). When I talk about it now, it sounds like I became a caricature of a TV character, but I lived out a bit of a dream and had soooo much fun... Maybe I'm older and jaded now, but 'back in the day' we connected with the character first and then recognized their accoutrements. Today wanton product placement is hijacking popular culture to such an extent that a lot of TV and film is simply a long commercial for this or that.

I'm off the soapbox and looking at my 6309 again :-!


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## Rubber Strap

-thorsten- said:


> Today wanton product placement is hijacking popular culture to such an extent that a lot of TV and film is simply a long commercial for this or that.


I couldn't agree more.

And, I too loved to watch Magnum PI. I may not have been as into it as some of you, but a few years back I would often catch it in syndication when back-to-back episodes played twice a day at 12 noon and 12 midnight on USA Network. I sometimes watched 4 episodes in a day! It seems funny now since I don't watch TV anymore.

Anyway, my reason for posting is actually on topic: Is the seconds hand on your custom LRRP a SUB-xl Sweep or a SUB Sweep? There is currently no silver SUB Sweep option on the MK II site, but I thought there was at one point and the length of the sweep in the preview picture seems to be that of the smaller version. I am curious because the seconds hand on your watch seems longer than the white ones in the pictures of the prebuilts.

Very nice watch! And very close to the configuration I want - just a white seconds hand and a Milsub bezel away.


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## Dennis Smith

Hi Rubber,
The Sub Sweep is shorter and made for the LRRP dial, which has a minute track with a very small radius. The Sub Sweep is not available in silver for this watch, as far as I can tell from the MKII website.
My second hand is the Sub Sweep XL...quite a bit longer and fits the Mil Sub dial perfectly (extending almost to the outer edge of the minute hashes) and is available in silver, which I wanted for the watch.


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## Conrad

Thanks for the location.


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## mr1973

usc1 said:


> did you notice something familiar about my avatar?


Come on mate that was much too easy :-d










I was even close to get me a 308 GTS some years ago... but then my brain jumped in command again :think::-x


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## cris25

look my chronosport:-!

https://www.watchuseek.com/showthread.php?p=1539558#poststop


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## Dennis Smith

Very nice!
In case anyone missed it..this is another Magnum connection, being the watch worn on the show for the first three seasons (out of eight total).


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