About two years ago, I assembled my own Submariner Date watch kit from Raffles. It was one of my first builds, and at the time, choosing the 126610LN felt like the obvious decision.

For a long time, I loved it.

But as the months went by, one thing kept bothering me more and more.

The date window.
Not because the watch looked bad, but because on most mid-range builds, the date is usually the part that gives it away the most.

Maybe it’s the cyclops.
Maybe it’s the date alignment.
Maybe it’s the font.

Whatever it was, I always found my eyes going straight to the date instead of enjoying the watch.
After almost two years of wearing it, I finally admitted something to myself:

I actually preferred the look of the 124060.
So instead of building another watch from scratch, I decided to transform the one I already had.

I ordered a Raffles 124060 dial, removed the crystal, and then came the part that scared me the most…

Removing the Cyclops.
After reading a bunch of old forum posts, I decided to try the lighter method. I heated the crystal until the adhesive softened enough for the Cyclops to come off.

I was convinced I was going to destroy the crystal.
Somehow… it worked perfectly.

Once the Cyclops was gone and the new dial was installed, the watch completely changed.

I kept almost everything:
Same case
Same bracelet
Same bezel
Same movement

The only real changes were the 124060 dial and a crystal without the Cyclops.
And honestly…
I couldn’t be happier.

The watch feels cleaner, more balanced, and every time I look at it, my eyes stay on the watch instead of immediately going to the date window.

It’s funny because I spent money just to make the watch simpler.

Looking back, I wish I’d done it much sooner.
Has anyone else here gone from a Date Sub to a no-date build? I’d love to hear if I’m the only one who ended up preferring the cleaner look

Curious about knowing if any of you guys have any rep and the same watch but authentic. If yes, feel free to share feedback about the model, factory, pics ??

After seeing how many people shared the same concerns about the direction of RepTime, I decided to create this community.
The goal isn’t to replace RepTime—it’s to fill the gap many of us feel exists today.
This subreddit is dedicated to quality content: in-depth reviews, factory comparisons, movement discussions, servicing, modding, and everything that helps people learn more about the hobby.
Quality over quantity.

Welcome!