(Excerpts of full article)

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“In the ’80s, the Bubbleback was the most popular vintage Rolex, long before everyone started wearing vintage Daytonas, Submariners, and GMTs,” says dealer Ken Jacobs of Wanna Buy A Watch. Collectors latched onto the variety of the Bubbleback: All kinds of dial designs; cases in steel, gold, or two-tone; bezel variations; hooded or non-hooded lugs; even the different bracelet types.
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Here’s how accepted the practice of swapping out parts was when collectors started buying Bubblebacks. Jacobs told me that when Bubblebacks were at their peak, Wanna Buy A Watch was working on a “Build a Bubbleback” program. Essentially, customers would be able to flip through a catalog, pick their case, dial, and bracelet/strap, and WBAW would put together that watch. They never got around to offering this program, but it shows how in-demand Bubblebacks were, and how accepted it was that parts might be swapped in and out to make for a watch that looked better.

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