Reply With QuoteNo hard and fast rules but a too well polished 'worn' watch can look awful. If you're wondering whether to have your Submariner polished would be best to post some close-up photos including the clasp.
dunk
So would you get your watch polished or not when going in for a service?
Secondly, do non polished watches fetch more than polished ones or are there no hard and fast rules?
Thanks in advance
No hard and fast rules but a too well polished 'worn' watch can look awful. If you're wondering whether to have your Submariner polished would be best to post some close-up photos including the clasp.
dunk
"Well they would say that ... wouldn't they!"
depends on the watch. a beat up sports watch looks great and i'd rather leave it. A highly polished dress watch i'd be more inclined to getting polished. but depends on the types of scratches you're trying to remove. Anything beyond light swirls that will alter the case shape i'd leave.
An unpolished watch in reasonable condition can fetch more as it has more life left in it. The buyer could chose to have it re-finished, secure in the knowledge that it has several more refinishes left in it before it becomes too noticeable. Or they may keep it as is, feeling that an unfinished watch will only lose value if touched, there's no limit to the craving for originality when it comes to famous models, even if that means it looks worse. This probably doesn't apply to more run of the mill watches though, where people could easily find a good one that doesn't need polishing. It also depends on the state of the watch - if it has only light hairlines, it can be polished up easily, but getting rid of a deep dink in a lug is likely to change the shape somewhat, which is sometimes barely noticeable but repeat it too many times and you end up with thin lugs. I'd say there's no hard and fast rule personally, but it's wise to be wary of overdoing it. Also, it's worth noting that it's possible to add metal to fix some deep scratches that would otherwise mean distorting the shape - something to do with lasers, I'm sure someone here knows more about how this is done. Some people are able to do this, while certain quite high end brands don't offer it, so consider your options.
If it's in good shape already, leave it. If it's in terrible shape (e.g., large and ugly dings) get it laser welded. If it's in between??? Then it's a harder call.
What do you mean by this? Why would it be noticeable? Surely getting a watch polished during service it comes back looking new?Originally Posted by Itsguy
Thanks for the replies. To be fair the glass and case are in pretty good condition. The clasp is scratched. Maybe I’ll just get the clasp polished
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Generally yes, but whenever you polish a watch you are removing metal. If it's very light scratches being re-brushed, then you won't notice much. To take our a deeper scratch or worse, a deep dink, you may need to remove more - unless you are able to add metal to fill it in, as some can. You can see plenty of examples of aggressive re-finishing in supposedly 'mint' vintage watches with very skinny lugs. Royal Oaks are fun for this as they are not easily refinished. You can see many examples where the hex bolts are actually touching the edge of the bezel when there should be a gap, due to repeated attempts to polishing out a scratch or dent.
Ah ok! That would be LOT of polishing!
Nonetheless, you see it all the time. A good watch should last your lifetime and beyond, but in some cases may have only four refinishes in it while still looking new. This is why certain modern Rolex have such bloody enormous lugs, apart from just trying to look more substantial. In theory they’ll last longer, though it spoils the look for me.
On that basis, a full refinish is not something you want to do too often. Brushing out some light marks from wear isn’t too big a deal IMO, but it’s probably best to make peace with a few signs of life, especially the kind that only notice when the the light is unflattering. You can brush out marks on a clasp but they tend to be back soon enough!
I had a GMT serviced recently by Rolex, via Goldsmiths Trafford. I explained clearly, no or extremely light polishing on the watch head, as imo it was fine, but I wanted the bracelet done. It came back looking new. No reshaped lugs and the polished centre links on the bracelet looked stunning. I suppose it depends on how happy you are currently with the finish.
Stuart
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I have had all but vintage serviced and refurbished.
It's just a matter of time...
By all means have a watch refinished, It’s nice to see a watch looking like new again. That’s how they were designed to look and that’s how I like to see them.
However, be very careful who you entrust it to. Badly done /excessive repolishing can ruin a watch, it’s what I call the ‘melting chocolate’ look.
Provided the work is done carefully a watch can be refinished with the minimal removal of metal. I’ve just done a TAG Monza that looked very battered, there’s no way it can be made to look new again without a fair amount of micro-welding but with a couple of hours work it’s now looking much better and the apearance will be transformed. This has been achieved by hand, a slow but effective process which avoids excessive metal removal if it’s done carefully.
Biggest mistake with refinishing is to try and get deep damage out by removing too much metal using machines..........it often doesn’t end well!
Paul
Last edited by walkerwek1958; 8th December 2017 at 22:26.
Many of the vintage high-end watch 'sales' threads that I've read emphasise that the watches have not been over-polished (e.g. lugs and bezels are still sharp), so I would infer that over-polishing could eventually affect value.
Of course, if the aim is to keep the watch and live with it, then I'd just do whatever pleases you?
I've seen a few posts showing a watch that went into an RSC looking scratched and coming out looking ruined. Rare, but it happens - search TRF if you can stand the place.
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