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So hopefully I'm not succumbing to a major foot in mouth moment for my first ever post but I wanted some advice regarding chrome plated watches. I have a 1960s Cortebert watch with a white enamel dial. The case is chrome plated and on many areas the chrome has come off showing the base metal underneath.
Is this something that should be left alone? Should I get it replated? Any advice or recommendations would be great.
Welcome to the forum,
Re the chrome plate on your watch,
Like most things in life it's your choice,
Repairing “patches” of worn chrome is very difficult. Done properly the case has to be completely stripped and refinished before re-plating. It isn’t a cheap job, and there are few companies that do this in the U.K. - the one I used about 10 years ago closed.
If it isn’t too bad, my advice would be to learn to love its’ imperfections. It’s a good motto for life !
I had a feeling this would be needed. My worry is that the case gets absolutely ruined in the prep before the replating. I assume they will chemically strip it then refinish the case before replating. It is the refinishing that worries me.Quote:
Originally Posted by carryondentist
When you say pricey, how expensive are we likely to be talking?
Probably not helpful, but I once had a large base metal bowl that I had made silver plated at a place in Sheffield for a fiver. Nice deep plating too. Their usual fare was trophies so it may be worth looking for a place that makes / refinished trophies - or asking who they use for plating.
As I had made the piece it was simple to prep, but the workshop had baths for stripping all sorts. The place smelt like it would be bad for the lungs over time :)
Edit: I should mention that I know silver does not equal chrome, but trophy places are likely to do both :)
Thanks I will certainly have a look into that.Quote:
Originally Posted by kungfugerbil