Wore my 5513 today - what a lovely wristwatch

[pisar]

[QUOTE=Hood;6340734]

Here you have something interesting from best Polish magican
I'm against polishing old watches but this one is good that i think i would consider doing it to my 5513 (unfortunately i don't have one:)
/QUOTE]

That is lovely and would possibly do on an already polished watch but you would obviously be able to tell it was refinished.
Not sure I'd do it on a watch with original lines even if a bit banged up.

Do you have a link for this restorer?

Here you have it: https://l.instagram.com/?u=https%3A%...exKBDi94raLbkA

https://www.instagram.com/watchesspa...NlZDc0MzIxNw==

Prepare for amazing content :)

[Hood]

https://l.instagram.com/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FWatchesSPA%2F& e=AT2muxhiBRwswfjN38df8GMn174B1yFwmUX3O7_7bmflnKS_ Ccfx6dZNwo0k8PR9Dr-PYtZU71Bcx__Z2D80dBtwEheGeFEFs_NnrcUQexKBDi94raLbk A[/url]

https://www.instagram.com/watchesspa...NlZDc0MzIxNw==

Prepare for amazing content :)

Interesting stuff
He obviously laser welds steel onto the lugs and then cuts them back and finishes them.
Looks slightly odd having a perfectly finished 50 year old watch but maybe if the watch had been over polished anyway.
Not sure if he can recreate the crown guards shape -I'll have another look.

[wileeeeeey]

[QUOTE=Hood;6340772]

Interesting stuff
He obviously laser welds steel onto the lugs and then cuts them back and finishes them.
Looks slightly odd having a perfectly finished 50 year old watch but maybe if the watch had been over polished anyway.
Not sure if he can recreate the crown guards shape -I'll have another look.

You see this kind of work from LA Watch Works sometimes too.

Not clued up enough to compare to a genuine factory finish but does look good but as you say only on a watch far too gone.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CMLMmUkLWKc/

[sweets]

You can also see a lot of similar work (but less extensive, more repairs than lug re-creations) done at Rocco's workshop here in Bristol.
This thread shows a lot of it from over a decade ago (see page 3 onwards)

[walkerwek1958]

The laser welding and refinishing is amazing, I love to see stuff like this and at times I wish I`d specialised in it myself. Being able to add metal and recreate the original profile provides scope to restore a watch to exactly how it was intended to be, that's something to be admired. Far more appealing than a battered original.

When I briefly looked into the cost of lapping machines and laser welding kits it made my eyes water, can`t remember the numbers but they were big enough to shut the idea down for me. There's also a small issue of developing the skills to get these results, it isn`t just about buying the equipment. You don't wake up one morning and find that you're good at this.

Next step for the purists will be to X-ray their precious vintage Rolex to determine whether metal's been added!

[frp422]

Been with me longer than all other watches I reckon, at least long enough for 2 services anyway. Worn infrequently and I've tried multiple times to let it go, but failed. It's outlasted numerous 6-digit references that were intended to replace it. Not as vintage as others on here, but it's from the transition year to the 14060 (1989/90) and was supplied by an AD about 15 miles away. Originally owned by a snooker player as the previous owner told me! Could it have been a prize?