Dad passed away - questions about his 1981 GMT Master

[Hurricane]

My father recently passed away and now I have his GMT Master that he bought while he was stationed in Germany in September 1981. The original price he paid was $650 in 1981.

The crystal is pretty scratched up and has a chip - he wore it every day. I believe he only had it serviced once, around 1998. I’d like to take it and get it serviced and cleaned up/polished but am wondering what I need to do to keep its value (and not hurt its value). It still runs. Any advice on what service I should have done (and not done) and where I should take it? (I am in the Northern Virginia/DC area).

I don’t have any plans to sell it but rather possibly wear it on occasion and pass it on to one of my sons. I’m a big fan of the watch and bought my own TT GMT Master II in 2012 that I wear daily to remind me of him. Now I would like to wear his watch in his memory, too.

Thank you for any comments.

[Dan S]

Sorry to hear about your Dad. My condolences. To retain the collectible value, you want to make sure you hang onto the dial, hands, and bezel insert. The crystal is probably a goner. IMO, there's no real need to do anything to the case on this one. You can get it polished, but typically that will round over the edges as the scratches are removed, so the original shape of the case is gradually lost. I like the case as it is.

[Hurricane]

Thanks! I know absolutely nothing about vintage watches so this is very helpful.

[mbc]

Sorry for your loss -- looks like all you need is a new old stock (NOS) crystal and a service. I'm hopeful that a strong dial is hiding under that weathered crystal...

Make sure to send to a reputable vintage watchmaker -- do a search here for names -- I recommend Phillip Ridley. Folks like him can get the watch properly sorted for you.

Regards

[mineral]

Hi you have wonderful gift from your dad. My advice is just get the watch movement service, and get polish/Change the scratched plexi. Do remember don’t change the dial or hand set and don’t polish it’s case.

In this way you can retain its best vintage character while can wear and enjoy it without any worries.

Keep us posted.


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[Alex The Watch Guy]

Sorry to hear about your loss. As you well know, your fathers watch is a 16750 which is highly collectible. Yours, will need the crystal swapped and a complete movement overhaul. From the looks of the crown, I suspect there is a lot of buildup on the crown tube which will need to be cleaned and possibly replaced. Otherwise, I’ll leave the watch as-is.

Make sure you you find a qualified watchmaker with access to Genuine Rolex parts.

[jgottsman11]

send it to rolliworks and they will make it look literally brand new again

[Hurricane]

Thanks, all!

[Verdi]

Sorry for your loss.

The watch looks in need of a service/clean-up. You ll be surprised how good is going to look afterwards.
New glass, movement service and new bezel, maybe, if you want a sharp one (not the insert!)
The case has been polished, so you can keep it as it is or someone skilled can give it a light polish.
Other than that, leave it as it is.

[Flexjet]

Hi

Sorry for your the loss of your dad.

Dont do the mistake that i learned from before joining that website:
Do not visit your local ROLEX AD and ask for a service or anything close to that. they will use some service parts etc, and most probably you wont see ur original pieces again.
It happened to me once.... wont happen twice.

Talk to one of the good vintage watchmakers u will read about on that website.
Take ur time before action.

And keep us posted

Your gmt looks awesome

[joli160]

Contact LAWW or Rolliworks, sent them pictures and let them guide you through the process.

The bracelet probably needs to be restored and the case has lost lots of it’s sharpness. I would have that done but can imagine you like to keep it as is.

I’d avoid Rolex because they have no feel for semi vintage.

[Watchcollectables]

Nice looking Matte 16750 . First thing, give it a good clean with a brush and soapy water , remove the bracelet to do this . There is an abundance of crud which should be removed !
The glass may need polishing or replacing depending how solid it is . Have the movement serviced . also check the 24 hr hand the Tritium could be shrinking and cracking there and maybe the case polished by a good WM with a lapping machine if you want to have the case nice and sharp again . Check the bracelet for wear especially the clasp . And wear with pride, lovely transitional these .

[TimeToGo]

.
Can you verify if the lume on the 24h hand is cracked? Looks like it. I do not think that is the crystal.
If so, you may want to consider someone that could color match/repair it.

[winst]

Sorry for your loss. That is a great watch to remember him by and I’m sure it will be stunning once restored. Rolliworks would probably be a good shout, they get a lot of praise on here and are good at rebuilding bracelets and doing sympathetic restorations.

[linesiders]

Godspeed on your dad.

Looks like a 16750, so plexi crystal - easy to replace - seals and gaskets.

Any proper vintage restore place - one not too far would be True Patina
@truepatina in Struudsburg, PA.

Were you over in Germany at the time, as a brat? We were at Patch Barracks, 83-86, in Stuttgart, though we lived on the economy. Wish my dad had bought one there (and If I knew then what I know I might have bought four ; ) )

[storm66]

Sorry for your loss........
It took 40 years on your fathers wrist to get to look as stunning as that
A movement service/bracelet clean and a new crystal is all I’d do if it were mine.......

[justjay82]

That’s a stunning watch. Sorry to hear about your dad’s passing.
I agree with what others wrote - replace the crystal and service the movement. I think you’ll be shocked at what it looks like when it comes back. I’d probably do a VERY light polish (though I know many here would not agree) and might switch it to a leather strap. Use a reputable service place.
Post after pics!


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[Jackie Daytona]

Very sorry to hear about your father. My condolences to you and your family.


Your story has some very interesting parallels to mine. I also have my fathers matte dial 16750. It was the watch that really got me into watches, particularly Rolex. He bought it just after the original owner and paid about $600 for it. In the late 90s he tried to service it after never servicing it before and swimming with the crown unscrewed. Sent it back to Rolex and they wanted to replace basically everything at that point.

By the time I got it around 2006 it needed quite a bit as well. I didn’t have the knowledge of what do with it at that point or that there even was a real market supporting vintage Rolex so I still wore it occasionally despite the terrible time keeping. Eventually I moved to San Diego and found Tom Doan in Ds time and he is the one that explained everything to me and really gave me a breakdown of how important originality is.

I know it’s a distance from you in the VA area. Personally I’m in TN now and still send my watch to him.

Not to speak down on LAWW or Rolliworks as they have made quite a reputation for themselves restoring old watches to perfection, my take on it is that it needs less of the restored to perfection approach and more of a vintage specialist such as the Ridley’s or Tom at Ds time that I had mentioned. Really just a more of a service it, polish the crystal and leave it alone type approach.

[Jackie Daytona]

My fathers 16750 that I mentioned

[Hurricane]

Originally Posted by linesiders

Godspeed on your dad.

Looks like a 16750, so plexi crystal - easy to replace - seals and gaskets.

Any proper vintage restore place - one not too far would be True Patina
@truepatina in Struudsburg, PA.

Were you over in Germany at the time, as a brat? We were at Patch Barracks, 83-86, in Stuttgart, though we lived on the economy. Wish my dad had bought one there (and If I knew then what I know I might have bought four ; ) )

We were at Wiesbaden AB 81-84. My dad was an army Captain at the time in an armored brigade (M60A3s). I was a teen at the time and it was definitely my formative years and an experience I’ll never forget.

He originally enlisted in ‘62, went to OCS in ‘65, and was a platoon leader in Vietnam 66-67 (M113’s). Dad had a break in service and then went back in as part time national guard, then full-time, then back to active duty in Germany. He returned to AGR status with the guard and retired in ‘92.

I followed in his footsteps and am retired USAF. I actually bought my first Rolex in 2000 when stationed in Europe and wish I had bought more than one of them at the time! :D

[Hurricane]

Originally Posted by Dontknow

My fathers 16750 that I mentioned

Beautiful watch!

[drockadam]

What a great story. Sorry to hear about the passing of your father.

Can't wait to see this one serviced & back on the wrist for another lifetime of wear!

[brandrea]

Originally Posted by joli160

Contact LAWW or Rolliworks, sent them pictures and let them guide you through the process.

The bracelet probably needs to be restored and the case has lost lots of it’s sharpness. I would have that done but can imagine you like to keep it as is.

I’d avoid Rolex because they have no feel for semi vintage.

Good advice here. These companies are both experienced and can give you solid recommendations.

Sorry for your loss OP.

[Slimpee]

I’m so sorry to hear about your father.

I would echo what others have said a do the following:

1. Clean the bracelet and see if it needs any repair. If it appears overly “loose” it may need servicing.
2. I would send it off to a reputable watchmaker for a thorough service and a new crystal.
3. Polish, yea or nay? If it were me, I’d do a very light polish (1 or 2) on Rolliworks’s scale. But you may just need a cleaning of the bracelet, service, and crystal.

I recently posted about my experience with Rolliworks and my 1803. I couldn’t be happier! I had them service the bracelet (one AD told me it couldn’t be done) and had 4 links added to the bracelet (an article on Hodinkee said it couldn’t be done) with the aforementioned level 2 of 10 (10 being like new) for polishing. That said, I did not have them service so I cannot vouch for them in that regard.

[Widows Son]

Sorry about your loss, looks like your Dad had great taste, and actually wore the watch as intended. Your watch movement and bracelet need a good servicing from someone who specializes in vintage watches. The crystal should be replaced, and the movement serviced. The bracelet should be sent out and overhauled, that will ensure it doesn't come apart from pin failure. If it can't be salvaged, make sure you keep it and maybe replace it with a rubber strap?? I wouldn't polish the case, I'd just have it cleaned. Once you get it serviced, a good cleaning once every couple of weeks with warm water and Dawn, will keep it looking great.

[linesiders]

Originally Posted by Hurricane

We were at Wiesbaden AB 81-84. My dad was an army Captain at the time in an armored brigade (M60A3s). I was a teen at the time and it was definitely my formative years and an experience I’ll never forget.

He originally enlisted in ‘62, went to OCS in ‘65, and was a platoon leader in Vietnam 66-67 (M113’s). Dad had a break in service and then went back in as part time national guard, then full-time, then back to active duty in Germany. He returned to AGR status with the guard and retired in ‘92.

I followed in his footsteps and am retired USAF. I actually bought my first Rolex in 2000 when stationed in Europe and wish I had bought more than one of them at the time! :D

Interesting time to be over there. I assume you've read Team Yankee.

Yes - I graduated from Patch in the mid 80s and was a terribly good and formative experience. He was Navy then some three letter agency (when we were stationed there). I did not follow in his footsteps though in hindsight I probably should have ; )

My wife also went to same HS at same time in Germany and we randomly ran into each other in Boston 7-8 years later.

As previously stated I recommend the True Patina but will also echo the Rolliworks, particularly for the band as all of the gunk inside the links will round out and prematurely, further, wear the band. Also Classic Watch Repair (Michael Young) in Hong Kong is worth shipping bracelet if you break up the jobs. For watch - the least amount of work to service, replace crystal, replace seals. As for replacing the bezel, I would not worry much about that as you want it as close to dad's as you can while making it last forever. Originality > Anything. No polish. Never. It is only unpolished once.

[Jackie Daytona]

Originally Posted by Hurricane

Beautiful watch!

Thank you! Great watch yourself. Looking forwards to seeing it once it’s all done.

[Tom1675]

Personally, you get it serviced and pressure tested, which will likely lead to a new crystal and that is it.

Every nick and ding on there is your dad's nick and ding and that's worth more than anything.

[214270Explorer]

You could speak with one of the Ridley's. Both are CW21 Watchmakers.
They are long-time experts on dealing with older / vintage watches and can service them while keeping original parts in place to retain the patina / family historic value.

I only use a CW21 watchmaker.
If you do not mind mailing your watch, look up:

Bob Ridley, Dallas, TX
https://watchmakers.com/contact-us/
817-276-1400

or his son

Phillip Ridley, Mesa, Arizona
phillip@ridleywatchmakers.com
817-821-2118

They will both be glad to speak to you about what you want or need for your valuable family heirloom.

[offrdmania]

I would send the watch to Philip Ridley for a service and a new crystal. he can polish the case in a pleasing matter that wont effect its overall collectability.

The bracelet you can send to Roliworks for a rebuild, it looks like it has a lot of stretch. They can tighten it up and replace any links that are damaged.

Whatever you do, do not send it to Rolex. They will destroy any collector value that the watch has by installing service parts.