Need some advice

[face5535]

Been a while since I’ve been here. That said, I’m looking for some thoughts on a few topics…. Some background-

About 9 years ago I bought a SS Daytona w/black dial. I really wanted to Slate Gray Arabic dial (that comes in WG), but did not want WG. No particular reason other than I like SS sport watches most. I got the dial and the hands from the market place here on the forum, had it swapped by a dealer that was recommend by a member, and the rest is history! I’ve worn it daily and it’s been perfect! The watch has a lot of patina, it’s my watch and will be my sons one day… it looks great imo, but the two tone luster on the bracelet is gone and the case has handling marks (obviously).

Here are my questions.
1. I would like to have my watch serviced as I have not done that. I am afraid that if I send it out, that will be a problem due to the dial and hands not being original. Can anyone give me recommendations or thoughts on the best approach.

2. The bezel of my watch is pretty beat up. It somewhat bothers me…. I’ve given some thought about getting a replacement bezel, doesn’t anyone have thoughts on this? I’ve also considered getting a WG bezel as the difference from SS to WG often brings a conversation to folks thinking I have a clone (to a trained eye). The obvious difference in the bezel is the circle dot markers vs the triangle markers on the WG bezel. I am not sure if I should buy a back up SS bezel as well as a WG and put the WG on the watch to keep the look proper. I understand this is all personal preference, but I’d like to hear opinions.

3. When I send it for service, should I have it repolished and restored? I do plan to wear it regularly so scratches are going to happen.

I know in the past I’ve seen lots of people swap out the dials and bezels, so others have had to go through some of these same questions.

All thoughts and feedback would be greatly appreciated!

[padi56]

Originally Posted by face5535

Been a while since I’ve been here. That said, I’m looking for some thoughts on a few topics…. Some background-

About 9 years ago I bought a SS Daytona w/black dial. I really wanted to Slate Gray Arabic dial (that comes in WG), but did not want WG. No particular reason other than I like SS sport watches most. I got the dial and the hands from the market place here on the forum, had it swapped by a dealer that was recommend by a member, and the rest is history! I’ve worn it daily and it’s been perfect! The watch has a lot of patina, it’s my watch and will be my sons one day… it looks great imo, but the two tone luster on the bracelet is gone and the case has handling marks (obviously).

Here are my questions.
1. I would like to have my watch serviced as I have not done that. I am afraid that if I send it out, that will be a problem due to the dial and hands not being original. Can anyone give me recommendations or thoughts on the best approach.

2. The bezel of my watch is pretty beat up. It somewhat bothers me…. I’ve given some thought about getting a replacement bezel, doesn’t anyone have thoughts on this? I’ve also considered getting a WG bezel as the difference from SS to WG often brings a conversation to folks thinking I have a clone (to a trained eye). The obvious difference in the bezel is the circle dot markers vs the triangle markers on the WG bezel. I am not sure if I should buy a back up SS bezel as well as a WG and put the WG on the watch to keep the look proper. I understand this is all personal preference, but I’d like to hear opinions.

3. When I send it for service, should I have it repolished and restored? I do plan to wear it regularly so scratches are going to happen.

I know in the past I’ve seen lots of people swap out the dials and bezels, so others have had to go through some of these same questions.

All thoughts and feedback would be greatly appreciated!

Well one thing is for sure Rolex themselves would not service it unless it was back to its original Rolex reference spec. And many authorised independence service agents might refuse to service it as at one time the cal 4130 was RSC service only might have changed now though so put it back original.

[996marty]

Can’t you just get a recommended independent to service it?

[Neil McCauley]

Just get it independently serviced.

Rolex RSC service will open up a can of worms with this watch, and they may want to replace the dial before they touch it. They may refuse altogether.

As for the bezel getting beaten up, replacing it with a WG bezel isn't going to help your plight, if anything make it worse - WG scratches up a lot easier than SS. You could get this polished, but to be honest I don't love the look of polished SS daytona bezels, the rounding on the edges of the text looks super cheap if it doesn't get done right.

Should you polish the watch? If it really bothers you, probably. Just remember that polishing is removing material, and it can be overdone, there's some experts out there that can do it extremely well, and Rolex themselves can do a great job of this, but nevertheless there's still risk that it could be "overpolished" - it's hard to say because we haven't seen it. If you're worried about value or future collectibility, "unpolished" is always favoured, however, seeing that you've changed the dial and are considering swapping the bezel, I'll assume you don't care too much about originality.

If I were you, I would get the watch independently serviced by a really good, highly recommended watchmaker, and while they do it, ask for them to give the watch a general light tidy up, rather than a full restoration polish.

[face5535]

Originally Posted by Neil McCauley

Just get it independently serviced.

Rolex RSC service will open up a can of worms with this watch, and they may want to replace the dial before they touch it. They may refuse altogether.

As for the bezel getting beaten up, replacing it with a WG bezel isn't going to help your plight, if anything make it worse - WG scratches up a lot easier than SS. You could get this polished, but to be honest I don't love the look of polished SS daytona bezels, the rounding on the edges of the text looks super cheap if it doesn't get done right.

Should you polish the watch? If it really bothers you, probably. Just remember that polishing is removing material, and it can be overdone, there's some experts out there that can do it extremely well, and Rolex themselves can do a great job of this, but nevertheless there's still risk that it could be "overpolished" - it's hard to say because we haven't seen it. If you're worried about value or future collectibility, "unpolished" is always favoured, however, seeing that you've changed the dial and are considering swapping the bezel, I'll assume you don't care too much about originality.

If I were you, I would get the watch independently serviced by a really good, highly recommended watchmaker, and while they do it, ask for them to give the watch a general light tidy up, rather than a full restoration polish.

Is there a recommended list of folks that service? I am certain there has to be.

Appreciate the thoughts.