1675 Case restoration with Alex Bui (buiwatchco)

[fizz]

Well this quickly turned into a debate....one that I already stirred a few months ago right before making the decision to have my case sent for restoration. If anyone wants to know my thoughts and view on this, they can read it here.

Bottom line, and this is an extremely subjective viewpoint or opinion, I don't (personally) think case restoration is taboo and I find it acceptable because, in my mind, a case (unlike a dial, which is holy and can never be touched) is one of the external parts of a watch and is constantly, for many years or decades, exposed to the elements (weather, door dings, sleeve polish etc.). Visually, while I appreciate dial patina, which adds to the charm of a vintage watch, I don't find beaten up cases to be appealing or charming (that isn't to say everything I have is pristine - I collect Omega military watches and this may be self contradictory of me to state, but considering their military association, I am more sympathetic of the effects of time and wear on them).

My view and experience has been augmented by this restoration job, because if anything, it has significantly improved my wearing pleasure of the 1675 and made me appreciate something now that I didn't when I acquired the watch, that the watch case can be as inducing of joy when worn as anything else.

Someone asked about the financial aspect of it and I'll chip in regarding that as well. The watch wasn't "cheap". I paid market value for it and was well aware of the case condition, which was as described. I decided to pursue the "fix" because every time I looked at the watch and was pleased by the beauty of the dial and insert, I was also a little bit let down by the soft lugs. The price I paid for restoration wasn't very high (1000 USD, which I think is fair). In hindsight, yes, it would have made more sense to pay more for a watch that actually had a non-recut case that was this good, but you know that saying about hindsight being 20/20....

To the question about what exactly was done - Alex mentioned welding so it got the full treatment on 3 of the 4 lugs (don't ask me which ones, because I can't tell!).

Finally, regarding the aspect of "artificial aging" after recutting, I was first made aware of this option when I spoke to Philip Ridley, who asked (or rather offered) if I would like to do this additionally so the finished product didn't look too pristine and incongruous compared to say the bracelet. The only reason I didn't go ahead with him is because his quote was double what Alex indicated with about the same timeframe for work completion.

My final point is this - if someone doesn't like it, they don't have to do it. Nothing is imposed here. There is no compulsion/obligation to pursue this. This is done by choice, and by making this thread and the previous one, I am neither imposing anything. The discussions and debate are great, it's the reason I come here and make these threads, but ultimately, the views expressed (even if they are overwhelmingly of the majority) are just opinions shaped by collective thought. I am willing to bet much of it will (and can) evolve, if not downright change, over time.