To polish, or not

[Donjo]

I bought a 5712 used from an AD a couple of years ago. It has mild wear from desk duty, certainly not offensive, just average. The watch is about 5 years old. Would it be beneficial to have it serviced and polished, or just sell as is?

[Trailboss516]

Are you selling the watch regardless?

I would not polish it. More people will want it unpolished, and if they want it done, they can. If you polish it, that can't be undone.

[Sonzy]

I totally agree, I don’t think I would like to buy a polished watch

[Kittayos]

I recently have my 5980r polished and trust me when it's done, a reputable reseller can't even tell. It has deep scratches all over. It depends on the skill and expertise of who does it. I had it done aftermarket. The guy used to work for Patek for years.

[Custom02]

I think if the watch has 1. Never been polished before and 2. You are intending to have it done by Patek then you'd be improving the resale value. If you look on chrono24 then virtually all the watches look like they've been polished which must say something about what people expect a 40-50k watch to look like even if it's second hand. A first time polish by Patek would barely be noticeable and you'd most likely get the watch back (after 6 months) in a similar condition to when it was brand new.

[JJ WA]

Whether for polishing or servicing, my only rule is: only Patek touches my Pateks. I have never had a watch polished, but would not oppose doing so... if done by Patek.

[lapince]

I wouldn't, some people won't buy polished, the ones who would buy polished can always do it later, impossible to de polish a watch once it's done

[GB-man]

I’d let Patek service and polish it if it shows significant wear. Buyers generally want a ready to wear piece that resembles new. This is why you don’t see Davidsw posting watches that look other than new.

[codecow]

I wouldn't polish it, let the buyer deal with it. However I would listen to GB-man if you don't need to sell it immediately; I'd pay more with a watch under warranty with recent work from Patek in like new condition.

[Donjo]

Thanks to all for the advice

[tng11]

Originally Posted by GB-man

I’d let Patek service and polish it if it shows significant wear. Buyers generally want a ready to wear piece that resembles new. This is why you don’t see Davidsw posting watches that look other than new.

Agreed with this. I had difficulty selling an AP that I had intentionally left unpolished and untouched. Sent it in for a refinish by AP, it came back looking like new, and I sold it a lot faster and for more than than what it cost me for the refinish (and yes, I did disclose the fact I had it refinished.)

The forums lead you to believe polishing is the root of all evil, but just my experience from selling has shown that buyers will prefer pieces that look new even though they have been polished, over ones that are all left original. Just make sure it is done by the right people (I've seen many RO bezels ruined by non-AP experts.)

[AK797]

I would have PP polish it only, but I'd probably try and sell it without bothering as turnaround time may be slow, and the 5712 is hot and will sell quickly at a fair price.

[Nephro]

Originally Posted by tng11

Agreed with this. I had difficulty selling an AP that I had intentionally left unpolished and untouched. Sent it in for a refinish by AP, it came back looking like new, and I sold it a lot faster and for more than than what it cost me for the refinish (and yes, I did disclose the fact I had it refinished.)

The forums lead you to believe polishing is the root of all evil, but just my experience from selling has shown that buyers will prefer pieces that look new even though they have been polished, over ones that are all left original. Just make sure it is done by the right people (I've seen many RO bezels ruined by non-AP experts.)

I agree with this. I had a huge scratch on my Diver that AP polished out. My Safari was also polished and they both looked amazing coming back to me. The lines and angles of the bezels appear completely intact and pristine.

[Calatrava r]

This watch is so easily scratched you could scratch it again, after you get it back, before you sell.

[subtona]

no polish.

[H-Watches]

I am a huge believer in a no polish.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Donjo]

For those who are against a polish, what is your reason?

[codecow]

Originally Posted by Donjo

For those who are against a polish, what is your reason?

Polishing removes metal. The only way to add it back is laser welding.

[theflywrist]

It depends how bad the scuffs are honestly.
I am primarily a vintage collector, and naturally I am against polish, however I recently bought an vintage AP RO in "honest" condition, and very quickly figured out that even on older genta designs, the "wear" on these watches really don't look as nice as they do on vintage rolex for example.

I would polish it if it was really bad, but only with PP.
I imagine after 10-15 years of wear my aqua/nautilus will need a polish as well.
I would not hesitate to do it, and this is coming from a guy that is extremely picky with purchasing polished watches generally(as a vintage collector).

[SkyBlue]

Originally Posted by Donjo

I bought a 5712 used from an AD a couple of years ago. It has mild wear from desk duty, certainly not offensive, just average. The watch is about 5 years old. Would it be beneficial to have it serviced and polished, or just sell as is?

I am interested in your watch for sale. Did you end up having it serviced and polished?

[R!$]

Can you post a pic? Or perhaps get the opinion of your local AD?

[Donjo]

I ended up selling the watch. My feeling is that had it been polished I would have had a much easier time selling it. Most potential buyers were not haute horologists who's concern was mainly an untouched timepiece, but rather folks looking for a pristine example of a hard-to-obtain watch. Knowing this now, I would have sent it to Stern for a polish, though I didn't feel like waiting months that it might take.

[Sam777]

I guess it all depends on who your target audience is. I, along with I'm sure at least a few purists would prefer to have the option to make the call on polishing. I never buy polished watches.

[Passionata]

No polish ,leave the job to the new owner