Datejust 1601 (Dial help needed!)

[nigelk]

Hi there!

I was wondering if anyone could shed some light on what might have happened to this Datejust 1601 dial along the edges.

Is it a cause for concern? and is the dial authentic to begin with?

Many thanks to all the experts in advance!

Pardon my uploading to tumblr just to upload the images here :D

[rootbeer7]

Looks like moisture damage. Hands look replaced or relumed too. Case doesn't look too bad

[mobster600]

So when there are vibrations, the parts of the dial touching the case are vibrated. This causes the paint/finish on the edges to chip and from there it just works in a bit.

The case/dial meeting is a flaw from design. Watches are much more precise nowadays, they didn’t engineer things too well in the 1960’s, at least compared to today

[nigelk]

Originally Posted by mobster600

So when there are vibrations, the parts of the dial touching the case are vibrated. This causes the paint/finish on the edges to chip and from there it just works in a bit.

The case/dial meeting is a flaw from design. Watches are much more precise nowadays, they didn’t engineer things too well in the 1960’s, at least compared to today

I see. I was wondering how can moisture damage do this to the dial only at the rim. Your reasoning makes more sense haha.

Do you think the hands are relumed? It looks alright to me and the pitting of the hands match that of the case indices actually. So I would say its unlikely to be replaced.

[mobster600]

the lume looks orginal, looks like its held up well. yes everything matches and patina'd evenly across all parts.

if you are going to service this....your going to need a complete overhaul. i mean complete overhaul. from head to toe. if the cosmetics are in this shape the movement will be the same. looks like its never been serviced

[nigelk]

Originally Posted by mobster600

the lume looks orginal, looks like its held up well. yes everything matches and patina'd evenly across all parts.

if you are going to service this....your going to need a complete overhaul. i mean complete overhaul. from head to toe. if the cosmetics are in this shape the movement will be the same. looks like its never been serviced

I’ve just sent it to my watchmaker for servicing. Yeap the inside looks amazingly clean. So we will see how it goes! Haha. Thank you again!

[SubMarine]

Hands are replacements. They are lume hands that do not match your non-lumed dial.

[nigelk]

Originally Posted by SubMarine

Hands are replacements. They are lume hands that do not match your non-lumed dial.

If I might add, the dial actually has a t Swiss t at the bottom (although affected by the “damage” on the rim). From what I know, Rolex do make dials with no lume and the t Swiss t refers to the lume on the hands. Someone can please correct me if I’m wrong.

[SubMarine]

You’re quite wrong. Best to do your homework.

Originally Posted by nigelk

If I might add, the dial actually has a t Swiss t at the bottom (although affected by the “damage” on the rim). From what I know, Rolex do make dials with no lume and the t Swiss t refers to the lume on the hands. Someone can please correct me if I’m wrong.

[nigelk]

Originally Posted by SubMarine

You’re quite wrong. Best to do your homework.

Not really though,
Here’s one from hq Milton with I quote “no lume dial with matching hands”

https://www.hqmilton.com/timepieces/...d-papers-A1592

[Tools]

It is not unusual to see dial damage like this on older watches.

The dial is pressed against the rehaut and the paint is damaged. When it is taken apart a few times, and not re-set back in exactly the same spot, the wear and rub marks are visible.

You can see the top right quadrant seems unblemished, while the lower left shows damage. The dial has been shifted up and to the right the last time that it was taken apart and reassembled.

[Crathins]

I just sent in my datejust with this exact problem, i hope it can be fixed.

[nigelk]

Originally Posted by Tools

It is not unusual to see dial damage like this on older watches.

The dial is pressed against the rehaut and the paint is damaged. When it is taken apart a few times, and not re-set back in exactly the same spot, the wear and rub marks are visible.

You can see the top right quadrant seems unblemished, while the lower left shows damage. The dial has been shifted up and to the right the last time that it was taken apart and reassembled.

I see, actually the top right quadrant also has the damage just to a lesser extent than the bottom. Good to know that it’s damage on an original dial and not a fake one phew :D

[nigelk]

Originally Posted by Crathins

I just sent in my datejust with this exact problem, i hope it can be fixed.

Yeah it can be! Or at least my watchmaker seems confident about it. So I’m just hoping for the best.

[rootbeer7]

Thank you for the above information. I’ve learned something.

[Old Expat Beast]

Originally Posted by SubMarine

You’re quite wrong. Best to do your homework.

He's not wrong.