Over polished - What does that look like?!

[Sjmoore11]

Great info and examples! Makes me see a few of the polishing flaws on my Pepsi (but thankfully I already knew it wasn't perfect and was priced accordingly). Thanks for the great discussion!

[nikesupremedunk]

Thanks for this post. Would one have to worry about "over polishing" at a RSC?

[T. Ferguson]

Originally Posted by nikesupremedunk

Thanks for this post. Would one have to worry about "over polishing" at a RSC?

Generally speaking, no. If anyone knows how to polish a Rolex properly it should be the RSC. Having said that, I'm sure it has happened. Like anything else, some people are better at their jobs than others. But you have to figure they have the proper training and the best equipment available for the job. It seems to me there was a thread about an instance awhile ago. But, the RSC is in a better position to make good on an error than most anyone else. And certainly, the more a case is polished the more prone it then becomes to deformation.

[Defiancekofb]

Rare Rolex model Cellini Submariner.

[Canook]

Originally Posted by jdmi32

IMO, case finishing is an art that even some very competent watchmakers never master. Also, the required equipment to do a first rate job is expensive and many watchmakers can't or won't make the investment.

so true! last time i was back in Aus i found a guy selling a SS Daytona and after negotiating a price over the phone (@$6000usd) i was prepared to jump on it. He had dropped it into the local "watch expert" for a service where i went to look at it. As part of the service he polished it ........ all i can say is even if he offered it to me for $3k i still wouldn't have bought it. The old saying "polished turd" applied.. he totally destroyed it and no longer was a Daytona rather then a chunk of polished stainless with a dial and a strap attached.
I was devastated that he could have destroyed it in such a manner.

The watch guy is quite well known and highly recommended for his fantastic work for repairs and servicing... in saying that i wouldnt let him polish a hubcap...

[Tomas Eriksson]

Here is a typical piece. This has clearly been polished a few times

[red29ant]

Is this polished?

[Draxler]

is this 16700?

[red29ant]

Originally Posted by Draxler

is this 16700?

It is 16710.

[Draxler]

I would say yes. Your 16710 was polished.

[red29ant]

Originally Posted by Draxler

I would say yes. Your 16710 was polished.

Is the watch posted (earlier in this thread) by Cryten polished? It seems the post was stating it was an example of unpolished watch; and my 16710 look similar to that watch.

My 116610LV (bought two months back) has sharp edges, unlike the 16710 and the watch Cryten posted.. #confused

[fskywalker]

Would an RSC center (Dallas or New York, for example) fix the edges of a watch to restore the correct bevels (assuming the "damage" due to being wrongly polished is not excessive) as part of a routine maintenance job or would that be an extra cost?

[Speed]

Originally Posted by fskywalker

Would an RSC center (Dallas or New York, for example) fix the edges of a watch to restore the correct bevels (assuming the "damage" due to being wrongly polished is not excessive) as part of a routine maintenance job or would that be an extra cost?

If the RSC would do it...it would be extra.

This is the sort of thing ABC Watchwerks excels at. Edvi did a case refinish for me on my Y serial Sub.

They "restored" the original Chamfers - smaller than older Subs - and uniformly adjusted the geometry of the case so it came out very much as it was - but a wee bit smaller.

Of course they had to take metal off...but they did it in such a way as to minimize distortion.

What do you think?

[fskywalker]

Originally Posted by Speed

If the RSC would do it...it would be extra.

This is the sort of thing ABC Watchwerks excels at. Edvi did a case refinish for me on my Y serial Sub.

They "restored" the original Chamfers - smaller than older Subs - and uniformly adjusted the geometry of the case so it came out very uniform.

Of course they had to take metal off...but they did it in such a way as to minimize distortion.

What do you think?

That looks awesome! How much did ABC charge you? My S series 16610 may be do for servicing soon and want its chamfers to be restored:

[Speed]

Originally Posted by fskywalker

That looks awesome! What model is your sub and how much did ABC charge you? My S series 16610 may be do for servicing soon and want its chamfers needs to be rectified:

It is a 16610 Y serial. The last year with lug holes.

I believe it was $500 - case only.

Now ABC has had some personnel changes as has been discussed...not sure exactly how things worked out personnel wise between them and LA Watch Company...but both are fine shops.

[fskywalker]

Originally Posted by dorflonni

This is an excellent video on polising and buffing, it is about 30 minutes long, but very informative. I hope this link works. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMuW...3iUQRSAS8T7G2c

great video, thanks for sharing!

[Bob the brush]

I am new to this forum and have seen loads of pictures of similar watches to mine. I have owned my 1016 explorer since new, and it has only ever been serviced by a Rolex, and I was really pleased when it came back from service all sparkly and looking like new, I thought I was doing the right thing, but what I didn't realise they were polishing the c**P out of it. Looking at photos of others, their lugs look a lot meatier and rounded, mine have been polished, nearly to a point. I will post post photos after it has come back from a service, not I might add by Rolex, and I specified, both verbally, and in writing, that I "do not want it polished" Watch this space.

[Dusko.Popov]

Originally Posted by Cryten

It's probably better to show you an unpolished example as a point of reference. This is a 16800 that was sold by a well known vintage dealer a while back (not my photos) Some points to note are:

*Case sides flat, the only curvature is from lug to lug.
*Case and lug edges and ends are razor sharp and straight
*Lug bevels even and sharp
*Lug hole edges are sharp
*Crown guards are even and with straight and well defined edges
*Bezel crenelations are sharp and well defined






Compare that to most watches for sale which suffer from most of the following, to a greater or lesser degree:

*Case sides curve in two directions - lug to lug and bezel to case back creating a circus mirror effect as light is reflected in odd ways
*Case edges are rounded and lugs taper towards the tip (VERY common as the polisher is trying to remove nicks in the lugs)
*Lug bevels rounded or more often totally missing
*Lug holes are rounded at the edges and reflect light in different directions.
*Springbar ends are close to or are actually protruding from the holes (indicating the lugs are too thin)
*Crown guards are different sizes and the edges are rounded.
*Bezel crenelations are dull, rounded and lack definition.

Keep looking at photographs and overtime you'll start to see the differences. I don't want to post specific photos of past or present sales that demonstrate over polishing but there was a 16800 sold here recently that demonstrates all of the above if you feel like doing a search.

Good information on polishing basics and what to look out for.

[fskywalker]

Good information. Would RSC correct wrongly polished bevels as part of a regular service? My S series 16610 has almost no bevels visible so seems it was not polished correctly the last time was serviced by RSC several years ago




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[G'ed]

That 16800 is crispy!