Polishing, lessen value?

[padi56]

Originally Posted by bondtoys

Well, you could see it that way - or - that after 20 years, the case is almost half worn down.
And most of the watches on the current market had 5 years of Service intervalls, so a lot of potential damage has happened much quicker.
904L seems to be softer and so the damages are deeper and the loss of material therefore will be higher.

And then there are people who let their watch be repolished every couple of years and those watches all end up then with spiderlegs as lugs.
Just have a look at recent listings of 1016 on Chrono 24 and have a look on the lugs ;)

Unpolished only for me

Each to there own but normal routine polish at normal service intervals only should not be any problems with any modern day Rolex watch produced from the late 1980s on. Below a picture of my own personal working tool watch late 1990s early 2000 16600 SD ,it was used and many times abused for many years underwater as a real working tool with well over 600 hours underwater. And has been serviced and polished by now 4 different RSC world wide. This working tool SD has seen more use than todays Subs- SD - DSSD watches will see in ten lifetimes. Yet now well over 20 years old still ticking and looking good today, case ring still got decades of use left.


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[bnsxn]

Totally depends on the wearer, i don't mind an extra shine

[garyk]

Originally Posted by JacksonRain

I can definitely tell that this watch has been polished though, brother. But if you like it regardless, that's all that matters

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Like it, I absolutely love it! Other than magnified photos on the threads here, when I wear it, like at a Watches and Whiskey party at a large Rolex AD last year, everyone wanted to know when I got my new watch, how long it took to get, was I on a long wait list etc. Not one person asked about polishing. But I certainly understand why you and others are passionate about not disturbing patina. I am like that about vintage cars but I could not be happier with my watch.

[CaptT]

Originally Posted by Tools

This is a personal opinion about purchasing, and quite valid for some folks. However, the question is does it devalue a watch. The answer is definitely no, not if it is correctly done.

It is possible that somebody may pay more for an untouched vintage grail in original condition because such an animal would be as rare as hens' teeth.

A very reasonable perspective and agreed...."personal opinion" and "if done correctly."

I purchased a 14060 a couple years back that had just had a complete case replacement after the polish job during service by RSC Dallas (who I'm sure typically does great work) was botched. RSC acknowledged the poor polish job and offered the case replacement at no cost (though it did subsequently include engraved rehaut, which was not original to that model/series).

Not sure if the entire case replacement is standard or occurs frequently, nor if an erroneous polish by RSC is frequent, but it happened and thankfully was rectified as reasonably as possible IMO and included official RSC documentation. Probably helped that the previous owner had very detailed "before" pics to confirm the pre-polishing condition.

Nonetheless, I don't mind a touch up when purchasing a preowned watch, though a polishing that noticeably changes the case profile is a turn off.

[Boaters]

Originally Posted by garyk

If you do not want your over 20 years old PM Rolex to look and feel like brand new, then avoid an important service and polish by RSC. I cannot believe people are still discussing values here. My watch is valued by me and who cares what the monetary value is?!




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Beautiful is the only word that comes to mind

[EWY]

I had my 30 + years old GMT II polished when I took it in for service at a RSC. It was not in a bad shape to start with but the watch returned like new. I even have the crown, bezel, dial and hands replaced. If the Polish is done properly and your watch is not in a bad shape to start with, the results could be amazing. Check the pictures on my previous post.

If I can enjoy having a new looking watch for another 30 years, that would be value enough for me. BTW. If I were to purchase a used Rolex, I would like to have one that has been serviced by RSC. RSC would not touch any modified Rolex. That means the Rolex is authenticated.

https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=877410

[LateLearner]

Avoid the temptation.


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[Angryinch]

Thank you for the feedback.

[joli160]

No it doesn’t, quite the contrary.

There is a reason why second hand watches and cars are getting polished.
Nobody buys scratched up pieces in the real world.
On TRF there are many who like scratches but that is a minority me thinks and so do the dealers

[Wristivity]

Polished sort of sounds overly serviced.

[RFC]

Originally Posted by JacksonRain

I'm not sure your answer was provided in this thread so far....

It depends....

For modern watches, manufactured within the last 10 to 15 years, polishing or refinishing has less effect on value. But if you have a modern watch, and it's unpolished, but it's a very clean version with only very very light superficial scratches, it can demand a higher premium than a polished modern watch.

For more vintage or older models, yes, it's much more desirable to have an unpolished example.

What people often either don't consider or don't mention is that whatever is modern today will be vintage tomorrow, and everyone would rather have a prettier, cleaner, and shinier watch as a purchaser, that is offered exactly as the manufacturer intended and finished.

From the other hand, the overwhelming majority of buyers would rather have a clean shiny polished watch rather than a scratched up unpolished modern watch when they are looking in the market. Hence, almost all dealers will invariably do polishing refinishing or light touch-ups here and there in pretty much every single watch in their inventory for sale to attract more potential buyers.

That should answer your question.

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Agree. The discussion about polishing or not (and demanding full set) especially for Rolex vintage creates unrealistic expectations. Vintage or not if a watch hasn’t been polished EVER I would want to keep it that way. Sure, polishing THAT pristine piece should reduce market value. Most watches are no longer pristine.

If a watch has been polished, as MOST HAVE if they have been periodically serviced, then do whatever makes you happy to restore the case or service the watch to keep wearing it. But unless a piece has been a safe queen you are unlikely to find out there an unpolished full set example with case/dial/hands and movement in excellent condition. At least not at decent prices.

Vintage examples of mint unpolished full set Rolex GMT’s and Subs are rare and mind blowing pricey. I would think that of those needles in a haystack, a confirmed unpolished vintage has likely never seen a service in which case raising concerns about the condition and authenticity of the movement or parts that have worn and need replacement.

My point is that something has to give. Either you pay way more for unpolished and end up compromising in other respects (like not a full set or the piece has imperfections in the hands/dial) or pay less than a mint $$ for an honest example and restore/polish. I’ve chosen the latter many times. If I were to sell probably my restored polished and serviced pieces would be worth more than a polished unrestored one.

[fskywalker]

Originally Posted by Angryinch

Like the topic says, with a YG watch, does having it polished by Rolex lessen it value?

Don’t think so


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[GGGMT]

Yes


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