Rolex GMT 1675 Rootbeer - Refurbish?

[TimeLord2]

First, thank you in advance for any comments and suggestions regarding my watch, and here's my story…
I have a Rolex GMT Master 1675 Two-tone "rootbeer" I received from my father in about 1995. He purchased it from Tiffany in Beverly Hills around 1971-72 and the serial number supports that. When I received it, the general condition is about what it is now, and I was always concerned about the band breaking.
The band on the watch is an american made 14k and stainless jubilee and I am having it refurbished, as I write this, at Rolliworks in San Fran. My question for the community, if you would be so kind to give you two cents, is regarding polishing.
I figure since I am having it refurbished, and in general rebuilt to remove stretch, just polish to factory specs, right? Polished center links, brushed stainless with polished ends, and very light polishing on the clasp portion where the stamp is. I want the band to be usable and safe to wear. Sound reasonable? I have attached a few pics for your review and comment. Thanks again!

Doug

[TimeLord2]

Here are the images I somehow managed NOT to include in the intitial post.
Attached! I think…

[offrdmania]

Personally, I would just have the bracelet rebuilt and cleaned and not polished so that it matches the case. All of those scratches, dings and dents tell the watches history. They were all put there by yourself and your dad. It can only be unpolished once.
Also, hopefully your dad hung onto the paperwork from Tiffany. Either the receipt or the warranty paper with the Tiffany stamp on it. It would greatly increase the watches overall value. Unfortunately, without paperwork, Tiffany dials are often counterfeited and the paperwork authenticates the dial as being real. Without the paperwork, a Tiffany dial wont add any extra value to the piece.

[TimeLord2]

Hi offerdmania,
Thank you for the advice, and I must admit an option I hadn't considered. Unfortunately, my dad does not have any of the paperwork anymore. Best I could probably do are pictures from the 70s or 80s with it being worn but it doesn't really matter (I would really like the paper work, hahaha) because I don't intend on selling it anyway. Still it would be nice to have it documented better and I have learned loads of information from this site and the knowledgeable members. I am quite torn. There are a few other things I would like to do like the bezel is very tight and takes a lot of effort to move, it's not a 120 click bezel but the push and rotate bi-directional. i would also like to replace the acrylic crystal (with new acrylic) as it is quite banged up. For purists I know this is another aspect of the patina that develops over time with usage and should be cherished. Although, I would also like it to look as good as it possible because it is quite beautiful, at least IMHO. That said, I know a lot of people don't necessarily like this color combo. Yes, definitely torn.

[Lgear080]

Polywatch the acrylic and send the bracelet to mike Young. Viola.

[E46seca]

Originally Posted by Lgear080

Polywatch the acrylic and send the bracelet to mike Young. Viola.

The bracelet is with Rolliworks in SF ...


I know people are going to hate this but I would put a new crystal , light polish the case (properly with LA Watchwerks or Ridley) to match a newly refurbished bracelet and enjoy it from that point on. Realistically the dings , dents and scratches don't define your dad THE WATCH DOES ! My 2 cents




P.S. Beautiful watch with an even more beautiful dial

[77T]

Originally Posted by E46seca

I know people are going to hate this but I would put a new crystal , light polish the case (properly with LA Watchwerks or Ridley) to match a newly refurbished bracelet and enjoy it from that point on. Realistically the dings , dents and scratches don't define your dad THE WATCH DOES ! My 2 cents

I believe that is a reasonable approach.

But OP should also service the movement including a new mainspring and all gaskets.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[TimeLord2]

Originally Posted by Lgear080

Polywatch the acrylic and send the bracelet to mike Young. Viola.

I had to look up the polywatch reference, I'm fairly new to this, but that too is an excellent suggestion.

[E46seca]

Originally Posted by 77T

I believe that is a reasonable approach.

But OP should also service the movement including a new mainspring and all gaskets.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Agreed ....movement must be serviced as well. Makes no sense to apply wet tire application on the car and not change the oil

[TimeLord2]

Originally Posted by 77T

I believe that is a reasonable approach.

But OP should also service the movement including a new mainspring and all gaskets.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Yes, that does sound like a reasonable approach. I would rather prepare it for the next 50 years with a little repair/refurbish but not replace. It's a tool, a nice tool, but still a tool and IMHO should function as intended. That said, the scars it accumulated along the way are another aspect of its history. There are certainly better examples of this watch out there and it's not a historical artifact. While I do think it's best to keep it original as much as possible I'm not adverse to ensuring the parts function as intended by refurbishing or repairing rather than replacing.
I did have the movement refurbished by Rolex in 1995 after I accidentally ripped the crown off. At that time, they said the band and rotating bezel were worn and they would attach the bezel as best they could. It's certainly on there (quite tight!) and has not come off. The watch went into a drawer shortly after th refurbishing because the band was fragile. Fast forward to today and there are a few other things I would like to do have done aside from the band.
I am (currently...) thinking to have them (rolliworks) try to return the bracelet to spec, without too deep a polish. Then I would like to repair the bezel, which is pretty firmly stuck, and any suggestions there would be appreciated as well. Next, I'm going to have it serviced and the crystal replaced.
I will definitely share pics when I get the bracelet back, which should be in a three to four weeks. It probably won't fit my wrist any more, and I will be looking for some extra links...

[TimeLord2]

Originally Posted by E46seca

Agreed ....movement must be serviced as well. Makes no sense to apply wet tire application on the car and not change the oil

So true!

[Sublovin]

Very cool.

[OysterBracelet]

Be interested to see the bracelet post-rebuild. I think I'd set the bracelet aside and install a nice brown leather strap.

[BigBlue1]

Send it to LAWW
Then
Get a strap.

Twins

[TimeLord2]

I was thinking the same thing about putting the jubilee away after I get it back. Funny that I was looking at the exact strap you are wearing. Saw a generic one on Bay of E for I think $26.99 but the clasp was pretty basic. Looks great! Where did you get yours? I also saw the same thing on a watch band site recommended on this forum for 120 Euro.

[TimeLord2]

Originally Posted by BigBlue1

Send it to LAWW
Then
Get a strap.

Twins

After seeing how your watch turned out, indeed I will. I thought you might find this interesting. This is what I usually wear, my Seiko 150M dive watch 7548-7000, which I got from my grandparents after their trip around the world when I was like 12 years old or something. That watch is like a tank, although the bezel did pop off at one point. Aside from that, I change the battery every five years or so and it keeps incredibly accurate time even if you toss it in a drawer for a few days or weeks. Quartz,,, Oh, and I did get the Seiko long before the Rolex in about 1982 or so. The Seiko is about 40 years old.

[TimeLord2]

Oh, and by the way the lume on both watches is for shit.

[TimeLord2]

Originally Posted by OysterBracelet

Be interested to see the bracelet post-rebuild. I think I'd set the bracelet aside and install a nice brown leather strap.

And you will. I will definitely post some pictures when it returns. And I like the leather strap idea too. actually looks quite nice with a basic leather strap. Thanks for the advice.

[BigBlue1]

Great pair you have there. At quick glance I thought it was a Rolex Submariner. Looks great. I haven’t really ventured out of Rolex although I own a Zenith. That’s pretty of your grandparents to pick that up for you at 12. It looks very nice. I’d rock it. It would be nice to get that serviced as well and wear it in the water. Unfortunately I can’t wear my Rootbeer in the water. Hopefully I’ll win the DeepSea James Cameron. Wearing that in the water won’t be a problem. Whatever you do, please share photos.

Thank you and good luck.

[TimeLord2]

Thanks, I'm sure you are quite right about getting it serviced or at least the seals replaced. I did replace the crystal a while back because like the acrylic on the rootbeer the mineral crystal, aka glass, does get scratched up. Aside from that it has not been off my wrist for years. And it definitely goes in the water all the time. It has a quartz movement so the battery runs out every 5 years or so. I replace it and it just keeps on ticking. And yes, I knew I was quite fortunate to receive such a great gift at that age. I definitely think of my Grandparents maybe not every time I look at the watch but at least half the time. Gotta stay focused on occasion. Your Rootbeer looks fantastic! I will have to check out LAWW next time I'm in Pasadena. Sounds like they are the people to fix the rotating bezel on my watch.

[BigBlue1]

Yes please do, but you may want to refrain from rotating that bezel if you are having a hard time.

[TimeLord2]

I don't use the bezel at all but wanted to provide a description of it's current condition. Hopefully the people at LAWW can make it work.

[TimeLord2]

Originally Posted by BigBlue1

Send it to LAWW
Then
Get a strap.

Twins

Sound advice.

[BigBlue1]

Looks very nice.

[OysterBracelet]

Love it!

[cardiel]

Unfortunately, without paperwork, Tiffany dials are often counterfeited and the paperwork authenticates the dial as being real. Without the paperwork, a Tiffany dial wont add any extra value to the piece.

Plenty of the dealers around here advertise Tiffany watches without paperwork and the prices are premium......just saying.

[TimeLord2]

Yes, unfortunately the original papers and box for this watch are long gone. Pretty sure I could find some pictures of my Dad wearing the watch in some old pictures at his wedding or something(2nd or 3rd…), perhaps even a few with me wearing it in the 90s before it was stashed in the drawer. I do have a few service docs from the Rolex Service Center when I did have it serviced years ago in 1989 when I ripped off the crown by accident and again when I had it serviced in 1995 but it makes no mention of the Tiffany dial. Here are the only two docs I have, attached. Also, I'm not sure why everybody blurs out the serial numbers on these watches but I did the same. Clarification on that point would be appreciated but not required.

[BigBlue1]

Did you ever get this serviced?

[TimeLord2]

No service yet but the bracelet is supposed to be back tomorrow from Rolliworks. I will definitely post a few pics tomorrow assuming it does arrive. I will eventually service it but my kids seem to be growing faster than my income at this point! I'm definitely going to replace the crystal when I do and keep the old one. Aside from that, I did bring it to an AD here in LA and he said the bezel rotating ring was worn and needs to be replaced to function properly. Yea, they had some Rolex tool but that it was beyond help. Also said the insert is glued in. If you look at the service records above, I suppose you can infer what attach "as best they can" means. Hahahaha! So that said, the service is looking like the most inexpensive option (even with a new crystal!) given the cost of that thin little ring, with washer thing, and insert. Seeing if I can source the parts separately to mitigate cost. Anyway, that my friends is the latest in this saga, at least until tomorrow.

[Verdi]

I see a lot of focus on the bracelet....the first thing I would do is to service the movement. Make sure it’s all cleaned up, oiled, water tight and regulated.

A new plexi for sure. This is inexpensive and can be changed when watch is serviced.