Advice needed laser welding case back?

[DrSpock]

Hi, I’ve purchased a Explorer II with a partially rusty inner caseback (I knew it) , my idea was to have it fixed via laser welding (had welding on a Omega case done before) , one watchmaker I asked here told me his technicians say it would be too difficult to do? Is that true in your opinion? It’s a bit complicated to find the correct replacement caseback (the one with the curved lettering) that’s why I wanted to do it. I appreciate your remarks

 

[Davidt]

I had a watch case with some surface pitting that I tried to get laser welded. Everyone I spoke to said they cannot laser weld pitting.

 

[X350 XJR]

Pretty sure if the pitting is ground back to clean metal you can then add new metal.

https://www.watchcaserepair.com/

 

[DrSpock]

I had laser welding done once and the results were amazing

 

[DrSpock]

apart from that: I have to admit that I’m a bit disappointed with the quality of Rolex. Within the last years I possessed A LOT of vintage Omegas and never witnessed rusty spots on them😗

 

[Pastorbottle]

DrSpock

apart from that: I have to admit that I’m a bit disappointed with the quality of Rolex. Within the last years I possessed A LOT of vintage Omegas and never witnessed rusty spots on them😗

Just another reason to buy Omega in preference to Rolex!

 

[Dan S]

In my experience, the better people who do cosmetic laser welding do not want to work on these porous corroded parts because the results are very inconsistent and they can't guarantee them. You might be able to find a jeweler or hobbyist to give it a shot.

Because your corrosion is quite far out on the flange, and the inner part looks pretty good, I suspect it might still seal pretty well. You might just want to have it pressure tested before going to extreme measures.