Dial advice sought

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calalum

·Feb 18, 2020

So I have had this watch for 15 years or so (traded a Watchco SM 300, and two so-so SM c. 861 chronos for it) and have always wished for a better dial, which is not easy to find. Options: 1. Leave it as is and enjoy it wabi and all. 2. Deep dive looking for a dial, which may be impossible and certainly will be expensive. 3. Sell the watch and just move on (although hard to know a fair value, and with no ebay presence posting there may not be fruitful). 4. Repaint the dial as needed (but can that really be done well and would i be killing the value?), particularly for the chapter ring.

Thoughts/advice? Please be kind. I get that this is not a world concern like the coronavirus.

Thanks all.

 

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wagudc

·Feb 18, 2020

Please don't mess with that dial. I think the watch is absolutely beautiful.

 

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CaptainWinsor

·Feb 18, 2020

Leave it

 

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CajunTiger

·Feb 19, 2020·Cajuns and Gators can't read newspapers!

defiantly leave as-is

 

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Dero13

·Feb 19, 2020

Anything option but repainting it

 

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321Only

·Feb 19, 2020

I'd say leave it as it is. If you really don't like it, sell it!
On the other side, I saw some impressive dial repair work performed by classicwatchrepair on instagram

 

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sdre

·Feb 19, 2020

Leave it as it is. She's a Beau just as she is.

 

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JimInOz

·Feb 19, 2020·Melbourne Australia

It's easy, just brush it down with some fine solvent and it'll look OK.

The brush needs to be made from the down (feathers) of newly hatched Lepidopyga lilliae (or Sapphire-bellied Hummingbird).

Unfortunately, the solvent is a little harder to find as it's no longer available, but a few millilitres of a substitute can be extracted by triple distilling 10 litres of Dalmore 64 Trinitas.

Let me know how it goes.

 

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wristpirate

·Feb 19, 2020

Could find a replacement dial but will set you back an arm plus a leg.

If it bothers you that much then sell it and use the funds to buy an exciting piece.

Don't tamper with the dial.

 

H

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HagenM

·Feb 19, 2020

My advice would be to let me trade you my car for it. Like BMWs?

Seriously though, I'm a novice when it comes to watches, (I really only know about vintage omegas, nothing about Rolex) and typically only understand the patina craze for guitars, but I must say that is one handsome dial. Call me crazy but I honestly think your watch looks better than alot of the pictures I see when I google "Rolex Submariner". Plus if it was any nicer, you might not be able to enjoy it as much.

Probably going to get some major flack for this but if those hands and hour markers were supposed to be white, (hey I said i'm a novice) I think i'd take your dial over a mint one. Anything

 

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Dan S

·Feb 19, 2020

JimInOz

It's easy, just brush it down with some fine solvent and it'll look OK.

The brush needs to be made from the down (feathers) of newly hatched Lepidopyga lilliae (or Sapphire-bellied Hummingbird).

Unfortunately, the solvent is a little harder to find as it's no longer available, but a few millilitres of a substitute can be extracted by triple distilling 10 litres of Dalmore 64 Trinitas.

Let me know how it goes.

Methinks @JimInOz may have been sampling some solvent substitute. 😉

IMO, the damage is not serious enough to warrant tampering, it has a lot of value in its current state. Since it's bothering you, you should probably keep the watch intact and trade it away for a better one, maybe to a dealer.

Edited: Feb 19, 2020

 

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JimInOz

·Feb 19, 2020·Melbourne Australia

Dan S

Methinks @JimInOz may have been sampling some solvent substitute. 😉..............

I wish! But at AUD$193,275.00 for a 700ml bottle it'll have to wait until I win the lottery.

Dan S

..IMO, the damage is not serious to warrant tampering, it has a lot of value in its current state. Since it's bother you, you should probably keep the watch intact and trade it away for a better one, maybe to a dealer.

I agree.

 

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Schmedsc

·Feb 19, 2020

Please don’t have the dial “fixed”. You’d be better off selling it and getting one that you’d enjoy.

 

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Dsloan

·Feb 19, 2020

calalum

So I have had this watch for 15 years or so (traded a Watchco SM 300, and two so-so SM c. 861 chronos for it)

Holy moly, you got a good deal on that trade!

 

K

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killer67

·Feb 19, 2020

your trade partner got the worse deal lol
repainting the dial is a bad idea and will affect future resale value unless you plan on keeping it. New dial is probably more than the watch itself if you can find one. Keep it as is or sell it for something you connect with. If you sell it, you will make more than if you had to sell a WatchCo SM and 2 SM cal. 861

 

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ExpiredWatchdog

·Feb 20, 2020

JimInOz

The brush needs to be made from the down (feathers) of newly hatched Lepidopyga lilliae (or Sapphire-bellied Hummingbird).

I'll call you on that one; have you ever seen a newly hatched hummingbird (or any other bird for that matter)? They look like a wart with a beak.

 

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wagudc

·Feb 20, 2020

Has anyone else thought that @calalum is just yanking our chains? Think about it, he just says "I am thinking about getting this beautiful example of an iconic watch redailed," and then sits back to enjoy the reactions of a group of collectors who would all die to have that watch in its current state.