Hi gang, I was considering having a dial relumed and I'm looking for a reputable establishment. I found this place : http://www.internationaldialco.com/Pages/Public/Default.aspx Wondering if anyone has experience with them or another company that does good work. Thanks! J
From their website: " If we don't have the exact die to refinish a dial we will probably have one that is close enough" So if its a handgrenade, close should be OK. Seriously I have looked at this company too, but never worked with them. I have worked with a company in UK but as yet I have not found a true "artist" in the field. I believe if anyone finds a dial person then they keep it quiet! I have just found a workshop in China but I am not holding my breath for anything usable.
International is very good for US brands where they were the original contractors that made the dies back in the 1920's. For Omega, not so much. Then again, I've yet to see an accurate redial in a vintage Omega, except for Hoi's Vietnamese source. He uses CGI from originals to create the dies. gatorcpa
Redialing companies are notorious for being inconsistent. This is almost a constant discussion in some watchmaker groups I am in, with people asking about (or more often complaining about) this or that redial operation. Those who have a great reputation one month seem to be the one most despised the next. I have probably seen almost every major redialer in the US praised and then later raked over the coals for shoddy work. International dial is no different, nor are any of the Kirk dial places, and on and on... They virtually all operate on the quote above - they will use the die that is closest to your dial, unless you step up and pay for new plates to me made, which can increase the cost of the redial by many multiples, depending on the complexity of the dial. They won't tell you if they have the right dies before you send the dial in - they need to have the dial in their hands to determine that. Even if you ask for a perfect replication and pay for it, the biggest thing I've found is the thickness of lines and text are often not right - usually too thick. I have yet to find a place that does good reluming work, and I get many requests for this, so if anyone has one, please share. Cheers, Al
I was considering this place as well. : http://watchrepairandrestoration.blogspot.ca/2012/06/omega-speedmaster-watch-dial.html?m=1 That's the same dial I'd like to get relumed. Here's a pic of the dial I have. International said about 65 to make a die and 35 for the relume work.
i should add... it's just the lume i'd like redone, leaving everything else as is... International said they could do that.
Saw this renovation from Richard Bethge GmbH in Germany, know some watchmakers use them. I am not impressed