Recently acquired this 16613 from the late 2000s.
The seller openly stated, that the watch has been througb casework.

What do you think about the workmanship? My eye is too untrained for these details and to me it looks fine. But I'd like to hear your opinions.

 

Initial thoughts are that it's seen a lot of work but you need to post better pics such as this unpolished one below. Far from an expert but just from your pics, more work than I'd be comfortable with and has a softness to it. Especially for a watch of newer vintage. But it only matters that you're happy with it.

 

Yeah sorry, hard to post sharp pictures, especially when dealing with this kind of details. To the naked eye it sure has certain softness as you described, but the sharp edges of the case are also distinguishable lugs being not completely round. I mean I guess it could be worse?

It is a shame dealers do this to their watches, but I guess it isnt exactly a collectors item anyway, because the papers are missing.

 

imho the phone cameras makes it hard to see the degree of polishing

please the examples below which may look over polished lugs (to my untrained eye with poor vision)

actually all brand new watches, never been polished





ever under the brighter lighting

 

It has been polished but as another has said, this isn't a vintage collector's item and they haven't removed a lot of material. The lines are decent and the crown guard is still intact, which normally gets brutalized by aggressive polishing. If the price was right, I would be ok with it.

 

It's a crappy polishing job, but if it doesn't bother you, don't obsess over it.

 

Thank you for the opinions. Yeah the price was quite reasonable (in todays standards ) and certainly did
not pay the price of a mint condition one. Maybe I'll ask the edges to be refinished by a rsc when I service the movement. My ad told me
that their watchmaker has the modern tools to make it sharp again if I want to (although it will take off some metal). What do you think - more harm than good? But then again, it does not really bother me and to the naked eye the edges are sharper (my phone camera sucks).

 

Enjoy your watch and leave it alone for now. The person who polished it did not remove much material, which is often not the case (no pun intended). Case and bracelet refinishing requires lots of skill and finesse to do it right. Most of the people who will do it for you will do a poor job and you can't undo the mess that is made of it. If you are keeping the watch, you can take your time and find someone in your country that specializes in case and bracelet refinishing. The people who are good know every surface detail and every direction for brushing or lapping. They are few and far between and generally busy.

 

It’s not that bad IMO. I’d put a lot more miles on it before doing any kind of restoration.

If you consider how far lasering and lapping has come in the last 10 years and how much progress could be made in another 5, before you’re ready for a service and possible refinishing…

… with everyone doing it, we could find ourselves in a market where an “honest polishing” is respected rather than shunned.

 

A polished case has never bothered me. Like the brass instruments on a ship, or tools worn and smoothed by the hands that used it, a watch case that has been polished says to me that the watch has a history to it...and I look forward to adding my own.

 

Thanks for the replies. I've now owned the watch for a few weeks and I believe this whole polishing thing has gotten slightly out of hand (I guess it's the result of watches becoming an asset). I bought this watch as a daily beater (believe it or not) and now I could not care less whether one edge of the case is slightly rounder than other. Although I did care at first, that is why I asked your opinions because of my own insecurity and my mind being fed with this polishing mania. It is a handsome piece and I feel it is more comfortable than my modern 39 mm exp. Funny thing really, thanks to youtube / watch media etc I had the pre-impression that the bracelet would be of same quality as a Seiko Skx jubilee. This stuff we're being fed is really poisonous for this hobby sometimes..

As an end note I've watched the HBO show "The Sopranos" and there James Gandolfini wears a day date all the time. Do you think that people will say to him "hey man let me see if the lug edges are slightly round" rather than "hey man that is a nice rolex there".

 

A nice watch and I agree with your sentiments regarding polishing. I do dislike very the frequent use of the work "unpolished" especially regarding watches that are decades old. How likely is it that at some stage over 50 years a watch that has been serviced has never had even a light refinish? No big deal if it has. Most of us can judge the condition of a case, whether we like it or not and if we value it enough to pay the price being asked. Yes RSC do a splendid job when it comes to refinishing. I have sent watches to Bexley (now Kings Hill) which were worn/polished and the outcomes have been amazing (even on 1960's models) so I am sure at some stage you can treat yours to the same. They really are true experts in their craft (my experience only of course). Enjoy your Sub for what it was intended!!!!

 

I’ve read

Amen…From all my reading, “unpolished” is becoming right up there with “rare”. Its a trigger to either delve deeper, negotiate harder or avoid the seller entirely. This case is fine but there should be a commensurate impact on price. Enjoy the watch.

 

I agree with Larry, unpolished is lately more of an urban legend than something you are likely going to find, especially on 30-40 years old watches.

That said if you buy the right seller and you do your homework, is possible to find genuine unpolished watches, especially considering that lot of people didn't serviced their watches at Rolex, where polishing was mandatory, (or didn't serviced their watches at all).

Relatively "modern" watches as the one of the opener are even easier to find unpolished, and I would personally pass on the one he posted precisely for the conditions of the case.

 

Here is one of my favorite highly polished Rolexes...a rare pink gold 1012 OP...I kick myself for selling it.