How to identify whether the case is original ?

[Oreland]

Hi everyone,

Im new to collect vintage watches. After buying several vintage Omegas, I suddenly realized that the case of a watch seems to be an easily replaceable part. Some enthusiastic people on this forum told me that the case of a vintage watch should have signs of aging, and if the case has been severely polished, it will lose its sharp edges. But some cases do not originally have sharp edges, and the polished one does not look very different from the original one, so I can't identify whether the case has been polished or just replaced. This Rolex in the picture is an example, its case looks just too new and significantly different from the condition of dial. For such kind of vintage watch, is there any way to tell whether the case has been polished or replaced? Please educate me, thanks.

Edited: Jul 14, 2024

 

[DrSpock]

Maybe you are lucky and able to find the reference you want to determine somewhere else listed (or listed in the past) as NOS (New Old Stock) / like new condition, that could be a way to compare cases.

 

[X350 XJR]

Might have better luck in the Rolex forum.

https://omegaforums.net/forums/rolex-watches-forum/

 

[JwRosenthal]

On some watches it’s easy to tell- particularly sport Rolexes when looking at cratered spring bar holes, soft crown guards and rounded (aka missing) chamfers. Dials age differently than case- some people can’t believe a well preserved dial can exist inside a well worn case (dial is on the inside), but conversely a very minimally work watch that had moisture ingress can show dial damage/age/patina with a case that shows very little wear.

As you said, some watches came with softer curves and can be tough to know what is correct (several 70’s Omega’s had a soft brushed case that looked blobby from the factory). As mentioned by Spock, finding other references against which to compare is the best way to know- examine the details like the coarseness of brushing or the level of polish (some highly polished finishes are actually more a bright sateen than a mirror). Fine swirl marks are a sign of some light age so that’s usually a good sign that it hasn’t been freshly tarted up for sale.

The biggest sign (for me) that a watch has been refinished is the smoothed over dings. You may see some fine marks or nicks that have been polished or brushed over- those aren’t factory imperfections. We had one poster rant not long ago saying he bought a NOS watch (was only a few years old) and the seller claimed it had never been worn but the rebrushing over hard wear was apparent to everyone except him.
The watch you posed above has been refinished IMO. The brushing and level of polish on the case isn’t in line with what I’ve seen in Rolex from this era (happy to be proven wrong). The rounded bezel is the tell-tale to me.


Being able to tell when a watch has been refinished becomes a gut feeling when you see them- it just doesn’t gel. The fact that you had a feeling to post this one tells me you already had that feeling.

 

[Davidt]

100% the watch in the OP has been refinished. Significantly.