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Laser welding improvement

Gui13250
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Hi all,

we heard more and more about laser welding, but I’ve always thought it was only for minor scratch, worn lug holes etc…

But today I’ve seen this, and it seems that some skilled person are even able to refinish some difficult case as 168.005 dogleg lug !




134C0F67-0A9E-4428-9D01-649C1140177F.png

It is maybe not perfect, but pretty good I think.

To be honest, I don’t know what to think… while I definitely prefer an original case with some scratches, I guess it may be a solution for some over polished watches…

what guys are you thinking about that?
Edited:
 
Peemacgee
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I dont know that the angles are exactly correct but that is a quite astonishing result.

I suppose I’d have to ask the question - if at least one lug is that soft, what about the others and the bezel?

whilst good examples are becoming fewer to source, I suspect that at the moment it would only be cost-effective if the watch had some sentimental value or you’d managed to damage a good piece.
( but then again, you might not want to ‘improve’ a watch with sentimental value)
 
Gui13250
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@Peemacgee i think you had the point, it is all about cost.. but I don’t if it is that much expensive.

i have a 168.005 with worn lugs holes, I’ve contacted someone in my area doing laser welding, who told me it would cost around 100€, not that expensive.

But it is not the same work to fix worn lugs holes and to fix a complete lug
 
Darlinboy
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These laser welding techniques have been out there for years. Working its way down from the high-end vintage Rolex (and others) world as these things tend to do in many market sectors. Think LED headlights, adaptive cruise control or ABS brakes in the automotive market to give one example.

No doubt technology has moved the price point for the work down significantly. There are tests to determine it a case has been “retouched” - just as with dials - it’s a bit of an arms race.
 
Dan S
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Caliber561 Caliber561
I'm planning on sending a Constellation to him next year to see what he can pull off on a tired 168.005 SGR case. Given his ability to 'see' the original contours of each case, I'm pretty excited to see what he can pull off!

Has he indicated to you that he will work on watches other than Seiko? I had understood that he was a specialist.
 
Caliber561
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Dan S Dan S
Has he indicated to you that he will work on watches other than Seiko? I had understood that he was a specialist.
Yes, he does specialize in Seiko, but he was open to the challenge of refinishing the dog-leg case. While I didn't ask, I wouldn't be surprised if he refinishes other brands as well, but only posts Seiko on his social media when he has time.
 
wsfarrell
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Dan S Dan S
Interesting that Poland appears to be the epicenter of this trend.
Unfortunate too, for me anyway. I was going to send him a Rolex 5513 for some work, but he asked me to send it as "watch parts, gift, value $50" so as to minimize customs. I could see myself talking to DHL/USPS/etc. if the package went missing, saying "Well it was declared at $50, but the case was actually worth $5,000." Right.
 
smoothsecondscom
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The work on that dogleg lug is awesome. Is this technology also available for gold/gold plated watches? That seems interesting as they are typically the softest cases and as such the most damaged.
 
Scarecrow Boat
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smoothsecondscom smoothsecondscom
The work on that dogleg lug is awesome. Is this technology also available for gold/gold plated watches? That seems interesting as they are typically the softest cases and as such the most damaged.
You should look into https://www.replateit.com/ If you search the forum you’ll find them being discussed with good results.
 
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