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Originality vs. Restoration: A Case Study (Tudor Sub)

CajunTiger
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Wing Zero Wing Zero
Looks great. LAWW does great work. The biggest question is when it comes time to sell, how many people would disclose the relume? With so much of the price riding on originality.

Another reason to deal with trusted sources....but honestly its up to the collector to educate themselves. For the most part, if you know what to look for you can tell the difference. But honestly if the work is so good that you cant tell the difference, does it really matter?

As mentioned above a blacklight or a UV light come in real handy.
 
2
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i have a few of those: yours looks excellent, the lollipop hand looks great.
 
jfmiii
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I had a Rolex serviced and lightly polished by ABC (when all the guys at LAWW still were at ABC) using what they called a "vintage refinish" or something. It was not cheap, but it totally breathed new life in the watch. To be honest, I dont know that anyone could tell the difference between it and an unpolished example. The guys who are now at LAWW are incredible and know what is important to vintage collectors. They are so good that there is concern that stuff being sold as all original may not be and was touched up in some way or another by a shop like LAWW. I dont plan on selling my watch and the way they cleaned it up for me has made the watch so much more enjoyable to wear.
 
tjoy89
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Vercingetorix Vercingetorix
If you are going to relume the hands. why not the bezel pip as well?
The bezel pip is a different animal than the hands as different binders and hardeners are needed to keep it from just falling off or falling apart. IMO, doing the hands is much easier than getting a bezel pip right.
 
bazamu
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tjoy89 tjoy89
The bezel pip is a different animal than the hands as different binders and hardeners are needed to keep it from just falling off or falling apart. IMO, doing the hands is much easier than getting a bezel pip right.
Meant to respond to this earlier - the bezel pip doesn't bother me with these old Subs (as long as the metal isn't showing through). In my opinion, it suits the general aesthetic of the faded bezel...plus this is actually how I bought the watch. I've seen a lot of pips that don't actually match the lume, and while I'm sure LAWW could do it, I just didn't feel it was worth the hassle. I love it the way it is.
 
Archer
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tjoy89 tjoy89
The bezel pip is a different animal than the hands as different binders and hardeners are needed to keep it from just falling off or falling apart. IMO, doing the hands is much easier than getting a bezel pip right.

Agreed - it's not just a blob of lume - it's s separate piece that gets pressed into the bezel insert:

 
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