The difference here is, except for Speedmasters (and what the heck?) none of these watches are worth a whole big pile of money. Too many of them were made, for the most part.
Yes, I have seen one-of-a-kind pieces of furniture where the owners stripped off the original finish and devalued a $20,000 chest of drawers to $3000. But Dad's beat to hell watch gets all of the oo and ah of the collector when the guy wants to wear his dad's watch and you're all telling him, "don't you dare touch it, we collectors know better!" and my answer to that is, to put it politely, "you're not helping!"
I think a lot of you need to step back and say, "how can I help this guy get the most enjoyment from his dad's watch?" A collector's perspective (and forgive me, many of you are mere "accumulators" of beat-up pieces) is not warranted. A warning that a lot of watchmakers buff too much (and I had a CMW destroy a case I had to replace) is warranted. A warning that dial refininishing, unless done by the manufacturer (or someone in Asia?) will never look original is warranted. So many of you seem to be saying, "only have the movement cleaned, let the rest of it look like crap because we say so!" and that just doesn't sit well with me. Provide a complete answer or just keep quiet, is my opinion.
The original poster has a nice Seamaster. Some careful polishing with a new crystal will really make it look stunning. Right now it looks... old, and not in a good way. "If you want to sell it, don't polish it." "If you want to enjoy it how it came when new, do this, and be careful that overpolishing does not happen." Be useful and stop speaking ex cathedra. I've seen people who have been total newbs a month ago giving advice as if they were experts. I don't think we should encourage that.
Me, I've been wearing vintage for decades now. I have my own small "collection" (really an accumulation). I polish cases by hand. I've had some buffed with varying results. I don't think I'm an expert but I think I can share perspective.
Tom
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