Hey OF!

I was at Tourneau's looking at some divers and the saleswoman was trying to get me to buy one from them by enticing me with their 3 year extended warranty. While discussing the polishing they offer on all their watches, I asked her if they polish watches not purchased at Tourneau; she said yes, for far less than what I would have expected, with an additional complimentary cleaning of the whole watch.

Has anyone had their watch polished by Tourneau? She said the polishes return watches to how they looked when they were sold, but I've heard so many people talk about issues they've had when they sent their watches to be polished.

Also, what's the issue people have with having their watches polished? Does it bring down the value of the watch? I would have guessed removing surface marks would make the watch more appealing if you were trying to sell it, but many watches I've seen for sale have "UNPOLISHED" included in the listing so there must be a reason the seller makes a point to say it.

 

My $0.02

For collector and vintage timepieces, polishing destroys the value. For the everyday modern beater, its not quite as easy a call. I think the main problem is that the vast majority of polishers are way too aggressive and end up rounding over edges, and reshaping the case into something unrecognizable. Also, after a watch is polished once, it tends to get re-polished and it doesn't take long before too much metal is removed. Before you let someone polish your watch, I would ask to see examples (at least before/after photos) of the polishers work. I would also make sure the polisher and I were in total agreement on what is going to be done, and what the expected result will be. I tend not to polish any of my watches, either collector or beater.

 

That makes a lot of sense. I've seen ones where the lugs were filed down to a point, so I guess any polish you get is the first one on the way to that. Thanks @repoman!

 

I once had a CMW polish a steel Seamaster as part of a service. He buffed off so much metal the case was destroyed. Luckily I was able to source a "new" case that was in good condition.

I wish I'd never sold that watch....

Tom

 

Scratches are sexy.....embrace the character they give the watch!

 

Just Say NO to Polishing!!

 

I will never anyone else touch my baby ... If I scratch it, I will rub it with my hands. And rub it again, again, and again.

 

imho - one of the cooles watches EVER built ... and also rather rare:




but why dont we polish her up a bit ;-)





suddenly you have a watch that will make you suicidal by just looking at it ... poor poor Super Kontiki ... looks like a Mentos Mint ...

 

Old watches that were produced in relatively limited numbers should never be polished.

Like anything rare and old, it's best to preserve the condition as close to original as possible.

For anything modern, it's fine to polish if you want. No modern watch that is being produced in the millions is ever going to become the next vintage legend. Definitely not a standard Speedmaster from recent times.

Polishing done right won't really affect the value because the value isn't going anywhere. The important thing is that the person doing the polishing is experienced. You want them to bring back a factory finish, not ruin edges and over polish.

Contrary to what people will tell you, scratches don't add character to you watch. Unless it was a memorable scratch that happened when you were climbing Everest or when you fell from your motorcycle. Scratches from your desk, MacBook, door knob, or any other place don't add anything but a scratch.

It's a scratch just like a scratch on anything you own. A watch is no different. If your car got a scratch, you would fix if. If your shoes got scuffed, you would polish them.

Watch owners just like to say that character nonsense to make themselves feel better about a mark on a relatively expensive personal item.

 

i somehow disagree... i have a Breitl. Chronomat, my first good watch I bought when 20yrs old in the eary 90ies - I wore it exclusively for many yrs. I now am twice ghat age (and then some ;o) ... and it does have (surprisingly few) scratches. I tend to see those not as scratches but as wrinkles, jusr like the back of my hand... that is half a life together with a rather intimate object.

 

I am not a fan of polishing, generally speaking (I guess I could also say refinish). The exception for me is a vintage that has all service parts, dial, bezel, etc. In this case, I don't see any loss in value when polishing.

On the modern, I think it depends. I have the Gemini 4 Speedy from 2005. No polish at all when I get the service for this one.

I had Omega service the PLOPROF 1200, and I had no problem with that being polished.