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Red Sub dilemma: Laser weld lugs or leave as is?

zinengineer
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krogerfoot krogerfoot
I come at this kind of dilemma with the perspective I had as a musician vis-a-vis vintage instruments. Instruments are tools and they're put in harm's way every time you use them (usually onstage a few feet away from a drunken riot). A pristine-looking 50-year-old guitar is an instrument someone loved so much they never took it out of the case. They look good when they look used, like your watch does.


i don't own a Rolex, so have no horse in the race, however was about to make a similar analogy. I own a '60's something King 3b trombone, which some trombone nerds consider from "the good era". It's missing lacquer, has a few dents, and the case has a Shriners sticker on it. I had the slide fixed, and that's it (now fully functional as a trombone). I wouldn't change anything else and it will likely be one of the last in my horn arsenal to be sent packing.

I like the watch as is....
 
Canuck
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Plastic surgery (I. e. Lazer welding) sometimes seems like a good idea. But sometimes one can end up wishing they hadn’t done it.

E169B4DF-7EE9-492B-9B2A-111F1B8A98DD.jpeg
 
airansun
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Canuck Canuck
Plastic surgery (I. e. Lazer welding) sometimes seems like a good idea. But sometimes one can end up wishing they hadn’t done it.

E169B4DF-7EE9-492B-9B2A-111F1B8A98DD.jpeg

Damn!

Lucky my mouth wasn’t full of beer...
 
ATWG
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If it really bothers you, go for it, otherwise wear the heck out of it and enjoy. These have become so expensive that leaving a case untouched is becoming the exception, not the norm.

I have never recut or laser welded any of my Rollies, love’em just the way they are.
 
larryganz
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airansun airansun
I’m always reluctant to start ‘modifying’ watches, particularly in ways that are permanent.

I’ll put better bezels on deserving Speedmasters, proper crowns and tritium hands. I’m less likely to replace dials and even less likely to recase a movement in a better mid band. That’s just me — everybody makes their own choices.

I’d never consider lasering a Speedmaster. But, I gather, Rolex world is different in some ways, so I wanted to ask.

I do know that, when I see a vintage Rolex with really good lugs, it only arouses my suspicion that other things have been played with as well.

So, yeah, I really appreciate all the feedback encouraging me to leave it as is. 👍

I think that refinishing/lasering the case will leave the watch unbalanced when combined with the worn and dinged bezel plus patina'd dial and hands. In return I think it will make you less likely to wear and enjoy the watch, for fear of dinging the case again.

For me, it would be like mismatching a new paint job on a vintage car with the worn and faded upholstery and vinyl top, regardless of wheels and tires. People value the original paint on a vintage car.
 
Faz
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Still solid enough. Don't fool around with it.
 
airansun
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Thank you, my friends, for confirming my gut sense.

As an outsider to the Rolex world, the apparent frequency of laser repairing these vintage pieces made my head spin a little. Of course it’s better as is. Laser repair is a step away from right, not a step towards it.

I can more than live with it this way. I love it the way it is. Someday, a red sub this worn will be rare in the market...😜

Thank you again!
 
Ninja2789
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You mentioned you just recently picked it up. Given that recutting/laser welding is a permanent solution, I say just wear it for a spell and see where you fall.

as others have said, most collectors will wince at a case that doesn’t fit the rest of the watch (dial, case, bezel). You mentioned wanting to keep reselling open as an option, and an honest watch will generally give you the most flexibility.
 
Canuck
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I have one on my bench right now. It is from 1970. I have been maintaining this watch since 1994.....25 years. Had it been polished since 1994, I’d have known about it. I took a picture of the one lug earlier today. I don’t see much difference when I compare it to yours.

89345AF8-ADBB-4DDC-BD42-4C70E042F0C8.jpeg
 
airansun
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And thank you everyone for the compliments about the watch. I was lucky this time.
 
Dan S
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Canuck Canuck
I have one on my bench right now. It is from 1970. I have been maintaining this watch since 1994.....25 years. Had it been polished since 1994, I’d have known about it. I took a picture of the one lug earlier today. I don’t see much difference when I compare it to yours.

89345AF8-ADBB-4DDC-BD42-4C70E042F0C8.jpeg

Interesting. I would have guessed it had been machine-polished based on the apparent cratering around the lug hole on the left of that photo. But I guess it could be shadows. Always hard to tell from a photo.
 
airansun
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Canuck Canuck
I have one on my bench right now. It is from 1970. I have been maintaining this watch since 1994.....25 years. Had it been polished since 1994, I’d have known about it. I took a picture of the one lug earlier today. I don’t see much difference when I compare it to yours.

89345AF8-ADBB-4DDC-BD42-4C70E042F0C8.jpeg
That’s really kind, but I notice the difference right away between our watches, so much so that I’m not even going to set up side by side shots.

Im more than okay that it’s worn. It’s easier to wear, it’s much less likely to draw attention and it feels like an artifact on my wrist, not some museum piece I get to take out for a day.

My 1675 is the same way.
FB8CA333-4EA7-47AB-83C0-4A114F88D3CA.jpeg


Earlier today, when I was comparing lugs
B986809A-401E-4773-B5CF-77871CD0C8D6.jpeg F9B8E64E-A5DC-456A-AD79-8A9B12595EEC.jpeg


The 1675 is on top in both shots: it is less worn/polished than the 1680. IMHO
Edited:
 
WatchCor
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airansun airansun
...
As an outsider to the Rolex world,...

Proceeds to post a pictures of a legendary 1680 Red sub and a gorgeous 1675. 😜 I'd say you're half way through the door to RollyWorld.

Absolutely fabulous duo. Congratulations.

In my opinion you've made the right decision in getting those pieces and deciding not to laser them.
 
larryganz
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I always wondered why they didn't insert something like a spring bar (or similar to plug the entire hole) into the lugs before polishing, to act as a barrier to wearing out the edges of the lug holes.
 
airansun
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WatchCor WatchCor
Proceeds to post a pictures of a legendary 1680 Red sub and a gorgeous 1675. 😜 I'd say you're half way through the door to RollyWorld.

Absolutely fabulous duo. Congratulations.

In my opinion you've made the right decision in getting those pieces and deciding not to laser them.

Well, I know enough to use RWF for research but not posting questions. 😜
 
S.H.
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It is hard to give advice when looking at pictures, but imho the thing to keep in mind is homogeneity; overall patina is key. Having the case restored would be OK for me if the rest was pristine for example. A restored case on an overall worn watch stands out in a strange way, like a redial. It will highlight the other defects (bezel, dial, hands, etc...).

It is why I did not have my 105.003 case restored : it has been refinished the Rolex way at some point (brushed top, shiny sides). I could have it refinished the right way but a shiny/sharp case associated to a weathered tach scale, dial and handset? I still prefer the incorrect finish.

I thinks it fits me like your Rolex fits you, like an expensive pair of weathered shoes. I'm not afraid to wear it.
 
janice&fred
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airansun airansun
Thank you, my friends, for confirming my gut sense.

As an outsider to the Rolex world, the apparent frequency of laser repairing these vintage pieces made my head spin a little. Of course it’s better as is. Laser repair is a step away from right, not a step towards it.

I can more than live with it this way. I love it the way it is. Someday, a red sub this worn will be rare in the market...😜

Thank you again!

laser welding can be a life saver on certain projects but not yours. over the years we have rescued many many watches and done minimal "sympathetic restorations" on them. we always prefer to keep our watches as-found. however twice we utilized laser welding but not for cosmetic remedies. one was for a gorgeous 6694 that had succumbed to pitting near the lug-to-case point so badly that we feared the lug may break off. the other was a gilt 1016 with a cracked case. in both instances there was no saving the watch without laser welding and both times I brought the empty cases back with me from the Philippines and had the welding done on 47th st in manhattan by one of the jewelry professionals and quite cheaply.
 
DaveK
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Canuck Canuck
Plastic surgery (I. e. Lazer welding) sometimes seems like a good idea. But sometimes one can end up wishing they hadn’t done it.

E169B4DF-7EE9-492B-9B2A-111F1B8A98DD.jpeg
Definitely a redial
 
Mad Cow
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Lasers are for fight off aliens, not destroy a vintage watch. 😲
 
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