Here comes the parade of negative nancys right on cue...
Here comes the parade of negative nancys right on cue...
Reluctance to venture into more (should I say) unconventional 'cleaning' techniques is completely understandable- dial cleaning is not a part of watchmaking curriculum and watchmakers hate dial restoration.
Chemical processes are irreversible and unpredictable so be careful and go easy. Be brave, it's fun.
It's worth remembering that threads on the topic of dial cleaning suffer from severe selection bias, so don't get too excited. People are happy to post the results when they happen to be successful, but it's quite rare that someone bothers to show the many times that they completely destroy the dial in trying to clean it. It the blue liquid hadn't been successful, or further damaged the dial, then this thread would not exist. We have no idea what fraction of the attempts are successful.
Success rate? How about 10 out of 10?
Blue stuff, pitted and heavily oxidized gold hands, customer's watch - done as we speak (note the date).
This is a very sensitive issue for many watch enthusiasts because we are dealing here with emotions and perpetuated myths, rather than facts.
1. Look properly after your watch and treat it with respect as you would care for any high precision mechanical instrument and you'll never need a dial repair/cleaning/restoration/replacement. Luckily, most watch enthusiasts are careful and respectful.
2. When watch is severely damaged, then the right thing is to take it to manufacturer and have the damaged parts replaced. Broken Rolex should go to Rolex service centre.
3. However, Rolex (and every other Swiss watch manufacturer) does not provide dial and hands restoration service - but replacement only. This is unacceptable by collectors because replacement parts 'devalue' the watch on collectors market, in some cases severely.
4. this conflict between official servicing policy and collectors desire for preservation of original dial and hands is yet to be resolved. Clearly, Rolex's job is not to preserve the collectors value of your Rolex, but to return the watch in functional and aesthetically pleasing condition, and eventually, to sell you a new watch. I say nothing wrong with that.
5. For reasons only known to them, some collectors prefer not to deal with Rolex. Taking a watch to an independent watchmaker could be the way to go, but independent watchmakers have no access to original Rolex parts. Most of them use aftermarket and outright fake parts. Some of them are poorly trained and have very limited restoration skills. In many cases, small watchmakers are manipulated to install 'NOS' and fake parts provided by cashed-up collectors/ vintage watch owners.
6. The only win-win solution to all 3 parties (Rolex, watch owners and watchmakers) :
- Rolex to open a dedicated restoration service centre for vintage watches
- Rolex to once again provide training to independent watchmakers and allow them access to spare parts
In my opinion, neither is top priority for Rolex. Until then - we should brace ourselves to all sorts of quackery: from fake parts, poor servicing techniques, outright criminal enterprises who specialise in manufacturing of fake Rolex dial and hands, con artist and con 'dealers', auctioneers, fakers and 'Rolex investors'.
Which makes cleaning a dial with distilled soapy water rather naively innocent...
Success rate? How about 10 out of 10?
Blue stuff, pitted and heavily oxidized gold hands, customer's watch - done as we speak (note the date).
On a more serious note, good results, but surely there were some huge f ups while experimenting?
but no one in Australia is doing what Nick is doing. Here, (in Australia) we have what we call the "Tall poppy Syndrone," which translates to, anyone that sticks their head above the crowd, usually gets it chopped off, so I know that Nick is used to criticism and more importantly, nothing anyone says is going to divert him from his goals, and his absolute love and dovotion to watch making and horology as a whole. I definitely do not love everything he says, but my respect and admiration for him is real and that has been earnt from following him for the past decade.
I thoroughly enjoy your videos and posts, but man you must be a glutton for punishment posting them on this forum 😁
I thoroughly enjoy your videos and posts, but man you must be a glutton for punishment posting them on this forum 😁
