But for eBay how do I tell if it's been over polished?
If you are hunting vintage watches, a top collector's tip: Hunt for dirty, grimy watches that haven't been touched for years. Or, to be more precise, look beyond the grunge. Beneath that scratched and cracked crystal you may see a pristine dial. Below the surface dirt and scum, you may see a crisp, unpolished case. A sympathetic service and cleaning from a watchmaker, and you'll have a watch that looked like it just left the factory.
A case study: This grimy watch lingered on the 'Bay for months. It featured a dirty, scratched crystal, a loose dial marker, and some
cheesey grease on the case topped off by poorly-lit, out-of-focus photographs.
But if you look beyond the scum you will find a flawless dial from 1959, correct hands, crispy lugs, a rose-gold case, and a rare signed crown (for this model). A good watchmaker can fix the loose dial marker, polish the crystal, service the movement, and carefully clean the case.
This kind of fishing is very rewarding, but it will take research on your part. You need to know what original parts to look for, how to spot a redial or an overly polished case, and how to separate grime from plate loss on chrome or gold-plated cases. If you stick around, study the threads of watches you like and ask questions, you'll be an expert in no time at all.
