Another newbie question: How do some of the vintage watches from 50s and 60s look so new and shiny and clean, especially the case and the hands? Are they all polished? If they are not polished, how do people restore those parts? Thanks in advance for dropping knowledge.
I think you’ll get more useful answers if you post a couple of pictures of examples that you’ve seen.
How would we know, what watches you have seen on eBay? Most of the shiny and sparkly watches on eBay have been polished. A lot. If they are not polished, they are simply well-kept. For instance been sitting in a drawer for many decades.
Note that some polished pieces with sharp lines have merely been spot welded and then re-shaped. While this does make the case look nicer than a typical polish, the original brush pattern is usually destroyed in the process. Basically, keep an eye out for watches that look too clean.
I think you’ll get more useful answers if you post a couple of pictures of examples that you’ve seen.
A lot are polished prior to presentation. Occasionally you will see watches in NOS/mint condition that retain the original factory polish. Photography and lighting also have a lot to do with now watches appear on eBay. But....you won't get complete answers unless you share some examples.
Found some examples on eBay. Pictures are just examples for discussion purposes. A little disclaimer first.
Also just out of curiosity, I noticed some vintage watches being sold on the forum look really clean and newish. I'm sure there's not gonna be any redials or franken watches here in the forum. But for eBay how do I tell if it's been over polished?
For anywhere : 1) Where lugs should make clear cut corners/facets, they don’t and are smooth... 2) A Watch that’s X-decades old but is a mirror... How can you tell 1)? Practice at looking for this by doing your homework and looking at many examples of the same watch specifically observing this. Look for conelpueblo’s excellent thread ‘learn how to fish’...he details it clearly there.
Great information in that thread. Never clicked into it because I always thought it was for literally fishing as a hobby...
If you're new, it's best to look around threads like WRUW and decide upon a couple if models/references that you really like, and get to know what an unpolished case looks like. What surfaces are brushed and which are polished, which edges have facets etc. Patience is key. Move too quick and you're more likely to make a mistake with a first purchase.
Also, keep looking at the Private Watch Sales section. A lot of excellent proper examples are offered here every day. Your best bet would be to buy one from an established member and avoid paying the "n00b tax".
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.
Can they polish hands as well? Some of the hands look super clean. Now I understand that one can polish the case, repaint the dial, but what about those super clean looking hands with no rust at all?