I thought I would make a thread to show the results of my foray into restoration, since it might be useful information for anyone else considering it. This is not something I normally do, but it was an appropriate opportunity to give it a try. As background, I have been interested in the various SM300 references for some time, but never had the opportunity to handle any of them. At first, I was drawn to the the curved lug pieces (165.024/166.024), but over time I found I preferred the earlier straight lug cases. When I had the opportunity to make a trade for a 165.014, I decided to take the plunge, even though it wasn't a collector-quality piece, because I felt it would give me the chance to experience it in person and find out if I liked it. As is commonly the case, the bezel inlay was completely obliterated, and the case/lugs had a lot of wear and tear, such that the chamfers were barely visible. The lume on the dial was thin, but still complete enough to be attractive to the naked eye, especially given that it had aged to an color that I particularly like, and was very well-matched to the hands. Otherwise, the watch was correct, and the movement was in good shape and running well. So overall, a decent "wearer" that a collector could appreciate as an honest and solid piece. Well, long story short, I really liked the reference a lot, and began to toy with the idea of restoring it as a wearer, and perhaps also adding a better original straight-lug example at some point in the future. Since the watch really wasn't collector-quality in its prior state, I didn't really see much harm in a restoration. And I went into it eyes wide open with respect to the fact that it was not a logical decision from a financial perspective. I found many references to a restoration specialist in Italy (Aldo), but also learned that he has a very long backlog. I also came across @of_golden_times on IG, who was also mentioned in a Fratellowatches blog post (https://www.fratellowatches.com/my-pub-find-omega-seamaster-300-ck2913-and-restoration-process/) as well as at least one OF thread (https://omegaforums.net/threads/165014-62-dial.94012/#post-1219579). Based on that thread, I reached out to @ndgal, who indicated that he had a positive first-hand experience with Rene. So I decided to give it a shot. Rene indicated that he could completely restore the Bakelite bezel inlay, and also gave me the option to restore the case using his "lapidizing" machine, which he said would refinish the case to near-original condition with minimal loss of metal. He also warned me that not everyone wants an old watch with a case that is obviously restored. I gave it some thought, and ultimately my curiosity won out, so I asked him to restore the case as well. He originally indicated that it would take 2-3 weeks, but because of a problem with his machine, which needed a new part for a repair, it took somewhat longer. Nevertheless, the watch is now back in my hands, and the difference is really extraordinary, as shown in the photos below. One can obviously tell that the bezel and case are restored, but the quality of Rene's work is really excellent, and he takes a lot of pride in it.
If you are serious, I think the best thing would be to send some photos to Rene via IG and he will get back to you quickly. He's quite responsive.
as many of us have said, there are awful restorations and awesome restorations, this one is clearly the latter now wear and enjoy it!
Very subjective the various degrees of restoration and re-cutting or re-polishing cases makes me really nervous. After all we've all seen how a bad polishing job can obliterate a case and once that's done it's hard to recover. Thankfully this one looks great!
Thanks David. That's exactly why I wanted to make this thread, so people can see what can and cannot be expected from a restoration.
the bezel insert that fellow made is spectacular! sure is a great fix for a model that is prone to insert failure (or more likely missing).
Looks fantastic - as I was reading on, I was thinking, "please let the case be refinished" as I was also curious how it would look after. Gives me hope; I lost some chamfers on a case due to a refinish and I've been hoping there's a chance to restore them. Thanks for posting this.
Silly question : the case restoration ... that is just recutting using the lapping machine? It looks fantastic ... well done. At least you can wear the hell out of it now...imagine if that was original bakelite, and cost an arm and four legs...
Thank you Eugene. Yes, it's going to be a nice one to wear without too much worry about the delicate Bakelite. According to Rene, the method is a bit different, but obviously I have no firsthand knowledge of the process. Still, based on the before and after condition, it appears he is correct in saying that very little material is lost, and he did not add material by laser welding prior to the refinishing. Here is a quote from him in which he responds to a question I asked him about how he would do the refinishing. I specifically asked if he would do laser welding. "It's the old fashioned method of lapidizing. There's machines for this... The material is being evenly distributed (smeared) under high point pressure with rotating tungsten lapidizing discs... Only big scuffs and dents need welding. But usually I don't need to. Sometimes a few hundredths get lost but way less than compared to the unwanted grinding/polishing method."
Thanks for sharing Dan. When I saw the first picture, I already thought the pre-restored version was kinda nice, but the final outcome is fantastic. Enjoy and wear it in good health.
Stunning! I would take that one over an “original condition” one any day as I wouldn’t fret a nick or scuff. And I agree- the dial is beautiful.
Thank you for your service. It really is valuable to other enthusiasts/collectors to document your thought processes and share the results. A lot of us, I'd venture, have a fairly crude understanding of the universe of options that are out there, and a lot of us are interested in owning and wearing watches as much or more than selling or trading them. I've always been in favor of investing in restoring a damaged/badly redialed piece if it makes the watch more wearable or useful. Regardless of its resale value, the watch has obviously been improved over its original condition.
