Somebody's Been Polishing My Watch!!

DoctorEvil · Dec 12, 2023

Greetings and hope you're all well. In February this year, I purchased a previous generation Seamaster Aqua Terra from a professional dealer on Chrono24. About a month ago, I noticed a small faint spot of discolouration on the brushed surface of the 4 o'clock lug. On closer inspection, it appears that in the past there had been something injurious to the metal (acid? welding burn?) and that someone has tried to brush it out. This brushing/polishing has left a beveled edge on the lug where it should be sharp. I've tried to show this as best I can in the photos below:

I referred back to the original photos from the Chrono24 listing and noted that it was there in one photo. It was just very subtle. It's probably why it's taken me this long to notice it. It is only really noticeable when the light shines on it from certain angles.

I'm a bit pissed off at myself for not seeing this earlier, as I might not have purchased this watch in the first place. And I'm now well past the returns period.

If I took it back to Omega for it's next service, will they be able to refinish the case and return it back to it's original state? Thoughts?

Thanks for reading my post.

Archer · Dec 12, 2023

Yes, they will fix it...

DoctorEvil · Dec 12, 2023

Archer
Yes, they will fix it...

Thanks Archer.
It's reassuring to know that it's something fixable. I was afraid that I was going to be stuck with this.

watchyouwant · Dec 13, 2023

You bought second hand. You got second hand. Watches are destined to be worn , get scars and not built to stay pristine. More will happen and that makes it beautiful.

DoctorEvil · Dec 13, 2023

watchyouwant
You bought second hand. You got second hand. Watches are destined to be worn , get scars and not built to stay pristine. More will happen and that makes it beautiful.

True, but I'd prefer it if it was me making the scars and not some incompetent jeweller. I might also have been able to negotiate a lower price for the watch.

Edit: The watch was listed as being in "unworn" condition. That's why I'm a bit pissed about this flaw.

Donn Chambers · Dec 13, 2023

DoctorEvil
True, but I'd prefer it if it was me making the scars and not some incompetent jeweller. I might also have been able to negotiate a lower price for the watch.

Edit: The watch was listed as being in "unworn" condition. That's why I'm a bit pissed about this flaw.

"unworn condition" is dealer speak for -- "we polished out the scratches so it looks unworn".

Just like "cleaned and adjusted" doesn't mean serviced, but "we removed all the grime, polished it, and adjusted the timing so the rate is good enough"

DoctorEvil · Dec 13, 2023

Donn Chambers
"unworn condition" is dealer speak for -- "we polished out the scratches so it looks unworn".

Just like "cleaned and adjusted" doesn't mean serviced, but "we removed all the grime, polished it, and adjusted the timing so the rate is good enough"

Yes, I learned my lesson the hard way and paid my "noob tax".

Sauzo · Dec 14, 2023

DoctorEvil
True, but I'd prefer it if it was me making the scars and not some incompetent jeweller. I might also have been able to negotiate a lower price for the watch.

Edit: The watch was listed as being in "unworn" condition. That's why I'm a bit pissed about this flaw.

I hear you. I don’t mind scratches but rather I’m the idiot who did it. Kind of why I rather just pay the extra from an OB as then I’ll know it’s only me putting my greasy fingers and DNA all over the watch. Of this does not apply to discontinued or vintage. I personally would be bothered by that mark. Heck I called my OB and complained my Snoopy outer cardboard had a mark. Luckily they let me pick a new one but they all had some blemish on them.

DoctorEvil · Dec 14, 2023

Sauzo
I hear you. I don’t mind scratches but rather I’m the idiot who did it. Kind of why I rather just pay the extra from an OB as then I’ll know it’s only me putting my greasy fingers and DNA all over the watch. Of this does not apply to discontinued or vintage. I personally would be bothered by that mark. Heck I called my OB and complained my Snoopy outer cardboard had a mark. Luckily they let me pick a new one but they all had some blemish on them.

I don't think I'd be too bothered by a blemish on the cardboard box, as long as I got a Snoopy at retail and it's flawless.
I try to tell myself repeatedly that this flaw is not the end of the world, it's not immediately obvious to most observers, and that it's fixable down the track.

STANDY · Dec 14, 2023

DoctorEvil
I might also have been able to negotiate a lower price for the watch.

Pretty sure by buying second hand you got the watch for a lower price 👍

DoctorEvil · Dec 14, 2023

STANDY
Pretty sure by buying second hand you got the watch for a lower price 👍

Haha. That's true. But I probably could have gotten it for lower. In my negotiations with the vendor, he accepted my first offer immediately, which is usually a bad sign as it means that I didn't go low enough. If I did, he would have made a counter offer. Also, I did not factor in import duty into the final cost. Doh! As a result, I ended up paying a figure at the upper end of the price range (according to WatchCharts). In any case, I was quite OK with it as the watch still had 9 months left on the factory warranty. Most examples of this reference are well out of warranty.

Omegafanman · Dec 14, 2023

Expert 'polisher' at work.....
.

chiefenergy · Dec 16, 2023

watchyouwant
You bought second hand. You got second hand. Watches are destined to be worn , get scars and not built to stay pristine. More will happen and that makes it beautiful.

......its not broken.

DoctorEvil · Dec 16, 2023

chiefenergy
......its not broken.

Far from it. In fact, it's my most accurate watch. 21 seconds fast after the last 20 days. Very impressed with the calibre 8500 movement, which looks beautiful too.

Somebody's Been Polishing My Watch!!

DoctorEvil

Archer

DoctorEvil

watchyouwant

DoctorEvil

Donn Chambers

DoctorEvil

Sauzo

DoctorEvil

STANDY

DoctorEvil

Omegafanman

chiefenergy

DoctorEvil

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