Goodday gents, I learned a great lesson on CB case facets yesterday. Thanks to those that helped! I was hoping you guys might be able to educate me a little more on straight lugs. In the images below, are these lugs in good shape, or are they recut? They don't look rounded or 'soft' to me. Feedback appreciated!
You need to look the condition in general, this watch has many parts replaced. If you look the top of the lug suddenly scratches dissapear, is not a good watch. If i was you would return ASAP, unless you have paid to low.
I haven't bought it, just trying to gain more insight into judging good lugs from bad.. Another, not great photos, but I think these are better, not recut.
Thanks @jordn, I have seen that one, but would love to see a case in that condition from different angles. Sometimes it's hard (for me) to judge from seller photos, so trying to learn how to see through the tricks of photography..
For more pictures of that watch, I'll refer you guys to his instagram account: https://instagram.com/vinmowatches/ I don't want to post his pics without permission.
For me, re-lume jobs and polished lugs are the hardest things to judge by only looking at pictures (unless they are obvious) and it's more of an art than science imo. I usually err on the side of caution and stay away from watches that look like they even breathed the same air as a polishing wheel, but I've been wrong on both sides of the issue. I just compared your pics to the watches in MWO for the last 15 minutes and I think that the tapering of the beveled edges look uniform and I don't see any obvious signs of them being re-cut. It might have seen some polishing in its life, but again, too hard to tell with just pictures.
On the second set jordn? I've spent quite some time also comparing MWO pics and I still have trouble seeing the good ones too. Maybe someone out there will lend me a minty specimen so I can see some nice ones in person?
I've always wondered why members here see a fifty year old watch that has been worn all its life and shout "overpolished". Don't steel watch cases wear over the years just by normal use? Can we expect sharp edges on a watch case to survive after decades of use?
Yes and the cut width and angle as Mike said. Once you're done looking for incongruities and errors you need to look at the case holistically, Find friends with both perfect and aged watches and force them to show their collections (in person). You need to develop a feel. Not to say that looking a member's watches here does not help a lot too.,
As a reminder to all, this watch and case is now well known to be a restoration by laser welding and cutting back. The Auctioneers confirmed it prior to auction to me. On inspection the case was very "full" in a appearance. Also there was a machine mark under the bezel, (on the other side to this photo) that is not ever seen on an original watch. It was like an undercut. Most incongruous. From memory the watch sold, but not for the $250,000 some of us reckoned it would have sold for had it been original. The auctioneers did not mention on the podium that this was a lasered case, and I think they should have. After the sale, there was a considerable doubt that the sale had completed - it remained not listed in the results and several of us speculated that the sale, if not cancelled, may have been renegotiated in light of the information regarding the case. If I had bought this watch, only to discover after the sale that the case was lasered, I wouldn't complete.
That case looks like it just came off the milling machine. Not sure how anyone could have thought it was original.