What is going on with this polerouter? Is it damaged? https://www.ebay.com/itm/173826665405Purchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network
I've seen a few like this. It looks like crazing/cracking of the dial, perhaps of a lacquer applied to the surface that would originally have given the dial surface a shine.
It led a hard life. I sure like the configuration of that watch though. No date and those lugs ... yum!
Spider dials are a pet hate of mine. Yes, it's original. Yes, it's damaged. That said the damage isn't something that has happened to the watch rather it's a known reaction of the laquer used to temperature changes. In the same way that a "tropical" dial is heat damage to the paints used in certain watches; spidering is heat damage to the laquer. What you have to ask is whether you like the look of that damage. There's no doubt that it makes the dial unique. The Rolex crowd go crazy about this sort of thing. Personally, I prefer a dial that is close to new but with gentle colouring of the lume used or a cream dial that was originally white. I won't look twice at a spider dial ... many people will pay over the market value for one. You just have to decide which side ofthe fence you fall on.
I agree with jimmyd13..it's a very personal decision. I also think that the extent of the spidering makes this a watch you either love or hate...so you decide which!
I have an UG with spider dial too and gives a very special effect to the dial, I love it even do I agree that the effect comes from cracking the lacquer
Charming though they are, I'd be hesitant to buy a dial in that condition if I had any plans on keeping the watch more than briefly. Is today's "Spider" dial tomorrow's "illegible and flaking"?
My tropical Polerouter also have this spider-web kind of dial, I think it really goes down to personal taste, mine is not as pronounce as OP's or @sdre, it has thinner lines and I like it a lot. However, certain spider-web dials just looks terrible, I have had a chance to handle one with deep, broken cracks, and even fungus grows within. That's yuck!