Looking for some feedback. I came across this very worn 18k gold day date Presidential today that might be for sale. The bracelet looks very dinged up and the crystal is so scratched that it is hard to see thru. The watch and Bracelet are marked 18k. Without opening the watch up does everything look ok and can the watch be cleaned up to look decent again? I would bring it to my watchmaker before I purchased but thought I would seek some feedback here first as there is so many knowledgeable people on this forum.

 

Hard to tell from the pics... is something going on with the rehaut? Or is that a dial issue? Also what year? The lume plots are mighty white...

 

don't know nothing about authenticity but I like those dings!

 

Looks like ref 1803

 

That’s what I was thinking, which would lead me to believe it’s a redial, or at least relume. If it got into a 5 digit I could see the lume being close to that, maybe.

I don’t mind the wear to the case and bracelet, but would have to have a REALLY good price for me to consider.

 

Remove the bracelet and see what the reference number is (on the 12 o'clock side). Looks like a morellis finish on the case and bracelet which should be reference 1806. I would not buy it unless very cheap as it is in very rough condition. Also appears that the gold spring bars are gone.

 

It’s difficult to judge redial with such a bad crystal though I believe replacement dials for these are relatively easily available. We really need to see the movement, inside of caseback, and dial outside of the case.

 

ok I'll see if they will allow me to take it in to get the back and bracelet removed.

 

I am not sure, I would pay a lot more than just the value, of the Gold…and I would want that tested first !

There’s something about the regularity of the ‘dings’, I don’t like either

 

I agree with what has been said. Very hard to tell from the photos, but likely a legit watch in rough shape that has been re-lumed. Unfortunately, the case is so rough that it's hard to imaging that it will be worth restoring, since almost everything would need to be replaced.

 

Looking closely it appears that the sidelinks of the bracelet have a morellis finish. I believe the bezel should be morellis rather than fluted. Assuming watch is authentic, factor cost to Michael Young, new crystal, bezel (possibly difficult to source a morellis one), +/-dial, and likely service when deciding.

 

Looks like some of that finish is still present on the tops of the lugs as well.

 

Never heard of that finish Is that why it looks so beat up? It's supposed to look like that?

 

I can't imagine what person could bring a Rolex in this condition. I just want to tell from my experience that a very bad aspect like that could hide a fake. Of course more picture are welcome.

 

I always think a watch should be used. I.e. get your value from it. But this takes that a bit far. The owner must have had a manual job. And I cant think of too many manual workers that would wear an 18k Rolex to work. Jeez, looks like it was owned by a bricklayer, who dropped it in the mixer.

 

What sort of money are we talking here? If it was cheap enough and at least the movement could be brought back to life (you've got to assume that the movement has been treated with as much care as the rest of the watch), I'd not restore the case/dial/crystal at all and wear it as it is. It's in pretty unique condition right now, you'll likely never see anther in this condition

#rolexrat

 

whats it going for, that will be the true deciding factor for me. cause there is still factoring the cost of repair that has to go into it

 

thats been beaten to within an inch of its life!

 

It pretty much looks exactly like this one that was offered by R. Maron - "Florentine" case with a fluted bezel:

http://robertmaron.com/product.php?productid=21688

 

By the way that bone/cream colored dial with minute track is pretty rare. If the price is right, and you like the finish, go for it. Otherwise, show the pics to your jeweler to see if he thinks it can be polished out.