What's the hang-up with polishing?

RARJ · Feb 5, 2020

I'll extend that question to include (when it's done right). And only when it's done right.

You see it all over the map, people demanding that a watch wasn't polished in it's past (both recent and vintage pieces).

I've had servicing done by Omega in Switzerland on some of my vintage pieces and they came back looking brand spanking new again. I get it if some enthusiast/hobbyist or even less skilled watchmaker is taking a run at cleaning up or polishing pieces but has this ever been an issue for anyone when completed by Omega HQ? Mine have only ever come back looking perfect! (shy of asking for the hands or dial to be left alone).

Frankly I'd prefer if my watches looked to be in excellent shape. I certainly don't mind when they get a bit beat up due to years of wear and use but when I get the chance to have them restored to perfect then by all means.

I get it if it's someone wanting to preserve an original dial, bezel, hands, etc but if the case/bracelet is going to be cleaned up to factory specs again (and not rounded out/wrecked) then why not?

Any thoughts?

Foo2rama · Feb 5, 2020

vbrad26 · Feb 5, 2020

"Collectors" want "original".

I get it. But for me personally? I'm not a collector. I buy watches for me and for me to wear with no thought of ever getting rid of them or preserving them.
If I send my Speedy Pro in for service 10 years from now I will probably just let them do what they see fit.
Because I don't really care. And I do like things to stay looking nice. Thats why my car gets washed every week and I take superb care of it.
However.
I did just inherit a Seamaster that was my grandfathers and I DO NOT want a single thing done to it.
However it is in pretty great condition (in my opinion) for its age.

Spruce · Feb 5, 2020

Well, on this forum there are those who wish to preserve the watch in its original state and, despite servicing try to maintain the integrity of the watch, and those who take the view that it’s like restoring a vintage automobile, new paint, re-upholstery etc.
You pays your money and takes your choice.

X350 XJR · Feb 5, 2020

Once you take metal off it can't be put back, (except for expensive laser welding but that doesn't make it original again).

RARJ · Feb 5, 2020

pseikotick
I believe the answer from collectors will look something like this: "Even though it has been SOP as part of Omega service for decades to polish cases, there is a premium placed on those which show little or no signs of polishing." It is the same mindset that shifted the classic car world from ultra restored, perfect vehicles being most prized to "survivors" being prized. And since it is something that has really only been in fashion in recent years, it is very likely to be back out of fashion again someday. Personally, as long as the case hasn't lost so much material that it changes the appearance for the worse, I don't mind polished cases at all. Some of the cases and bezels I see these days are so badly beaten that they detract mightily from the aesthetic of the watch, overall. Prepare to see blowback from this post. Beauty is in the eye of the watchholder. Buy what you like for a price that is most fair.

I like the idea of the "survivor" classification. My dad has a number of vintage Seamasters that fall into this category that he's starting to wonder what to do with. Many of these are really well worn watches (50-60+years of use) and some show it but others very much don't.

It would be nice to preserve the aesthetics of some of the better conditioned pieces but the others (that we know will never leave the family) might be kinda cool to make perfect again.

Deafboy · Feb 5, 2020

I tend to agree with the OP, if done correctly so that the shape of the watch is not compromised.
Omega made millions of watches in the bumper movement alone; it's not like they are unique pieces.
OTOH, if a watch has historical value then originality should be the priority.

Spruce · Feb 5, 2020

In that case, get them reconditioned and wear them.

I’ve approached my collecting of older watches on the premise that they will all be worn and wound, and that I’ve spent comparatively little on them so that if I lose them when I’m wearing them, it’s not the end of the world and neither is it a significant financial loss.

Some who see my posts on WRUW may wonder if there’s any risk of financial loss at all!

However, if you do intend to recondition some of them, make sure you get the work done by the best reconditioner that you can afford. You might be reluctant to wear them in their present state but you certainly won’t want to wear them if someone has done a botch job on them.

kip595 · Feb 5, 2020

I agree with the car hobbyist approach employed several times above. If YOU'RE fine with a restoration, or even a 'rod/recreation' (i.e., what immediately comes to mind are the Watchco watches like 300s that still pop up); then all is well in the world for you to have a properly polished watch. If you are absolutely insistent that your 1932 Ford coupe be all original down to the interior, you're as likely to have as long and frustrating a search as for someone looking for an NOS completely original Seamaster 300, and then be more 'ok' with a scratch on the bezel rather than the bezel having been replaced (sort of like a dent in the grille of my '32 Ford example). You want it to have to have all been there, in total, w/o mods or 'prettying up' over the years.

I get both mindsets and personally, I see no harm in the desire varying from watch to watch, or car to car, etc. Find me a Watchco 300 I can afford and I'd happily grab it. OTOH, I am still looking for a genuinely minty/NOS, untouched 90s mid-size w/full kit, which should be easier to find and less expensive...in theory... 🙄

mblease · Feb 5, 2020

I started a thread a while back about what happened when I sent my speedy to omega for a hesalite replacement. It received an unwanted polish and man did they go to town. They removed way too much metal and damaged the bezel in the process. A watch isn’t supposed to look new forever! In the case of polishing, less is more... and for me, none is even better.

Dan S · Feb 5, 2020

This is a complicated issue that is really only relevant to collectible vintage watches and depends greatly on the specific watch.

For lower value watches below $1k let’s say, it’s not financially plausible to have a case professionally refinished to factory specs. So if the case has been badly polished in the past, with rounded edges etc, you are going to have to live with it, which is not appealing to many of us.

for high end watches, it just depends how badly the watch has been polished in the past. It can be worthwhile to pay for professional refinishing, which can even involve adding material, and in many cases it won’t reduce the value, if one is replacing a poorly polished case with a nicely refinished case.

The uncommon situation where the original case is still sharp is always going to be the most desirable.

TexOmega · Feb 5, 2020

Original is only original, once.

lillatroll · Feb 5, 2020

I want my vintage watches to remain, as much as possible, in the same state that I bought them and as original as possible inside and out. What others choose to do with their watches is their business. I hope that they are honest about what has and has not been done should they choose to sell them as it has an impact on resale value. As we all know there are many less than honest sellers who are happy to pull the wool over inexperienced buyers eyes

lindo · Feb 10, 2020

A vintage watch that has been so over polished that its edges are rounded, and with features like the Constellation observatory medallion reduced to a shiny yellow glow, is an abomination not to be tolerated.

But equally, when some collector shows me a beaten up watch with a ruined dial and proudly asserts that it is 'all original, with a lovely old patina to the dial' I have to bite my tongue from saying B***s***. At the risk of getting my head bitten off, I am looking at certain collectors of vintage Speedmasters, Seamasters and Rolex GMTs as being particularly prone to making such assertions.

No collector I know leaves a badly scratched and murky crystal alone: they all take pleasure in removing as much of the mess as possible, preferably ending with a clear, glowing finish that fully reveals the dial beneath. If we spend time doing that, why would we not also spend time carefully cleaning (not buffing!) the case, including reducing the micro scratches as much as possible without destroying the authenticity of the original appearance of the watch.

My aim in cleaning up a vintage watch is to make it look as though it has been really well looked after all its life. That does not mean making it look new again - just well loved. There is a world of difference between that and a watch that looks like it has been rattling around the bottom of Grandpa's toolbox in the garage for fifty years.

Finding a nice vintage watch that is essentially in sharp condition but suffering from scuffs, micro scratches and scrapes is always something to look forward to. The goal is cleaning it so that it looks a whole lot better, but leaving little or no indication that it has been touched.

asrnj77 · Feb 10, 2020

Dan S
This is a complicated issue that is really only relevant to collectible vintage watches and depends greatly on the specific watch.

For lower value watches below $1k let’s say, it’s not financially plausible to have a case professionally refinished to factory specs. So if the case has been badly polished in the past, with rounded edges etc, you are going to have to live with it, which is not appealing to many of us.

for high end watches, it just depends how badly the watch has been polished in the past. It can be worthwhile to pay for professional refinishing, which can even involve adding material, and in many cases it won’t reduce the value, if one is replacing a poorly polished case with a nicely refinished case.

The uncommon situation where the original case is still sharp is always going to be the most desirable.

I wonder if somebody gets a case laser refinished with material added in 2020, are we going to be to tell it was refinished in 15 years? Of course if we see one now we know it’s too perfect but add some aging and time and I wonder if anybody will know the difference?

Archer · Feb 10, 2020

asrnj77
I wonder if somebody gets a case laser refinished with material added in 2020, are we going to be to tell it was refinished in 15 years? Of course if we see one now we know it’s too perfect but add some aging and time and I wonder if anybody will know the difference?

You don't need to wait 15 years. Laser welded and refinished cases can be artificially aged to make them look like original watches. There have been stories of some dealers (mainly Rolex) doing this for years...

This is why some forums have banned the use of "unpolished" in descriptions of watches for sale. As much as people want to believe they can tell, well...

noelekal · Feb 10, 2020

What hang-up? There's none. None whatsoever.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/elady01/m....Hy4AAOSwdkNeGv-h&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562

MPWATCH · Feb 10, 2020

The real answer is the refinishers who are doing it lack the ability to make it factory and quality. Some really great refinishers out there that can come close but it's never really the same as the factory. I'll also say this is only true for the higher end brands, in my personal opinion.

What's the hang-up with polishing?

RARJ

Foo2rama

vbrad26

Spruce

X350 XJR

RARJ

Deafboy

Spruce

kip595

mblease

Dan S

TexOmega

lillatroll

lindo

asrnj77

Archer

noelekal

MPWATCH

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