Service Time: Should I Polish?

[Flintstone]

Looking for viewpoints (pros and cons) of having my stainless steel timepiece polished while getting serviced at Rolex. Go.

[Mystro]

Yes, because beat up watches look like crap. A proper factory polish on a watch with average daily wear won’t change the lines of your watch leaving it looking new again.

Let a watch get too whipped and then when it does gets a polished the lines may soften.

Next question.

[padi56]

Originally Posted by Flintstone

Looking for viewpoints (pros and cons) of having my stainless steel timepiece polished while getting serviced at Rolex. Go.

Well having been wearing and owning Rolex watches for over 50 years so had serviced quite a few over those years and every time had them polished without any problems.One of my working tool watches a 16600 SD had a very hard life working underwater and now have been serviced and polished by 4 different RSC worldwide still looks good and now almost 25 years old.

[jgottsman11]

It really depends on the watch. Polish if it's beat to shit or has bigger dings or dents you want to get out. Otherwise i am in the no polish club as i want to keep my unpolished pieces crisp

[EEpro]

Let's see the watch.

[Kevin of Larchmont]

Yes if RSC, maybe/maybe not if not RSC.

[Tambo19]

Ultimately, its a personal choice. if your watch has significant scratches or you want it to look brand new, polishing can be a good option, just make sure you discuss the process and potential consequences with Rolex before making a decision.

[David cote]

Lets see the watch for sure?

[996marty]

As others have mentioned photos would help people to make that call

[Tools]

Why clean up the insides and have a less than respectable outside.

[Chiboy]

There’s lots of threads on this. Some are adamantly for, some opposed. If you’re planning on selling and retaining every last dollar of resale, perhaps no. Also if it’s vintage and unpolished previously.

My Daytona is at RSC Dallas right now for its first service. It was losing 1/2 minute per day and didn’t seem to be magnetized. I asked for a light polish. I wear it every day and will likely never sell it. I didn’t even ask here (not that there’s any harm in asking), because I knew both sides of the argument. We’ll see in a couple of months when I get it back.

[Robf52]

Originally Posted by Tools

Why clean up the insides and have a less than respectable outside.

+1.

[sgt10p]

Get it polished, comes back like a new watch, beautiful. You're the one looking at it!

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[Calatrava r]

You want the outside looking shiny and new or not. It is really only your call.

[bp1000]

Obviously scratched, yes
Some mild scratches and blemishes, no.

[Dirt]

Originally Posted by David cote

Lets see the watch for sure?

Agreed.
It's impossible to give good advise unless we can get a reasonable visual on it.

Those that universally say the watch will come back looking like new without seeing it lack the required experience and aren't much better than some sales assistant in an AD that's never done that type of hands on work themselves.
The visuals of the end result are entirely subjective and open to the beholder.
Sometimes it's hard to make a silk purse out of a sows ear.

[63SWCGUY]

I love for them to polish it. It looks brand new again.

[favx]

I think it depends on how the watch looks like. But then polishing makes your watch look brand new.

[watchmainspring]

Sure if you want to devalue your watch and possibly make it an abomination, submit it to the wheel.

Probably not. You can only do it so many times and it always eats away at the lug width and just destroys the original form with repeat polishes.


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[physicist]

I’m not getting my watches polished anymore. Movement services only. My kids can decide if they want the watches polished. In most cases, it’ll be the first polish job for each watch.

[BNA/LION]

Request that they Lightly Polish it. IMHO

[joli160]

Yes

[rod727]

My 116610 is in Dallas right now at the RSC. I authorized them to do all necessary repairs and services so she is c9ming back with a polish.

[ArtNouveau]

I would. Not a member of the Never Polish brigade.

[Rolex1982]

First let us see the watch, if it has bigger dents or dings which they can only polish out by rounding the edges I wouldn’t. Otherwise I would.

[1William]

Older watches, no. Current generation models, yes.

[HHIslander]

Originally Posted by 1William

Older watches, no. Current generation models, yes.

+1

I’d never polish vintage either. But I’ll let RSC polish a modern model.

I don’t send vintage to RSC. Their idea of what work must be done and mine are very different.

[brandrea]

I’ll say it depends on what type of owner you are. There’s no right or wrong answer IMO.

Me, I don’t like to polish watches as I just know that within weeks, the scratches and swirls just come back anyway, so why bother.

Now if you’re talking a deep gouge or mark on the case, I might have that fixed depending.

[novocainekarma]

Personally I prefer unpolished to shiny shiny looks like new again.
IMO you cant put back the metal that polishing removes, and my watches bear the marks of my life, so I never request it.

That said, modern refs can take a RSC polish easily so it's up to you what you want.
Swirls and hairlines I dont see the point as they'll be back soon enough and there are only so many cycles you can go through before you soften the case.

[Xky]

Here’s a couple questions to throw in the mix, what if the watch is gold? Will the sharp edges round off much more easily?

Also if the watch is gold could it be easily polished by the owner at home with a cape cod cloth or a simple polishing machine?


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