5513 refurbished by Rik Dietel

[PaulMiami]

Attached are the latest pictures of my 1965 gilt 5513 refurbished by Rik Dietel. Unfortunately in 2017 he had to send the dial to his refinisher in London. The guy does impeccable work. Watch looks totally NOS.

[Snowballs]

Outstanding timepiece!

[Kingface66]

Fantastic restoring work!
What’s going on with the link right below the end link on the 5 o’clock side? It looks compressed or flattened, or something?

[PaulMiami]

Very slight depression on that link. I wore this watch all through college…. I actually never saw this until you pointed it out. It’s barely visible, but somehow the light hit in such a way that made it very apparent in the photo. The band is a 1976 vintage folded link band. Unfortunately the original stretch band was tossed out when it was serviced by Mayors in 1976.

[btinl]

What was refinished on the dial? Do you have better dial images?

[PaulMiami]

I don’t know what happened to the original dial. My great uncle purchase this watch new in the 1960s. I must have been 13 years old when I told him I liked the watch in the early 1970s. He just took it off and gave it to me. I remember even then the dial was beginning to flake, and it was serviced. The watchmaker replaced the bad dial with a matt service dial that had been retouched. By 2017 when Rik got the watch, the service dial was in bad shape. We looked everywhere for a nice 1965 gilt dial, but that’s almost impossible to find. Rik suggested completely refinishing the service dial. He works with a fellow in London that truly does amazing work. Back then it was $2,000 and several months to refinish the service dial. It’s more now. There are some older pictures in my posts that show dial. I know most collectors now want to keep things as original as possible. That wasn’t always the case. My objective was to get the watch as close as possible to how it looked when it left the factory. Rolex used to refinish dials. It’s a shame they no longer do this.

The photos don’t do justice to how great these redials are. There is a depth and almost dark brown richness to the glossy black dial that is truly amazing. The gilt lettering is 99.9% perfect from the comparisons I was able to evaluate. But then again even the original gilts have a fair amount of variation in the dials.

[jedione65]

Originally Posted by PaulMiami

I don’t know what happened to the original dial. My great uncle purchase this watch new in the 1960s. I must have been 13 years old when I told him I liked the watch in the early 1970s. He just took it off and gave it to me. I remember even then the dial was beginning to flake, and it was serviced. The watchmaker replaced the bad dial with a matt service dial that had been retouched. By 2017 when Rik got the watch, the service dial was in bad shape. We looked everywhere for a nice 1965 gilt dial, but that’s almost impossible to find. Rik suggested completely refinishing the service dial. He works with a fellow in London that truly does amazing work. Back then it was $2,000 and several months to refinish the service dial. It’s more now. There are some older pictures in my posts that show dial. I know most collectors now want to keep things as original as possible. That wasn’t always the case. My objective was to get the watch as close as possible to how it looked when it left the factory. Rolex used to refinish dials. It’s a shame they no longer do this.



The photos don’t do justice to how great these redials are. There is a depth and almost dark brown richness to the glossy black dial that is truly amazing. The gilt lettering is 99.9% perfect from the comparisons I was able to evaluate. But then again even the original gilts have a fair amount of variation in the dials.

If it was a matte service dial how did you switch it back to a gilt dial? Did they refinish the matte dial to a gilt or source a new gilt dial?

[PaulMiami]

The recent changes include a better match of the patina of the pearl on the bezel and an aftermarket crystal that’s a replica of the original super dome. NOS super dome crystals are fragile 60+ years after they were made. This crystal looks much better than the flat service crystal that’s in the photos I posted in 2017.

[Singhalager]

If you had got a gilt dial you probably never wear it. Now with this fantastic restoration it is something you can enjoy daily. I like it when these watches are kept functional.

[PaulMiami]

Rik balanced well the two conflicting goals, preserving the vintage look while modernizing where possible and having the watch look good. For example, he installed the triplock crown. And he cautioned against using NOS crystals. The new crystal he installed last week looks fantastic and is totally safe from a waterproof perspective. I can understand keeping a good looking gilt dial original. But I don’t understand paying up for some really sorry looking dials that by any objective standards would be considered broken. Again, it’s a shame Rolex doesn’t outsource official refurbishment of their vintage dials. There are still a few amazing craftsmen that can do impeccable work.

[zapokee]

Originally Posted by Singhalager

If you had got a gilt dial you probably never wear it. Now with this fantastic restoration it is something you can enjoy daily. I like it when these watches are kept functional.

I have a 1964 gilt 5513 with intact puffy lume, original gilt hands and original Swiss rivet bracelet (from Jacek).

Indeed, I'm too chicken to wear it.

[seattleal]

This is my daily wearer. Admittedly, not pristine, but still a nice example.
I hope Paul continues to wear his.

[PaulMiami]

The matte service dial was redone from scratch using the process Rolex used when they originally made the gilt dials. The only difference I know of is they don’t have tritium, so they don’t glow. You’re required to commit in writing that you will not represent this as an original dial. This is not a Vietnamese or Texas repaint, which costs 10%-20% of what this refinishing costs.

My objective was to restore a family heirloom, best I could. The gilt dial it came with was thrown out 50+ years ago. The matte dial was shot, using it as is was not an option. And I wasn’t about to pay many thousands for someone else’s crappy looking gilt dial, nothing remotely worthwhile was available. So I preferred working with the dial my great uncle actually wore.

Again, it’s a shame Rolex doesn’t offer one the option to have a craftsman refinish the vintage dials, particularly for the gilts that just didn’t hold up well. The technology and craftsmanship exists, and in the end, these are watch parts made by a tech, not grandmasters. Just my view.

[PaulMiami]

My iPhone photos don’t do it justice. I find it’s very hard to capture how it looks in person.

[Dan S]

Originally Posted by PaulMiami

My iPhone photos don’t do it justice. I find it’s very hard to capture how it looks in person.

I think we get the gist of how the printing looks from your photos. Not like the original when magnified, but I'm sure it looks fine on the wrist.

[Singhalager]

Originally Posted by zapokee

I have a 1964 gilt 5513 with intact puffy lume, original gilt hands and original Swiss rivet bracelet (from Jacek).

Indeed, I'm too chicken to wear it.

[TuRo]

Don't mean to appear curmudgeonly - but I wouldn't spend one cent on a repaint/redial, unless if was a tiny localised spot on a dial that needed stabilization.

The me a repaint is like buying a scruffy beat up Rembrandt, and getting a talented contemporary artist to spruce it up with a repaint - I'd rather have it warts and all.

And yes I know many old masters have a nip and tuck around the edges over the last 500 years, still not keen though!

Having said that we are all different.

[joli160]

That looks really nice

[PaulMiami]

Originally Posted by TuRo

Don't mean to appear curmudgeonly - but I wouldn't spend one cent on a repaint/redial, unless if was a tiny localised spot on a dial that needed stabilization.

The me a repaint is like buying a scruffy beat up Rembrandt, and getting a talented contemporary artist to spruce it up with a repaint - I'd rather have it warts and all.

And yes I know many old masters have a nip and tuck around the edges over the last 500 years, still not keen though!

Having said that we are all different.

My perspective on this one watch is different from that of a collector. I also wouldn’t buy a gilt Rolex that has a service matte dial, even it that dial was ok, and then spend $2000 refinishing it. But that’s not my case. This is a family heirloom that I felt I had the responsibility to make right as best I could. It will never be sold, neither by me or my son.

Rik is working now on my grandfather’s 18k UG Tri-Compax. That dial is fine, but unfortunately we cannot say the same for the mechanism. Rik is making some parts for it. Too bad my grandfather didn’t spend a few more bucks and get a Patek! But all kidding aside, the UG Tri-Compax are very nice and seem a bargain in the used market.

[Dan S]

I assume that a repainted "gilt" dial just uses gold paint on top of a black background, so anyone looking closely could tell that it wasn't made using the original process.

[PaulMiami]

Originally Posted by Dan S

I assume that a repainted "gilt" dial just uses gold paint on top of a black background, so anyone looking closely could tell that it wasn't made using the original process.

No, it is my understanding this was done in a similar process to how Rolex originally made these dials.

[btinl]

Originally Posted by PaulMiami

No, it is my understanding this was done in a similar process to how Rolex originally made these dials.

Does the gilt print sit in a slight negative relief?

[PaulMiami]

Originally Posted by btinl

Does the gilt print sit in a slight negative relief?

I was curious myself, especially since this was an expensive redial. The gilt is definitely in slight negative relief. Not visible in my iPhone photo, but visible with a magnifying glass. The letters don’t look very sharp on the photo, and even look misaligned. This must be the iPhone noise reduction because under a magnifying glass they are very sharp and well aligned.

The brownish, very dark chocolate tone when the light hits it just the right way is certainly there.

As far as the location and fonts of the markers and lettering, I’ve compared them to original dials. As there are many variations even in the original dials of the time, the fonts on my watch look mostly correct.

The one letter that for me seems a little off is X in Rolex. The black paint seems to have covered slightly more of the gilt than in some examples I saw of original dials. Perhaps it looks more like the thinner font X on a 1968 matte …

Point is, whoever Rik is using does amazing work. I understand he’s got a longer backlog now, and prices are up from 2017. But if you have a watch that has historical significance for you and your family, it seems worth the cost and time involved.

Separately, Rik’s watchmaking and casework is spectacular. This watch never kept time as accurately as it does now.

[one80]

Lovely watch you have there PaulMiami.


I'm fairly sure I know who the gentleman in London is that refinished the dial.
He does incredible work, and it would have been done using the same original gilt (galvanic) process as the early 60s dials.
It's not cheap however...

[RFC]

Looks fantastic. Wear it in good health.

[one80]

Assuming it is the same gentleman in London (and I’m confident it is), this is an example of his work showing the gilt relief.
Not the same watch/dial as OP.

[Arnozerosix]

Originally Posted by one80

Assuming it is the same gentleman in London (and I’m confident it is), this is an example of his work showing the gilt relief.
Not the same watch/dial as OP.

his dials are absolutely breathtaking !!!!

[PaulMiami]

Originally Posted by Arnozerosix

his dials are absolutely breathtaking !!!!

Great photo, fully agree, I feel lucky to have found R Dietel and whoever this fellow is, who’s most likely one of very few remaining craftsmen who can do this type of work.

[ratty]

Originally Posted by one80

Assuming it is the same gentleman in London (and I’m confident it is), this is an example of his work showing the gilt relief.
Not the same watch/dial as OP.

Can you tell us who the man in London is?

He does appear to do good work.

[RFC]

OP started this thread informing that his family’s heirloom was refinished or restored by a reputable watchmaker. He didn’t ask for opinions before or after going ahead with the project. What’s more the OP is happy with the results and that’s important to him.