Rolex Polishing Expectations

[brandog]

I own a Submariner Hulk which i've daily worn for about the past 3 years. The watch is a tank has held up great and still keeps great time. That being said it's starting to look a little rough especially the bracelet and would like to get the watch polished. I live in Manhattan and Rolex NYC told me to drop the watch off and they would send it out to their local Rolex service shop which is located nearby in Long Island City. The charge is $300 and would get the watch back in a week.

Has anyone else gone through this process? What should my expectations be? Will the entire watch basically look brand new again? Do they go into all the small areas inside the clasp too? I also have concerns that the watch will look polished and all the edges/bezel will appear more rounded. Or is this only the result of bad polish job.

On another note I had another AD tell me if you service the watch before 5 years it voids its warranty, because the movement must be taken out of the watch before polishing it. Apparently the machine can damage the movement. Almost every AD i've called or walked into tells me a different story regarding service stuff, its actually super frustrating.

Any experience is appreciated.

[Watchflair]

How bad is it? I just had my Exp II serviced a few months ago by RSC NYC - I let them polish it during the service. They honestly did a fantastic job - cleaned it up nicely with no signs of being over polished or edges rounded off. That said I've had the watch since 2012 and it was the first time it was polished. Maybe a scotch bright could offer a quick clean up until service.

[JonTheKingJames]

Rolex does a phenomenal job polishing. Anyone who is certified and/or has a Rolex account are generally going to do an excellent job. They make the watches look practically new. The problem is when you run into a typical jeweler who is trying to achieve that “Shine” and is not certified nor skilled in the art of Rolex.

[Bigblu10]

Originally Posted by JonTheKingJames

Rolex does a phenomenal job polishing. Anyone who is certified and/or has a Rolex account are generally going to do an excellent job. They make the watches look practically new. The problem is when you run into a typical jeweler who is trying to achieve that “Shine” and is not certified nor skilled in the art of Rolex.

Problem with RSC is that it is the luck of the draw with watch refinishing. The refinish job is only as good as the individual performing it. And some do great work, and unfortunately some are not as proficient with the buffing wheel. A heavy hand can ruin sharp edges. With polishing, less is best.

[jrs146]

Originally Posted by Bigblu10

Problem with RSC is that it is the luck of the draw with watch refinishing. The refinish job is only as good as the individual performing it. And some do great work, and unfortunately some are not as proficient with the buffing wheel. A heavy hand can ruin sharp edges. With polishing, less is best.

This ^^^^^^

Rolex does a great job polishing when it’s done properly. Otherwise it’s only as good as the person performing the polish. I’ve seen many a bad polishing come out of RSC in the past, along with very good ones.

[Seibei]

Put it on on a rubber band and get the whole thing spruced up when the time is right.

[Oaker1]

Not wishing to take over the thread OP, but also interested to know whether RSC can return a brushed finish to a case, following a previous poor polish job (part of the brushed case has been over polished and become smooth/shiny)?

[bigfatpauli]

I know a lady with a JoolTool that will make your Sub better than the factory polish: she will even do it for you while you wait!

[42itus]

Originally Posted by bigfatpauli

I know a lady with a JoolTool that will make your Sub better than the factory polish: she will even do it for while you wait!

[chris242]

Originally Posted by bigfatpauli

I know a lady with a JoolTool that will make your Sub better than the factory polish: she will even do it for you while you wait!

You beat me to it!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[hbk75]

Originally Posted by bigfatpauli

I know a lady with a JoolTool that will make your Sub better than the factory polish: she will even do it for you while you wait!

[ashernoah]

Bought my 16570 pre-owned with a "less than ideal" polish clearly done somewhere outside RSC world.

Took it in for a full service at RSC NYC in March and asked for a re-polish. Came back 4 weeks later with everything looking like it came out new from the factory. Lugs had the correct brushing, edges were back to a perfect bevel, bezel was proper and radial, everything done just right.

They did a great job.

[hbk75]

Originally Posted by brandog

I own a Submariner Hulk which i've daily worn for about the past 3 years. The watch is a tank has held up great and still keeps great time. That being said it's starting to look a little rough especially the bracelet and would like to get the watch polished. I live in Manhattan and Rolex NYC told me to drop the watch off and they would send it out to their local Rolex service shop which is located nearby in Long Island City. The charge is $300 and would get the watch back in a week.

Has anyone else gone through this process? What should my expectations be? Will the entire watch basically look brand new again? Do they go into all the small areas inside the clasp too? I also have concerns that the watch will look polished and all the edges/bezel will appear more rounded. Or is this only the result of bad polish job.

On another note I had another AD tell me if you service the watch before 5 years it voids its warranty, because the movement must be taken out of the watch before polishing it. Apparently the machine can damage the movement. Almost every AD i've called or walked into tells me a different story regarding service stuff, its actually super frustrating.

Any experience is appreciated.

I've messed up the finishing on my Tudor Black Bay 41 recently. I was reluctant to bring it in because they need to remove the movement to do the touch up. I went with it anyway. Went to collect it 2 weeks later and I was expecting a butchered watch, it turns out to be in perfect condition.