Laser welding/refinishing on Sub crown guards

[Dendi]

Hello all. Been on the forum a few years , never posted much, so thought I would share recent work I had on my 16610 Y series. The crown guards were a bit over-polished after being sent to RSC for servicing three years ago. I decided a few months back to have laser welding done on the crown guards to return them to a better shape. Chose a place on the east coast that had great reviews from posters here on this forum. I just wanted honest opinions about the work done. I have enclosed before and after pics here. First two pics are before , next one is after and the last pic is side by side before and after.

[HERITAGE82]

Looks great and impressive work in a tight space.

[joli160]

Fantastic job, that would make me happy

[Nick M]

FWIW I’m not an expert in laser welding, I only know what I’ve seen from others before & after photos. In many cases it’s a major transformation.

In this case, IMO it looks worse than when it went in. Sure the lugs are less pointed, but they’re missing material and noticeably different heights.

If it were me I’d be looking for a refund and going somewhere else.

[Tools]

Looks more like they have been ground off.

If you are happy, that's what counts. I would be perfectly happy with the charm of the original crown guard shape.

[padi56]

Originally Posted by Tools

Looks more like they have been ground off.

If you are happy, that's what counts. I would be perfectly happy with the charm of the original crown guard shape.

Have to agree with Larry.

[Rebel]

Originally Posted by Tools

Looks more like they have been ground off.

If you are happy, that's what counts. I would be perfectly happy with the charm of the original crown guard shape.

This.

[Dendi]

I agree with you. I'm not at all happy with the work, which is why I posted. Unfortunately "so called laser welding expert" , says it's a great job. He was highly praised here on this site, which is why I went with him.

[0nly5iv3Digits]

It looks good, just that the CGs don’t protrude as far away from the case as they should. Otherwise I wouldn’t be upset about it. It’s better than it was.

I’d be more interested to know how much you paid for the service.

[Gearjockey]

It could be the camera angle.

You got me looking at my diver. Here is an unpolished example.
I don’t think yours looks that bad TBH



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[Tools]

That is not a good comparison, it's a new block-case ceramic, far different from the early 5 digit.

Here is a pic of an untouched 5 digit M serial Sub Date. The laser work does look very similar, simply shorter when compared side to side of its original shape. Pointed crown guards are very common in even earlier examples

[Dendi]

I agree with you Larry. The lugs on my watch are ground down. Shape is okay, but obviously they're not right. Uneven on top of that. The really sad part is that this watch had very sentimental value to me. I had this work done to try and make it look close to how it was when my late brother owned it. Normally I wouldn't have bothered having this work done. On top of that I specifically stated that I did NOT want any material to be taken off of the case, hence I was informed that laser welding could be done to " build up the crown guards". Real disappointment, to say the least.

[996marty]

That lower crown guard looks really ordinary with the top one not much better.
I’d be talking to whoever has done it to see what can be done with it but for me it doesn’t look great

[springer]

After speaking with the OP, I agreed with him that I would not be happy at all with those "ground down" crown guards. It appears to be very poor, amateurish work.

In the past, I've had issues with this case/bracelet repair service facility in Florida - as well as many other collectors I know - and I won't use or recommend their service to anyone.

[rossi46]

Originally Posted by springer

In the past, I've had issues with this case/bracelet repair service facility in Florida - as well as many other collectors I know - and I won't use or recommend their service to anyone.

Are we talking about the place that works on Rollis?

BTW @spring tried to PM you - but get an error saying you have too many messages and can't receive anymore.

[worldofoyster]

the height difference bothers me

[csaltphoto]

I'm not even sure any new material was added... I think they were just ground down. Even worse now sorry to say.

[illiguy]

Would now take this to ZWR to get fixed once and for all.

[HiBoost]

All should not be lost as subsequent laser welding should be able to build up what was taken away. Not an ideal situation, but...

So who is the preferred shop to perform such a proper restoration?

[illiguy]

Originally Posted by HiBoost

All should not be lost as subsequent laser welding should be able to build up what was taken away. Not an ideal situation, but...

So who is the preferred shop to perform such a proper restoration?

I highly recommend Drew and Emily Zimmerman at Zimmerman Watch Repair (ZWR).

I am a big stickler for unpolished cases, but several months ago I came across a service dial 5512 I really took to. One thing I didn’t love was how thin the crown guards were on the case.

ZWR performed their magic by added metal before welding the entire case back to factory spec, including the crown guards.




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[illiguy]

Before:

After ZWR:





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[illiguy]

Originally Posted by illiguy

Before:

After ZWR:





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[I][/I]

OP - I share the below 5512 pic as it gives some frame of reference for crown guard work. I can’t find another good pic / the actual pic I used and shared with ZWR for what was era-matching accurate to the crown guard work they performed. Note that subtle differences exist within the same reference number through the years on many things (e.g., dial font, crown guard shape, etc.). Just look at a Ref. 16528 and see the evolution of crown guards over reference years on NOS or unpolished examples.

So, best advice for you is to not compare your crown guards to various other watches. Compare what YOUR case serial crown guards ought to look like versus unpolished or NOS examples from the same serial range and reference you actually have and see if someone competent and trusted can get your crown guards back in line with factory spec if it bothers you. I personally would look to get clean-up work done.

Good luck.




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[1William]

I hope you get it sorted out.

[Dendi]

Originally Posted by 1William

I hope you get it sorted out.

Hi William.
I'd love to get the crown guards just to a somewhat original normal appearance.
It's hard to trust sending my watch for further work, being that I feel my watch was damaged by the work I've already had done on it. The majority so far, including myself, feel the work is poor. I specifically had the work done at a place that had many positive reviews here on the forum, hence my hesitation about getting future work done.

[illiguy]

Ref 5512 Variations




Ref. 16528 Variations






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[illiguy]

Lighting and angles in photos can skew perception of crown guards and, frankly, watches in general. Here’s my last point on this (swear I’m not trying to bloat the thread)!

[928ktgold]

Originally Posted by illiguy

Lighting and angles in photos can skew perception of crown guards and, frankly, watches in general. Here’s my last point on this (swear I’m not trying to bloat the thread)!

Wow that’s the nicest most sharp 5512 I’ve ever seen! Makes me want to trade in my 124060 for one. My sub41 is too big and not as elegant as this 5512

[Dom9]

I am another who thinks they simply look ground down. Would be interested in seeing an overlayed semi-transparent picture of the before and answer if anyone is more tech-savvy than me! Sorry OP :(

[inadeje]

OP, sadly it looks like the previous pointed guards were inconceivably ground away?

Is it the Rolli guys out of FL?

[Dendi]

Originally Posted by inadeje

OP, sadly it looks like the previous pointed guards were inconceivably ground away?

Is it the Rolli guys out of FL?

I agree unfortunately that the crown guards are ground away.
And yes work done at Rolliworks.