Buffed Lugs

[Melanotaenia]

In thinking about this more, you are best to address this directly with a RSC: I would call them to get the information you need to correct this problem. Very sorry to see.

[weng]

Originally Posted by Speed

Would you consider re-casing?

That's the most expensive route to take. Bought the watch pre-owned to save money but end up unsatisfied. If I only knew the condition beforehand, I would have declined the offer there and then.

[Jinder]

Originally Posted by InVision

Definitely been polished hard. Lugs should look like these on my 11613, yours look rounded off. The key question, did a RSC do it? My guess is no, but is only a guess.

Man that watch looks soooo damn fine!

[Speed]

Originally Posted by weng

That's the most expensive route to take. Bought the watch pre-owned to save money but end up unsatisfied. If I only knew the condition beforehand, I would have declined the offer there and then.

Understood. I sympathize. However no other way to add metal to the watch.

This would bug me.

[Michael M.]

I'd just send it to the RSC to be refinished.

[jeffrs82]

Ahh.. Ok bai, hehe.. ayo2 dnha..! :)

[InVision]

I would not worry about lume. When the GMT IIc's lume is put under a strong lamp or is direct sunlight the hands and the hour marker's loose at different rates. I believe it is normal. Mike

[SWIMPRUF]

Send it to RSC and sit back.

[RolexYM]

How about telling us which TRF person ripped you off on this watch so that we can all avoid this idiot?!

[buddy13]

Originally Posted by weng

That's the most expensive route to take. Bought the watch pre-owned to save money but end up unsatisfied. If I only knew the condition beforehand, I would have declined the offer there and then.

Come on my friend...I know it sucks but it's no big deal ...

I refinished many cases and I can tell you that on a Rolex case it is an EASY job. You should try and restore the brushed and polished finish on a Seiko (Grand seiko, MM etc...) and I'm sure you'll understand ...

In your case there are no real edges, chamfers, acute angles etc..what you have is just a brushed finish at the top of the lugs and a polished finish on the sides of the case. A watchmaker worth his salt should restore it to like new condition with ease ...

I could offer to do it for you for free but I am located in Malta (EU). You could still send it over but it will cost you quite a bit in safe shipping etc...

Take it to RSC or if you take it to a good watchmaker make sure you provide him with some close up pics of the original finish so that he can do it for you...

As regards lume that is quite normal as it is applied thicker in the hour markers than on the hands so leave it as is...

Again do not hesitate to contact me if you want me to do it for you ...

[docmarioce]

Agree with Buddy13. Lugs don't look overpolished. A trip to a GOOD watchmaker and a refinish will do the trick. No a big deal. I don't think it needs a complete service either, maybe a calibration and refinish is enough.

Good Luck


Best,

[weng]

Originally Posted by InVision

I would not worry about lume. When the GMT IIc's lume is put under a strong lamp or is direct sunlight the hands and the hour marker's loose at different rates. I believe it is normal. Mike

Thanks. 1 issue removed from the list. Will call RSC on Monday.

[Cabaiguan]

Good decision. Don't fool around with any other option. RSC will have it looking like new again in no time.

[weng]

thanks guys, you all lighten up my heart.

just can't believe why on all the flawless and perfect deals have had happened everyday, the lemon piece fell on to me, a first timer.

also, due to my geographical location i could not send the watch back easily if this option is considered.

[weng]

Originally Posted by buddy13

Come on my friend...I know it sucks but it's no big deal ...

I refinished many cases and I can tell you that on a Rolex case it is an EASY job. You should try and restore the brushed and polished finish on a Seiko (Grand seiko, MM etc...) and I'm sure you'll understand ...

In your case there are no real edges, chamfers, acute angles etc..what you have is just a brushed finish at the top of the lugs and a polished finish on the sides of the case. A watchmaker worth his salt should restore it to like new condition with ease ...

I could offer to do it for you for free but I am located in Malta (EU). You could still send it over but it will cost you quite a bit in safe shipping etc...

Take it to RSC or if you take it to a good watchmaker make sure you provide him with some close up pics of the original finish so that he can do it for you...

As regards lume that is quite normal as it is applied thicker in the hour markers than on the hands so leave it as is...

Again do not hesitate to contact me if you want me to do it for you ...

thanks buddy13 for the offer. sending overseas is not an option as the cost of shipping is very high. not to mention when the watch is sent back to the Philippines where it will go through customs.

[weng]

Originally Posted by pawnshopkiller

From my Humble experience it looks as if someone did this without removing the bezel. The only way to make it look right without removing the bezel is to do the grain at an angle. Remove the bezel and brush the lugs up and down. No bid deal.

that's right the bezel was not removed during buffing. here's a macro shot of the case lug brush pattern.

[weng]

after thorough inspection, i also discovered the crown guard thickness (round part-uneven) is off.

[buke45]

Originally Posted by mrbill2mrbill2

looks like the lug brushing was done by someone who didn't know the maxi case watches are brushed up and down while the older case (16610) are brushed on an angle.

x2

[EchoBlueUK]

Originally Posted by RJC

Ouch!!!

That's pretty far from ok

+1. I would be pretty upset about that. Sorry dude.

[Onikage]

I'd be tempted to go all out and get them to remove the maxi lugs and add chamfers while they're at it.

[weng]

i've seen a photo of a trimmed GMT2C lug, it looked cool. but i prefer my watch to be unaltered or stock.

[pawnshopkiller]

Originally Posted by weng

that's right the bezel was not removed during buffing. here's a macro shot of the case lug brush pattern.

BINGO! look you can still see the original grain from the Rolex factory under that light angled brush finish. So in my opinion it is not that bad or this would be totally gone. Can you take pics of each lug like this?

Take it to someone who can remove the bezel and redo the brush finish, if you brought it to me I would do it for you for free since you are a fellow TRF member. Just be sure they know what they are doing because you can break the ceramic bezel insert if you do not remove it carefully. Good luck, Roscoe.

[weng]

back from a long weekend holiday.

roscoe, here are the photos of the lugs as requested. the one on the previous post is the lug at 8 o'clock.


there's a visible dent, could be the cause why it was buffed




the angled grain can be brushed off easily but i'm more concerned of the rounded edges if these can be brought back without making the lugs thin. the lugs looks skinnier on the crown side at 2 and 5 o'clock. can you confirm if this is what you observed as well?

[acce1999]

Originally Posted by pawnshopkiller

Take it to someone who can remove the bezel and redo the brush finish, if you brought it to me I would do it for you for free since you are a fellow TRF member. Just be sure they know what they are doing because you can break the ceramic bezel insert if you do not remove it carefully. Good luck, Roscoe.

Not only that. The bezel is held in place with a plastic ring (fastening ring) that is designed to break when you remove the bezel. It must then be replaced with a new plastic ring when putting the bezel back. ("Must never be reused" is the phrase used by Rolex.)

This is a new design compared to the older 16710, and it is used on all modern Rolexes now, even the watches without a moving bezel. In the old day it was a simple pressure fit, but not anymore. Therefore I would be very careful to remove the bezel, unless I also had the replacement part, and tools (skills) to put the bezel back.

Reusing the plastic ring is not a good idea: You might lose the entire bezel later on.

I guess Rolex have their reasons to do this, but I can not understand what the improvement is in this case. For the models without a movable bezel (DJ, DD) the improvement is that the visible bezel itself is not key to the water resistance as it was earlier, now there is a crystal retaining ring under the bezel that ensures waterproofness.

I agree with others that the brushed surfaces on the lug can be restored, but it seems that the watch itself have lived a hard life earlier. The lugs are slightly rounded. Personally I would hand it over to a Rolex Service Center or a Geneva trained Rolex watchmaker with a track record of polishing cases.

Good luck!

Best,

A

[pawnshopkiller]

I agree. Hard life, not 2 bad in my opinion but he's right RSC will true up the edge like no one else and give the appearance of a new lug. If you have someone else do it you might keep looking down at it wondering if it is as good as it could be.

[pawnshopkiller]

The new parts on the bezels and the vacuum assembly is to &%*# up the aftermarket. Plain and simple. It worked at first but now the aftermarket has a kit to retrofit there bezels to the new watches although I haven't seen their product pressure tested yet.

[pawnshopkiller]

I'm sure it sucks just like everything else they make.

[wyattearp]

Originally Posted by Tools

Somebody really did a bad job.. it happens... Definitely not an RSC job as the angles and grain are wrong..

If you are talented you can make it look better.. perhaps one of the fiber brush pencils made for touching up can make the lugs look better. You could also go to an AD with a watchmaker on staff and discuss refinishing the case.. he/she will have proper tools and know the grain and direction necessary..

Agreed. Maybe pick yourself up a Bergeon scratch pen if you don't want to go through the hassle of sending it out/waiting for it to be done. It's fairly straightforward if you are capable of removing the bezel.

[wyattearp]

Originally Posted by acce1999

Not only that. The bezel is held in place with a plastic ring (fastening ring) that is designed to break when you remove the bezel. It must then be replaced with a new plastic ring when putting the bezel back. ("Must never be reused" is the phrase used by Rolex.)

This is a new design compared to the older 16710, and it is used on all modern Rolexes now, even the watches without a moving bezel. In the old day it was a simple pressure fit, but not anymore. Therefore I would be very careful to remove the bezel, unless I also had the replacement part, and tools (skills) to put the bezel back.

Reusing the plastic ring is not a good idea: You might lose the entire bezel later on.

I guess Rolex have their reasons to do this, but I can not understand what the improvement is in this case. For the models without a movable bezel (DJ, DD) the improvement is that the visible bezel itself is not key to the water resistance as it was earlier, now there is a crystal retaining ring under the bezel that ensures waterproofness.

I agree with others that the brushed surfaces on the lug can be restored, but it seems that the watch itself have lived a hard life earlier. The lugs are slightly rounded. Personally I would hand it over to a Rolex Service Center or a Geneva trained Rolex watchmaker with a track record of polishing cases.

Good luck!

Best,

A

Didn't read your post, never knew there was a one-time-use retaining ring.. Perhaps if you (very accurately) tape off the bezel you could still use a brush.

[dooder202]

Originally Posted by weng

Thanks guys for all the inputs.

It's an M series so it's about time to send it for overhaul. It also had few issues, like it losses 6 sec/day and the hands lume is weaker than the marker.


Is the weak hand lume common to the GMT2C? I found a photo from another site showing the same issue but not as bad as mine.

Yeah, hopefully you received a great deal on that watch, because I would send it into service immediately and have them fix that lug issue, the timing issue, and of course the lume issue on the minute hand. I think they are going to charge you for all of that though