1680 red - “tiny”bottom right lug. Known defect?

[mattg6]

Now seem to 1680 red subs with a “tiny” bottom right lug. The camfers look factory and they’re presented as unpolished. But they’re clearly skinnier than the other 3 lugs. Was this a particular factory that made these and/or a particular period? Service case? Anyone seen this or have an idea

I have confirmed it’s not just the photo or lighting - in person it’s clearly smaller and I guess just came from the factory that way? Thought it was one off but have now seen two

[mattg6]

Another shot of the skinny lug. Yes both sides of the case lugs aren’t supposed to be equal but it’s just the bottom one that looks skinny

[Dan S]

It simply looks refinished to me, the chamfer is also funny on that lug.

[mattg6]

Originally Posted by Dan S

It simply looks refinished to me, the chamfer is also funny on that lug.

Occam’s razor!

[77T]

Like Dan said…it appears to have been refinished for some dent/gouge that must’ve been deep enough to requiring reprofiling the chamfer. And that leaves the top looking thinner.

For a more accurate measurement maybe remove the bracelet and take photos from the backside. That way you’ll see the actual width of each lug without the optical confusion from the chamfering.


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[GGGMT]

Nasty polish. Nasty


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[swish77]

Originally Posted by mattg6

The camfers look factory and they’re presented as unpolished.

I would say this is inaccurate.

Now, there are inconsistencies with cases on some vintage Rolexes, and crown guards sometimes are a little uneven. The lower crown guard on my unpolished 5512 is a little smaller, and it's a known feature on some Subs. (See below.)

However, the lug differences on that 1680 are too extreme and it would not have come from the factory that way. If it did, it was a defect/abnormality.

[Tools]

Originally Posted by mattg6

Now seem to 1680 red subs with a “tiny” bottom right lug. The camfers look factory and they’re presented as unpolished. But they’re clearly skinnier than the other 3 lugs. Was this a particular factory that made these and/or a particular period? Service case? Anyone seen this or have an idea

. . .

You are looking at the width at the edge of the chamfer. The lug itself is not particularly "tiny", it just has a larger than normal chamfer at the end.

To say that a 50 year old watch is "unpolished" is usually laughable unless you find an original owner and its history is well documented.

[Proto3]

I saw that watch listing. Suspiciously cheap.

[RFC]

Originally Posted by Tools

You are looking at the width at the edge of the chamfer. The lug itself is not particularly "tiny", it just has a larger than normal chamfer at the end.

To say that a 50 year old watch is "unpolished" is usually laughable unless you find an original owner and its history is well documented.

Spot on. Your last paragraph debunks some sellers marketing “lightly” polished or unpolished pieces when they are probably not. Like you said to find an unpolished vintage Sub is to find a needle in a haystack.

[Dan S]

Originally Posted by RFC

Spot on. Your last paragraph debunks some sellers marketing “lightly” polished or unpolished pieces when they are probably not. Like you said to find an unpolished vintage Sub is to find a needle in a haystack.

"Needle in a haystack" precisely describes many of the watches owned by many forum members.

[Lol-x]

Yes I agree with Larry.
The lugs look to have been polished.

[karleone]

Originally Posted by swish77

I would say this is inaccurate.

Now, there are inconsistencies with cases on some vintage Rolexes, and crown guards sometimes are a little uneven. The lower crown guard on my unpolished 5512 is a little smaller, and it's a known feature on some Subs. (See below.)

However, the lug differences on that 1680 are too extreme and it would not have come from the factory that way. If it did, it was a defect/abnormality.

Beautiful 5512! Amazing condition!

[swish77]

Originally Posted by karleone

Beautiful 5512! Amazing condition!

Thank you! It's the vintage Rolex i've had the longest.

[TuRo]

Agree with others on your particular observation - but interestingly, crown side lugs and even north v south lugs do differ on some models...and of course the 37mm Daytonas the north pusher miles away from equal distance to the crown than the closer south pusher !!

Here's a fellas opinion on sports models...

https://atelierdegriff.com/2019/08/2...vintage-rolex/

[decisive]

It’s not uncommon to see significant differences in the chamfers on these watches… they were hand finished. You can find photos all day of this. I wouldn’t classify this as a “nasty polish” either …
I believe these are factory chamfers. While worn, who knows if polished or not. If it was polished it was long ago. Lastly, the bottom right is also the leading “edge” when worn on the left hand.

[springer]

For me, it appears the same watchmaker polished both of those Subs giving both that "distinct" look - especially the bottom right lug. Hopefully that guy has retired by now.

[zapokee]

Factory lugs on the right were thinner on some models.

It can be clearly seen on this factory 1680 from some Rolex literature. (Credit to whoever posted it originally)

[swish77]

Originally Posted by decisive

It’s not uncommon to see significant differences in the chamfers on these watches… they were hand finished.

I’ve yet to see one that has “significant” differences on an untouched example. Subtle differences, yes, but the OP’s example on the right shows quite an extreme difference in the lower right lug.

These were Swiss craftsmen working on watches by hand. They were not always going to achieve machine perfection, but they knew what they were doing.

Grand Seikos, even to this day, were all finished by hand, and those cases are/were amazingly perfect.

[decisive]

Originally Posted by swish77

I’ve yet to see one that has “significant” differences on an untouched example. Subtle differences, yes, but the OP’s example on the right shows quite an extreme difference in the lower right lug.

These were Swiss craftsmen working on watches by hand. They were not always going to achieve machine perfection, but they knew what they were doing.

Grand Seikos, even to this day, were all finished by hand, and those cases are/were amazingly perfect.

Even more common on gilt era watches.

[PVR]

The reason you see the lugs thinner on the crown guard side is that the polishing wheel focuses on a smaller surface area because of the crown guards. Meaning, on the non crown guard side, you can gradually polish the entire length of the lugs with no interference, but when the crown guards are present, your wheel is more aggressively focused on the lug tips and smaller surface area..