The Rolex Forums   The Rolex Watch

ROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEX


Go Back   Rolex Forums - Rolex Forum > Rolex & Tudor Watch Topics > Rolex General Discussion

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 28 April 2011, 12:48 AM   #1
wlvn
"TRF" Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Manila
Posts: 4
Question on Polishing

Hello TRF, Newbie here. Just a quick question. Does having your Rolex polished by RSC to remove the scratches makes the material of it thinner? Thanks.
wlvn is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 28 April 2011, 12:53 AM   #2
Roja
"TRF" Member
 
Roja's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Real Name: Pierre
Location: Spain/Canada
Watch: and learn...
Posts: 533
You'll find that there are many points of view. Generally, it will take 'something' off (that 'something' being of varying degrees, from a few atoms to a few microns or even more).

The consensus is that it really depends on the expert hand of the expert craftsman who does it.

Some like it polished, others don't at all.
Roja is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 28 April 2011, 01:02 AM   #3
padi56
"TRF" Life Patron
 
padi56's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Real Name: Peter
Location: Llanfairpwllgwyng
Watch: ing you.
Posts: 53,063
Quote:
Originally Posted by wlvn View Post
Hello TRF, Newbie here. Just a quick question. Does having your Rolex polished by RSC to remove the scratches makes the material of it thinner? Thanks.
The only time you want to get your Rolex polished is at normal Rolex service time.And if watch is used normal as most Rolex today are, and they are mostly pampered today.You will have 30 plus years of service and you will hardly notice any difference to watch or bracelet.
__________________

ICom Pro3

All posts are my own opinion and my opinion only.

"The clock of life is wound but once, and no man has the power to tell just when the hands will stop. Now is the only time you actually own the time, Place no faith in time, for the clock may soon be still for ever."
Good Judgement comes from experience,experience comes from Bad Judgement,.Buy quality, cry once; buy cheap, cry again and again.

www.mc0yad.club

Second in command CEO and left handed watch winder
padi56 is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 28 April 2011, 01:13 AM   #4
springbar
"TRF" Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Bay Area, Ca
Watch: 116400GV
Posts: 834
Quote:
Originally Posted by wlvn View Post
Hello TRF, Newbie here. Just a quick question. Does having your Rolex polished by RSC to remove the scratches makes the material of it thinner? Thanks.
Yes, but not so much as to alter its strength or waterproofness. The first casualty of overpolishing is appearance - the edges and details on the watch get rounded off.
springbar is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 28 April 2011, 01:15 AM   #5
MonBK
Banned
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Kingstown
Posts: 58,279
Weigh it before and after and you won't notice any difference.

MonBK is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 28 April 2011, 01:22 AM   #6
Dr. Robert
2024 SubLV41 Pledge Member
 
Dr. Robert's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Real Name: Bob
Location: U.S.A.
Watch: 1655
Posts: 64,277
Do what "Padi56" says......in between wash & if SS, polish w/ Brasso.
__________________
Founder & Card Carrying Member of the Global Association of Retro-Grouch-Curmudgeons
Dr. Robert is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 28 April 2011, 01:44 AM   #7
wlvn
"TRF" Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Manila
Posts: 4
Thank you for all the replies. Guess I'll just wait for a couple more years before I'll have my Rolex polished. It's just that I can't stand the scratches on my PCLs.
wlvn is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 28 April 2011, 02:30 AM   #8
aleiberman
"TRF" Member
 
aleiberman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Real Name: Aaron
Location: MA
Watch: Rolex
Posts: 501
I'm trying so hard to almost welcome all scratches on my four remaining Rolex watches. I've recently finished selling all my other "daily beaters" watches (7 total) for the sake of forcing myself to wear my Rolex watches daily as they should be worn.
aleiberman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 28 April 2011, 02:55 AM   #9
BOA
"TRF" Member
 
BOA's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Real Name: Bruce
Location: Chicago, IL
Watch: Meteorite DD
Posts: 2,410
Rolex New York polished the paint right out of the numbers on the bezel of my Explorer II during a full service when it really didn't even need polishing. I only wear it a handful of times between services as my Daytona, Sub and President generally get most of the attention, so I was really quite surprised. It wasn't its first service as I bought it in '93 or '94, but even if it was the third or fourth, the bezel was pristine and still had its original finish. Now it looks like it went through a grinder, and that fabulous original finish has been reduced to a matte sheen, with, as I said, no paint in several of the numbers. I took it back to the AD, but they said the watch is almost 20 years old, and I would need a new bezel. Now I will be specifying "no polishing" when servicing lightly worn watches.
BOA is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 28 April 2011, 03:19 AM   #10
Tools
TRF Moderator & 2024 SubLV41 Patron
 
Tools's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2007
Real Name: Larry
Location: Mojave Desert
Watch: GMT's
Posts: 43,514
Quote:
Originally Posted by wlvn View Post
Thank you for all the replies. Guess I'll just wait for a couple more years before I'll have my Rolex polished. It's just that I can't stand the scratches on my PCLs.
Rolex will not refinish it (polish if you like that word) for you except during a service.. Even if you send it in for warranty work it will generally not be refinished because it always removes some material (they sometime do a light brush if it is fairly new).. After the case gets to a certain point, then they won't ever refinish it again and you need a new case...

However, your local jeweler will polish it right down to the movement if that is what you want........
__________________
(Chill ... It's just a watch Forum.....)
NAWCC Member
Tools is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 29 April 2011, 12:13 AM   #11
slcbbrown
"TRF" Member
 
Join Date: May 2009
Real Name: steve
Location: dallas area
Watch: 50's TT t-bird
Posts: 3,689
exactly

Quote:
Originally Posted by padi56 View Post
The only time you want to get your Rolex polished is at normal Rolex service time.And if watch is used normal as most Rolex today are, and they are mostly pampered today.You will have 30 plus years of service and you will hardly notice any difference to watch or bracelet.
A Rolex can take a lot of normal abuse and doesn't "need" polishing. I prefer mine polished at service time, since I don't own any museum pieces-- just watches. However, polishing a multi-surfaced watchcase requires more than a buffing wheel. A heavy hand can alter the look of the look of the case pretty easily.
slcbbrown is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 29 April 2011, 12:20 AM   #12
slcbbrown
"TRF" Member
 
Join Date: May 2009
Real Name: steve
Location: dallas area
Watch: 50's TT t-bird
Posts: 3,689
....
slcbbrown is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 29 April 2011, 12:25 AM   #13
Route 66
"TRF" Member
 
Route 66's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Real Name: Steve
Location: Burbank, CA
Watch: 214270 Mark II
Posts: 4,121
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tools View Post
...However, your local jeweler will polish it right down to the movement if that is what you want........


Route 66 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 29 April 2011, 12:27 AM   #14
padi56
"TRF" Life Patron
 
padi56's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Real Name: Peter
Location: Llanfairpwllgwyng
Watch: ing you.
Posts: 53,063
Quote:
Originally Posted by slcbbrown View Post
....
Thats just letter S in morse
__________________

ICom Pro3

All posts are my own opinion and my opinion only.

"The clock of life is wound but once, and no man has the power to tell just when the hands will stop. Now is the only time you actually own the time, Place no faith in time, for the clock may soon be still for ever."
Good Judgement comes from experience,experience comes from Bad Judgement,.Buy quality, cry once; buy cheap, cry again and again.

www.mc0yad.club

Second in command CEO and left handed watch winder
padi56 is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 29 April 2011, 02:11 AM   #15
SCD
"TRF" Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: SF Bay Area, CA
Posts: 511
Polishing, like anything else, can be done well or poorly. If it's done poorly it really can't be un-done. It takes just a little carelessness to round over a nice sharp edge. If there are just superficial hairline scratches to be chased out then I don't think a skillful polishing is going to remove a significant amount of material.
SCD is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 29 April 2011, 02:20 AM   #16
DHG0388
"TRF" Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Real Name: Larry
Location: Phoenix AZ
Watch: 116610
Posts: 40
I did a search here and it has been mentioned a few times but I will mention it again.
Flitz metal polish. I have used it for about 30 years and used to be a dealer.
Does a great job for touching up the PCLs or any bright polished area.

It appears expensive at first glance but it requires so little to do the job, a large tube will last for years.

May not be the easiest product to find, try gun shops and boat shops.
Only caution is around anything that is colored with ink. It will remove it. And "case hardened" colors on guns. It will remove that also.
DHG0388 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 29 April 2011, 01:36 PM   #17
Art161
"TRF" Member
 
Art161's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Real Name: Art
Location: San Francisco
Watch: Sundial
Posts: 2,266
Quote:
Originally Posted by slcbbrown View Post
....
Quote:
Originally Posted by padi56 View Post
Thats just letter S in morse
No, it's H. Padi, you missed it by one "."
__________________
Rolex SS Oyster Perpetual no date, TT Datejust
Member #13992 HM Power to the Superlative Panda, officially certified! HMPanda eats, shoots and leaves.
Rolexers do it with perpetual movements.
Art161 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

Wrist Aficionado

My Watch LLC

WatchesOff5th

DavidSW Watches

Takuya Watches

OCWatches


*Banners Of The Month*
This space is provided to horological resources.





Copyright ©2004-2024, The Rolex Forums. All Rights Reserved.

ROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEX

Rolex is a registered trademark of ROLEX USA. The Rolex Forums is not affiliated with ROLEX USA in any way.