To polish or not

[InVision]

Ok, folks.

My 1 yr old SS Daytona has the normal "brushes" from office wear for 2 months or so I wore it. I am trying to sell the damn but everyone seems to want a "perfect watch".

So I will be contacting the AD to get the damn thing detailed & lightly polished.

I guess nobody really wears a SS Daytona, they just look at them....

Wise or foolish? I would like to sell it since I don't wear anymore.

Thx for any opinions ...

Mike

[bstark]

I'd rather get one not polished

[Yazo]

Originally Posted by bstark

i'd rather get one not polished

+1

[Dr. Robert]

Be careful....does your AD have good equipment? Have you tried a little Brasso???? I use it. Works well on SS, that's one of the metals it's made to shine!

[thesharkfactor]

all you need is a cape cod cloth and masking tape to transform the PCL's and case sides, and a scotch pad/abrasive dish washing pad/sponge and more masking tape for a perfect brushed finish on the bracelet outer links.

.. turorial elsewhere on the forum, it is surprisingly easy to self maintain a new finish to your rolex.

[walds11]

Leave it alone. I understand your frustration. There are a lot of tire kickers out there. The watch market is soft, especially for SS Daytonas. Be patient, it will eventually sell.

[hhh007]

Go ahead and have it detailed. On a newer watch with just minimal hairlines and the day to day small abrasions a good detail job removes virtually no metal, and probably 95% of the people who look at it would never even know it was done.

I think a lot of people are overly paranoid about a watch that's been -correctly- polished and detailed. The only time I would consider not polishing is on a vintage highly collectible model that had numerous deep hits and scratches where significant metal removal from the case would be required to correct the defects. Otherwise, who wants a watch with hairlines and small abrasions when they can easily be removed?

[swissautopro]

Mike, I have post after post on this very thing ... NO POLISH! I never have my watches polished.

[taylor]

I am a few months away from purchasing a SS daytona (unfortunately not quite yet!), and I must say, I prefer the watch in its original form. Gosh, people do wear watches. And it is IMPOSSIBLE to avoid small scratches with polished center links. I would not polish it.

P.S. Your Daytona is currently the best deal going.

[kungpow]

Mike -

I prefer NOT polished.

I have seen your ad for the watch and it's a beautiful Daytona :) If I were looking to purchase I would definitely be interested. However, the second you say that it's been polished, it's an immediate NO for me , and would never give your watch another thought.

Just my opinion but I would keep it as-is. I don't mind having a few swirlies because they'll end on the watch after a few weeks of wear anyway.

Good luck with the sale

[hhh007]

Believe it or not, polishing out hairlines does not require a welding mask, a lead lined apron, and in most cases large red hot metal fragments do not go flying across the room requiring a second person holding a fire extinguisher. Like I stated 95% ('er make that 99%) of the people would never even know it was done.

[cdnwatchguy]

Originally Posted by thesharkfactor

all you need is a cape cod cloth and masking tape to transform the PCL's and case sides, and a scotch pad/abrasive dish washing pad/sponge and more masking tape for a perfect brushed finish on the bracelet outer links.

.. turorial elsewhere on the forum, it is surprisingly easy to self maintain a new finish to your rolex.

If you are selling it people will want one pristine so shining it up is a must for top dollar. the cape cod/scotchbright routine does a fabulous job unless there are scratches or dings.

[David Woo]

I think most normal buyers would prefer a new looking watch. At least that's what they tell me when I try to sell one of my blasted/brushed watches, lol.
DW

[TurboWatch]

nt

[dannyny]

ummm, why shouldnt someone polish the watches?? does it take metal off of it?? i have my ss daytona for a month now and i got this small scratch on it deeper than the normal hairline scratches and its really annoying me i feel like buying s new bracelet but im wondering if it can be polished out would pics help?? can someone take a look fo me?? thanks i dun wanna jack this thread

[truetime]

keep it original

bests,
Krit

[BASSETHOUNDS]

Originally Posted by InVision

Ok, folks.

My 1 yr old SS Daytona has the normal "brushes" from office wear for 2 months or so I wore it. I am trying to sell the damn but everyone seems to want a "perfect watch".

So I will be contacting the AD to get the damn thing detailed & lightly polished.

I guess nobody really wears a SS Daytona, they just look at them....

Wise or foolish? I would like to sell it since I don't wear anymore.

Thx for any opinions ...

Mike

Sell it as a used watch for $8500 and I'll bet you nobody will notice the scratches , try and sell it as new over RRP and everybody will notice them .
What do you expect ?

[PhilM]

Also agree with leaving it alone, if there only minor ones then the new buyer can deal with them if they want to. I think if you are going to sell it, just describe it as best you can and back it up with photo's

[wildsidemtb]

Leave it imagine in 30 years when you can say it hasn't been polished. If you are having it polished after two months of wear, you will have no case left in a few years. Each polish takes "some" of the metal off. My 1967 sub has never been polished.

[padi56]

Originally Posted by dannyny

ummm, why shouldnt someone polish the watches?? does it take metal off of it?? i have my ss daytona for a month now and i got this small scratch on it deeper than the normal hairline scratches and its really annoying me i feel like buying s new bracelet but im wondering if it can be polished out would pics help?? can someone take a look fo me?? thanks i dun wanna jack this thread

Well a new bracelet would cost you well over $1000 dollars,and what would you do if you scratched the replacement buy another.Scratches are a fact of life on any watch and when at normal service time watch will come back as good as new its that simple.

[InVision]

Thanks all. I guess I won't throw it off the bridge into the Gulf of Mexico and collect insurance after-all ....

Mike

[zillap]

Originally Posted by InVision

Thanks all. I guess I won't throw it off the bridge into the Gulf of Mexico and collect insurance after-all ....

Mike

Hahaha!

[train-time]

I would not recommend getting it polished. Leave it original!

[Puffy]

Scratches tell the history of a watch IMO.... If I buy something pre loved I'd rather it show its age

[InVision]

Originally Posted by Puffy

Scratches tell the history of a watch IMO.... If I buy something pre loved I'd rather it show its age

I agree with you on the no polish for keepers, but in this case it is to be sold...

Mike

[thesharkfactor]

Originally Posted by InVision

I agree with you on the no polish for keepers, but in this case it is to be sold...

Mike

exactly!! my watch was minty when it came to me, i wont get polished while im wearing it- those scratches are MINE and im proud of them..

..but, when i come to sell it on (if that ever happens), i'll be sure to improve its appearance as much as possible. i know, that i wanted a mint watch- not a used/marked one.. im sure a huge % of folks who buy a rolex want a fresh one- unless they deliberatly choose the vintage used ranges..

a shiny watch can make all the difference, potentially thousands in some cases.

..protect your investment, maximise its potential.

..beside- its sooooo easy to do- pcl's need only a couple of wipes (literaly) with a cape cod cloth to look like new again. same with the brushed bracelet. there is really hardly any material remove in either circumstance- your not going to round off edges of a case with a cape cod cloth, and you cannot dig deep trenches in your bracelet with a scoth pad
lols ..

[hennabav]

Mike,

Keep it original unpolished!!! Just save the money from polishing it and drop the price couple hundred more and I am certain you will find a buyer for it!!

[dannyny]

Originally Posted by padi56

Well a new bracelet would cost you well over $1000 dollars,and what would you do if you scratched the replacement buy another.Scratches are a fact of life on any watch and when at normal service time watch will come back as good as new its that simple.

thanks ur right just a lil annoying only after 2 weeks of wear but its bound to happen o well

[Quicksilver]

I think you're best of not polishing. You will get more scratches after a few months and then you will be back to square one, looking to get those buffed out as well. I would only polish your watch when it's serviced by Rolex every six years.

The trouble with polishing is that over time it shows. In the vintage/ second hand market an over polished model always attracts a lesser premium than an equivalent watch that shows little signs of polishing and has aged gracefully.

[BarkMaster]

I would not have bought my 30yr old watch if it had scratches all over it.