Qysterquartz polishing - can it be done without loosing the sharp case edges?

[andymac66]

I've been looking at the Qysterquartz recently and they seem to fall into two categories, unpolished ones with sharp beveled case sides and ends and polished ones which almost always loose their sharpness, sometimes turning into a rounded mess. Has anyone had any success with polishing an OQ and retaining the original case profile and if so, where did you have it done?

I believe Rolex at West Malling in the UK have one watchmaker who works on the OQ. Does anyone have any experience of his work, particularly on the case polishing?

[dysondiver]

some recent pics of a freshly polished oq case ,,, boy , its sharp ,, do a recent posts search

[Cc1966]

Should not be a problem, especially if you voice your concerns beforehand.

[andymac66]

Originally Posted by dysondiver

some recent pics of a freshly polished oq case ,,, boy , its sharp ,, do a recent posts search

I had a look but I couldn't find the one you're talking about. How recent was it?

[Chris B]

Here's mine fresh from RSC a few weeks ago

[Chris B]

PS

A "before" pic, ... note the nick on the the bottom left lug

[andymac66]

That looks pretty sharp Chris, though to be fair it didn't look too bad before it was polished! It's good to know it can be done though. There are some really worn and over polished OQs out there - most of them in fact. Did RSC West Malling do the work? (I'm not sure if you're in Peterborough UK or US)

I've managed to source an unpolished and very lightly used SS 17013 from the US, complete with sharp edges and bevels. It will hopefully arrive towards the end of this week. I'll see if I can fix the minor scratches with a Cape Cod for the polished case sides and maybe a fiberglass scratch removal pen for the brushed areas. I'm reluctant to let anyone near it with a polishing wheel though I may have to.

[Chris B]

Many congrats on the latest acquisition Andy, you’ll love it.
Please share some pics upon arrival

I bet you instinctively try to wind when pulling the crown, that one gets me every time

You are correct about the work being performed at Kings Hill, here’s a scan of the invoice for your reference

[andymac66]

[QUOTE=Chris B;4415980]Many congrats on the latest acquisition Andy, you’ll love it.
Please share some pics upon arrival

I bet you instinctively try to wind when pulling the crown, that one gets me every time

You are correct about the work being performed at Kings Hill, here’s a scan of the invoice for your reference




Thanks Chris, I'll definitely put some photos up when it arrives. That's not too bad for an OQ service. I've heard some horror stories about service bills for the watch. Did it include the replacement of the circuit board?

[Chris B]

[QUOTE=andymac66;4416004]

Originally Posted by Chris B

Many congrats on the latest acquisition Andy, you’ll love it.
Please share some pics upon arrival

I bet you instinctively try to wind when pulling the crown, that one gets me every time

You are correct about the work being performed at Kings Hill, here’s a scan of the invoice for your reference




Thanks Chris, I'll definitely put some photos up when it arrives. That's not too bad for an OQ service. I've heard some horror stories about service bills for the watch. Did it include the replacement of the circuit board?

To be honest Andy, I haven't the foggiest

[KZZN]

Originally Posted by andymac66

Thanks Chris, I'll definitely put some photos up when it arrives. That's not too bad for an OQ service. I've heard some horror stories about service bills for the watch. Did it include the replacement of the circuit board?

Hi,

I recently had my Oysterquartz Datejust sent off for a service, and they found that it needed the electronic module entirely replaced. It was running badly out-of-spec (gaining about a second or two per day) and was so far gone it couldn't be regulated. This would have been charged extra above and beyond the basic service cost.

Fortunately the watch was still covered by the dealer's warranty (I bought it pre-owned last December), and the dealer got it all sorted out for me without me having to pay anything. But the replacement electronic module was another £440 on top of the service costs that are listed in the invoice scan Chris already posted. So if I'd had to pay for that myself, then including the basic service, a replacement crystal and the new electronic module, I'd have been paying around £900.

[andymac66]

Originally Posted by KZZN

Hi,

I recently had my Oysterquartz Datejust sent off for a service, and they found that it needed the electronic module entirely replaced. It was running badly out-of-spec (gaining about a second or two per day) and was so far gone it couldn't be regulated. This would have been charged extra above and beyond the basic service cost.

Fortunately the watch was still covered by the dealer's warranty (I bought it pre-owned last December), and the dealer got it all sorted out for me without me having to pay anything. But the replacement electronic module was another £440 on top of the service costs that are listed in the invoice scan Chris already posted. So if I'd had to pay for that myself, then including the basic service, a replacement crystal and the new electronic module, I'd have been paying around £900.

I've heard that they replace the electronic module as a precaution, even when there's nothing wrong with it. You had a lucky escape there!

[KZZN]

Originally Posted by andymac66

I've heard that they replace the electronic module as a precaution, even when there's nothing wrong with it. You had a lucky escape there!

Hi,

In the end, the dealer paid for the new module, I paid for the replacement crystal (I knew it would need replacing when I bought the watch - it just had one minor nick out of it), and the work was done by an AD with an in-house watchmaker who ordered the parts in, thus avoiding paying for a full service that it didn't really need.

[KZZN]

Originally Posted by andymac66

I've been looking at the Qysterquartz recently and they seem to fall into two categories, unpolished ones with sharp beveled case sides and ends and polished ones which almost always loose their sharpness, sometimes turning into a rounded mess. Has anyone had any success with polishing an OQ and retaining the original case profile and if so, where did you have it done?

I believe Rolex at West Malling in the UK have one watchmaker who works on the OQ. Does anyone have any experience of his work, particularly on the case polishing?

Hi,

By way of re-assurance, here's a couple of shots of my previous OQ, a Day-Date from 1979, immediately after returning from its last service. It had been serviced multiple times throughout its life.

[andymac66]

Originally Posted by KZZN

Hi,

By way of re-assurance, here's a couple of shots of my previous OQ, a Day-Date from 1979, immediately after returning from its last service. It had been serviced multiple times throughout its life.

Very nice! I've been tempted by a gold one myself. For some reason the sharp edges don't seem to matter as much on the gold versions, they look fine with slightly rounded edges.