Vintage Tudor Snowflake - is case overpolished?

[ck1109]

Hi folks,

I've been looking at a Vintage Tudor Sub and the seller mentioned that while the case has been polished, it is not "over-polished".
I'm not an expert on vintage Tudors/Rolexes, but when I looked at the pics compared to pics from other sites, the lugs seemed a bit thinner. But with different angles, zooms etc. I'm not sure if the case is polished a lot or if its an optical effect.

Here are some pics from the seller:







Can you advise if this would be a good buy?

[skprd13]

Left lug looks more polished for sure little thin for me! Good luck.

[linesiders]

Polished pretty hard

[sdwtchlvr]

It's a little thin but not too bad. The end piece fitment would bother me though...don't know if that can be adjusted?

[ck1109]

Originally Posted by skprd13

Left lug looks more polished for sure little thin for me! Good luck.

Originally Posted by linesiders

Polished pretty hard

thanks guys!

btw, what makes the dial have that bubbling effect? I've read about "dial rot" on 7016/7021 Subs, is that what this is?

Also, in most of the vintage Snowflake pics I've seen, the square markers tend to age evenly, whereas here they are darker around the edges or some markers are darker than others. Is that normal?

[bluemartinifan]

Lugs as shown look polished done, would also be good to see the crown guards.

[linesiders]

Could be that one particular photo making it look polished pretty hard - lens does tricky things that close. But overall it looks pretty well polished, not to be confused with polished pretty well.

Dial is cool - one of the popular rustic Tudor looks. Maybe a result of moisture

[Michael M.]

In all honesty, the case on this 9411 is not what I would consider over polished. The case while it has unarguably been polished in the past, still remains fat with sharp edges.

Also, remember that most lugs from the factory where asymmetrical, so most cases will not have perfectly even lugs.

[lhanddds]

Originally Posted by ck1109

thanks guys!

btw, what makes the dial have that bubbling effect? I've read about "dial rot" on 7016/7021 Subs, is that what this is?

Also, in most of the vintage Snowflake pics I've seen, the square markers tend to age evenly, whereas here they are darker around the edges or some markers are darker than others. Is that normal?

I haven't seen this much dial bubbling on a 9411/0 before. It doesn't bother me however. The polishing is a personal choice. It would be difficult to know without holding it in your hand. Maybe they have a return policy.

[linesiders]

Why we need better photos

[Wing Zero]

Originally Posted by linesiders

Why we need better photos

Well one picture is of the top and the other is of the bottom lugs so....

[omitohud]

Personally i dont like the lume plots. They look like moisture ingress. Even though plot lume age differently, i would prefer them to b even. Look at 10 where there r two different shade split sharply in the middle. It looks like half of the dial was submerge in water as one side is darker than the other. The bubbling is kinda neat since its so even. I've seen much worst.


I blame it on the autoconnect.

[linesiders]

Originally Posted by Wing Zero

Well one picture is of the top and the other is of the bottom lugs so....

And on one side they look good and on the other side they don't

[HERITAGE82]

Too thin for my personal preference. When I buy a vintage watch the case is the most important element. I know the value is in the dial, but a case that has seen the polishing wheel a few times doesn't have much left for myself (the new buyer) to ever recondition if desired.

[springer]

I think the watch is

[ck1109]

Thank you everyone! This is super helpful.
At about the same price, I also have the option of getting this. To my untrained eye, this looks to be in better shape. What do you all think?

[jdmi32]

I'd go with Kirill's. I don't know what he's asking for it but I doubt it will last long.


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[judson]

I second Kirill. He helped me with a Speedmaster earlier this year, very nice to work with and honest.

[jdmi32]

Just took a second look and there seems to be a sizable chip on the dial between 1 and 2 o'clock. Shame.

[skprd13]

Think you have your answer now!

[willang]

Originally Posted by jdmi32

Just took a second look and there seems to be a sizable chip on the dial between 1 and 2 o'clock. Shame.

Yup, I was real excited to see this listed until I saw that chip at the 8 minute marker.

[Vincent65]

Originally Posted by willang

Yup, I was real excited to see this listed until I saw that chip at the 8 minute marker.

and a smaller one at 11...

[Vincent65]

I quite like the one in the OP.

Sure, it's polished, and the dial has seen better days, but it's a great vintage look.

[John in MA]

Ask for photos from the back straight on. Only way to truly gauge lug thickness.

Watch has suffered from moisture ingress in the past thus the uneven lume aging and more than likely the dial rot

[harry in montreal]

I like dial rot on snowflakes. It gives me comfort that the watch is legit. There are SO many fakes out there.

[Wing Zero]

Originally Posted by harry in montreal

I like dial rot on snowflakes. It gives me comfort that the watch is legit. There are SO many fakes out there.

I've seen a genuine rotted dial on a fake movement, encased in a fake case with fake engravings, with genuine hands, genuine crown and genuine bracelet.

The hardest part to source in a Franken is a genuine case and therefore the most replicated.

[trackntrail]

Definitely moisture ingress on that first sub. I don't think its over-polished though. I'd go for that second one even with the small dial chip

[harry in montreal]

Wing zero, I have seen a Ton of fake snowflakes. With every combo of bad parts mixed in. I just like imperfect dials and some brown corrosion on the rehaut around the dial. If you can't assess the authenticity of the mid case best to buy another model. The ones in this thread look good. Buyers should get pics of the serial numbers