GMT 1675 PCG - Service Advice

[gsg]

Hi, I am looking for advice on the next service of my GMT. To give you a little bit of background, I have owned this watch for seventeen years and it has been serviced twice at a RSC while in my possession, in 2002 and in 2008. I purchased the watch for a song from a friend back in the day when these things traded in the low four-digits and it has been part of my daily rotation ever since. As you can see, the watch is never going to a be a 'beauty queen' or a 'best in show' given the numerous polishes and Rolex service parts (service insert and luminova gmt arrow) received throughout its ~60-year life, but it is still a very nice and trusty every day piece.

As the watch is now due for its next service, this time around I am determined to go a step beyond a regular movement service and would like to have it send to one of the highly endorsed vintage service shops in California to restore it and bring back some of its former glory. I am thinking primarily on:

a) Sourcing an original small arrow gmt hand and relume it to color match the dial together with a set of luminova hands that I would also strip and relume as a matching set.

b) Having the case refinished and polished to factory specs. This is really where I am looking for advice. I have seen some examples of restored cases and it is amazing the results that can be achieved with the latest modern techniques and a bit of skill. Would this make sense given the current condition of the case? And, how about laser welding to add some steel to the lugs? Or, would you rather leave the case as is and not touch it?

I am not thinking on flipping the watch once serviced but, obviously, I would like to avoid taking any steps that would thrash it or make it worthless.

Any thoughts? thanks!

[taxico]

if there's no pitting, i would leave the case alone.

however beautifully you restore it, you'll just put more wear on it... and i think your case looks great the way it is.

as for the small gmt hand... i strongly recommend that you not relume an original/period correct one.

back in the day, hands and dials weren't made in the same factory and it's common for them to age differently, especially when worn daily.

if it bugs you, look for a similarly colored hand instead.

[andrewtan07]

A change of a set of hands with the MINI GMT hand and a nice faded super fat font bezel will make this watch a BEAUTY QUEEN. Cool!

[Sky21]

I might recommend talking to LA Watchwerks, they can do some amazing stuff these days. Since there are already some mis-matched parts on there I would at least try to match up the hands. That should be a pretty easy task for them I think. For the case, I would discuss your options with them but I probably would not do anything that would remove any more metal from the case. You could also try to source a faded fat font 1675 insert for around $1k. Stay away from the super expensive fuscia inserts and just get a faded one with a more authentic look and it will change the appearance of the watch. Good luck, you have a great watch there for sure whatever you decide to do.

[Wesley Crusher]

I also suggest talking to LAWW. They may be able to help you source new hands. Sourcing a small GMT hand may be difficult, though. Not sure if they can help out with the insert. They can also service your watch.

Your case appears to be in pretty good shape. The crown guards look very healthy. I would speak with LAWW. I think you will be very surprised with what they can do.

Good luck and keep us posted.

[swish77]

I would just have LAWW refinish the tops of the lugs to factory specs without polishing the sides. You'll be shocked at how good it will look. It actually makes the lugs look fatter.

Not sure how difficult this would be, but I'd try to source an original set of tritium hands (with small arrow) that would be closer to the patina on the dial. Maybe LAWW could help, but you should also look over on VRF. Oh, and if you've got an extra $2K laying around, slap a fat font faded insert on there!

[watchcrank]

Nice gmt. I concur with finding/sourcing a set of original lume hands if possible, next best thing is source the small arrow hand and re lume those on watch.
I'd not touch case but as said a top lug polish may be as effective.
Good luck on that fine GMT. M

[smokd]

I recently sourced a nice set of hands for my newly acquired 1675 from Greekbum. Try shooting him a message and see if he has anything that would match your watch. I also spoke to LAWW regarding reluming my current hands. They said they can do a relume using Tritium to match the dial and even make sure the hands don't glow so as to match the dial.

In short, reach out to LAWW and Greekbum. Together, you should be able to find a suitable solution.

[gsg]

Thanks guys, good recommendations. I think my chances of finding a set of matching hands with a small arrow are pretty slim. Should be easier to source a spare small arrow and relume the other hands to match. I will reach out to the suggested parties and update on any progress.

[greekbum]

The handset on the watch is incorrect. The 24 hour hand should be a small arrow. The minute hand is not long enough on your watch its for a non chapter ring. The hour hand is curved and not flat steel. The correct handset in good condition is hard to find and pricey. Let me know if i can be of any help.

[Runnin' Rebel]

I'd like you to follow through on this especially with the lug work and see how the watch maker cleans it up. These lugs look like mine although my GMT is from 2001 and worked hard through the years.

Good luck