Used gray watches - do they all look polished to you?

[fixinbones]

If you look at the Rolex classifieds all of the second hand watches from the grays look to be in perfect condition. Bracelets and clasps have no scratches and some of these are not recent purchases or flipped trade-ins. So are they just touched up and gone over slightly to remove obvious scratches or are these watches refinished and brought back to as new condition?

[Etschell]

If a watch is used with no scratches it is either polished or poor lighting. No one who has used a watch has no scratches at all. Unless of course you wore it once and didnt do anything.

[1665fan]

Most have been polished which is why honest unpolished examples and NOS demand a premium.....I see untouched or mint used all the time when describing a watch has been polished....one must know what they are looking at. For Daytona’s as soon as they see a polish on the SS bezel you can tell the numbers get rounded and runny for a lack of better term so I look for the unpolished examples

[Seibei]

Originally Posted by fixinbones

If you look at the Rolex classifieds all of the second hand watches from the grays look to be in perfect condition. Bracelets and clasps have no scratches and some of these are not recent purchases or flipped trade-ins. So are they just touched up and gone over slightly to remove obvious scratches or are these watches refinished and brought back to as new condition?

I don't understand why people who are in the market for a recent watch don't just buy a new one. The price is almost the same, so why buy a pre owned watch that may or may not have this or that done to it?

Furthermore, if I did buy an old watch, then new old stock, or a watch that shows reasonable signs of wear for it's age would be preferable to me than a watch that has obviously been polished/refinished.

Yes, most of the watches are probably re finished very gently, but who knows? There is really no way of knowing how much material has been removed. Again, just buy a new watch and there will be no doubt as to the condition.

Disclaimer: I am biased against the whole flipping culture. To me a watch is for owning and appreciating as the years go by, not making a quick buck. A watch that has been mine from day one is worth a lot more to me than a watch that has belonged to a stranger.

[upsidedownbelt]

I have wondered the same thing. I think it’s safe to assume most have been polished. Assuming that’s true, my questions is should they disclose that fact? If I bought a new(er) used car and it had been repainted I would want to at least know it wasn’t original paint. To me the same goes for a watch.

[Michigan_State]

I think it has definitely become a practice among (semi) professional sellers to polish the watch, or even re-cut cases (e.g. 16710 and 1680). Idk, we might just look back at these hay days and regret how many watches have eben tinkered with. Let them age in style.

[fixinbones]

Personally I don’t mind a watch that has been polished during a service as I do that to my watches every 5 to 7 years. As long as it’s done properly it’s not a big deal to me. Some people are obsessed with unpolished watches but to each their own. It would be nice if they routinely stated what type of polishing if any a piece for sale has undergone. Most that advertise a watch as unpolished usually only do so for rarer and more collectible pieces.

[mjr24]

I don't see the big deal, at all....the whole polished thing is way overblown. It's nothing like a car being repainted. It is more akin to a car being waxed and polished....who ever cares to disclose that when a car is sold or bought? Come on.

Polishing isn't some science. You can take some light polish and a buffer and ruin a car paint job, too....but that happens 1 in 10,000 cases. People pay MORE for watches that are touched up versus ones with scratches. There might be a couple here who feel those command a premium, but that isn't the prevailing attitude or the reality. Just like most of us do once in a while, fine scratches can be buffed out with a Cape Cod which does no damage to the metal. This is likely what greys do.

[csaltphoto]

Hard to say really. I am a recent owner of a used 14060M. It wasn't quite perfect when I bought it but close. It had one tiny scratch on the bezel, one on the case and some rubbing on the case back. Definitely hadn't been polished; lugs and chamfers were still super sharp. Bracelet looked near new. I swear I have put more wear on it in the two weeks I have owned it than the previous owner did in 8 years. I talked to the dealer and a few other Rolex dealers and apparently it's pretty common for someone to buy an expensive watch, wear it, ding it on something then put it back in the box and only wear it on special occasions or something. Then trade it on on another and probably do the same thing. AD's said they see it a lot.

The new teeny scratches break my heart a bit but I bought it to wear.

[peterpl]

Originally Posted by Etschell

If a watch is used with no scratches it is either polished or poor lighting. No one who has used a watch has no scratches at all. Unless of course you wore it once and didnt do anything.

+1000

most if not all watches at the grays are polished if bought second hand. Look at David and other TS's listings. ALL and I mean ALL of them look mint. They are all polished.

[Chadridv]

Originally Posted by Etschell

If a watch is used with no scratches it is either polished or poor lighting. No one who has used a watch has no scratches at all. Unless of course you wore it once and didnt do anything.

Or great lighting! Depends on how you look at it. I use all my watches. Typically there aren’t any deep scratches, nicks or dents on my watches but definitely swirlies and small scratches and general indications of wear. That said if i get the lighting just right when taking photos you can’t see one scratch on the watch looks brand new.

I’ve purchased watches from trusted sellers that were said to have been mint, looked mint in the photos but upon arrival were clearly used with topical scratches to prove it.

On the other hand and all that said, I’ve noticed if a trusted seller doesn’t say “unpolished” the watch has probably been touched up.

[~JJ]

Not sure why the grey dealers get a ‘pass’ for polishing a watch outside of service. IMHO it should be disclosed so a buyer can compare apples with apples.

[joli160]

Almost all second hand watches for sale are touched up since there is no market for a scratched one apart from the odd TRF'er

[jimcameron]

90% of the buying public will buy a properly polished used Rolex over an unpolished watch with 10 yrs. of wear.

Myself included.

Paul Newman's Daytona was a collectors watch. Your 10 yr old Sub is not, and most likely never will be.

[Joearch]

Originally Posted by fixinbones

Personally I don’t mind a watch that has been polished during a service as I do that to my watches every 5 to 7 years. As long as it’s done properly it’s not a big deal to me. Some people are obsessed with unpolished watches but to each their own. It would be nice if they routinely stated what type of polishing if any a piece for sale has undergone. Most that advertise a watch as unpolished usually only do so for rarer and more collectible pieces.

Agree. Many of my watches were new and a bunch preowned from folks like DSW. I would guess any watch more than a year old from him has been lightly polished. They certainly look great to me. I wear my watches relatively carefully but after a few months they all look the same.

The obvious reason that we buy preowned that may have been polished is the desired new models simply do not exist at the AD or they have been discontinued 10 years ago. I personally don’t care of they have had a professional and light tune up. To each their own.

[Seibei]

Originally Posted by joli160

Almost all second hand watches for sale are touched up since there is no market for a scratched one apart from the odd TRF'er

In my country I have seen old subs sold that have scratches and gouges and look their age. The market decided that these watches were in fact worth a lot of money, perhaps more than if they had been messed with/sanitized. I suspect the market will gradually become more averse to watches that have been polished.

[watchwatcher]

If we're talking a pre-owned watch and it doesn't have a scratch on it, most likely it's been touched up would be my thought, unless it's stated otherwise of course.

We talk a big game on the forum about the evils of polishing, but I would suspect a large chunk of the watch buying pool prefers a pristine watch when they're laying out the amount of money that's involved in buying a Rolex.

[Chester01]

Originally Posted by fixinbones

If you look at the Rolex classifieds all of the second hand watches from the grays look to be in perfect condition. Bracelets and clasps have no scratches and some of these are not recent purchases or flipped trade-ins. So are they just touched up and gone over slightly to remove obvious scratches or are these watches refinished and brought back to as new condition?

Yes this is happening as big bucks are involved. Almost every pic looks the same and seems to be a profound number of almost unworn older pepsi’s on the market not to mention newer gmt and Daytona’s. I mean my Daytona got 4-5 swirls on the pcl’s Just taking off the stickers. They are not refinished, just a light buffing. However they are not advertised as such.

[rambo99]

other than new watches with stickers still on, i think they polish every watch before putting it to the display case.

[padi56]

Originally Posted by mjr24

I don't see the big deal, at all....the whole polished thing is way overblown. It's nothing like a car being repainted. It is more akin to a car being waxed and polished....who ever cares to disclose that when a car is sold or bought? Come on.

Polishing isn't some science. You can take some light polish and a buffer and ruin a car paint job, too....but that happens 1 in 10,000 cases. People pay MORE for watches that are touched up versus ones with scratches. There might be a couple here who feel those command a premium, but that isn't the prevailing attitude or the reality. Just like most of us do once in a while, fine scratches can be buffed out with a Cape Cod which does no damage to the metal. This is likely what greys do.

Could not agree more the whole polished thing is way overblown, just like the many other Rolex syndromes of today's Rolex owner .

[1665fan]

Yes much harder to tell on these jumbo cases so people like dsw and other new model greys love that so they can polish them many more times without a great deal of loss of metal. On vintage pieces it makes a huge difference when the mugs are skinny or uneven or just one one skinny....your eye will travel to that spot and you will always notice the ugly part....

[omx5o]

From my own purchases I believe that most perform very very minimal polishing, it's more like tidying the watch rather than a good polish. No different to a quick spit and polish on a second hand car.

[nick800]

I'd bet 99% of them have been polished.

[SMD]

Unless it states specifically it is unpolished you have to assume its been polished. Simple. And even when some state unpolished I would be skeptical of that claim as well unless it is from the original owner.

[mjclark32]

They get touched up, no biggie

[amh]

Originally Posted by nick800

I'd bet 99% of them have been polished.

Yup. And Greys don't send them to RSC for the polish, they have a "local guy" do it for cheap. (Most of them seem to do a good job, the watches certainly look LNIB)

[ALF61]

Originally Posted by Seibei

I don't understand why people who are in the market for a recent watch don't just buy a new one. The price is almost the same, so why buy a pre owned watch that may or may not have this or that done to it?

Furthermore, if I did buy an old watch, then new old stock, or a watch that shows reasonable signs of wear for it's age would be preferable to me than a watch that has obviously been polished/refinished.

Yes, most of the watches are probably re finished very gently, but who knows? There is really no way of knowing how much material has been removed. Again, just buy a new watch and there will be no doubt as to the condition.

Disclaimer: I am biased against the whole flipping culture. To me a watch is for owning and appreciating as the years go by, not making a quick buck. A watch that has been mine from day one is worth a lot more to me than a watch that has belonged to a stranger.

Well, of course that would be the ideal thing to do. Unfortunately for some it is not a choice and the only option is to go grey.

[kultschar]

I think some our sellers are very good at it and able to get it looking Rolex “fresh” but others look not so good (dull brushed finish instead of the Rolex satin brushed finish, kind of like when I use a scotchbrite pad)

[mk2jag]

The images could also be photoshopped.

[kauffee]

Originally Posted by amh

Yup. And Greys don't send them to RSC for the polish, they have a "local guy" do it for cheap. (Most of them seem to do a good job, the watches certainly look LNIB)

I've always been curious who does the polishing for the big trusted sellers like DSW, Takuya, OCRolexguy, etc. They really look perfect.