Durability of Daytona Bezel

[heath.1967]

Hello guys,i want to buy a 116523 or 116503 Daytona the two tone
However my main concern is the bezel,because i saw my friend’s daytona the bezel paint is fading,he bought it in 2016
How durable the bezel paint is it actually?
Can it be repaint ? And also is the newer generation bezel (116503) is better than the previous version
Thank you so Much

[rambo99]

the bezel is in 18k solid gold, its not painted.

[MRBolton]

Originally Posted by rambo99

the bezel is in 18k solid gold, its not painted.

The bezel is solid gold, but the engraved numbers appear to be filled in with paint.

[JSolution]

It’s probably fading from day to day hairline scratches .

[praha335ci]

It is fairly robust overall . The gold section can have visible scratches is used regularly but with a bit of cape cod polishing in between a proper service its acceptable.

[Reinhard in SA]

Originally Posted by heath.1967

Hello guys,i want to buy a 116523 or 116503 Daytona the two tone
However my main concern is the bezel,because i saw my friend’s daytona the bezel paint is fading,he bought it in 2016
How durable the bezel paint is it actually?
Can it be repaint ? And also is the newer generation bezel (116503) is better than the previous version
Thank you so Much

Maybe he has had his bezel polished at some stage.

[heath.1967]

Thanks for the replies sir
Actually i dont mind about the scratch,only the bezel paint fading
So basically if i dint polish the bezel it should last very very long ?

[Oytun]

Originally Posted by heath.1967

So basically if i dint polish the bezel it should last very very long ?

Thats correct

[inadeje]

Originally Posted by heath.1967

Thanks for the replies sir
Actually i dont mind about the scratch,only the bezel paint fading
So basically if i dint polish the bezel it should last very very long ?

The paint doesn’t fade, rather it wears off/out of the milled indent in the numbers. Yes, at service RSC will polish the bezel on a mini lathe, which at the same time polish’s away some or all of the paint in the numerical recesses. I read somewhere that they refill those recesses with paint, leave to dry and then polish away excess with a final turn on their mini-lathe but this time with a solid pad that won’t enter the recesses. My experience is that the secondary paint process is never as durable or long lasting as the factory enamel paint. I have replaced the bezel twice on my TT Daytona over the past 25 years. I’d say that if like me you prefer the look with the bezel numbers sharp and legible, expect to replace every 10 or so years. If I recall correctly they’re about 400-500 bucks for the YG. However, they sent back the old bezel with the watch and I sold on ebay for about that amount.

[MRBolton]

Originally Posted by inadeje

The paint doesn’t fade, rather it wears off/out of the milled indent in the numbers. Yes, at service RSC will polish the bezel on a mini lathe, which at the same time polish’s away some or all of the paint in the numerical recesses. I read somewhere that they refill those recesses with paint, leave to dry and then polish away excess with a final turn on their mini-lathe but this time with a solid pad that won’t enter the recesses. My experience is that the secondary paint process is never as durable or long lasting as the factory enamel paint. I have replaced the bezel twice on my TT Daytona over the past 25 years. I’d say that if like me you prefer the look with the bezel numbers sharp and legible, expect to replace every 10 or so years. If I recall correctly they’re about 400-500 bucks for the YG. However, they sent back the old bezel with the watch and I sold on ebay for about that amount.

Wow! How long ago was that when they sold the bezel for only $400-$500? My stainless explorer 1 domed bezel was quoted at $125-$150.

[inadeje]

Originally Posted by MRBolton

Wow! How long ago was that when they sold the bezel for only $400-$500? My stainless explorer 1 domed bezel was quoted at $125-$150.

The last one was in 2016 at RSC

[Mystro]

It is a scratch magnet especially in that location. The positive side is it can be polished again but you should be comfortable with hairlines and not get to ocd about it. The paint can even be corrected by RSC at its routine service if it becomes a issue.
This is the great advantage of a ceramic bezel as it looks new all the time.

[faimag]

The numbers fade because of repeated bad polishing jobs. If you don't mind the scratches on the gold, the numbers should stay fine for a very long time.

[brandrea]

Do you have any pictures?

[Solo118]

Do not polish it, you will be OK. The enamel comes off when polishing, and it never looks good. If you want, you can search a thread we had a couple of years back of a lady using something called a jool tool or something along those lines and polished the enamel right off.

On the flip side, as mentioned this Daytona bezel especially in 18kt gold is quite a scratch magnet. Just live with the swirls, and you will be good for a LONG time.

I guess you can imagine why many models have moved to ceramic!

[Solo118]

.

[Chester01]

The way most wear them, lol its a non issue. I mean, even if you were them as we did back in the day, which few do, every 10-15 years the Rolex service will get it looking good.

[karleone]

Daytona metal bezels are scratch magnets and they never look good when repolished. The ceramic bezels are huge improvement for that.

[EEpro]

Originally Posted by karleone

Daytona metal bezels are scratch magnets and they never look good when repolished. The ceramic bezels are huge improvement for that.

Not meant to be polished. RSC won't do it. They cost $160 to replace for SS during service. Much better than a broken piece of glass that bills out similar to the gold bezel.

OP, they don't fade. They get rubbed out with buff wheels by resellers.

[karleone]

But a full gold Daytona bezel would cost much more than 160 bucks.

[EEpro]

Originally Posted by karleone

But a full gold Daytona bezel would cost much more than 160 bucks.

Correct, but gold is on order of the cost of the broken ceramic. $900-1100 depending on who you ask.

[Car32]

Some good shots of scratched up PM Daytona bezels at this IG profile

https://instagram.com/the_watch_poli...d=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

[Car32]

Some good shots of scratched up PM Daytona bezels at this IG profile

https://instagram.com/the_watch_poli...d=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

[MRBolton]

Would like to revive this thread for some additional feedback on the topic with pics preferably!

[SS Oyster]

These bezels are very durable!






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