OP - I know exactly where you’re coming from. I’m a stickler as well when it comes to fine details, but you have to remember that anytime you send a watch in, it may subjected to further accidental damage regardless if it’s an RSC or AD. You want to avoid opening or working on a watch as little as possible.
I had a minuscule ding on one of my watches, so I swung by the Dallas RSC to replace the part in question (cost wasn’t an issue). I spoke with my usual lady and she had her watchmaker review it. They both recommended not to touch it as they’re worried it may come back worse or with further damage elsewhere. (She knows my expectations and attention to detail). The watchmaker literally said, “we’re professionals, but that doesn’t mean we don’t make mistakes”. The area in question was so minor that they needed to use a loupe to see it, and most folks wouldn’t even be able to tell unless you specially pointed it out to them. Pretty much, they wanted me to avoid going down the rabbit hole, and recommended to wait till service time as the entire watch will already be apart. I appreciated them being upfront and setting expectations accordingly.
Just wanted to give you some perspective as I would hate for other areas on your watch to get damaged. I always ask myself, is it worth repairing/replacing the part in question and risking further damage? In this case, if you do decide to go through with correcting this, I’d opt for a replacement clasp being your current one has been polished. You probably won’t be happy with the repair results being these are very small areas.
At the end of the day, it’s your watch and you have to do what makes YOU happy. If that means replacing a part then do it and not let an stranger on the internet tell you otherwise. But you have to remember where to draw the line to avoid going down the slippery slope and taking your enjoyment away. Hope this helps!
