How do they do polishing on Rolex case?

[hbk75]

Inside the servicing centers. Assuming that there are some scratches only on one side of the polished area of the oyster case (side without crown).

When they do polishing to remove scratches on one side of the case. Do they make sure that the other side of the case without scratches is even as well? Because when they remove scratches, they are removing some material as well. So if the other side does not have scratches, they do not need to remove any material. So the case will be uneven eventually?

[Kadhytia]

I think they polish the entire case to even tha case out. But i am not 100% sure about how they polish and how they measure out how much polishing is needed for each side.

[hbk75]

Originally Posted by Kadhytia

I think they polish the entire case to even tha case out. But i am not 100% sure about how they polish and how they measure out how much polishing is needed for each side.

Thanks for the input. I think they should polish the whole case but I do not know how they even everything out.

[APguy1]

There isnt much measurement apart from surface finish. your average surface finish for the brushing on a watch is 2.2 Micro. So the grain structure on the polished area would be assessable under a microscope. But realistically the people who refinish the watch look for flaws after every rub on the buffing wheel. It takes an awful lot of OCD and patience to achieve a flawless finish with no rub marks of polish. I refinish people's watches for them and i have all the know how to refinish a watch like new so if you have any questions then i would be happy to help.

To answer the question the watch maker would dissemble the entire case and strip and clean everything.

Then they would FIRST brush the brushed parts of the case and THEN polish the polished parts of the case. The reason behind this is if you polish the watch before brushing it you COULD over brush and scratch the polished area. The same could apply for over polishing over the brushed parts. This is the very reason it takes a lot of practice and skill to acquire a perfect finish with sharp edges where it blends from polished to brushed. And like i said the polishing would be measured by eye or by a surface comparison plate with various types of Pico finishes.

I hope that helped :)


Olly

[hbk75]

Originally Posted by AudemarsGeek1

There isnt much measurement apart from surface finish. your average surface finish for the brushing on a watch is 2.2 Micro. So the grain structure on the polished area would be assessable under a microscope. But realistically the people who refinish the watch look for flaws after every rub on the buffing wheel. It takes an awful lot of OCD and patience to achieve a flawless finish with no rub marks of polish. I refinish people's watches for them and i have all the know how to refinish a watch like new so if you have any questions then i would be happy to help.

To answer the question the watch maker would dissemble the entire case and strip and clean everything.

Then they would FIRST brush the brushed parts of the case and THEN polish the polished parts of the case. The reason behind this is if you polish the watch before brushing it you COULD over brush and scratch the polished area. The same could apply for over polishing over the brushed parts. This is the very reason it takes a lot of practice and skill to acquire a perfect finish with sharp edges where it blends from polished to brushed. And like i said the polishing would be measured by eye or by a surface comparison plate with various types of Pico finishes.

I hope that helped :)


Olly

Thanks Olly for the explanation.

I've spoken to a rolex technician in RSC doing specifically on case & bracelet refinishing. I was told that they will start polishing the edges of the case first before doing the brushing on the lugs. Because while doing polishing on the edges, the buffering wheel may accidentally hit the brush parts of the lugs and got them polished up.

[APguy1]

Originally Posted by hbk75

Thanks Olly for the explanation.



I've spoken to a rolex technician in RSC doing specifically on case & bracelet refinishing. I was told that they will start polishing the edges of the case first before doing the brushing on the lugs. Because while doing polishing on the edges, the buffering wheel may accidentally hit the brush parts of the lugs and got them polished up.

It can happen either way to be honest ;) but i usually do it in the opposite manor ;D

[Rikki]

Proper Rolex way is brush then polish then luster. Rikki

[hbk75]

Originally Posted by Rikki

Proper Rolex way is brush then polish then luster. Rikki

thanks rikki. so how do they ensure that the surfaces are even?

[Tokyo Time]

I heard the polishing is done betwixt the legs of select Swiss virgins from the Basel Highlands whose calves have been meticulously calibrated to ensure an exact even polish.

[Tridor]

Originally Posted by Tokyo Time

I heard the polishing is done betwixt the legs of select Swiss virgins from the Basel Highlands whose calves have been meticulously calibrated to ensure an exact even polish.

I wanna be a watch case!

[rmfnla]

Originally Posted by Rikki

Proper Rolex way is brush then polish then luster. Rikki

Are you sure about this?

Check out post #4, the top of page 27 of what is claimed to be a Rolex manual; it says to polish first and then brush the top of the case:

http://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=346646


I was also surprised it says to leave the crystal and tube in place; I would think it would be easier to polish the case without those in the way, especially the tube...

[hbk75]

Originally Posted by rmfnla

Are you sure about this?

Check out post #4, the top of page 27 of what is claimed to be a Rolex manual; it says to polish first and then brush the top of the case:

http://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=346646


I was also surprised it says to leave the crystal and tube in place; I would think it would be easier to polish the case without those in the way, especially the tube...

thanks rmfnla,

I have actually spoken to the polishing dept manager at the local rsc. I was told that they will polish the shiny edges first before brushing the lugs. But i did not ask him whether they are using lapping machines to even up the surfaces.

[hbk75]

Originally Posted by rmfnla

Are you sure about this?

Check out post #4, the top of page 27 of what is claimed to be a Rolex manual; it says to polish first and then brush the top of the case:

http://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=346646


I was also surprised it says to leave the crystal and tube in place; I would think it would be easier to polish the case without those in the way, especially the tube...

i could not find the manual on post number 4 at page 27?

[rmfnla]

Originally Posted by hbk75

i could not find the manual on post number 4 at page 27?

Here:

[hbk75]

Originally Posted by rmfnla

Here:

thanks dude.

[dysondiver]

interesting , hadnt realized the tubes needed reaming by the look of it too.

[rmfnla]

Originally Posted by dysondiver

interesting , hadnt realized the tubes needed reaming by the look of it too.

I think that's just for the older models; I think the splined parts do not require that step...

[Rikki]

The reason you brush first is that it leaves a small ragged edge along the outside edge of the lug then when you flip the case over and polish that ragged edge dissappears and looks seamless.Rikki

[rmfnla]

Originally Posted by Rikki

The reason you brush first is that it leaves a small ragged edge along the outside edge of the lug then when you flip the case over and polish that ragged edge dissappears and looks seamless.Rikki

That makes total sense!

I have done a lot of metal polishing in my time but never a watch case (yet!). It just seemed like the brushing would come last; once again experience trumps intuition.

Thanks...

[Sublover2166]

Rik is the man. His refinish jobs are top notch!

[Watchcollectables]

There isn't a definitive way to polish a watch case be it Rolex , Breitling etc . Most cases have their own personal nuances that an experienced polisher will
Know how to deal with using various methods they have developed over the years .
Personally I always remove crown tubes from Steel Rolex cases and leave them in on 18k cases where I also screw a stainless crown to protect the thread from wear during the polishing process . With steel cases it's impossible to obtain a good uniform finish by leaving the crown tube in place .Sometimes I will
Plug the tube hole to prevent polish building up in the inner case thread .
As far as graining before polishing it is better to grain first and then polish but it can be tricky when final lustre polishing to avoid the regrained areas and handling during the polishing process can also weaken off the graining lines so it can be a bit of a balancing act !
Also when polishing marks from a case if the correct method is employed like lapping only a minute amount of steel is removed uniformly from the case so it is generally not noticeable metal has been removed unless of course a large dint or damage has had to be removed but then we would micro weld if the area if polished proved detrimental to the case . Opposite sides are always polish to match any work done elsewhere so in essence the whole case would be refinished to do the job correctly .
It's funny how often I get asked to do a ' light polish ' or just buff out the marks . I always say we never do half jobs . Do it properly or not at all ;-)

[Rikki]

What he said

[rmfnla]

Originally Posted by Watchcollectables

There isn't a definitive way to polish a watch case be it Rolex , Breitling etc . Most cases have their own personal nuances that an experienced polisher will
Know how to deal with using various methods they have developed over the years .
Personally I always remove crown tubes from Steel Rolex cases and leave them in on 18k cases where I also screw a stainless crown to protect the thread from wear during the polishing process . With steel cases it's impossible to obtain a good uniform finish by leaving the crown tube in place .Sometimes I will
Plug the tube hole to prevent polish building up in the inner case thread .
As far as graining before polishing it is better to grain first and then polish but it can be tricky when final lustre polishing to avoid the regrained areas and handling during the polishing process can also weaken off the graining lines so it can be a bit of a balancing act !
Also when polishing marks from a case if the correct method is employed like lapping only a minute amount of steel is removed uniformly from the case so it is generally not noticeable metal has been removed unless of course a large dint or damage has had to be removed but then we would micro weld if the area if polished proved detrimental to the case . Opposite sides are always polish to match any work done elsewhere so in essence the whole case would be refinished to do the job correctly .
It's funny how often I get asked to do a ' light polish ' or just buff out the marks . I always say we never do half jobs . Do it properly or not at all ;-)

Awesome info... thanks!

[hbk75]

Originally Posted by Watchcollectables

There isn't a definitive way to polish a watch case be it Rolex , Breitling etc . Most cases have their own personal nuances that an experienced polisher will
Know how to deal with using various methods they have developed over the years .
Personally I always remove crown tubes from Steel Rolex cases and leave them in on 18k cases where I also screw a stainless crown to protect the thread from wear during the polishing process . With steel cases it's impossible to obtain a good uniform finish by leaving the crown tube in place .Sometimes I will
Plug the tube hole to prevent polish building up in the inner case thread .
As far as graining before polishing it is better to grain first and then polish but it can be tricky when final lustre polishing to avoid the regrained areas and handling during the polishing process can also weaken off the graining lines so it can be a bit of a balancing act !
Also when polishing marks from a case if the correct method is employed like lapping only a minute amount of steel is removed uniformly from the case so it is generally not noticeable metal has been removed unless of course a large dint or damage has had to be removed but then we would micro weld if the area if polished proved detrimental to the case . Opposite sides are always polish to match any work done elsewhere so in essence the whole case would be refinished to do the job correctly .
It's funny how often I get asked to do a ' light polish ' or just buff out the marks . I always say we never do half jobs . Do it properly or not at all ;-)

Hi Watchcollectables, Thanks for sharing your knowledge on this matter. I have sent you a PM with regards to my problems. Probably you could help me out. Cheers.





In case anyone is wondering what kind of issues do I have. Well I tried to do some touch up on my case with cape cod and made the condition worst. There seems to be some unevenness on the case side because I did not do a good job to polish the case evenly. I was wondering whether can RSC fix that up when I send it in for servicing?

[dom_]

To be honest I would leave that alone.
You might be being a bit obsessive about that very small shape difference. I have seen this posted here several times before, so you might not have found anyone brave enough to do this for you yet.

Anyone who re polishes that for you would be very brave as you would examine it so carefully and probably find tiny fault with any correction needed.
Out of a thousand people I bet only one would have found that slight shape difference looking over the watch, which I really don't think could have been done with a polishing cloth, unless you spent several days solidly going at it.

[gougy]

it seem hard to take off so much material off by polishing cloth only (and by hand)

[hbk75]

Originally Posted by dom_

To be honest I would leave that alone.
You might be being a bit obsessive about that very small shape difference. I have seen this posted here several times before, so you might not have found anyone brave enough to do this for you yet.

Anyone who re polishes that for you would be very brave as you would examine it so carefully and probably find tiny fault with any correction needed.
Out of a thousand people I bet only one would have found that slight shape difference looking over the watch, which I really don't think could have been done with a polishing cloth, unless you spent several days solidly going at it.

yeah. i need to stop my ocd. I've asked a few friends of mine and they told me that the watch looks new. the slight indention could be there originally but i did not pay attention to it because it was unpolished since it left the factory. i will have to wait for it to be service by rsc before they could touch up slightly on that area. thanks.

[rmfnla]

Originally Posted by hbk75

yeah. i need to stop my ocd. I've asked a few friends of mine and they told me that the watch looks new. the slight indention could be there originally but i did not pay attention to it because it was unpolished since it left the factory. i will have to wait for it to be service by rsc before they could touch up slightly on that area. thanks.

Remember, the final polish on a new watch at the factory is done by hand, so it will never be really perfect.

I can barely see what you are talking about and I'm pretty OCD.

Time to find something else to obsess over...

[hbk75]

Originally Posted by rmfnla

Remember, the final polish on a new watch at the factory is done by hand, so it will never be really perfect.

I can barely see what you are talking about and I'm pretty OCD.

Time to find something else to obsess over...

you are right dude. rolex watches are finished by hand in the factory. some m serial watches have different level of polishing on the lugs comparing to d and z. probably different polisher did the polishing on different serials and they all have their own methods. i have stop thinking about it after getting myself a new sub no date. but recently thought of it again and started asking questions.

[Watchcollectables]

Originally Posted by hbk75

you are right dude. rolex watches are finished by hand in the factory. some m serial watches have different level of polishing on the lugs comparing to d and z. probably different polisher did the polishing on different serials and they all have their own methods. i have stop thinking about it after getting myself a new sub no date. but recently thought of it again and started asking questions.

Rolex train their polishing technicians and they all use the same methods ;-)