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24 March 2018, 05:20 AM | #1 |
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Vintage Service: Why is LAWW so Expensive?!
Im looking to buy an older watch and i was going to have LAWW do a buff and polish on it...... but they are so expensive!! I can almost send it to Rolex in Dallas for less money.
Someone else referred me to a few other guys that can do it for much less money. any comments here? Much appreciated. |
24 March 2018, 05:23 AM | #2 |
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I've used LAWW a couples times, and the results were worth every penny.
They do stellar work. Best, -GW |
24 March 2018, 05:27 AM | #3 |
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Because they do the BEST work in the business. There is a reason they’re trusted by all of the big vintage dealers.
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24 March 2018, 06:21 AM | #4 |
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This! I have had them work on a couple of very intricate projects and have been stunned by the favorable outcomes. While true that they are not cheap (and the turnaround can be somewhat long)...the outcome is well worth the cost without question.
X |
24 March 2018, 06:44 AM | #5 |
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Because they are better than Rolex at case restoration by a long shot.
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24 March 2018, 07:20 AM | #6 |
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Their pricing seems very reasonable.
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24 March 2018, 07:25 AM | #7 |
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It might seem expensive, but that's the way it is in the crazy world of vintage watches. Any of the top-notch watchmakers who deal with high-end vintage Rolexes will be pricey, including LAWW.
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25 March 2018, 01:08 AM | #8 |
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LAWW have done movement servicing and case work for me on watches. They are the best at re cutting a case. There is a big difference between a case re cut and a case polish..
About the movement service, Bob Ridley does stellar work on movement overhauls and actually I believe is slightly less expensive than LAWW from my experience. His turnaround time will also be faster. However, Bob does not do case re-cuts. So it really depends on the work that you need done. If you want case work and movement work done, send it all to LAWW. If case work only, send to LAWW. If movement service only, send to Bob. Just my 2 cents. a note to add, Bob Ridley was the LAWW of his time, but since ABC came around then LAWW after, Bob's services became more limited in the eyes of collectors that needed factory case work to be performed, which is why LAWW are the popular ones on the block this day and age. But Bob is still the best at what he does and many newer collectors/members don't know the suite of services that bob has to offer, because all you hear about is LAWW. So in the end, see which company better suits your needs for what you want done. I can only speak about LAWW and Ridley because those are the only two I have ever used in the years of collecting vintage and have nothing bad to say about either company. |
25 March 2018, 01:11 AM | #9 | |
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25 March 2018, 02:00 AM | #10 |
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Most collectors don’t need case work. Recutting is just a great way to save a somewhat destroyed case. I would only do it if the case was poorly polished in the past. Most collectors I know would also steer clear of a watch in a recut case. The same as with a poorly polished case.
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25 March 2018, 03:31 AM | #11 |
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Nobody reshapes overpolished cases like they do...
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25 March 2018, 05:23 AM | #12 | |
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I would any day of the week rather have a recut case by LAWW than a worn improperly polished case. |
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25 March 2018, 05:53 AM | #13 | |
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25 March 2018, 06:18 AM | #14 | |
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25 March 2018, 06:23 AM | #15 | |
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There are very minimal original cases left in decent condition, let alone unpolished condition. And, let's call it what it is, refinished cases. Thanks.
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25 March 2018, 08:52 AM | #16 |
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Here’s my opinion.
Recutting a case is good in those cases when a watch is poorly polished. Agreed. But if the watch isn’t special to you or if it is so rare that it can’t be replaced it really isn’t worth the trouble or the money to have it recut. It wont really be profitable to do so and I would personally just sell the piece and add the money I was thinking on restoring it on top of what I could sell it for when hunting for a watch that look like I want. Recutting it is really only make up to me and I always get that feeling it was laser welded when I see it. It just don’t give me that warm and fuzzy feeling I like. Certain watches are more ok than others to polish and refinish but sport rolexes isn’t one of them. Of course most watches are polished but many still remain in their original shape. Each to their own though as this seem to be a popular service. It’s just not for me.
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27 March 2018, 09:51 AM | #17 |
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I am not that familiar with LAWW. I am familiar with Dalton Toledo, that I have been told works there.
Dalton is Certified. He has also spent some time at a high end RSC/AD doing repairs. He is also known for his talent at making a case look great He has worked on my matt dials, 16660 Sea Dweller, GMT 16750, and my GMT 1675. The 16750 had a slightly bent balancing wheel bar (?) and other problems. The 1675 was not running. He fixed both. The 1675 now is running and loses a little bit more than a second a day when it is on my wrist. To show his versatility, I had two old pocket watches that were handed down in the family. They were from the 1800's. Both of them had the balancing wheel pin that was broken. He made new pins! He is my go to guy for watches. JMHO
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28 March 2018, 01:28 AM | #18 | |
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Beau does the case recuts, that is the difference between a refinish/polish job and a recut/retooled case.. They are a triple threat team over at LAWW. For that kind of expertise under one roof, there will always be a premium |
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28 March 2018, 04:15 AM | #19 |
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28 March 2018, 06:10 AM | #20 | |
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... and refinished is the proper terminology for any case that has been polished aka refinished.
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28 March 2018, 06:31 AM | #21 |
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To each their own. People are free to use any terminology they want. I myself will use the same terminology that the industry professionals use, who are performing these case recuts..
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28 March 2018, 06:43 AM | #22 |
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28 March 2018, 06:45 AM | #23 |
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Here is my opinion. It’s worth using LAWW if you’ll have any casework done simply because A) Beau is a master and B) everyone knows it and if you sell more people will be pleased the work was done there.
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28 March 2018, 06:46 AM | #24 | |
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28 March 2018, 07:02 AM | #25 |
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28 March 2018, 07:32 AM | #26 |
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I agree that people can call it whatever they want, but like with many things people come up with new terminology to charge different prices for services. Before all this polished, recut, reprofiled, vintage refinish, etc. all cases were either refinished or not and the quality of the craftsman was what differentiated the difference.
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28 March 2018, 07:54 AM | #27 | |
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Ps: this terminology isn’t used as a ploy to charge more for services as you suggest. You are actually getting what you pay for with LAWW’s case recut. It’s not done by hand like a typical polish job that any jewelry store does. It’s a Much different process with much different machinery used. |
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28 March 2018, 08:07 AM | #28 | |
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28 March 2018, 08:59 AM | #29 |
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If the case has been a bit over polished and you can no longer see the original champhers, I love the look of the recut/ refinished case. I think they look great overall of course, unpolished to very minimally polished would be preferred, but there are less and less on the market. In that case, refinished/recut is just fine.
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13 April 2018, 04:14 AM | #30 |
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