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Old 10 November 2017, 08:11 PM   #1
nigelUK
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Thoughts on case corrosion?

A trusted collector has mentioned to me he has a 1680 with some heavy pitting/ corrosion that he would sell to me for a good price. Currently his daily beater and would be my daily beater if I decided to go ahead.

It has a nice dial/hands and the rest of the case looks ok.

My questions to you learned folk are . .

is corrosion terminal ? (The watch originated from a very hot country & assume sweat would have been the main catalyst - and that source is now removed, I live in the UK . . we don't sweat)

Presumably Rolex would not carry out a movement service without case replacement due to warranty issues / water resistance ?

Are genuine movement parts impossible to come by for 1680s should I require them further down the line ? (and want a service by independent)

See photos below ;
Note: I think the photo indicates a bit of corrosion in the rehaut area ?

If the collector sees this thread please do not think I am picking the watch apart !, I'm just seeking additional advice / info on the corrosion.
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Old 10 November 2017, 08:38 PM   #2
Vincent65
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Wow - that's the worst case (pun intended) of corrosion I've ever seen. This guy must have very acidic sweat (alien?! - I know, that's the blood).

There's also more than 'a bit' of corrosion under the bezel assembly/plexi retention ring on the top of the case.

Ugliness aside, it'll probably stay essentially intact as long, or longer than you do, but never swim with it.

I believe Rolex would indeed want to replace that case, but don't take it to them, unless you want to pay for a new case, of course.

You can quite easily find a watchmaker who has access to genuine service parts.

For what it's worth - I would never buy that, for any price.
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Old 10 November 2017, 09:09 PM   #3
tamiya
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Wow, haven't seen corrosion happen so bad in just one spot.

How's the other lug side?

More importantly, how the case to back seal surfaces? Similarly pitted?


Unless it's perforated thru could still be life yet. These days with laser welding it might be possible to fill with metal then grind back & refinish to like new.
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Old 10 November 2017, 09:40 PM   #4
theflywrist
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That is some serious pitting. I agree it would bug me as well.

I had a watch with much less severe pitting between the lugs, and it was all around the inside of the case back, a little bit on the outside too, as well as around the movement (movement was okay), and when I removed the crystal/retaining ring, it was all around the front of the case too. Not a place you'd be able to physically see it ever when the watch is strapped on, but it bothered me personally anyway, especially comparing to my other watches that were much MUCH cleaner.
I think it would remain that way and you already know you should not swim with it, so if the pitting really doesn't bother you at all, then I don't see why not..
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Old 10 November 2017, 10:55 PM   #5
nigelUK
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sensible comments thanks . .

there doesn't appear to be any corrosion between the other lugs or caseback but I would need further investigation to confirm this . .

Might have a look in the flesh and ask to see it with back off
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Old 11 November 2017, 12:06 AM   #6
Richard Carver
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That's not like any pitting I've seen, looks more like a lot of work with various size punches to obscure the serial number. You say there is no corresponding corrosion on the other side; what about the gasket channel? If it's clean I would assume there is a problem and avoid purchasing.




It's usually more evenly distributed. See the black in the pits? That's active corrosion.
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Old 11 November 2017, 12:28 AM   #7
luvan12
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omg, thats really bad. Never seen pitting like that.
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Old 11 November 2017, 12:32 AM   #8
iliketime
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passssssssssssss more importantly what happened? or what was that even exposed to?
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Old 11 November 2017, 12:33 AM   #9
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you're setting yourself up for something that you will most likely regret. superficially, it doesn't look terrible. but nonetheless, I'd know what lurks beneath. and sweat would not do this. this looks like it was intended to obscure information.

unless the price tag was in the 1,000 range, it would be a pass from me and wait for something nicer to come along.
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Old 11 November 2017, 01:32 AM   #10
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In stainless steel, thats the kind of pitting you see from blood sitting on the metal for a long period of time. I have seen that kind of pitting on stainless gun slides that were used in crimes where the blood was not washed off on evidence pieces.
Just imagine the story that the watch is screaming to tell!
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Old 11 November 2017, 01:42 AM   #11
rootbeer7
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there is no sweat on earth that could do that. That must have been some sort of corrosive substance that got on it. I wouldn't purchase.
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Old 11 November 2017, 02:09 AM   #12
nigelUK
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Quote:
Originally Posted by offrdmania View Post
In stainless steel, thats the kind of pitting you see from blood sitting on the metal for a long period of time. I have seen that kind of pitting on stainless gun slides that were used in crimes where the blood was not washed off on evidence pieces.
Just imagine the story that the watch is screaming to tell!
How very interesting !
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Old 11 November 2017, 02:44 AM   #13
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Passion this one
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Old 11 November 2017, 03:24 PM   #14
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Sometimes a good watch needs saving..

Most of the pitted lug can be re-contoured with laser welding, I wouldn't touch the case side very much.

The actual lugs don't look like they have been overly refinished at all and so I might look at the caseback insides to see if it is decent or not, and think about a reasonable price.
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Old 11 November 2017, 03:34 PM   #15
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I would pass for sure,Looks like a giant headache to me.
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Old 11 November 2017, 10:34 PM   #16
Sublovin
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Holy moly! Looks like it sat in acid! crazy
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Old 11 November 2017, 10:58 PM   #17
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I wouldn't pay for it. But I might barter my labor for it. Does he need any help fixing a treehouse?

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Old 12 November 2017, 12:21 AM   #18
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If the price was right, I would buy that in minute and laser weld all that myself. The serial number is already trashed so that isn't an issue. The corrosion on the bezel/retention area would be tricky, but not impossible. I have rebuilt that area on gold cases before with excellent results.
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Old 12 November 2017, 01:05 AM   #19
nigelUK
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Quote:
Originally Posted by goldfixer21 View Post
If the price was right, I would buy that in minute and laser weld all that myself. The serial number is already trashed so that isn't an issue. The corrosion on the bezel/retention area would be tricky, but not impossible. I have rebuilt that area on gold cases before with excellent results.
Interesting . .

Would you mind telling me what you might charge someone for this type of work ? just a ballpark figure.
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Old 12 November 2017, 01:11 PM   #20
semi-ambivalent
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there is no sweat on earth that could do that. That must have been some sort of corrosive substance that got on it. I wouldn't purchase.
I have never seen corrosion like that first image of the lug. Some pits are deep, smooth, and hemispherical. It looks to me like weld splatter, or as if an electrical short had touched the case there. Crazy.
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Old 12 November 2017, 01:16 PM   #21
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Not even worth contemplating purchase of someone else’s headache
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Old 12 November 2017, 01:19 PM   #22
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I would pass for sure. I have 99 problems and don't need 100!
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Old 12 November 2017, 02:24 PM   #23
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I have a 1680 acquired new in 1977 that has spent most of it's life on my sweaty wrist in two of the hottest and most humid places on earth, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi, UAE. It has done numerous dives in the highly saline Red Sea and Persian Gulf. There is not one speck of corrosion on it. The watch the OP is showing must have had some corrosive on it, or as mentioned above, a punch used to obliterate the serial number.

Pasadena.

I always wash with mild soapy water and dry with hair drier on low.
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Old 10 August 2021, 12:26 AM   #24
Pouakai
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There is an incredible story here for sure! Someone working with incredibly corrosive chemicals.
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Old 10 August 2021, 12:45 AM   #25
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The super rare moon crater case………I’m sure some dealers on here would love to own that one!!!!
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Old 10 August 2021, 01:45 AM   #26
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tools View Post
Sometimes a good watch needs saving..

Most of the pitted lug can be re-contoured with laser welding, I wouldn't touch the case side very much.

The actual lugs don't look like they have been overly refinished at all and so I might look at the caseback insides to see if it is decent or not, and think about a reasonable price.
Yep - if the price was right, I would buy it. But this is at least 30% below market of that watch due to case issues, after addressing the other issues - is it original dial, it has a service insert, etc..
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