Would you polish?

[ilovewatchestoo]

Seems deep and would require a decent amount of metal to be take out. I wouldn't do it for that reason and also for the fact that sorry to say your going to get another scratch on the bezel sometime again in its life. Leave it and enjoy it.

[Draxler]

I don't take botox.
And I'll never polish my watches.

[gossbeau]

Polish it with Cap Cod cloth but lightly only. You don't want the numerals to go away as well. Mine already are already starting to fade so I might swap the bezel for a ceramic one.

[Ruud Van Driver]

Originally Posted by dadonn2

I'm not the polish police and personally feel that the "don't polish" edict is a little overblown. People regularly polish thin rings and they don't disappear.

Were you a flipper, then unpolished maintains the integrity to the watch. There's definitely been some clear cases of over polishing which has struck fear into the hearts of horologists the world over. And for some, cleaning a watch seems like cosmetic surgery wherein once it starts, it becomes a nasty habit. You're not flipping and clearly aren't the type of who keeps their couches covered in plastic like my friend's Grandma.

Buffing out an annoying scratch by a professional will give you piece of mind. One man's opinion. Maybe Mick P can chime in and pass judgment on everyone.

[Ruud Van Driver]

Ok, I'm just back from RSC Singapore where I had a good long chat with the ever-helpful and very knowledgeable Diana. She showed another side of herself today, and that was good old common sense. She took a look at my Daytona and said that in her opinion, there was little that could be done because of the depth of the scratch. She then passed me her loupe so I could take a proper butcher's and it appeared that she wasn't wrong. To be sure, she sent it upstairs and it came back ten minutes later with her opinion confirmed. She softened the blow by saying that my watch looked incredibly well looked after for a two year old Daytona that obviously gets worn. She then softened it further by saying that a new bezel was S$400 (£225, US$295), which was pleasantly surprising.

She then said I should go home, wear the watch and enjoy it. I should not waste my money on a new bezel because I'll only scratch it again. Her advice was to wait until service time and get it all done in one fell swoop.

I think I'll let it be and do exactly as advised by a grown-up at Rolex

[1William]

Good to hear Rolex's response but I would have had a new bezel installed while I waited. The money involved is not much and it would make the watch right. Sure it could be scratched again, anything can happen but more than likely not. The scratch is deep and every time I looked at the watch I would see it. If one of my cars had a similar significant scratch in the paint I would fix it. If my clothes were torn I would mend them. Stop agonizing or justifying because if you were good with the scratch you would not have posted here. None of us want to pay more than we need too but as others have said before it is the cost of ownership.

[John Condom]

Should have had the bezel replaced. Poor decision.

[Racerdj]

On this one, I would have it fixed.

[Ruud Van Driver]

Originally Posted by 1William

Good to hear Rolex's response but I would have had a new bezel installed while I waited. The money involved is not much and it would make the watch right. Sure it could be scratched again, anything can happen but more than likely not. The scratch is deep and every time I looked at the watch I would see it. If one of my cars had a similar significant scratch in the paint I would fix it. If my clothes were torn I would mend them. Stop agonizing or justifying because if you were good with the scratch you would not have posted here. None of us want to pay more than we need too but as others have said before it is the cost of ownership.

You make some good points except you wouldn't have it done while you waited because it's a turn around time of a few days.

A scratched car is perhaps not the best comparison. You leave exposed metal on a car and, in most cases, it's asking for corrosion. Clothes are a different matter, most of us would just replace them.

However, you're right and I'm not good with the scratch; I said in the OP that it's driving me bonkers. I'm going to try and live it a bit longer though; RSC isn't going anywhere and neither is my Daytona. If I find it gets on top of me, then it's a (relatively) inexpensive fix. RSC is twenty minutes away from my office and I have several other watches to choose from. In fact, I can wear it for a week and then have it fixed in plenty of time for its turn back in my six-week rotation

Originally Posted by John Condom

Should have had the bezel replaced. Poor decision.

That's your view and you're entitled to it but guess what? It's my decision and I'm ok with it.

[RichM]

Not the outcome I was hoping for but probably the right one. As long as you're OK with it, that's all that matters. Thanks for the update.

[Speed]

Originally Posted by Ruud Van Driver

A pretty even balance of views here



First of all to the comedians, flipping is not an option. This is my first Rolex and has my birthday on the warranty card. Aside from that, it was hard enough finding my D-Blue so I'm not going through that faff again for a Daytona C, which is a watch I have no real interest in. There are two others on my list before I consider anything else.



I'm going to take my Daytona to RSC today and ask if they can remove the scratch without causing any deterioration in the bezel markings. If they can, I'll do it. If not, I'll have to have a re-think. I'll also check the price of a new bezel while I'm there; if it's reasonable then I might order one now and save it for service time because I imagine it'll be significantly more expensive by the time my watch needs a service.



Thanks for all your views, including the comedians

Sounds like a great plan...and I must say you've got one of the best attitudes on TRF. Great enthusiasm in your posts - not to mention great Rolex / Pam models.

Enjoy your birthday Daytona. I still don't have one yet.

[Camel]

Paul, I'll try polishing it lightly with a Cape Cod cloth, just to smooth out the mark a bit - should make it less visible to the naked eye.

[PatrickJ]

Can't the bezel be replaced by RSC?

[SeaAndSky]

No. Trust that all of us saying no know that in a few months time you won't be bothered by that at all. In fact it's quite liberating to just accept the wear marks a watch acquires. It's the only way to truly enjoy material possessions in my humble opinion.

[Speed]

Originally Posted by PatrickJ

Can't the bezel be replaced by RSC?

Yes

[Ruud Van Driver]

Originally Posted by Rich Mickol

Not the outcome I was hoping for but probably the right one. As long as you're OK with it, that's all that matters. Thanks for the update.

Not what I wanted either, Richie. It's too deep but it's not going to break the bank if it does my head in to the extent that I have to change the bezel. I'm also very lucky that RSC is only twenty minutes away on the bus.

Even when I re-locate back to the UK in 2018, there's an RSC halfway between my house and my office so no drama there either

Originally Posted by Speed

Sounds like a great plan...and I must say you've got one of the best attitudes on TRF. Great enthusiasm in your posts - not to mention great Rolex / Pam models.

Enjoy your birthday Daytona. I still don't have one yet.

Thanks Bill

Originally Posted by Camel

Paul, I'll try polishing it lightly with a Cape Cod cloth, just to smooth out the mark a bit - should make it less visible to the naked eye.

I wouldn't trust myself with one of those, Willem. I'll most likely make it worse. Once I decide enough is enough, I'll replace the bezel and be done

Originally Posted by PatrickJ

Can't the bezel be replaced by RSC?

Yep, see above. S$400 all in

[TG3N]

Originally Posted by Ruud Van Driver

I think I'll let it be and do exactly as advised by a grown-up at Rolex

This line made me laugh way more than it should've - very aptly put!

The slight air of reproach from some posters is a bit odd. There's no right or wrong decision here, only the correct choice for the owner of the watch.

Each to their own, we're all different, but I think you made the right choice. Very lovely watch, also.

It's not that bad a mark, and you can't be spending £225 every time your watch gets a scratch, not to mention the repair turnaround time & hassle. There are other (very) small bezel scratches evident in the photo, so you'd be a certainty to mark your worryingly new & shiny bezel again sooner rather than later. Plus, I'm not sure a super-new metallic bezel would fit overly well with a more 'lived-in' bracelet of the same metal - best to allow it all to patina gracefully & polish/replace all at once at next service.

I totally empathize with the agony of scratches, by the way - I'm the current owner of a 12-day old brand-new SubC, and I wince every time I brush it against a rough patch of thin air! Already put a tiny scratch on it from my iPad - that hurt quite a bit.

[Ruud Van Driver]

Originally Posted by SeaAndSky

No. Trust that all of us saying no know that in a few months time you won't be bothered by that at all. In fact it's quite liberating to just accept the wear marks a watch acquires. It's the only way to truly enjoy material possessions in my humble opinion.

I'm in the process of forcing my brain to recalibrate itself to this way of thinking. I'm going to give it until Christmas to see if I can accept it and take it from there

[Muzz]

Originally Posted by John Condom

Should have had the bezel replaced. Poor decision.

better to wait until service time. Very smart decision actually.

[jrs146]

I would not polish. Looks fine. It's a SS bezel, it's going to get some marks

[OysterCrazy]

I'd say wise move! You've explored the options, you know what costs are going to be incurred if you choose to replace the bezel. Give yourself some breathing space, if you find you can live with it happy days, if not change out the bezel when you've given youself the opportunity to see if the pain of looking at it passes. Would have been easy to make a knee jerk decision and change it out there and then without standing back to reflect and see how much it bothers you tomorrow, next week etc..... as you say, it's not out of your way to get it swapped out if it's still stopping you enjoying the watch in the future!

[sechsgang]

that one would bother me too. Do what needs to be done. If they mess up and kill the script, then just get a new bezel.

[masyv6]

Originally Posted by Danny83

Flip it for a ceramic

And then give it to me!

[Runnin' Rebel]

Paul, I'd probably flip it unless it has special meaning for you

Pm sent

[Spoonage]

Leave as is.