How to tell if Rolex is unpolished?

[Roly25]

Just curious, looking at watches that state it still has original bevel. Does that mean unpolished?

Here is an example from a sold watch on HQ Milton.

https://www.hqmilton.com/timepieces/...ner-16800-5058

[ovodunn]

No. A case can be polished and still maintain the original bevel. A case can also be re-cut. Light polishing is hard to detect however i find looking at the lug holes is the best way to tell if a case has been polished. The inner edge of the hole rounds easily during polishing. Hope that helps.


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[Roly25]

So I am looking at this used 16800 and the owner claims it has never been polished. But I can't really tell from these pics. What do you think?

[brandonwahl]

Unless you are dealing with the original owner, it is very difficult to know the full story of a watch. Who knows what happened during a service by owner #4, or whatever. If you are serious about this watch in particular you can reach out to Jacek who is a partner with HQ Milton. I have never had any dealings with him personally, but he is listed here as a trusted seller. I would like to believe he will give you an informed answer.

[Tom1675]

Certainty is a very rare thing, in life and with vintage in particular.

All you can do is go with what you have in front of you and this one looks good. Although it says its "sold' so I hope it was you!

[dbhak22]

Originally Posted by Roly25

So I am looking at this used 16800 and the owner claims it has never been polished. But I can't really tell from these pics. What do you think?

As others have said, it's very difficult to know for certain 100%...even if it's the original owner, you're taking their word too. However, some things I look for are:

• Lug hole edges; are they 90-degrees or rounded?
• The sides of the casese are polished (like a mirror), how much warping is there? Polished watches will have more warping.
• Rounding of the lugs; there are varying degress of this and some even have some without an official polish but due to "sleeve polish" (just wear/tear from daily wear).
• Bottom of the case edges; when you have the watch 'upside down' (ie. crystal facing down), are the case edges sharp?

The more watches you examine in person and online you will start to see the differences on everything above.

The watch you have in mind looks quite unpolished!

[05carbondrz]

The main thing I look at is the little raised edge around the lug holes,This is from when Rolex Drills them out.The Watch in question does indeed look unpolished to me.Of course there are other things to take into account as mentioned above but the lug holes are the big one for me.

[joli160]

Originally Posted by ovodunn

No. A case can be polished and still maintain the original bevel. A case can also be re-cut. Light polishing is hard to detect however i find looking at the lug holes is the best way to tell if a case has been polished. The inner edge of the hole rounds easily during polishing. Hope that helps.


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A pro closes up the lug holes before polishing to avoid the craters.
Apart from the first owners nobody can claim with certainty that a watch is unpolished. Sellers like to use this term, but do consider it BS.
The ruined examples we often see and easily recognise are abused by amateurs. Done professionally very difficult if not impossible to see, mere microns of material, hardly measurable, is removed when polishing.
It is particularly difficult to tell in the vintage world. Finishing a Rolex was done by hand by many different watchmakers at the time.
Obviously a vintage watch which looks brand new is polished or re-cut with a slight chance of being NOS

[swish77]

Such an over-used term, "unpolished." I ignore it now, no matter who the seller is, and just judge the case for what it is.

[dpa94114]

This might sound incredibly obvious, but keep in mind that the watch only gets polished if it gets serviced...and there are lots of people who never have their watch serviced.

I bought an explorer from the owner's family who kept it in the closet for 30 years.

Polishing was a normal part of service unless you specifically said that you didn't want it polished.

[Fredrik]

Originally Posted by 05carbondrz

The main thing I look at is the little raised edge around the lug holes,This is from when Rolex Drills them out.The Watch in question does indeed look unpolished to me.Of course there are other things to take into account as mentioned above but the lug holes are the big one for me.

I totally agree.

[mattedialdoc]

I tend to call BS on the term “unpolished”.

I think if anything we should use the phrase “never polished”....and then, prove it to me! Seriously. You got the watch from a dealer/source that got from the “original owner”, and you’re telling me you can prove it was NEVER polished? Riiiiiiiight. I know, I know, but your watch is the exception. Lol.

I too have a couple watches that appear to have not been polished much, but if it was born in ‘67 (like me), who really knows what it’s gone through. God knows I can’t recall all the times I’ve been rubbed the wrong way in 50yrs!


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[springer]

Originally Posted by mattedialdoc

I tend to call BS on the term “unpolished”.

I think if anything we should use the phrase “never polished”....and then, prove it to me! Seriously. You got the watch from a dealer/source that got from the “original owner”, and you’re telling me you can prove it was NEVER polished? Riiiiiiiight. I know, I know, but your watch is the exception. Lol.

I too have a couple watches that appear to have not been polished much, but if it was born in ‘67 (like me), who really knows what it’s gone through. God knows I can’t recall all the times I’ve been rubbed the wrong way in 50yrs!


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Some good points.

We all know who they are...the same dealers/guys claiming their watches are unpolished - and relentlessly. I guess all of us old time collectors that have owned hundreds of vintage watches with only a handful of them being unpolished or appearing unpolished are just poor shoppers!!! The greatest percentage of "unpolished" watches are in pretty poor to, at best, below average condition.

[Thunderbird88]

As long as the watch is in good or even geat shape, who cares if it's been polished?
It could've been polished so good that it doesn't even show that it's been polished. Does that matter?
Same with newly cut pieces, I know many people here does not like that but in my opinion - they look damn fantastic!

[roh123]

Not sure what the fuzz is about? It is normally very easy to see if a watch is polished. That’s an easier terminology than unpolished. If you can’t tell you probably have your answer or you need to handle more watches.

[Vincent65]

Looks unpolished to me. Of course, it may have been rubbed a bit over the years, even inadvertently, but I don't think that counts as an intentional, professional or even amateur polish job. A bit like a person who can claim to have never smoked, even though they may well have stood in a smokey bar on a few occasions. Unpolished. Never smoked.

[TVal07]

I remember recently reading an interview with Eric Ku, who basically said the term "unpolished" is meaningless. As a highly regarded vintage dealer, I think that opinion carries some weight.

As many have stated above, there are tell tale signs that you can look for to determine IF.

Ultimately, unless the watch was locked in a safe or closet for 10-20-30-40 years and never serviced or worn, it's most likely been "polished" to some degree. Either from a watch service or from wearing the watch on a daily basis - think of how many times you've cleaned your watch and dried it with a microfiber or terry cloth - then think about the constant inadvertent rubbing of the case against clothing - the watch gets polished.

As part of RSC service, unless expressly communicated, your watch gets polished - and they typically do a wonderful job.