How to authenticate my Vintage Rolex dial?

[Acebernstein]

Hi everyone, I am new to Rolex watches and I am trying to learn, I was handed down a 1960’s oyster perpetual explorer from my dad. I have had some people tell me the dial may be refinished and I am trying to authenticate that because I know that can hurt the value.... which would suck. So if anyone could help me and tell me if my dial is refinished..... and if so I would really like to know why as I am still learning.... also if anyone knows the value of these watches with a refinished dial that would really be helpful too, Thanks for your time everyone
Ace.B 🙂

[alwayshere]

very blurry photo but looks refinished indeed

[offrdmania]

You need a much clearer photo than that for any authentication

[callahan44]

Holy moly, that’s definitely refinished. You can see it at the blurred numbers and not defined markers that it has been (bad) relumed.

[Juhuatai]

yep that crown looks refinished

[Dan S]

Ace: You're not doing yourself a favor by posting a single blurry, grainy, low-light, and out-of-focus photo. It is indeed likely that the dial is refinished or aftermarket, but if you want reliable information you should make more of an effort to post some good photos. I understand that you may not be experienced with photos, but anyone can do it with a little work.

Take several dozen photos with your phone experimenting with different lighting conditions, angles and distances, and choose a few that are in sharp focus and show the dial with good contrast. Natural lighting often works best. Then you will get the best information.

If you want some real information about value, photos of the entire watch are needed so people can just the condition of the case as well. Take photos at various angles, showing the lugs and case-back as well. If you can remove the bracelet, take good photos of the numbers between the lugs at top and bottom.

Some people will only check in once for a given thread, so it's best to post lots of good photos the first time. However, even adding more photos at this point could be helpful.

[1665fan]

Redial...

[Acebernstein]

Sorry guys, It said my photo resolution was too big and so was the file size to upload here... so I had to manually resize it and that was the result, I had other photos but they were way too big to even try to cut down. I appreciate everyone helping me with the dial regardless. It is really disappointing to find out but it is what it is. I know these can be worth quite a bit in original condition. Does anyone know if there is any value in the rest of the watch if the dial is refinished? I know that the rest of the watch is all original and has clear serial and model #. Thanks again guys

[Dan S]

Originally Posted by Acebernstein

Sorry guys, It said my photo resolution was too big and so was the file size to upload here... so I had to manually resize it and that was the result, I had other photos but they were way too big to even try to cut down. I appreciate everyone helping me with the dial regardless. It is really disappointing to find out but it is what it is. I know these can be worth quite a bit in original condition. Does anyone know if there is any value in the rest of the watch if the dial is refinished? I know that the rest of the watch is all original and has clear serial and model #. Thanks again guys

Yes, there is still value in it. The amount will depend on condition, age, etc. You can upload images to a photo hosting site (e.g., Imgur) and post links.

[1665fan]

For real value you would need to spend good money on original dial and hands

[sillo]

Plenty of value left if the rest of the watch is in good condition and original/genuine Rolex parts. Sourcing a good dial shouldn't be too hard if you're willing to spend the money.