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28 November 2017, 02:40 PM | #31 |
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1675 Getting the Full Treatment at LAWW
Without pictures it didn’t happen.
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28 November 2017, 02:44 PM | #32 |
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ha ha..
I just posted the before pics and I will post the during to show the actual weld on the lugs and then I will show the after. Then your jaws will drop, my PM box will be full and I wont respond to requests to do your lugs which I know are inevitably going to come.. Just letting you guys know that this is done every single day to watches with asymmetrical lugs to correct overpolishing. On this particular case, the lug holes will also need to be redrilled because of the amount of material that needs to be added. |
29 November 2017, 02:29 AM | #33 | |
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Many here in the states will fill deep gashes in cases with lasers, but as far as the people I have talked to about it, including LAWW, they will not use their laser to build out thin lugs. It must be for good reason to, aside from time consuming. They will however repair other damages using their laser. I'm sure that anything can be done out there, but with what kind of end result? I did state, it would also take forever for a single lug to be rebuilt. From what I have seen, the laser spot welds such small areas at a time, like the size of pin dots.. The only way I can imagine it being done for everything to blend is to add metal to the entire case side, because if just doing one lug, their will be high spots to the metal surface when comparing to the rest of the case side. So the entire case side must have metal added to it correct? For one lug to evenly flow to the other? Basically the entire case would have to be re-shaped after, filing, sanding, lapping, buffing? This is the only way I can see it being done. If you had the machines that LAWW have, that would cut through a lot of time to give the case a complete recut after welding with much more precise results, when compared to hand work. Now that you have posted before shots, it's obvious that you cannot leave us hanging without after shots as well as some shots of the laser welded case before a lap/polish run. |
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29 November 2017, 11:18 PM | #34 |
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I would not leave you hanging, but as I said it is time consuming so here is the "during" shots. It is layer upon layer of weld then removal and adding more. I will save us all the repetitive nature of the photos, but here are all 4 lugs welded in the during stage. Again, this is done over and over so the last set of pics will be the final result..
Here ya go.. |
29 November 2017, 11:31 PM | #35 |
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30 November 2017, 01:40 AM | #36 |
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I’m really glad this sparked a good conversation. I’m also really excited to see the finished results of that Daytona, PVR. Please share when it’s finished!
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30 November 2017, 03:25 AM | #37 |
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Subking: Im kind of insulted by that last comment:
"makes me even more concerned of the minefield that vintage collecting has become." Is this in someway dishonest or shady? Why is a person who owns a watch that wants the lugs returned to factory spec in any way creating a minefield? Would anyone of us prefer thin overpolished original pencil lugs to lasered thick and full lugs? The case is original rolex. The numbers arent being re-engraved or altered. The case was horrible and unsightly. To spend the money and time getting them thick and full is "unethical"? So, the owner should not buy a flawless watch because the case is overpolished or perhaps he should live with it being destroyed when he has the means and ability to restore it? Please explain... |
30 November 2017, 03:44 AM | #38 | |
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I think the "minefield" is that as more and more vintage pieces get this treatment and switch owners...the provenance/history of any work that may have been done gets lost. So a refinished case from years ago that was worn well so shows some signs of wear but still has a very thick case could very well pass as "untouched" when in fact it was refinished. And unlike re-lume jobs, dial refinishes, etc., I'm not sure if there is a way for us collectors to tell if a case has been refinished? It's like CARFAX. If a car has been in an accident and repaired to factory spec, it's all documented and should be disclosed during a sale. I think in the end, with the number of vintage pieces out there changing hands and technology available to improve condition (since it dramatically impacts value), it's all about transparency and having as close to an honest history about any piece out there.
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30 November 2017, 03:50 AM | #39 |
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there is nothing ethically wrong with pimping your watch, but falsely representing a watch when selling is unethical. This kind of repair work could give unscrupulous sellers the opportunity to misrepresent a watch thus making the buying of a vintage piece even more of a risk for those of us untrained in spotting the work of a skilled craftsman wielding a laser...
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30 November 2017, 07:30 AM | #40 | |
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Not only did I thank you for posting the pics, but I also said that I look forward to the finished result. Some how, you took offense all because I said collecting has become a minefield? There is nothing wrong with restoring a case. I was simply trying to say that I'm sure this process is being done to vintage pieces more than we know around the world.... Your post proves it can be done with supposedly amazing results, which means, god only knows which pieces out there are being sold as fat unpolished cases, when they could have been over polished cases to begin with. Vintage collecting has become a minefield for sure because some people around the world are finding more and more ways of passing off unoriginal pieces as original and getting the premiums they seek. If it's baking dials to make them tropical, creating fake papers, lasering cases, its all an effort to make a piece look more appealing. If this further offends you, then I don't know what to tell you? Hopefully you will get over it soon. |
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30 November 2017, 07:31 AM | #41 | |
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30 November 2017, 12:35 PM | #42 |
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30 November 2017, 02:42 PM | #43 |
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I cannot speak for all collectors, but I can speak for myself. I can tell you that there isnt a vintage restored case that has been welded or recut that I cannot tell has been recut. Now the snarky answer is "well if its been done so well then you wouldnt be able to tell, you can only tell the bad ones". Not true.
In order for a case to be welded it needs to be polished. You cannot remove a weld without polishing the case or leaving unusual brush wheel marks in the steel from the tools used to remove steel weld. So, when you state that there are unscrupulous people selling lasered and recut cases as original, then YES there are. But if you arent educated enough to make that determination then you should be paying one of the many dealers out there to VET the piece for you so you dont get fooled. How many inserts are represented as Fat Font when they are not? How many Tropic Crystals are represented as OEM and they are not? How many dials and hands are "100% original" but clearly relumed? It goes on and on in every facet of the collecting process. Not a single part from a second hand to a crown isnt counterfeited, so if you dont have the knowledge to know whats real or not then you are rolling the dice and guessing. Back to the cases.. If they have ever seen a wheel then you can always tell that it isnt unpolished. Once it hits a wheel that dull worn steel look is gone for at least another 10 years so, no one is passing off a lasered refinished case as unpolished to me or any one I know who collects big dollar pieces.. AND I have seen all of the tricks in the book that rep guys do to make a case look old and they dont reproduce the wear the same way as the original wear. When this case is done it will have NOS fat lugs and the Daytonas have no chamfer so its even harder to tell but, it will be polished and that cant be avoided. |
30 November 2017, 04:29 PM | #44 |
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wow
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30 November 2017, 10:57 PM | #45 | |
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1 December 2017, 03:08 AM | #46 | ||||
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Interesting comment. If I may, I'd like to respond to some of your points. And full disclosure, I am no "expert" or "trusted seller", etc...but I believe I come from where most/many of us on this forum come from: we have our day jobs (or are retired), watches are a hobby and we get most of our knowledge from forums/internet and books. In other words, those that are in the trade (dealers, jewelers, watchmakers, restorers, etc.) are fewer.
Now that being said, my responses: Quote:
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"NOS"? I don't think that term should be used in this case (no pun intended). To use the car analogy again, a car that was in an accident and fully repaired to factory spec should never be called "NOS" or "Factory Fresh", etc.
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13 January 2018, 02:44 AM | #47 |
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Is there a link or contact for LAWW somone can post? I have a 1970 GMT 1675 that had service dial and hands installed https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=332672 by the previous owner however he was smart enough to retain the original tritium dial and hands which I received in the purchase. I want to put it back to original and the dial has tritium smearing all over so it sounds like something LAWW would be best to handle.
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13 January 2018, 05:18 PM | #48 | |
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http://www.lawatchworks.com
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15 January 2018, 07:45 AM | #49 | |
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15 January 2018, 08:18 AM | #50 |
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I wish an overpolished lug could be thickened. I can think of 5 watches I'd buy today if that was the case. No pun.
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15 January 2018, 08:36 AM | #51 |
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Very nice they do outstanding work!
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16 January 2018, 03:27 AM | #52 |
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Beau and Edvie are the best. If you want the best service and work, look no further.
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22 May 2019, 01:46 PM | #53 | |
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I worked for an eyewear company that is famous for injection molded frames. The first time I saw laser welding, I can't believe my eyes. The weld was put onto the edge of a razor blade... We sometimes need to laser weld to repair or modify molds... It is a true art form... And those tips and tricks; only one I was allowed to know if that "the parts need to get heated" to weld so that once polished old steel and new steel has same textures...
You guys are real artists! Quote:
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25 May 2019, 12:49 PM | #54 | |
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26 May 2019, 08:25 AM | #55 |
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Great result. Beau is as good as anyone on the planet at Rolex case polishing and restoration. Enjoy that beauty in good health.
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26 May 2019, 08:27 AM | #56 |
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27 May 2019, 01:13 PM | #57 |
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Gorgeous
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27 May 2019, 02:34 PM | #58 |
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wow, amazing work!
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