To Restore - Or Not To Restore - That Is The Question...

[WillFly]

A recent question from Geo on whether I would get the dial refurbished on  a recently-bought Longines prompted some musing on my part about the vexed question of restoration - particularly of dials. It's a question I've never resolved in my own mind, so have usually tended to let things lie.

 

Coincidentally, I asked the D.R. Bill dial restoration people to give me a quote on a Luxor chrono dial which is tatty and has been "nibbled on part of the edge (I've included a pic below). He gave me a reasonable quote and said that he could do it "as long as I have the sizes in stock" - which implies that, rather than working to restore the original dial, there'll be a lookalike replacement. Roberto Facchini in Norwich gave a me a similar quote, but I got the impression that it was more of a restoration job. Difficult...

 

My problem is that, for me, a watch is a piece of history, and a 50-year old watch has 50 years of being used, lived with, etc. And I worry that, having had work done, I'll always regret the lack of the original. If a dial was really, really in a mess - which means that I would probably have bought the watch for the movement - then the decision would be easier!

 

Edited September 20, 2014 by WillFly

[Geo]

The jury is still out on my old Omega, it's a hard decision!

[autowind]

Just my view but I would like to see a quality watch restored,  there is something satisfying about bringing a much abused and knocked about watch back to almost as new condition for future generations to enjoy. 

[bobm12]

Is there a way just to clean and relume the dial, markers and/or hands? That would be a good compromise. As a comparison, it would be like me after a shave! :)  (not removing the "age" but cleaner looking!)

[CKelly]

Hi,

   Just to throw my two cents in here I think of a vintage watch much like a vintage car. They might be original with the paint all faded and having a rust hole or two in the fenders but look how much better they look after a good restoration. Of course the restoration will also prevent further damage. A friend once had a MG A I think it was. In the passenger seat you could look through the floor and see the asphalt going by. To get out you had to share the one door handle. It was much safer after restoration and looked a lot better as well. It's ok to restore paintings to the point of replacing holes in canvas.

   On watches we replace the crystal, polish the cases and change the bands without batting an eye. For me I want the dial looking nice as well. This is just my opinion and I wouldn't try to influence anyone to change their mind. Now the way I did the dial on my Omega is I bought another movement with a very bad dial that was like mine. Send that dial off to be refinished and kept the original dial on the watch until I got the refinished one back.  

Charles

[Geo]

Good post Charles, I like your analogy. I have been trying to find another dial for a while, but to no avail.

[bobm12]

Do the fairy thing don't work on these? We are not talking brand new/copy just a face lift?!

[mwilkes]

Depends on each individual watch of course but in many cases restoring the dial has the effect of 'conserving' the rest of the watch, because it becomes valued and treasured again instead of being consigned to the scrap heap or spare parts bin.

[PadraicB]

Personally, given a choice between a restored Luxor dial and the one pictured, I'd pay a lot more for the one pictured. It really depends on the end goal, does it not? Some people like seeing a watch's age, others want it to look almost brand new. If I had to, I might try to get the "nibbling" at the 5 o'clock mark repaired as much as possible but hi-res pictures usually amplify how aging detracts from appearance so it's hard for me to judge.

Of course, there's also times when "patina" is just "dirt" ;). So a cleanup, as opposed to a full restoration, is often acceptable if the dial CAN be cleaned and it's obviously far gone. And there's those times when restoration does actually preserve the rest of the watch and should precedence, like old crystals whose emissions in time can rust the movement and/or dial.

I can see why the choice is hard though, I love that dial design and if there no nibbling, I wouldn't even consider touching it.

Here's an example of another reason why I'd hesitate getting a dial restored. At the very end is a comparison between the original dial and a restoration. The two have substantial differences. To me, this would count as a terrible dial restoration...

Edited September 21, 2014 by PadraicB

[WillFly]

I can see what you mean, Padriac - the "restored"/new dial has lost the character of the original watch. It could just be a different watch.