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 Post subject: plating bezel gold
PostPosted: Sun Aug 18, 2013 6:30 am 
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Hi everyone,
Could I get your thoughts about gold plating a bezel or your experience?

thanks,


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 Post subject: Re: plating bezel gold
PostPosted: Sun Aug 18, 2013 6:45 am 
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afraid you would have to replate the whole case, not so easy to get the plating color exactly right to reach a good fit for a partial replate. other than that, you need a good replater ...


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 Post subject: Re: plating bezel gold
PostPosted: Sun Aug 18, 2013 6:23 pm 
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:yeahthat

I agree with Fred. It would be difficult to get the right finish by just replating the bezel, so perhaps the whole case would need treating as well. Unless of course, it’s a separate bezel to the watch and has some gapping between it and the case. You may not notice the difference so much in that situation. What watch are you considering for this?

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 Post subject: Re: plating bezel gold
PostPosted: Tue Aug 20, 2013 7:35 pm 
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P51 wrote:
:yeahthat

I agree with Fred. It would be difficult to get the right finish by just replating the bezel, so perhaps the whole case would need treating as well. Unless of course, it’s a separate bezel to the watch and has some gapping between it and the case. You may not notice the difference so much in that situation. What watch are you considering for this?


Thank you both for your advice. It's a Chronomat 808. I've been on the fence on this and still not convinced this is the direction I should go.


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 Post subject: Re: plating bezel gold
PostPosted: Wed Aug 21, 2013 12:51 am 
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Hi demsey,

Well, it’s a very nice model, developing on from the 769, as it were. There has been some pretty keen debate here on if it’s worth doing any refurb work on gold plate where damage to the base material would mean corrections will require resurfacing. Some are convinced it’s achievable (everything is achievable) and some, like me, worry that local capabilities may not be able to do a flawless job or would cost a considerable amount more than you expected. You could send it away or get help from other members here in the best refurb experts, but essentially it depends on what your expectations are as to the finish you end up with. I guess that’s why you are erring at the moment.

In this case, maybe the way to look at it would be; as the bezel is rotatable and it’s rather thin in comparison to other models, would it notice that much if the gold finish did not completely match the case finish? A lot of it is underneath and less visible. Given that over time, with contact by skin, etc, the gold will probably change slightly in colour and gain its own patina anyway. Could you cope with this. Would you notice as much and would others notice it too?

If its a nice watch and worth the refurb, then I think I would probably take the opportunity to get it refinished in this case. You have mitigated the rsik to a certain extend because of the watch that it is (808).

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 Post subject: Re: plating bezel gold
PostPosted: Wed Aug 21, 2013 1:26 am 
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short answer: yes, there are excellent replaters. you'd have to be ready to accept an "as new" restoration, of course - a purely personal decision, but the end results are close to perfect, hard to tell apart from true NOS cases.

no, they are typically not "local" - this is a small world and it's well worth the effort of shipping the cases across continents to achieve good and affordable results.

you do need a watchmaker to disassemble the cases, of course - remove movements, pushers and tubes and then reassemble the watch; so my advice would be to contact Craig and ask for his assistance; if u have another very reliable watchmaker, pm me for replater advice.


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 Post subject: Re: plating bezel gold
PostPosted: Wed Aug 21, 2013 7:02 pm 
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I think I pm Fred instead of replying or sent it to my outbox. I had very long hours at work this week and I'm feeling burnt out. Here's my message again just encase...

Once again you guys come through with shining colors. You are right Fred and Jim. I'm going to have to be more realistic and go the full restoration route to have it done right. I'll talk to a local watch repair guy locally about the disassemble and see what my options are. Maybe I can do the plating locally but if the case is to send it away to get it done right, then it's a no brainer. I know Craig does a great job and will check with him as well. I'll sure to have more questions and will keep you posted.
thanks again!


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