A recent job in the workshop involved cleaning and refinishing the case of a stunning Rolex Day-Date II.
Rolex are arguably the biggest name in the world of watches, with numerous inventions, innovations and awards to their name. Their range of watches includes some truly iconic models including the Datejust, Submariner, Air King and Day-Date.
Rolex Day-Date II before polishing and refinishing
This particular Rolex Day-Date is crafted in 18ct gold. It’s always a pleasure to refinish gold – you can achieve excellent results, with the correct tools and techniques of course.
The first step was to remove the movement from the case. Once the movement is removed we can disassemble the case – so this means removing the bezel, glass and case tube. Once the case is down to its individual components, we are able to give everything a clean before we begin the polishing process.
The refinishing process involved stages of polishing the different elements of the case using a few different techniques. This is all done using our Durston double polishing motor. For the final high polish finish we use Menzerna M5 compound. This is a personal preference – alternatively we could use red Dialux and also achieve excellent results. As we’re working on gold there’s no need to use aggressive polishing mops and compounds – we don’t want to ruin the profile of the case and as there are no major scratches it’s better to be conservative.
Once the refinishing of each part of the case is complete, they are given an ultrasonic clean. Each part is then steam cleaned to ensure everything is spotless before reassembly.
Reassembling the case is a matter of initially refitting the case tube and glass, before then fitting the friction fit bezel. Once this is done the movement can be re-installed into the case, before the case back is fitted and the watch tested for water resistance. The watch is also checked on our timegrapher to confirm the timekeeping is still excellent. Once fully reassembled, the results are truly stunning.
The stunning result, fully refurbished Rolex Day-Date II.
Do you have a Rolex watch in need of repair? Get in contact with us to see how we can help. We are able to repair almost any Rolex watch and we offer a comprehensive watch repair service. We cater to clients all around the UK thanks to our fully insured freepost watch repairs service. You can also bring watches in to our showrooms based in Lewes and Uckfield, Sussex. As Business Partners of the British Horological Institute and a Feefo Platinum Trusted Service Award accredited business, you can be confident when dealing with us.
Yours sincerely
David Clark PJDip PJGemDip CertGA
Managing Director
W E Clark & Son Limited