Unpolished, to be or not to be?
Lately, there’s a lot of banter and “expert” rambling on unpolished watches. If you don’t read anything else, hear this - don’t let anyone change your opinion or stance on the matter. Whatever works for you is just perfect.
A lot of collectors will probably think I’m an unpolished disciple of the great Eric Wind because of his stance on the subject. However, my crispy-cased journey started way before my coveted friendship with Professor Wind.
Back in 2012 I bought my first Tudor Big Block chronograph. It was the first of four I would go on to own. It was a reference 94300, panda, “Tudor” solo dial, the earliest of the Big Block dials dating to the late 1970’s. Trapezoidal hour markers, outlined date window, Rolex crown and stamped caseback, it was as close to a Daytona I thought I might get. A very special example in the Tudor chrono lineage.
My first Tudor Big Block. photo credit: Lunar Oyster
Come on, skinny lug, just last the year.
I owned that watch for about a year before I realized the issue; the lower right lug was a toothpick. Ground down to a mere nub, it was staring me right in the face the entire time. It was only after I had it overhauled and started to share more frequently on IG that I noticed the issue. Compared to other Big Blocks posted, it was just pathetic. Now, if you know the Big Block you know that one of the most prominent features is its chamfers on top of all four lugs. They define the case. This particular example was bulbous with nothing but rounded edges. It was a devastating realization.
I collect vintage because I like the charm and the history of the watch. I like the imperfection and the life lived. The stories they could tell and the lore that surrounds them. I like them beat up. If I wanted a watch that looked new, I’d buy a new or modern watch. Polishing for me isn’t about whether a watch case or bracelet is deformed because of a service or diminished in value because
of its lack of original finish, it’s about whether it’s in its natural, lived-in state.
Rewatch the Hodinkee video The Thirteen MilSubs Of Grahame Fowler. There’s a spot towards the end where Grahame sums up my sentiment on vintage and polishing. He says, “it’s like classic cars and classic bikes, it’s always nice to find them as they are and kind of ride them and seal them as they are. So many things are tightened up, they’re all polished up and everything’s so new and shiny and that really isn’t how they end up.”
I want a watch to come to me as it ended up. To me, that’s the point of vintage, untouched by a polishing wheel and original, raw, with all its flaws and stories. There may be watches that are polished that I don’t know or recognize. And yes, I realize that a 30, 40, 50, 60+ year old watch is likely to have been polished. I am not saying there is anything wrong with polishing a watch. I am just saying that a polished watch is not what speaks to me.
Buy what you love
Anyone trying to sell a polished vintage watch might just be trying to sell a watch. The same cannot be said about a dealer selling an unpolished watch. They, in fact, may be trying to sell you an intact and original watch.
