Case Replating Before & After - Not so happy ending

[morningtundra]

Some may remember this delightful Datum Geneve chronograph from previous threads...

http://www.intlwatchleague.com/showt...ighlight=datum

http://www.intlwatchleague.com/showt...ighlight=datum

I've worn and enjoyed it but was always bothered by the heavily damaged case. I ended up having a watchmaker send it to "his guy" to have "sorted out" (polish out some of the damage and re-plate it).

While the electroplating job is nice with only minor evidence of the previous abuse, the polishing was clumsy.

The original crisp lug lines are almost indistinguishable now. They originally resembed chamfers or the Lyre lugs of a Speedmaster.

I think I've ended up destroying much of the character of this watch and am feeling downhearted and frankly a little crushed...

The point of this post is to warn others against any desire to correct or hide the passage of time. Like any face-lift, butt-tuck or boob-job, you will most likely regret it...

I'm not sure what I'm going to do now. The chances of finding a replacement case are next to zero. Each time I put it on, the warm feelings of admiration have been replaced by a cold feeling of regret.


BEFORE

AFTER

[is that my watch]

shame plus looks like they over cleaned the dial too ?

[morningtundra]

shame plus looks like they over cleaned the dial too ?

That’s just the crappy photo... they only worked on the case.


Sent from my cracked, broken hand wound phone. IG @morning_tundra

[shameless]

hindsight is a wonderful thing ! i'm sure you meant well though - a Landeron no doubt inside -i don't know if the value is increased or decreased but i think probably the latter to a purist who after all is the likely market for an otherwise obscure name -a light clean would have sufficed for me i quite liked the original 'warts an all' depending on what your original outlay was - something that would never have occurred for me to have done and i have owned a number of wartime pieces with similar plate loss

[morningtundra]

Landeron 48 inside - it's by no means an expensive, rare or valuable piece. Hence my lack of concern about "reconditioning" the case. At the time I wasn't concerned about the plate loss - it was about the nasty gouges in the mid case. I knew I wouldn't be "adding any value" when I sent it off. It was purely an indulgence to salve my own OCD. While it still runs fine and the dial is charming, it's no longer the watch it was. Appropriately sized cases appear on the Bay from time to time for around $100 but I've yet to see a case quite like this one. Maybe one day, one will show up and I'll get a chance to atone for my heinous crime against horology...