If you’re going to spend thousands of dollars on a beautiful timepiece, you want it to look its best at all times. So how often is too often to have it polished? Read on …
Last week, a customer asked me to polish his watch while he waited. After asking a few questions, I learned his watch had been previously polished at another jewelry store in a different state.
Initially, he was upset that I did not immediately take his watch to our buffing machine. But after slowing down the process, and explaining the harm of over-polishing his Rolex, he was able to understand our goal was to help and educate.
Fine Swiss watches are more and more prized in the American market, and the interest and value continues to grow in the secondary market. Although it may seem like a good idea to have your watch buffed out while you wait in a jewelry store, the reality is that over-polishing can alter the sharp edges of a case, bezel, lugs or links and ultimately, reduce the style definition and the value of your timepiece.
Secondary market experts evaluate a watch carefully – looking for smoothed down case and lug edges, shorter case lugs, and lower profile bezels. What looks bright and shiny today may lead to a lower value in the future!
Some of our brands insist we ask each customer to approve case polishing when their timepiece is sent in for factory service. Otherwise, the watch movement will be serviced and the watch returned with no polish performed.
One great example of this is the Patek Philippe Nautilus family of watches. The precise, sharp edge of the bezel cannot be redone after the watch is incorrectly polished, thereby permanently reducing the watch value. Scary!
Two lessons here – one for you and one for us. First, over-polishing can damage your valuable timepiece and reduce its value. Second, as sales professionals, rather than quickly saying yes or no, we need to remember to slow the process, ask questions, and take the time to educate our wonderful customers.
