Such a fun topic…is it “OK” to buy a watch that has been restored or polished?
The answer: Yes
Provided: It’s disclosed!
Points of terminology…a “restoration” involves working on a watch to return it to it’s prior (usually original) appearance and functionality (if work is required).
“Polishing” on the other hand is more of a surface-level enhancement to pretty the watch up.
There is nothing “wrong” with purchasing a restored or polished watch, provided it is fully disclosed. Some collectors may care one way or another, and any prior work done to the watch may impact the price. Does it matter, though? Well, taking the long view, many watches at some point in their life will need some help – perhaps a replaced component, lume falls out of hands or detaches from the dial, maybe the case has taken such abuse it needs laser welding, etc. For some, it is enough to have a watch that looks appealing (and period-correct…or not, if preferred).
For others who want the watch to be in it’s original (non-altered) state when they purchase, that’s OK too. It is of course extremely difficult to know in some cases whether a watch has been altered (and not disclosed). Watchmakers are getting more skillful at welding/refinishing cases, including adding back serial numbers, cleaning dials, replacing lume, copying bracelets, and so forth. All truly a shame. The biggest shame of it all really is that, if everyone was simply honest about the history, none of this would be such a big deal. For those don’t spend their time deep in the watch community, it is more difficult to understand the reluctance of watchmakers or dealers to talk about restoration work. One example is the ‘Dialed In’ podcast with Mike Hui of Rollieworks. He isn’t different than any other watchmaker or dealer in that you can hear the hesitation (likewise from the host) in providing information on how to tell if there has been work done on a watch, reluctance to tell an owner when he believes their watch has been modified without their knowledge (that gives a pass to the watchmaker that is taking advantage of others). The community is so tight, that the result is that most involved won’t ever “out” another watchmaker or dealer, unfortunately assuming that they may get blacklisted from working with others and their business will be impacted as a result. The solution, of course, is if everyone simply told the truth and was forthcoming, there wouldn’t be these issues (which again, will never happen). The best we can do is find a couple of individuals that we trust, and work with them as much as possible.