Rolex Air King Model 5500
Case Refinishing

Before and After

These are pictures of the case and bracelet before service. The case and bracelet are scratched and dinged from normal wear. The high polish and matte finishes have also worn down over time leaving the watch looking dull and unattractive. When this watch was last serviced it was simply polished. The edges of the case were rounded during polishing due to poor workmanship.

It’s a common practice with some watch repairers not to disassemble the case during service. They simply polish and clean the case as a single unit. If not disassembled, the case can not be refinished correctly. Also the case tube and the crystal seats can’t be inspected and cleaned to ensure proper fit and new gaskets cannot be installed. Without a proper fit and new gaskets, there is no way the watch will be water resistant.

Here are more pictures showing the case before refinishing. You can see in the picture below that there is surface rust under the bezel and on crystal seat. If this owner had waited the damage might have been permanent. The case and crystal would not seal and the watch would not be water resistant.

These pictures show the completed restoration.

Restoring your watch is all about the details. Our goal with every watch we service is to have it look and run as well as humanly possible. We want you to be as proud to wear your watch as we were to service it.