Probably could find a period correct dial and swap it out. Rolexes are a dime a dozen and pretty much the same watch across model lines with few exceptions.

 

Keep the original dial - replace with aftermarket custom painted dial When it's time to sell, replace it back with the original.

If it's a personal piece it's all opinion and personal enjoyment. But when you eventually resell the Rolex you'll have a hard time finding a buyer with a painted/aftermarket/custom dial.

Personally I would prefer a service/replacement dial over any custom painted wacky dial.

 

I think its ok to restore it, but not as much as customise it. You can get it assuming you get a good discount and bring it back to former glory with one of the youtubers who do this full time and have great results. Id do that, perhaps.

I think of restoring an old rolex same way I think about restoring a classic car / sometimes it is ok to redo the dial or get a replacement one, ok to replace crystal and bracelet. I dont think this obsession with patina that the community has is healthy, it now borders on absurd where I see watches for sale with rusted out falling apart hands and crumbling loom inside the dial and asking price is insane.

But I suspect your seller of a damaged dial watch wont give you a discount, more often then not the sellers of damaged watches are in the "i know what i got" crowd and certainly take themselves very seriously...

I personally liked these Bora Bora ones, or whatever else you ordered the dial artist to paint for you. Ask them to paint a google maps snapshot of the place you live, or I dunno something more fun. Whatever wont get your bored looking at. You can also just change the color of the dial, if it is a submariner go for a dark blue color for example but guaranteed those will detract value, so it has to be right just for you...

Oh, you can be cheeky and paint it Tiffani blue, you probably WILL be able to sell it judging by the crowd who buys those dials, money is last thing on their mind, haha.

Also, you can source the ugliest dial no body wants for it but that isnt damaged. So something if its a DJ that is in bizzare color that nobody wants today. Chances are a replacement will be very well done with that one and will actually make its value go up, later on, due to rarity.

 

Try to have it serviced.

 

Yup.

 

Service it, choose a new dial and if possible get the old dial back. I did this, but it was some years ago, and Rolex may be more strict now about keeping your dial.

 

It’s your watch. Do what you please. Just realise that customizing one is a gamble. Some people may love it, others may hate it. You won’t know til you decide to sell it. But if you buy it cheap, it won’t matter as much.

 

many seems to answer to a question that I didn't ask.

 

I like dark beer

 

I certainly couldn't do it to a NEW Rolex, that would be foolish (but I am sure there are foolish people out there)

Why?

As a person who has customized a vintage Rolex and seriously considered customizing a modern one, I would feel better about going down the route of customizing the modern models.

Mainly because at this point parts for the vintage models are more rare and getting good, correct outward facing parts gets harder as time goes one.

Vintage models also tend to have a individual charm compared to modern iterations, so in my mind there is less "need" to go out of my way to customize something which already has some unique charm.

 

I am talking g of a damaged, vintage watch, not a vintage pristine watch

 

Sure

 

No.

I would get it serviced and have a new period correct dial fitted.

 

If the movement was in decent shape, probably I'd swap it into some other vintage watch in better shape. Or other way around - mod it with some other vintage dial and hands.

 

It depends on the damage. If it's unsightly, I patiently search for an original dial from the same era. If it's too rare to find, I consider more recent dials, always original. I don't service it in Rolex because they'd keep my damaged dial, which I don't want to give them as a gift. If the damage is minor, doesn't affect legibility and maybe even looks nice, I'll keep it as is. Never custom or reprinted dials.