Caseback engraving - recommend an engraver please

54and56

Hi all,

I'm looking for a bit of help.

I want to get a personal message engraved on the caseback of a Rolex GMT II Model # 116710 like this



The message is a total of 63 characters including spaces so I'd like six words totalling 36 characters to be engraved on the outer ring i.e. "one two - three four - five six" and the remaining 24 characters to be engraved on the centre circle.

This lady in the UK http://www.artemiswilddesign.co.uk/ did a smashing job on another Rolex caseback see http://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.php?304964-New-Incoming-Rolex-Caseback-Engraving

My requirement is similar but I don't need an elaborate image engraved on the centre circle.

Is there someone in Ireland, preferably Dublin, who people here can recommend for engraving on casebacks? (I know it may devalue the watch to personalise it like this but this watch isn't ever going to be sold so I'm not worried about the effect on resale value)

Also, what is the best way to remove the caseback? My watch was purchased overseas so it's not possible to get the jewellers I purchased it from to remove the caseback. I assume my local jewellers would remove the caseback and replace it again for a fee? When the caseback is off what is the best way to protect the watch?

Apologies for the long post. Thanks for reading.

54and56

^^^ 72 views and no feedback, thoughts or recommendations for an engraver. Wrong forum?

Mods, if there is an arts/crafts/jewellery forum which is more appropriate can you move the thread?

Menas

Its a tricky one. I suppose the purists, ie most in here, do not like getting watches engraved as it takes away from the original look.

But if you want to have it done in ireland then you will need to shop around.
A quick google shows no decent results in ireland. I would want to see previous examples of the work the engraver has done.
What you want doing is very fine work (lots of characters in a small space) so may need a machine to do it rather than a human hand.

54and56

Thanks for the reply Whiskey Mac,

Whisky Mac wrote: »

Its a tricky one. I suppose the purists, ie most in here, do not like getting watches engraved as it takes away from the original look.

I do understand but three things justify this for me:-

1. The watch is a family heirloom so there is no intention to sell.
2. The engraving is done on a part of the watch which isn't visible when being worn.
3. Casebacks are easily sourced so if down the road someone wanted to restore the watch to it's "stock" condition all they'd need to do is purchase a blank caseback and replace the engraved one.

Whisky Mac wrote: »

But if you want to have it done in ireland then you will need to shop around.
A quick google shows no decent results in ireland.

That's why I started this thread!!

Whisky Mac wrote: »

What you want doing is very fine work (lots of characters in a small space) so may need a machine to do it rather than a human hand.

What I am looking to do is a lot more straightforward than the complex imagery undertaken here http://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.php?304964-New-Incoming-Rolex-Caseback-Engraving

I guess I should just pop down to my local jewellers and see if they will facilitate me (I'll pay them to do it) by removing the caseback and securing/protecting the mechanism whilst I ship the caseback over to the UK for this lady http://www.artemiswilddesign.co.uk to do the work as I at least know she has done similar work to a very high standard on Rolex casebacks in the past.

CarltonBrowne

It's your watch so do what you want with it. In my view the biggest risk is somebody fecking this up - if the Artemis person can execute that kind and quality of work then I'd be relatively happy that they can get your text right (never say never mind you). That's worth a lot more than using an local engraver without a recommendation (and you need any recommendation to be from somebody you trust!).

The next bit to consider is the mechanics of it. Assuming that you send the caseback only then I would be unhappy to leave watch with the back off for any period of time. Presumably it may be possible to find a caseback that you could use in the interim by browsing some of the Rolex forums (I also, momentarily, thought whether this could be a rare valid use for a fake but it would only take a slight mismatch in a thread to open a real Pandora's box). The other thing to consider is that you really want whoever removes the casback to have decent quality tools - I've seen too many Rolex/Tudors with mullahed case backs and then you also have to think about a proper pressure test when you get it back.

I wish you every success and hope the above is helpful - it's not a reason to not do it but it's a path fraught with potential issues.

Zagato

What about getting a caseback specifically for the engraving, that way if it works out great, if it doesn't you still have an undamaged complete watch?

54and56

CarltonBrowne wrote: »

It's your watch so do what you want with it. In my view the biggest risk is somebody fecking this up - if the Artemis person can execute that kind and quality of work then I'd be relatively happy that they can get your text right (never say never mind you). That's worth a lot more than using an local engraver without a recommendation (and you need any recommendation to be from somebody you trust!).

The next bit to consider is the mechanics of it. Assuming that you send the caseback only then I would be unhappy to leave watch with the back off for any period of time. Presumably it may be possible to find a caseback that you could use in the interim by browsing some of the Rolex forums (I also, momentarily, thought whether this could be a rare valid use for a fake but it would only take a slight mismatch in a thread to open a real Pandora's box). The other thing to consider is that you really want whoever removes the casback to have decent quality tools - I've seen too many Rolex/Tudors with mullahed case backs and then you also have to think about a proper pressure test when you get it back.

I wish you every success and hope the above is helpful - it's not a reason to not do it but it's a path fraught with potential issues.

Thanks for highlighting the mechanics issue, I'll have to be careful about that.

54and56

Zagato wrote: »

What about getting a caseback specifically for the engraving, that way if it works out great, if it doesn't you still have an undamaged complete watch?

Thanks Zagato, I think I'd only invest in a new caseback if the original returned and I wasn't happy with the work.

alantul

Gillen jewellers ,athy . He(shane) does the engraving radial with the case back, very neat.

CarltonBrowne

My only other idea would be to contact the McGonigle brothers in Athlone. I believe that they're both Audemars Piguet-trained and I remember spending a slightly humbling time during a GTG a few years where John described how working on tourbillons really got him about of bed in the morning. It might also introduce the interesting possibility of having something engraved in a Celtic script which would stand it apart. I don't imagine it would be cheap though you would have the advantage of a proper watchmaker owning it as a complete project.

54and56

CarltonBrowne wrote: »

My only other idea would be to contact the McGonigle brothers in Athlone. I believe that they're both Audemars Piguet-trained and I remember spending a slightly humbling time during a GTG a few years where John described how working on tourbillons really got him about of bed in the morning. It might also introduce the interesting possibility of having something engraved in a Celtic script which would stand it apart. I don't imagine it would be cheap though you would have the advantage of a proper watchmaker owning it as a complete project.

Thanks Carlton, I'll do a bit of homework on them. I wonder would they be able to service my watch in the future if necessary or should I try to maintain it as a Rolex only serviced watch?

blue5000

Je_suis_Jean wrote: »

Thanks Carlton, I'll do a bit of homework on them. I wonder would they be able to service my watch in the future if necessary or should I try to maintain it as a Rolex only serviced watch?

AFAIK rolex have really cut down on spare parts availability to non AD watchmakers in the last few years.

CarltonBrowne

Je_suis_Jean wrote: »

Thanks Carlton, I'll do a bit of homework on them. I wonder would they be able to service my watch in the future if necessary or should I try to maintain it as a Rolex only serviced watch?

It's an interesting question. I don't think I'd have any problem with sending my Rolex to the McGonigle brothers just to have the case off and then reseal for the purposes of engraving and it's not like it's something like a DSSD which is something of a speciality in terms of depth rating. Then again my Rolex is somewhere around 55 years old and even the RSC wouldn't certify it to any depth rating after they serviced it. You can still send it Rolex or one of their ADs for servicing at some point in the future and the whole FSH history doesn't do anything much to the residual value - which is a bit of a red herring in any case as it will become an heirloom.

My priority would be on getting the engraving right because I've seen a few threads where that's gone wrong or the quality of it doesn't really match up to the watch. But then I suppose that it's worth remembering that you can always get a replacement caseback or get somebody to laser-weld any potential ballsup back to as it was.

The only thing I've had engraved was a (new) deployant clasp on a Junghans I inherited from my late father-in-law. Obviously it was all a bit lower risk as the clasp had no sentimental value and would have cost less that 50 yo-yos to replace. It all went well though. Edit: I should add for the purpose of clarity that my engraving was done by a jeweller in Germany - Juwelier Lürenbaum in Trier.

Eoin

Je_suis_Jean wrote: »

Thanks Carlton, I'll do a bit of homework on them.

Here you go: http://www.mcgonigle.ie

They make some seriously impressive looking pieces, which I imagine sell for north of 20K.

54and56

Thanks Eoin.