| THE Audermar Pigeat Royal Oak Re-Finish. |
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The Royal Oak range is famed for its heavy gauge case construction. They are a no nonsense sports watch, which look equally at home in a casual environment. First introduced in 1972, they have changed little since. The challenge with re-finishing this model is to keep the polished angles sharp, maintaining the contrast to the grain surfaces.
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Please drag the magnifier (top-left) to 'zoom-in' on the before & after images.
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After |
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The case has been stripped down to its constituent parts
As you can see the case is held together by 23 screws
The screws around the bezel are polished white gold.
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First the angles have to be prepared using a hard felt wheel, spinning at 1800rpm.
This speed is needed to CUT the marks out. Any faster and the surface will be dragged. This is not a polishing process
These are generally the first areas of damage, due to the size and weight of the watch.
Once the marks have been removed the angles can be polished.
This is achieved with a soft, fast spinning mop, this mop is used at 2800rpm. A polish called High-Fin is used.
The same procedure is used for the bracelet.
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The graining procedure can now begin.
Care has to be taken to keep the case angles exactly right.
The graining along the top of the case is done first.
The case is dragged along a board covered in ?? grade emery paper.
As the pendant tube protrudes above the flat surface, it is important to make sure that it runs along the outside of the board. Any damage to this and the crown will not be able to screw on.
Next the large angles are grained
The case must be held securely at the correct angle.
Again the case is dragged along the board, it must be kept flat so that that edge is kept sharp. If the angle is rounded the case is ruined, the whole reason of the exercise is to return the case to its original condition.
Once this is completed the case sides are grained.
This is done using an Artiflex wheel at 1800rpm.
This is a sponge wheel impregnated with fine carborundem.
The case is offered to the wheel at a slight angle to prevent the wheel touching the polished facets. If any over run occurs, the whole procedure must start again!
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The bracelet is grained in the same way as the case flats, except heavier grade emery paper is used first.
Bracelets generally mark quicker than cases, especially the 12 to 6 end.
This part of the bracelet is the first to come into contact with abrasive surfaces. Rest your arm on the table ??????
Once the marks are removed, the same grade emery can be used to provide continuity with the case.
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The most time consuming part of the re-finish is bezel.
The marks are removed with the felt wheel, polished and grained as before.
However the bezel is facetted along its edge.
These facets must be grained individually. There are ?? to do. ensuring that they are correct and the sharpness between each remains obvious. When the bezel is replaced any mistakes are glaring in contrast to the case graining.
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The case back is polished and grained using a three jaw adjustable chuck. This is spun on a lathe using the same grade emery.
Once the work is completed the parts are ultrasonically cleaned and reassembled.
Taking care not to mark anything!!
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