Help Refurbishing an Old Daytona

[xlr8tn]

Hello all,

I have a really old daytona and I'd like to refurbish it a bit. The numbers around the "Units Per Hour" dial have lost their black color. Is there a way to re-paint these, if so, with what?

-brent

[freddy333]

There is no sure fire way to do this (successfully) at home, but I was able to achieve a perfect result in 1 out of 2 cases by removing the bezel, applying a coat of gloss black 'high temp' automobile engine paint to the entire top face of the bezel & then gently wiping the surface with a succession of clean terry cloth rags slightly dampened (not sopping wet) with paint thinner. The idea is to use each rag to remove a small amount of paint from the surface of the metal without applying any pressure so the rag's fibers do not reach down into the grooves of the bezel. Eventually, if you are patient & careful, you may be able to remove all of the surface paint while leaving most or all of the paint in the grooves of the numbers. I finished the job with a light polishing with automobile polish. If you have ever grouted ceramic tile, it is a very similar procedure.

Assuming this is a rep Daytona, you might want to reconsider the need to repaint the bezel in the first place. Vintage watches tend to look more authentic when they look worn & aged. Although there are a small number of mint 'safe queens' & watches that have been reconditioned (by Rolex), the majority of old Daytonas will be missing paint on the bezel. Personally, I prefer them in mint condition, but I just thought I would mention the options

[xlr8tn]

Awesome, thanks for the info. I'll give it a go. Worst case scenario, I'll just buy a new one