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ROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEX
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#1 |
"TRF" Member
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: Planet Earth
Watch: Me Now
Posts: 806
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Damage from OF adjustment, or wear & tear?
I'd like to solicit opinions from those who own watches with an OF strap on whether or not these minor blemishes could be the potential result of "watch maker negligence" during strap change, or are simply "wear & tear".
For context, I've not had the watch (Ref: 126519) all that long. When purchased, the strap was adjusted a couple of times to get it right. I didn't notice anything at the time, but upon closer inspection, have seen some marks today. My dealer promptly offered to take a closer look, and has asked me to bring it in at my convenience. Tbh, I could not have asked for better service, they've been superb. My intent is to simply eliminate if these marks could potentially be the result of the watch maker when carrying out the strap adjustments, OR caused by my own actions. If the latter, I do find it a bit odd as to how this may have occurred, as the location is not exposed. Should the offer be made of a polish, I'm likely to politely decline. FWIW - I'm not overtly precious about these things. The marks are so minuscule, no one else would ever seem them. Hence the image quality! I don't "baby" my watches, I do wear them as intended and whilst I'm not intentionally negligent or prone to mindless bashing, I do tend to go about my normal PC-worker-bee day, without over thinking about the wrist timepiece. Being White Gold, I appreciate its also more sensitive precious metal, compared with Stainless Steel, too. What do you think, normal wear, or something I should be concerned about with the watchmaker? |
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#2 |
"TRF" Member
Join Date: Nov 2019
Real Name: Stan
Location: Midwest
Posts: 168
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It is a very odd place from "wear and tear" damage, almost certain that this is a result from spring bar pin damage.
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#3 |
2024 Pledge Member
Join Date: Apr 2018
Real Name: Harry
Location: England
Posts: 10,397
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Looks like it's been dropped or suffered a glancing blow. If I did that to my watch (full disclosure - I have) I would live with it. If somebody did it while caring out servicing/adjustment work I would not. I don't baby my watches either.
I don't baby my car but if it came back from a service with body damage (full disclosure - this happened to me) I would be looking for high quality repair or compensation. |
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#4 |
Banned
Join Date: Feb 2023
Location: USA
Posts: 375
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that is tool damage from the spring bar being removed
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#5 |
2024 ROLEX SUBMARINER 41 Pledge Member
Join Date: Jul 2012
Real Name: Kat
Location: CA, USA
Watch: 126233 Wimbledon T
Posts: 6,943
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Damage from OF adjustment, or wear & tear?
Those are tool marks. Whoever adjusted the band effed it up, IMO.
Kat Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk |
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#6 |
2024 ROLEX SUBMARINER 41 Pledge Member
Join Date: Jul 2013
Real Name: Brian (TBone)
Location: canada
Watch: es make me smile
Posts: 76,382
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#7 |
2024 Pledge Member
Join Date: Apr 2018
Real Name: Harry
Location: England
Posts: 10,397
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#8 |
"TRF" Member
Join Date: Mar 2019
Location: USA
Watch: 126710BLNR
Posts: 229
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100% that is from incompetent spring bar removal. Did they try to pry out the springbar from the top side?!? Baffling.
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#9 |
"TRF" Member
Join Date: Mar 2024
Location: Houston, TX
Watch: DJ41, 126334-0017
Posts: 76
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Looks like the watchmaker used a chisel and hammer to gain access to the spring bar.
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#10 |
2024 Pledge Member
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: NWA, USA
Watch: BLRO/Daytona/OP41s
Posts: 5,206
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Definitely tool marks. There have been a handful of similar stories here in the past, OF straps are a very tight fit in the lugs without much room for the forks of the tweezers.
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#11 |
2024 ROLEX SUBMARINER 41 Pledge Member
Join Date: Apr 2023
Real Name: Roy
Location: US
Posts: 87
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I did not take pictures…I let some schlep at my AD remove the bracelet to see the serial number for a service…never again will i allow anyone but a certified watch maker touch my watches. Took him a long time and two metal spring bar removal tools. I could not look and when polishing came up they begged me. You live and learn. My rookie advice no one at the ad but me and the watchmaker will touch my watches.
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#12 |
"TRF" Member
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: USA
Watch: All
Posts: 5,207
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Person who did that deserves to be fired.
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Rolex 228235 DD40 Olive, 126710BLRO, 116710BLNR, 116613LB, 116500LN White, 126610LN, 116500LN Black, 126610LV, 116610LV, 126334 Blue Diamond Breitling Navitimer 01, Cartier Santos Large |
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#13 |
"TRF" Member
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: PA
Watch: SUB,DD,DAYTONA,DJ
Posts: 195
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As others have said definitely tool marks. I would be contacting the people responsible.
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#14 |
"TRF" Member
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: EARTH
Watch: What is "watch"?
Posts: 1,091
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Hell of a couple chunks out of that lug!...
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#15 | |
2024 ROLEX SUBMARINER 41 Pledge Member
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Location: LA
Watch: what’s next.
Posts: 1,162
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Quote:
Edit oh I see you’re not the OP I’m wearing my OF today. I see what they’re did they pryed the OF band from the top to access the spring bar from underneath with a second tool. What an idiot and a brute. Rolex really should add notches to the underside of the OF bands to make it easier to remove and avoid these problems. |
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#16 |
2024 ROLEX SUBMARINER 41 Pledge Member
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: United States
Watch: Rolex and Patek
Posts: 11,043
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Look like marks from changing the strap. Perhaps they can soften them out. As they don't bother you it may be best to leave it alone. I would discuss with the store manager, so no further marks are made.
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#17 |
2024 Pledge Member
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: U.S.A.
Watch: SD43
Posts: 3,221
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IMO those aren’t negligible.
I’m hoping for a positive outcome for you , OP Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk |
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#18 |
"TRF" Member
Join Date: Dec 2021
Location: US
Posts: 2,109
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I wonder what laser welding a gold case would cost.
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#19 |
2024 ROLEX SUBMARINER 41 Pledge Member
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: GMT -4
Watch: M79360B-0002
Posts: 4,070
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OMG, I feel so sorry for you. If that was done by a trained watchmaker, then he's either incompetent or doesn't care. If it was a SA, then he or she is a moron and shouldn't be allowed to touch anyone's watch in the future.
I recall a member that took his RG YM to RSC to change out the OF strap and the spring bar popped out of the front and took a chunk of RG out of the inside top of the lug. It went up the ladder at RSC with various attempts to fix it with no satisfactory result and they ended up replacing the case. |
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#20 |
2024 ROLEX SUBMARINER 41 Pledge Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Real Name: PaulG
Location: Georgia
Posts: 41,581
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That's not the surface I'd expect to get gouges from strap removal because the work is done from the underside.
While wearing the watch I also don't think you could have caused the gouges since the elastomer strap would protect the lug. But if the person doing the strap reinstallation work didn't have the proper watch case holder then a springbar tweezer slipping out with sharp forks or a forked springbar tool could do such a thing. As for laser welding white gold, nobody but RSC would have the proprietary alloy of white gold wire stock. Any other stock could have more zinc than Rolex and never match. If I am correct about the cause of the gouges, then maybe address it with the AD for remediation at RSC? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
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#21 |
"TRF" Member
Join Date: Nov 2019
Location: CA
Posts: 59
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Good gracious. That is a spring bar tool that was leveraged and pressed up against the outside edge of that lug. OP, I'm really sorry to see that. As others have said, it's not wear and tear, thats specifically related to a springbar installation.
Sounds like the boutique is willing to work with you, but I'd definitely not rest untilt hey made that right. Sent from my SM-S916W using Tapatalk |
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#22 |
2024 ROLEX SUBMARINER 41 Pledge Member
Join Date: Nov 2006
Real Name: Eddie
Location: Australia
Watch: A few.
Posts: 37,291
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IMO only a new case will give you an acceptable end result.
As has been said, laser welding to match the material would be difficult and not really acceptable give the amateur attempt at removing a spring bar. This type of damage has always been a possible issue when changing the OF straps and there are a few threads on similar situations.
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#23 |
"TRF" Member
Join Date: Jul 2023
Location: somewhere else
Watch: one I'm wearing
Posts: 472
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I would be mad as hell plain inept comes to mind. Ask for a new watch no demand one!
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#24 | |
2024 ROLEX SUBMARINER 41 Pledge Member
Join Date: Dec 2009
Real Name: The Mystro ;)
Location: Central Pa.
Posts: 15,248
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Quote:
^^^^Bingo^^^^ Who ever did the strap change was a butcher without the proper tools and skill level. That said, we see this all the time from back store adjustments at ADs. I would want a new case as this is NOT normal wear and tear and you would never see this in 30 years of ownership.
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#25 |
"TRF" Member
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: Planet Earth
Watch: Me Now
Posts: 806
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Thank you all for the feedback.
As predicted, the dealer hasn’t openly admitted any fault. They claim the surfaces damaged would not get marked from the strap adjustment. I beg to differ, and countered there is no way I could have caused that damage from my own doing. For now, I've left my watch with them as they offered to "further examine" the damage to suggest potential solutions - maybe polishing or even a case replacement (potential subject to cost). Has anyone been in a similar situation, on their own OysterFlex watch? (SkyDweller, Yachtmaster, or Daytona?) |
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#26 | |
2024 ROLEX SUBMARINER 41 Pledge Member
Join Date: Jul 2012
Real Name: Kat
Location: CA, USA
Watch: 126233 Wimbledon T
Posts: 6,943
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Quote:
Don’t let them try to charge you for anything. If they did the strap adjustment, they did the damage. Unfortunately, we’ve all heard stories of SAs damaging links and screws, doing simple bracelet adjustments. The same happened here, just with an OF band, and resulting lug damage. Hope it gets sorted out! Kat Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk |
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#27 | |
"TRF" Member
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: Planet Earth
Watch: Me Now
Posts: 806
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Quote:
Really hoping they can sort it; I miss it already! |
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#28 | ||
2024 Pledge Member
Join Date: Aug 2014
Real Name: Francisco
Location: San Juan, PR
Watch: Is Ticking !
Posts: 25,008
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Damage from OF adjustment, or wear & tear?
Quote:
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OP that’s definitely not normal, hope they take responsibility for it Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
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#29 |
2024 ROLEX SUBMARINER 41 Pledge Member
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: usa
Posts: 19,373
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Sadly I've owned a few OF watches and had these same marks on 2 of them. It’s DEF from them changing the strap, either the tool or having the spring bar pop out against the gold while removing.
based on my own experience multiple times from different ADs I think marks are almost expected at this point. It gives a pit in my stomach. I’m so jealous of those of you whom the stock sizes fit your wrist so you don’t have to even face this issue. Btw, my favorite AD does this with a razor blade and it works like a charm. His changes are always perfect and he’s the only one i trust at this point with OF. Like if I buy another one, I’ll ask for the extra strap and bring it to him only. Then I’ll ship them the original side back. I’ll add it amazes me that at this price point, they hand it to a rookie to change these things out. |
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#30 |
"TRF" Member
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: Earth
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