My 1963 GMT 1675 with Silver Dial?

[temporaltactix]

Crazy this thread goes back 4 years, patience of Job this one. I hope it pays off for him!

[andrewjb88]

Literally just popped on to see if there was any updates to this.

[GGGMT]

This thread is not real.


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[Boopie]

Still no verdict? Wow! Very patient.

Perhaps when a decision is made OP can create a new thread in addition to posting here. The updates are helpful.

[MrBlobby]

The watch has now been with Rolex for a significant part of an enthusiast’s collecting life.

[btinl]

Holy crap! It's already been 4 years!

[springer]

Originally Posted by btinl

Holy crap! It's already been 4 years!

I agree. And, as I stated earlier... seriously, it surely does not - by any stretch of one's imagination - take years to verify if a watch is genuine. Total nonsense that they are stringing collectors along like this. Utter nonsense.

[dhknola]

I agree, the time-frame is just disingenuous for a parent company to see if this is indeed their creation.
Since OP has submitted this watch, Rolex has created the entire pre-owned program as well as the heritage department where I believe $25,000.00 service gets you those period correct parts Rolex refused to use for decades, a cool box and a book on your watch.
I hope OP at least gets the cool box and book on his gmt.

[opawlows]

Wow.....just read through this whole thread while avoiding work! Can't wait for further updates!

[linesiders]

Originally Posted by opawlows

Wow.....just read through this whole thread while avoiding work! Can't wait for further updates!

I've changed jobs avoiding work waiting for this thread to finish

[Dan S]

Originally Posted by opawlows

Wow.....just read through this whole thread while avoiding work! Can't wait for further updates!

Don't hold your breath.

[Paulie 50]

The quicker that plane comes in to bring him back to reality, the better; 4 years is too long on Fantasy Island. Claptrap, from start to finish, sadly.

[Kingface66]

Originally Posted by Paulie 50

The quicker that plane comes in to bring him back to reality, the better; 4 years is too long on Fantasy Island. Claptrap, from start to finish, sadly.

You could be right (regarding the claptrap…I can’t speak on the Fantasy Island analogy as Mr. Rourke AND Tattoo are both deceased), but it’s amazing the predictament: The only way he could prove he has one of the rarest GMTs on earth was having Rolex confirm (or deny) its authenticity. How ever long that takes. But, the moment he gets fed up w how long they ARE taking and demands it returned, he’s lost all possibility of ever proving it’s real, thus going back to square one. Buying it to begin with was an enormous risk without proof of provenance.
Essentially, Rolex is holding his watch hostage.

[Fredrik]

It would be ineresting to know if the dial has feet. My guess would be that it is just another one of those dials from sample folders that gets mounted into watches now and then IF the dial lacks feet. Unicorns are sometimes just rejected samples.

[Erpin]

I finally got an email and call from the Rolex Heritage Department informing me that my watch is ready for pick up. Unfortunately, they have officially refused to service my watch for the reason that the silver dial was not installed by the factory. Likewise, during our telephone conversation, they would not confirm or deny that the dial is legit. I still believe that it’s authentic and made by their supplier then, Eggli-Weibel. Nevertheless, it was well worth the risk for me despite the verdict. Just happy to get my watch back soon after more than 2 years of waiting. I am flying to Geneva this October to pick it up.

[alwayshere]

Originally Posted by Erpin

I finally got an email and call from the Rolex Heritage Department informing me that my watch is ready for pick up. Unfortunately, they have officially refused to service my watch for the reason that the silver dial was not installed by the factory. Likewise, during our telephone conversation, they would not confirm or deny that the dial is legit. I still believe that it’s authentic and made by their supplier then, Eggli-Weibel. Nevertheless, it was well worth the risk for me despite the verdict. Just happy to get my watch back soon after more than 2 years of waiting. I am flying to Geneva this October to pick it up.

.......

[Dan S]

Originally Posted by Erpin

... the silver dial was not installed by the factory...

Why in the world would it take them two years to determine this? Either they have the records or they don't.

[Erpin]

Originally Posted by Dan S

Why in the world would it take them two years to determine this? Either they have the records or they don't.

Precisely.

[btinl]

Originally Posted by Erpin

I finally got an email and call from the Rolex Heritage Department informing me that my watch is ready for pick up. Unfortunately, they have officially refused to service my watch for the reason that the silver dial was not installed by the factory. Likewise, during our telephone conversation, they would not confirm or deny that the dial is legit. I still believe that it’s authentic and made by their supplier then, Eggli-Weibel. Nevertheless, it was well worth the risk for me despite the verdict. Just happy to get my watch back soon after more than 2 years of waiting. I am flying to Geneva this October to pick it up.

Ouch. All that waiting to get a refusal to service.

[77T]

Originally Posted by Erpin

I finally got an email and call from the Rolex Heritage Department informing me that my watch is ready for pick up. Unfortunately, they have officially refused to service my watch for the reason that the silver dial was not installed by the factory. Likewise, during our telephone conversation, they would not confirm or deny that the dial is legit. I still believe that it’s authentic and made by their supplier then, Eggli-Weibel. Nevertheless, it was well worth the risk for me despite the verdict. Just happy to get my watch back soon after more than 2 years of waiting. I am flying to Geneva this October to pick it up.

Are they charging you any fee for this finding?


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[Erpin]

No charges.

[77T]

That is at least a benefit.

I hope they provide some answers about their findings. That is, how they determined it is not the original dial for the watch.


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[Erpin]

No written explanation whatsoever.

[saxo3]

Originally Posted by Erpin

I finally got an email and call from the Rolex Heritage Department informing me that my watch is ready for pick up. Unfortunately, they have officially refused to service my watch for the reason that the silver dial was not installed by the factory. Likewise, during our telephone conversation, they would not confirm or deny that the dial is legit. I still believe that it’s authentic and made by their supplier then, Eggli-Weibel. Nevertheless, it was well worth the risk for me despite the verdict. Just happy to get my watch back soon after more than 2 years of waiting. I am flying to Geneva this October to pick it up.

Originally Posted by Erpin

No written explanation whatsoever.

I'm sorry for you. Thanks for the very interesting thread!

[Erpin]

Originally Posted by saxo3

I'm sorry for you. Thanks for the very interesting thread!

It was a great gamble on my part. Besides, if i decided not to pursue the matter with the Rolex Heritage Department, there will never be a closure on the authenticity of the watch dial. In the first place, they did not reject my watch outright even after their own expert technician inspected and accepted it for servicing so that alone is a small victory for me. The mere fact that it took them over 2 years to come up with this conclusion is bizarre at the least.

[joli160]

Maybe they didn’t want you to have the only remaining million dollar white dial.
They sure act in mysterious ways.

[Erpin]

Originally Posted by joli160

Maybe they didn’t want you to have the only remaining million dollar white dial.
They sure act in mysterious ways.

True on both

[rootbeer7]

An interesting 2 year wait, and an inconclusive end. But, at least with your honest publication of their findings, the world is spared another multi-million pound fraud.

[77T]

Originally Posted by joli160

Maybe they didn’t want you to have the only remaining million dollar white dial.

They sure act in mysterious ways.

Originally Posted by Erpin

True on both

I know this is a big disappointment and respect the patience displayed through the wait. I'm a bit gentle-minded before accusing Rolex of such shenanigans. I'd need to see some evidence of that, which of course we wouldn't as they are so secretive.

It is my belief thus far that work done by the Restoration Atelier is backlogged due to the in-depth historical research which they conduct.

Then, because the watch dial has been determined to have been changed (which was posited as a possibility by some long gone PanAm pilot), then it did not meet Rolex's definition of an "exceptional historic watch".

Each submission must meet that criteria by intake watchmakers before the exclusive atelier exerts the demanding work. Being specially trained to undertake work on collectors’ timepieces, there must be very few bench watchmakers who can complete the work.

Rolex is willing to take the risks of working on those timepieces inly after they can assess the traceability of any previous work done (like on this GMT).

This "gatekeeping" sifts the watches before assigning one to one of the bench watchmakers for full restoration.

The upshot is that this GMT is still an amazing vintage watch that had a dial swap somewhere along its life.


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[Erpin]

Originally Posted by 77T

I know this is a big disappointment and respect the patience displayed through the wait. I'm a bit gentle-minded before accusing Rolex of such shenanigans. I'd need to see some evidence of that, which of course we wouldn't as they are so secretive.

It is my belief thus far that work done by the Restoration Atelier is backlogged due to the in-depth historical research which they conduct.

Then, because the watch dial has been determined to have been changed (which was posited as a possibility by some long gone PanAm pilot), then it did not meet Rolex's definition of an "exceptional historic watch".

Each submission must meet that criteria by intake watchmakers before the exclusive atelier exerts the demanding work. Being specially trained to undertake work on collectors’ timepieces, there must be very few bench watchmakers who can complete the work.

Rolex is willing to take the risks of working on those timepieces inly after they can assess the traceability of any previous work done (like on this GMT).

This "gatekeeping" sifts the watches before assigning one to one of the bench watchmakers for full restoration.

The upshot is that this GMT is still an amazing vintage watch that had a dial swap somewhere along its life.


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I am not really disappointed by the result. Like i said, it was a risk i was willing to take to satisfy my own curiosity. Likewise, i respect the opinion and decision of the Heritage Department about my watch.