1970 Red Submariner

[Jessiecopeland]

Bob probably does not have access to original parts any more. The new plaque system is an active process to stop that from happening.

Original Rolex service parts are drawn from the original production run of parts. They are exactly the same as the original. Can someone please explain the issue with Rolex using Rolex parts while servicing watches??? That makes no sense to me.

In my opinion, aftermarket parts would be would be distinguishable from an original part.

It’s like taking my Porsche to Bob down the road, because I don’t want Porsche putting Porsche parts into my 911.
Would aftermarket 911 parts be better for the value of my 911.

[TuRo]

As you are talking cars - say I had a 288 gto and it had had a bit of a fire in engine bay or a lost a quarter in a crash would I want replacement parts (with later replacement castings and identifiers) or would I want to fit original parts to keep it's £2,500,000, value....same for watches, guitars, motorcycles, pens with a few zeros missing.

[swaini3]

Originally Posted by Jessiecopeland

Bob probably does not have access to original parts any more. The new plaque system is an active process to stop that from happening.

Original Rolex service parts are drawn from the original production run of parts. They are exactly the same as the original. Can someone please explain the issue with Rolex using Rolex parts while servicing watches??? That makes no sense to me.

In my opinion, aftermarket parts would be would be distinguishable from an original part.

It’s like taking my Porsche to Bob down the road, because I don’t want Porsche putting Porsche parts into my 911.
Would aftermarket 911 parts be better for the value of my 911.

Many watchmakers have stocked parts from before. They don't have to order the parts 'now' from Rolex. if they don't have the parts they can source them from other watchmakers or ebay etc.
Didn't get your comment about Rolex using Rolex parts for service.

[ZOOK]

Welcome to TRF. Thank you for sharing your story and photos of your watch.

[tifosi]

Beautiful watch and story. I hope you enjoy it for years to come.

[Jackie Daytona]

Great story and watch. Wear it with pride and fond memories of your father. Glad you did your homework before doing anything and made great choices to continue on with this watch into the future

[njsteve]

Originally Posted by Jessiecopeland

Bob probably does not have access to original parts any more. The new plaque system is an active process to stop that from happening.

Original Rolex service parts are drawn from the original production run of parts. They are exactly the same as the original. Can someone please explain the issue with Rolex using Rolex parts while servicing watches??? That makes no sense to me.

In my opinion, aftermarket parts would be would be distinguishable from an original part.

It’s like taking my Porsche to Bob down the road, because I don’t want Porsche putting Porsche parts into my 911.
Would aftermarket 911 parts be better for the value of my 911.

Here's an example: If you send it into the New York Service Center, Rolex will replace your 1970 vintage second, minute, and hour hands with brand-new Rolex Luminova hands that glow brightly in the dark, and not original Tritium hands which are all long since dead and no longer glow in the dark. Same thing with the dial. It would have different markings and luminescence. Same thing with the crown and its markings. They will be the modern Rolex replacement parts. That may be fine for you.

While it may look beautiful and perfect, it will be worth quite a bit less than the same watch maintaining its vintage parts or era-correct ones in place. There are enthusiasts who appreciate perfection in their examples and there are also those who appreciate original, unaltered, battle-scarred examples that have a bit more soul to them. I am in the latter camp.

And funny you should mention the automotive angle. I have been restoring classic musclecars for the past four decades and I would definitely not bring a classic Porsche to the local Porsche dealer for them to work on. I would bring it to a restoration specialist for that marque.

Here's an example of one of my prior cars. I was honored to have been a caretaker for it for several years and even reunited it with its original owner and his wife for their 50th wedding anniversary, at the last show it appeared at: The 2016 Musclecar and Corvette Nationals, which is reputed to be the Pebble Beach Concours for 1960's to 70's musclecars. At that show it scored the highest score attainable for an unrestored example. It was the only car at the event to be awarded the "Vintage Time Capsule" status which means it had over 95% of its original assembly line components and finsh still intact. (It was missing it's 50 year old battery so it lost those points).

https://www.motortrend.com/features/...uper-duty-455/

[TimeLord2]

Originally Posted by Jessiecopeland

Bob probably does not have access to original parts any more. The new plaque system is an active process to stop that from happening.

Original Rolex service parts are drawn from the original production run of parts. They are exactly the same as the original. Can someone please explain the issue with Rolex using Rolex parts while servicing watches??? That makes no sense to me.

In my opinion, aftermarket parts would be would be distinguishable from an original part.

It’s like taking my Porsche to Bob down the road, because I don’t want Porsche putting Porsche parts into my 911.
Would aftermarket 911 parts be better for the value of my 911.

Yes, Rolex parts would be used but they could replace the dial and hands with service dial and hands that have super-LumiNova instead of Tritium, which granted, would be Rolex parts but dramatically reduce the value of a vintage watch. Apparently, Rolex does have double red and single red dials with super-LumiNova luminescence, which would be preferable to a damaged dial in some instances but it would still affect value compared to an unmolested piece that has lume plots that don't glow anymore.

For my 1973 or so 1675/3 there are no more tritium brown nipple dials available from Rolex. If the dial was to be replaced, Rolex might use a later 16753 version or whatever fit. This was in fact what the guy at Rolex behind the counter said at the RSC in BH. Recommended I take it to a CW21 watchmaker to maintain originality and value, which I did! BTW, I did get a new bezel insert for my watch (kept the old one) and it was not period correct as they do not have them anymore. It was from a later 16753 model. I do like the vibrant colors but would have preferred a period correct version with fat font, which is also not available. See where this is going?

Edit: I see NJsteve was writing a description about the same time as I was. Sweet car Steve!

[Rebel]

Sweet!

[Ironworker]

Nice watch.

[zapokee]

Tropical meters-first dial. I hope you know what it's worth, and that you have it insured properly.

I've seen these go for 50 - 60 grand USD.

[RolexDave68]

Congratulations, looks fantastic. Ready for many more years of enjoyment. Cheers and enjoy the journey

[njsteve]

Askeever,
Did you receive a current appraisal when Bob Ridley performed the service? Phillip Ridley included one with the service on my Dad's watch and I was shocked to say the least! I immediately upped (doubled) the insured value on the policy.

[subx]

Originally Posted by njsteve

Here's an example: If you send it into the New York Service Center, Rolex will replace your 1970 vintage second, minute, and hour hands with brand-new Rolex Luminova hands that glow brightly in the dark, and not original Tritium hands which are all long since dead and no longer glow in the dark. Same thing with the dial. It would have different markings and luminescence. Same thing with the crown and its markings. They will be the modern Rolex replacement parts. That may be fine for you.

While it may look beautiful and perfect, it will be worth quite a bit less than the same watch maintaining its vintage parts or era-correct ones in place. There are enthusiasts who appreciate perfection in their examples and there are also those who appreciate original, unaltered, battle-scarred examples that have a bit more soul to them. I am in the latter camp.

And funny you should mention the automotive angle. I have been restoring classic musclecars for the past four decades and I would definitely not bring a classic Porsche to the local Porsche dealer for them to work on. I would bring it to a restoration specialist for that marque.

Here's an example of one of my prior cars. I was honored to have been a caretaker for it for several years and even reunited it with its original owner and his wife for their 50th wedding anniversary, at the last show it appeared at: The 2016 Musclecar and Corvette Nationals, which is reputed to be the Pebble Beach Concours for 1960's to 70's musclecars. At that show it scored the highest score attainable for an unrestored example. It was the only car at the event to be awarded the "Vintage Time Capsule" status which means it had over 95% of its original assembly line components and finsh still intact. (It was missing it's 50 year old battery so it lost those points).

https://www.motortrend.com/features/...uper-duty-455/

thanks for the story Steve , illustrates perfectly

[Jessiecopeland]

Ok, I guess I understood some of you incorrectly. I thought you objected to Rolex replacing movement parts.
I believe most complaints refer to dial and hands.

You can tell them not to change the dial and hands and you can also request no polishing, or even a light finishing.

[shaunylw]

Originally Posted by Jessiecopeland

Ok, I guess I understood some of you incorrectly. I thought you objected to Rolex replacing movement parts.
I believe most complaints refer to dial and hands.

You can tell them not to change the dial and hands and you can also request no polishing, or even a light finishing.

Rolex is the absolute worst place to send vintage watches or any watch you don’t want polished. I’ve done it two or three times over the years where they didn’t listen and polished the watch. While their work is pretty decent, their listen skills are lacking. There is no light finishing with Rolex. It’s either polished however they please, or it’s not.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[askeever]

Hi njsteve,

Yes, Bob supplied me with an insurance appraisal with the service. The first time that I was
fairly shocked was when I spoke to him about shipping it to his location. Thats when he told me how much to insure it for. I think his son would have been an excellent choice also. I hadn't heard about him until after I sent the watch to Bob. Anyway, Bob was great.

[Mobokid]

Stunning piece! Congrats!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[hutch300]

Originally Posted by Jessiecopeland

Ok, I guess I understood some of you incorrectly. I thought you objected to Rolex replacing movement parts.
I believe most complaints refer to dial and hands.

You can tell them not to change the dial and hands and you can also request no polishing, or even a light finishing.

Perhaps your own thread is in order. OP has a nice thing going here with a beautiful sub that also has a wonderful backstory. Let's keep to that topic.

PS he chose one of the best for service, most here would say better than Rolex themselves.

[southtexas]

Originally Posted by Jessiecopeland

That’s a fantastic watch. Congratulations.
Love the red Submariner.

However.
I think you did your watch an injustice, by bringing it to the local watchmaker.
As confident as you are with him, he cannot get genuine parts.
I’m 100% sure, that movement needed many parts.
You now have aftermarket parts in a very valuable watch.

It’s still a very nice watch. Enjoy the heck out of it.

Can you elaborate on the decision to not bring it to Rolex for service???

Welcome to the Rolex forums! There is a wealth of knowledge at your fingertips.

A quick search through past posts and topics will show that virtually everything you wrote here is incorrect. He did the right thing with his highly valuable heirloom.

[mountainjogger]

Originally Posted by Jessiecopeland

Ok, I guess I understood some of you incorrectly. I thought you objected to Rolex replacing movement parts.
I believe most complaints refer to dial and hands.

You can tell them not to change the dial and hands and you can also request no polishing, or even a light finishing.

Sorry, but you can request that they not change the dial and hands. In many cases they will refuse to service the watch without replacing. Been there, tried that. They refused to service without replacing the hands. So I asked them to return the watch. Glad I did.

OP, great watch. Glad you decided to have it restored instead of renovated. You have done your father proud.

[njsteve]

That's a great watch you have and the family connection makes it priceless. Wear it in good health!

[Dezorra]

Originally Posted by njsteve

Here's an example: If you send it into the New York Service Center, Rolex will replace your 1970 vintage second, minute, and hour hands with brand-new Rolex Luminova hands that glow brightly in the dark, and not original Tritium hands which are all long since dead and no longer glow in the dark. Same thing with the dial. It would have different markings and luminescence. Same thing with the crown and its markings. They will be the modern Rolex replacement parts. That may be fine for you.

While it may look beautiful and perfect, it will be worth quite a bit less than the same watch maintaining its vintage parts or era-correct ones in place. There are enthusiasts who appreciate perfection in their examples and there are also those who appreciate original, unaltered, battle-scarred examples that have a bit more soul to them. I am in the latter camp.

And funny you should mention the automotive angle. I have been restoring classic musclecars for the past four decades and I would definitely not bring a classic Porsche to the local Porsche dealer for them to work on. I would bring it to a restoration specialist for that marque.

Here's an example of one of my prior cars. I was honored to have been a caretaker for it for several years and even reunited it with its original owner and his wife for their 50th wedding anniversary, at the last show it appeared at: The 2016 Musclecar and Corvette Nationals, which is reputed to be the Pebble Beach Concours for 1960's to 70's musclecars. At that show it scored the highest score attainable for an unrestored example. It was the only car at the event to be awarded the "Vintage Time Capsule" status which means it had over 95% of its original assembly line components and finsh still intact. (It was missing it's 50 year old battery so it lost those points).

https://www.motortrend.com/features/...uper-duty-455/

Great explanation, and a really cool story to go with it. I too am an enthusiast of (both new and vintage; but more vintage) Rolex, and cars, and this is exactly how I would have explained the difference as well.

By the way, that Pontiac you restored is spectacular. Well done.

[Dezorra]

Awesome story OP; that is an amazing example of a red Sub, and the way the insert is fading and the patina on the dial is beautiful, and very sought after. That is representative of exactly something I hope to have in my collection someday!

But I will have to buy mine; the way you acquired yours makes it not just a very desirable watch, but a real treasure with a story behind it that truly couldn’t be better. Great moves in doing all your homework before choosing your approach; you absolutely went the right route with it.

[swish77]

Originally Posted by Jessiecopeland

That’s a fantastic watch. Congratulations.
Love the red Submariner.

However.
I think you did your watch an injustice, by bringing it to the local watchmaker.
As confident as you are with him, he cannot get genuine parts.
I’m 100% sure, that movement needed many parts.
You now have aftermarket parts in a very valuable watch.

It’s still a very nice watch. Enjoy the heck out of it.

Can you elaborate on the decision to not bring it to Rolex for service???

This is inaccurate. Both the Ridleys use Rolex parts only. And if they don't have a part in stock, they track it down.

And what a watch! Tropical goodness. Would love to see shots of the watch in the sun. Congrats, OP!

[Styles Bitchley]

Absolutely stunning watch. You’re lucky it’s from the early part of 1970, as my red Sub is also from ‘70 but has a MkIV dial, which don’t go tropical. Something about the red script on the brown dial is just magical.

[cowboy music]

Beautiful watch! Dial is stunning. Please post more pictures.

[phillip ridley]

Originally Posted by Jessiecopeland

That’s a fantastic watch. Congratulations.
Love the red Submariner.

However.
I think you did your watch an injustice, by bringing it to the local watchmaker.
As confident as you are with him, he cannot get genuine parts.
I’m 100% sure, that movement needed many parts.
You now have aftermarket parts in a very valuable watch.

It’s still a very nice watch. Enjoy the heck out of it.

Can you elaborate on the decision to not bring it to Rolex for service???

That's quite presumptuous of you since you have not done any business with me and assuming my father. OP, rest assure your watch was treated in the best manner possible using genuine Rolex parts! Love the dial!

[linesiders]

Originally Posted by Jessiecopeland

Ok, I guess I understood some of you incorrectly. I thought you objected to Rolex replacing movement parts.
I believe most complaints refer to dial and hands.

You can tell them not to change the dial and hands and you can also request no polishing, or even a light finishing.

I think you missed the entire gist. Replacing movement parts IS fine, particularly with factory Rolex parts.

Difference is an independent watchmaker that specializes in Vintage is often going to be superior in anything you will get out of Rolex. Your 2014 GMT - sure, Rolex. Your 1968 GMT - independent all day and every way way to Sunday.

[cat1pro]

Originally Posted by Jessiecopeland

Ok, I guess I understood some of you incorrectly. I thought you objected to Rolex replacing movement parts.
I believe most complaints refer to dial and hands.

You can tell them not to change the dial and hands and you can also request no polishing, or even a light finishing.

trolling this thread for sure.