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ROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEX
ROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEX
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#61 |
"TRF" Member
Join Date: Jun 2007
Real Name: Patrick
Location: Texas
Watch: what I'm wearing
Posts: 5,943
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She mentioned 400 in her OP........check it out.
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#62 |
"TRF" Member
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: New York
Watch: Rolex DSSD
Posts: 558
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Eventhough I do not like to pay for the service compared to mechanical things of similar price it is not high cost. Think of your car. If you watch is a dily wear it works more than a car of cab driver. Conmpare the running cost and maintanance.
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#63 |
"TRF" Member
Join Date: Jan 2007
Real Name: Ian
Location: Ridgewood, NJ USA
Posts: 83
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Thanks for the information Vanessa.
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#64 |
Member
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Melbourne
Watch: Daytona
Posts: 288
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Thanks Vanessa for sharing your work
![]() When I last serviced my Sub at an RSC, it was running very slow (around an hour) for the first day or so. Then, when I wound it, the crown did not turn smoothly. After that, everything seems to go back to normal. Do you know the reason for these phenomena? |
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#65 |
2024 Pledge Member
Join Date: Jul 2009
Real Name: DrK
Location: India
Watch: 4=YMDaytonaGMTHulk
Posts: 7,051
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Thanks Vanessa. You explained so well. When my turn comes up, I am going to pay with a smile.
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#66 |
"TRF" Member
Join Date: Nov 2008
Real Name: Fernando
Location: North Carolina
Watch: SS White Daytona
Posts: 1,944
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Great post Vanessa.
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#67 |
"TRF" Member
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Australia
Posts: 446
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does rolex keep tabs on services?
like if i bought a 2nd hand rolex, could i chase up with rolex if it has been serviced or not? |
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#68 |
"TRF" Member
Join Date: Oct 2009
Real Name: John
Location: Gillsville, GA
Watch: Vintage Datejust
Posts: 48
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Thanks Vanessa. Very interesting.
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#69 |
2024 Pledge Member
Join Date: Jun 2009
Real Name: Rocky
Location: Australia
Watch: Grail:Bluesy
Posts: 17,777
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I am always a little 'humbled' when I contemplate the skill and dedication possessed by workers who are rarely recognised for their talent. We put the 'professions' on a pedestal but fail to recognise the people who make the world go round (or in this case , the hands). I hope we don't ever run out of the skilled craftsperson. Hopefully 'supply & demand' will always make it viable for these special people to engage in these areas of work.
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#70 |
"TRF" Member
Join Date: Aug 2008
Real Name: Eric
Location: Hong Kong
Watch: 1665
Posts: 1,495
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Thanks Vanessa - greatly appreciate the detailed post!
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#71 |
"TRF" Member
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Louisiana
Watch: 114060
Posts: 1,678
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thanks!
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#72 |
"TRF" Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Real Name: mike
Location: UK
Posts: 3
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very interesting vanessa, thanks for sharing.
cheers mike |
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#73 |
TechXpert & 2016 Patron
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Mx
Posts: 1,572
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You're welcome guys!
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Member# 5731 Instagram: @vanessa.cw21 Watch my Rolex repair video: https://youtu.be/jDnaotCTpTA |
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#74 |
"TRF" Member
Join Date: Nov 2009
Real Name: John
Location: Seattle, WA USA
Watch: Rolex - a few!
Posts: 1,472
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Thanks from a newbie! A real enlightenment for many of us by a qualified professional! More cheers.
John |
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#75 |
Member
Join Date: Nov 2009
Real Name: Mike
Location: Montana
Watch: Hamilton hunter
Posts: 16
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OK Van,
You can have my Explorer 2 for a redo. If you want to...email me the details as to how this can happen. TIA mia Mike Barts montanan@itstriangle.com or 406.390.0099 |
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#76 | |
"TRF" Member
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: CHILE
Posts: 3
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Standard service
Vanessa what is the cost of a standard service for a lady ss datejust. THANKS,
LUCAS Quote:
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#77 |
"TRF" Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
Real Name: Gary
Location: GMT-6
Watch: GMT
Posts: 3,350
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Very informative. Thanks, Vanesse. I have the utmost respect for good watchmakers.
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Omega Seamaster 300M GMT Noire Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra 8500 Benson 1937 Sterling Silver Hunter |
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#78 |
"TRF" Member
Join Date: Dec 2009
Real Name: Peter
Location: Massachusetts
Watch: 214270 Mk2
Posts: 1,963
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Great post. I assume this is SOP for all competent watchmakers that service Rolex watches?
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2016 Explorer 214270 Mk2 - 1996 Submariner 14060* - 1972 Datejust 1601 1972 Oyster Perpetual 1002 - 1978 Oysterquartz 17000 Omega Seamaster 2265.80 - Omega Seamaster 300 166.0324 *RIP PAL 1942-2015 |
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#79 |
Banned
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Not here anymore
Posts: 4,787
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Wow, awesome post. Thanks so much for posting that. I was unaware of everything that was done to my watch. Now that you mention it, my 400 plus Euros wasn't enough!
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#80 |
"TRF" Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Real Name: Alan
Location: Tampa, FL
Watch: Submariner
Posts: 1
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This is a post that I also posted on another thread on the avg cost of a service. First I must say that from what I read Ms. Vanessa knows her craft and does a quality job. Here it is.
Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Alan, I am a watchmaker, and this is my first post on the forum. This thread caught my attention enough for me to want to give it my input as well. I work with Michael (Horologier) at watchrestoration.com. We work under Ernest Tope CMW21. Mr. Tope is one of a handful of watchmakers with the CMW21 (21st Century Certified Master Watchmaker) certification and one of the most highly skilled watchmakers I have ever met. Michael and I are lucky to have the privilege of working with him. To answer the original posting (remember the original posting), the average price of a Rolex service on a modern Rolex is roughly about $350 give or take a hundred bucks. This is for the average jewelry store and not Rolex or a Rolex dealership and assumes that the watch does not need any parts other than gaskets and a mainspring. I believe Rolex is about $700 and they replace the crown and tube as part of the service. I know of watchmakers who will service a Rolex for as little as $75 but I would never recommend them. I know what it takes to do the job properly. Of course, there are a number of issues that affect the price. Does the watchmaker use genuine Rolex parts or generic ones? Genuine parts cost more and are restricted. Rolex tries very hard to ensure that they make their parts available only to competent watchmakers. Rolex has sent letters to their parts accounts stating that as of the end of the year only AWCI certified watchmakers with the necessary equipment will be eligible for a Rolex parts account. This brings us to the next issue. Is the watchmaker competent? Like any other profession, not all watchmakers are equal. If the watchmaker is AWCI certified that certification implies a certain skill level. There are many competent watchmakers who are not certified but there are many more uncertified watchmakers who are mediocre or worse. We spend a lot of our time correcting previous slipshod work. Some attorneys charge $100 an hour and some charge $1000 an hour. If you are negotiating a hundred million dollar transaction which one would you chose? Many times a watchmaker can get away with shoddy work and the customer may never know. He may leave dings and scratches all over the movement and most customers never see the movement at all let alone inside the movement when it is dismantled. The watch works fine but the dings and scratches have devalued it and the owner never knows until the next person to work on it tells them so. Another issue is what the criteria is used for replacing a marginal part. As an example, I have seen many watches with corrosion inside due to moisture. Often I see a corroded oscillating weight that will function properly but looks just awful. Depending on the customer’s expectations I either brush the corrosion off or I replace the part. Would you be willing to pay the extra cost to replace it? Watch manufacturers will not give you a choice; they will replace the part and charge accordingly. We here will also replace the part because we want to produce work we can be proud of. When someone else looks at our work we want it to be seen as first rate. Accuracy is a big factor. Accuracy can be a matter of diminishing returns. Theoretically, the longer I work on timing a watch, the more accurate I can make it. It costs a lot more to get a race car to go from a ten second machine to a 9.5 second machine than it does to take it from 12 seconds to 11 seconds. Some watches have better capabilities than others but the theory still holds. Once a watch has been cleaned and oiled and any mechanical issues have been resolved, the watch is adjusted and tested. Sometimes the watch is adjusted and tested many times before it is released. This often accounts for the long amount of time needed to service the watch. We like to test the watch for at least a week of good timekeeping before we release it. Often we will put the watch in timing and after a few days of unsatisfactory timekeeping make an adjustment and start the timing process again. We will often repeat this process several times before we are satisfied. What level of accuracy do you expect from the $150 job vs. the $600 job? Overhead is another factor. State of the art equipment has become very expensive and manufacturers are insisting on some very expensive equipment before they will open a parts account. A major store in a major mall pays a very high rent and manufacturers need to pay for their large facilities and for the executive salaries and bonuses. Fortunately we don’t have that situation; the money you spend on your watch goes only to the time we spend on it. Watchmaking is a difficult profession. It takes a long time to become adept at this profession and like any other profession we deserve to make a decent living. In addition good watchmakers are few in number and the law of supply and demand applies. I don’t know of any watchmakers that are getting rich servicing watches. If anyone knows of one I would love to know their formula for success. Considering the time, effort and cost of being a good watchmaker, we are one of the most underpaid and underappreciated professions I know of. On estimates there are 2 ways to do it. We can charge for the estimate and stick to the price, or we can give a free estimate and call later when we come across a problem and alter the price accordingly. Many times I have taken my car into a repair shop and was quoted a price only to receive a phone call later telling me that the repairman found a problem he had not accounted for and that the price of the repair would be considerably more. The same goes for contractors repairing homes and other buildings. Cost overruns are common even with new construction. Since we mostly work on older watches we come across hidden problems often, usually from the folks that worked on it before us. Experience has taught us that completely disassembling the watch and charging for the estimate is the only way to go. We are on this forum because we love our watches. If you love your watch, why would you be more concerned with the price of the repair than the quality of the repair? The bitterness of a poor repair is remembered long after the sweetness of a low price is forgotten. Long Live The Mechanical Watch! |
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#81 |
TechXpert & 2016 Patron
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Mx
Posts: 1,572
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Thanks again guys!
![]() Yes, it should be the norm for all Rolex trained watchmakers around the world.
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Member# 5731 Instagram: @vanessa.cw21 Watch my Rolex repair video: https://youtu.be/jDnaotCTpTA |
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#82 |
"TRF" Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Real Name: Mark
Location: 🤔
Posts: 8,424
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Wow, what a post..I've had my gmt since 2001, and had it serviced 2 times, right now its getting serviced the 2nd time, they want it for 4 weeks, I was wondering why, now I know. I WISH THEY WOULD GIVE ME A LOANER
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#83 |
"TRF" Member
Join Date: Jul 2005
Real Name: Adam
Location: Philly ‘burbs
Posts: 5,642
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Did you give it to an RSC or and independent watchmaker? I dropped mine off for an overhaul on Monday. It should take about 2-3 weeks. SS Sub Date Y serial, papers dated 11/2003 and due for an overhaul.
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#84 |
"TRF" Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Vancouver
Posts: 7
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Good read. My Sub is due for a service, and I've always had questions as to what gets done. This will make it easier to pay the bill. Thanks!
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#85 |
"TRF" Member
Join Date: Dec 2009
Real Name: Bubba
Location: Ohio, USA
Watch: GMT Master IIc SS
Posts: 318
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excellent write-up Vanessa, sorry if this has been addressed but my AD said it will take 8 weeks for the process and they do it all in-house. Is it common for it to be that long?
BTW, the service will be on a women's datejust ~1990 in mint condition and cost about $590 they quoted. |
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#86 |
Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: UK
Posts: 17
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Great thread, very insightful and most reassuring.
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#87 |
"TRF" Member
Join Date: Dec 2009
Real Name: John
Location: Mississauga, ON
Watch: 16750, 16610
Posts: 89
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Vanessa, Thanks for the excellent information! As as result I sent in my old GMT 16750 purchased back in '87 in for service. Anxiously awaiting it's return from it's $1,500 spa visit later this month. New plexi crystal, bezel insert, hands and dial being done. I suspect it will be like getting it back like new. Can't wait!!!!
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#88 |
"TRF" Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Real Name: Rick
Location: Michigan
Watch: for that TRF bug!!
Posts: 275
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When service necessary/recommended?
So I'll repeat a question that I don't think was answered...If your aren't putting a watch through it's paces...and you aren't beating up the appearance.....how often is it really required to be serviced..
If it sits in a safe deposit box or something and is rarely ever used...wouldn't servicing it every 10, or 20 years be satisfactory? Not advocating 'bucking the system' but would like to better understand the rationale for a 5 year incremental service profile...it would appear to me that usage should dictate the time of service...and not time itself....? ![]() ![]() ![]()
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#89 |
TRF Moderator & 2024 DATE-JUST41 Patron
Join Date: May 2007
Real Name: Larry
Location: Mojave Desert
Watch: GMT's
Posts: 43,343
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Rolex does not say "every 5 years"... they say that they recommend, "depending on usage about every 5 years". Two very different statements.
Vanessa has even said that Rolex is leaning more towards 8 years with the newer movements, oils, and technology..
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#90 |
"TRF" Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Real Name: Rick
Location: Michigan
Watch: for that TRF bug!!
Posts: 275
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Thanks Larry!
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