longest time one has not service rolex

[the dark knight]

King Harald of Norway has a 1675 allegedly purchased in 1962 and worn daily. I follow him on IG and he still wears it. Nobody seems to know for sure, but it seems like it's never been serviced. Everything seems original including the completely faded bezel and he doesn't seem like a watch guy that would want to keep all original parts for the sake of it. Not to mention the bracelet doesn't even seem like it's been through an ultrasonic, with how much gunk there is.

Having said that, I'm not sure even a Rolex (or any mechanical) is capable of running for 60!!! years without service. But if it has been serviced, it appears it's been a VERY long time since that happened.

https://www.rolexmagazine.com/2018/0...g.html#/page/1

[Rolexforthewin]

My DateJust from 1996 has only been serviced twice. It went about 10 years before its first service.

[Jilani]

Originally Posted by siggen7

My 1993 sub N-Serial have never been to service, keeps the time good, only -1 sek a day :)

1996 TT Bluesy T-Serial also never been to service, a little low on power reserve sometimes but otherwise keeps perfect time.

[4reRlxGuy]

I have Daytona around 20 yrs old that I wear on occasion that still runs fine

[sazzymerlot]

Originally Posted by Sharo

Hi all,
what is the longest time you have ever not serviced your precious rolex watch, been to Ben Bridge and spoken to the manager and he told me he has not serviced the watch for 15 yrs and its still working well, what is the longest time you have your rolex and not been serviced?
is it overdone to get us to service rolex every 5 yrs??

would love to hear from you out there..

longest time? 1998 submariner put in service january 1998 -- its november 2023 --- 26 straight years --- never serviced -- never stopped -- was zero seconds accurate 1st 20 years, now runs 6 seconds fast per day.

[inadeje]

I went 15 years, from 1999 to 2014 without servicing my Daytona Zenith. The watch was finally serviced since it would stop. It tuned out to be the bearings in the autowind pendulum that were shot. The watch kept perfect time throughout that whole period.

My Exp II owned between 2009 and 2021 was never serviced and was traded in 2021.

Where watches are concerned I’m of the “if it ain’t broke” school of thought.

[Moondoggy]

My 16613 bought in 1999, never serviced still keeps COSC time.

[4reRlxGuy]

With the exception of vintage pieces that I acquired not running. The remainder haven't needed servicing.

[Spencer a wiffen]

I own a 34mm tt datejust midi owned since 1989 never serviced and still works fine.
Could be a winner in this one.

[Ococ]

Daydate bought it in 2001 still working

[Jocas712]

Still have an E serial hand me down Date Date 36 still working 🫡

Winding feels harder tho but still working fine

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[geoach]

1999 PP 5066 never serviced .....time keeping is not the best...but I'll send it in when it stops.......or my family will if I stop before

[JSol1]

2004 16613 went 18 years. Only reason I had it serviced is because I regularly used it in salt water and was concerned about the state of the gaskets…

[Jackie Daytona]

My 16750 went from 1982 to around 2012 before it was serviced. Kept terrible time up until that service.

[Verdi]

This is actually a curse for Rolex.
Watches are well built, reliable and keep good time for decades....but there is a downside to that.

While the movement keeps going.....the gaskets dry up, crumble and only small amount of moisture/sweat is needed get through to start eating up the case. I see a lot of vintage watches that have not been serviced in decades and the case is heavily pitted. Especially for watches made before 1985 when Rolex started to use 904L steel which is more resistant to corrosion.

If the watch looses time, stops or has low power reserve....its time to service. Even if it does not show any of these signs, Id service a watch after ten years of daily use.
I personally send out for service any vintage watch that I buy without any history of servicing. I also do not buy watches that have pitted cases as this cannot be sorted out without replacing it which defeats the purpose of buying a vintage piece.

[Hamm]

20 years… this thread has shamed me into thinking I need to take it in soon…

[the dark knight]

Originally Posted by Verdi

This is actually a curse for Rolex.
Watches are well built, reliable and keep good time for decades....but there is a downside to that.

While the movement keeps going.....the gaskets dry up, crumble and only small amount of moisture/sweat is needed get through to start eating up the case. I see a lot of vintage watches that have not been serviced in decades and the case is heavily pitted. Especially for watches made before 1985 when Rolex started to use 904L steel which is more resistant to corrosion.

If the watch looses time, stops or has low power reserve....its time to service. Even if it does not show any of these signs, Id service a watch after ten years of daily use.
I personally send out for service any vintage watch that I buy without any history of servicing. I also do not buy watches that have pitted cases as this cannot be sorted out without replacing it which defeats the purpose of buying a vintage piece.

Are there conditions in which the gaskets dry up faster? Just using 30 years as a baseline, I've seen watchmaking videos of watches that old from various brands that haven't been serviced. Some have gaskets that still look new, and some have gaskets that crumble like plastic.

[jimcameron]

20yrs, perfect time.........not that I put it on a timer.

[MichelleP]

I have a BLNR that is 10 years old and never serviced. Running just fine. Has some scratches and dings but doesn't bother me.

[thegrandseirolexguy]

I’m in the wear it until it stops running accurately camp.

Preventive maintenance on contemporary luxury watches seem rather pointless since they are often over engineered mechanical marvels.

Case in point. I took my Rolex in for a warranty service and RSC replaced one of the wheels because it showed just the tiniest sign of wear. And that’s after 4 years and 8 months of 24/7 non stop running. Everything else inside was in perfect condition according to RSC.

Seems like the byword for service at RSC & Omega is “replace, replace, replace”. Wonder if they work under some sort of time constraint.


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[~JJ]

I have a Trex that’s 13 years old and hasn’t been serviced. Runs great.

[majidessa]

Originally Posted by the dark knight

Are there conditions in which the gaskets dry up faster? Just using 30 years as a baseline, I've seen watchmaking videos of watches that old from various brands that haven't been serviced. Some have gaskets that still look new, and some have gaskets that crumble like plastic.

Yes, as gaskets are mostly rubber, they will be greatly affected by extreme weather conditions. Also, wearing the watch while swimming, especially in sea water, will also impact the life of the gaskets.

If your watch sits in a dark box and you wear it in rotation with other watches, the gaskets should last a longer time.

As a general rule, I do not swim with my luxury watches (that is a job for Casio's), and I store them in a dark box in a moderate temperature room.

As for serving, since I have too many watches that I wear in rotation, I would only service when something is broken. I have a TT Daytona for 20 years, and it has never been serviced since I bought it new from the AD. It keeps a great time 4 sec+ per 24 hours and still has long power reserve.

Servicing a watch on some occasions (I hope rare) might not be all that good, as mistakes do happen from watchmakers with misuse and scratches on the movement, dial, or hands.

I'm an advocate of if it ain't broken don't fix it, but if one is a must, a 10 year interval is more than sufficient with modern movements and lubrications.

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[rolexjc]

18038 1984 working great never serviced

[the dark knight]

Originally Posted by garyk

I'm embarrassed to say my 2000 116528 YG Daytona has never been serviced. It runs beautifully and I've hesitated to let RSC even touch it. I have a bunch of all manner of watches and wear them all so this one has had the equivalent of just a few years of actual wrist time. I guess it might be time but I am nervous...

Is this a Zenith movt or 4130?

[simex]

29 years on my 1655

[0nly5iv3Digits]

Some mid-century pieces have never been serviced, and many won’t ever be.

[Tbird]

Can Rolex refuse to service a watch when its not been serviced for too long? Or does it get ridiculously expensive?

[Neil McCauley]

I've not had my 116710BLNR serviced since I bought it back in April 2018. It keeps perfect time so I don't see the need to, before the 10yr recommendation at least.

However, last November I did send the watch off to the RSC for warranty work, due to the rotor rattling (apparently common?) It arrived back repaired about 3 weeks later, with no details of any work carried out. Perhaps it was serviced, I don't know..

[majidessa]

Here are my 4 simple rules if a watch needs service which you do at home:
1- Accuracy (+/ - 10 seconds a day) especially for older models/ movements
2- Power reserve test based on movement specs
3- Amplitude test also based on movement specs
4- Cosmetic inspection of all external parts

If ALL is good then no need for service

[USMC034L]

I have a NOS 16610LN that was manufactured in 2002. I purchased in November 2023 and it still had almost all the original factory stickers on it including case back sticker. It has never been serviced and runs about +5-6 seconds per day. I will probably have it serviced later this year, as I'm more concerned about water resistance than anything else as the power reserve and accuracy seem fine.