Recent Rolliworks reviews?

[dakotap]

My dad’s 16613 sub bracelet is beyond worn out and he needs to have it repaired/tightened as well as clean up the case at the same time. I was intending to use Rolliworks out of Miami. They have only ever used RSC’s for anything they needed but he is wanting to avoid the steep cost of a two tone bracelet replacement from an RSC. Anyone have some recent reviews of Rolliworks or have other recommendations stateside before I pull the trigger and ship it to Miami? I have heard of Michael Young in HK but there’s no way they would agree to shipping it out of the country.

[Flypanam]

There are probably other places, but Rolliworks and Michael Young are the two that I frequently hear positive things about, not just recently, but for a long time now. It's a painstaking process to repair a stretched bracelet, and I'd fear that some places would just try to stick in some shitty aftermarket pins or something, rather than straightening the originals or using OEM pins.

[fskywalker]

Rolliworks did a refurbish on my gone DD 18239 president bracelet and was very pleased with the end result. Below before and after picture:




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[norcalgt3]

I trust rolliworks more than RSC

[espanol]

Originally Posted by norcalgt3

I trust rolliworks more than RSC

Why is that? I’ve had Rolex watches serviced through RSC USA and Dubai over the last 15 years with absolutely no problems. In fact, I’ve had nothing but positive experiences both with vintage and modern. I’d only trust RSC in some cases.

[IgCarr]

Rolliworks just refurbished a two-tone jubilee bracelet for me for a vintage Turn-O-Graph that was stretched beyond belief. They did an incredible job. The stretch is completely gone and they added three links to get it back to standard. I don't have pictures to share but I highly recommend them.

[joli160]

RSC’s don’t repair but just replace so for a bracelet refurb they are useless.
From what I have seen here on TRF Rolliworks do a solid job.

[East of Eden]

Originally Posted by espanol

Why is that? I’ve had Rolex watches serviced through RSC USA and Dubai over the last 15 years with absolutely no problems. In fact, I’ve had nothing but positive experiences both with vintage and modern. I’d only trust RSC in some cases.

You can find lots of negative RSC stories on this forum, have never heard of one from Rollieworks, IMHO they are cheaper and better. My one experience with them was positive, taking the stretch out of a 1984 DJ

[DLRIDES]

Originally Posted by norcalgt3

I trust rolliworks more than RSC

/\ This /\

[HHIslander]

If there’s a negative review about Rolliworks bracelet work, I’ve never seen it. I’d trust them completely.

[skipstar]

I recently used Rolliworks for a PCL polish only and no physical repairs. I was very pleased with the end results.

[Kevin of Larchmont]

I sent a sacked-out 14060m bracelet to Michael Young in HK pre-Covid. It came back flawless and communication was excellent. I’ve never read anything other than glowing reviews for Rolliworks here on TRF. I’ve read fewer reviews for Michael Young but also positive.

[brandrea]

Originally Posted by fskywalker

Rolliworks did a refurbish on my gone DD 18239 president bracelet and was very pleased with the end result. Below before and after picture:




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That looks fantastic

[77T]

Originally Posted by espanol

Why is that? I’ve had Rolex watches serviced through RSC USA and Dubai over the last 15 years with absolutely no problems. In fact, I’ve had nothing but positive experiences both with vintage and modern. I’d only trust RSC in some cases.

I think the context matters. This thread is discussing refurbishment of the bracelet.

The RSC does not do that work.

Thus, someone saying Rolliworks is superior to the RSC in bracelet refurbishment is automatically accurate.


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[rockmastermike]

to add another data point I have had Rollieworks do both 1) refurb my jubilee and 2) service my 1680 sub about 18 months apart and the consistency and work and service was and is outstanding

[espanol]

Originally Posted by East of Eden

You can find lots of negative RSC stories on this forum, have never heard of one from Rollieworks, IMHO they are cheaper and better. My one experience with them was positive, taking the stretch out of a 1984 DJ

Originally Posted by 77T

I think the context matters. This thread is discussing refurbishment of the bracelet.

The RSC does not do that work.

Thus, someone saying Rolliworks is superior to the RSC in bracelet refurbishment is automatically accurate.


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Got it, thanks to you both.

[dg8dg7]

My personal experience was pretty mixed for my vintage rolex riveted bracelet and case polish if I'm honest. I was quoted an amount far below the final cost despite my initial inquiry specifically talking about a T-bar that would likely need replacing that I later found out would be an additional $175. I would have just sourced one myself before hand had I known or been told that cost up front.

There also were some parts replaced without first inquiring with me, such as a crown tube that didn't need to be done (my watchmaker had serviced it prior and made no indication that the tube had an issue), and I just felt a bit mislead from the initial response to my inquiry. My final amount was nearly $400 more than the quote.

The finished case and bracelet was excellent, but if I'm honest I wouldn't have done it in the first place for the final price. I think their work is excellent, I just wish they were more detailed on their quotes, or checked in with repairs during the process - they are just so busy that they make the judgement call but that doesn't work for everyone.

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[worldofoyster]

Originally Posted by joli160

RSC’s don’t repair but just replace so for a bracelet refurb they are useless.
From what I have seen here on TRF Rolliworks do a solid job.

this^

[Pepperjack]

Originally Posted by dg8dg7

There also were some parts replaced without first inquiring with me, such as a crown tube that didn't need to be done (my watchmaker had serviced it prior and made no indication that the tube had an issue)

Obviously I can't know what the exact scenario was, and this by no means absolves them of anything else, but I just want to say that crown tubes can have a variety of issues. It's uncommon, but they can snap when removing them, snap when installing them, and the ridges inside (for engagement with the installation key) often wear down over time. Crown tubes are more-or-less consumables. That said, I'm surprised they would charge you for a tube, especially since it wasn't estimated for in the first place. Maybe I'm spoiled, but my shop throws those things away like they're nothing.

[Xelor5513]

I had RSC service my Abuelo’s 1966 5513 last year. It came back with a caution note suggesting that its 93150 service bracelet was pretty worn and weak and a potential liability.
After receiving many positive recommendations for Rolliworks, I sent the 93150 bracelet to them in August. The work took about 3 weeks and cost me around $375USD. Mike did an amazing job restoring it. They also let you decide if you want it polished, and if so how much on a scale of 1-5. The in-house jeweler at my AD commented on how impressed he was with the like new restored tolerances.
I give Rolliworks 5 stars and

[offrdmania]

There are negative reviews for Rolliworks, every business will have them but I am safe to assume that 98-99% of their customers are happy with the service. A lot of times, negative reviews will have nothing to do with the job itself and usually has something to do with an issue with a shipper that didnt deliver an item on time, or an entitled customer didnt get their way and they have a tantrum on the internet.
Either way, I sent a 93150 bracelet to Rolliworks for a complete rebuild and when it came back, it looked and felt darn near brand new with zero stretch.

[kauffee]

My view is that if you want a movement service, RSC is fine. They have the best access to movement parts and you get the 2 year warranty.

However if you want case or bracelet work, you’re rolling the dice with RSC. You may get an excellent refinish, but we’ve seen plenty of examples of overpolishing, softened edges, etc from RSC. You just don’t know what you’re going to get and that scares me. I’d choose a place like Rolliworks if I wanted my watch polished.

[JSolution]

I want to ruin a watch just to use them

[CFR]

I've sent I think 4 steel bracelets to Rolliworks. Most (all?) were 9315's.

I was very happy with all but one of the results. One came back to me with a shinier, very different-looking finish than when I sent it in. I never wanted the finish touched -- should've been left alone and only the pins repaired -- but there was some mistaken assumption that I wanted it look "more vintage" despite my clear, detailed written instructions.

I wasn't thrilled, but they were apologetic and mistakes happen. It wasn't the end of the world. I'd recommend Rolliworks and use them again. The work was excellent. In fact, one of the bracelets I sent them had been restored by the previous owner of that bracelet in a way that was way too tight for my preferences. The links were very close together and it look unnatural to me, so I had Rolliworks loosen it up a bit (the opposite of their usual work), which was great.

[cleansocks]

When I had my 18038 done by Rolliworks, the bracelet had very significant stretch and a loose friction fit clasp and some dents in the links, it did come back tighter with bracelet stretch resolved, the clasp tightened up, dents mostly fixed. But it was so tight that the bracelet did not "flow" along the fingers like a normal one does - the links would catch and not glide smoothly. This was a problem when I wanted to trade it in - they could tell work had been done. Same with the clasp. The clasp's joint was rendered so tight that one could fold it into a particular angle and it would stay there. You'd need a little force, not just gravity, to adjust the clasp hinge angle

[ndirish2001]

You can check my post history for details, but I recently got back my 16750 Pepsi back from Rolliworks and I couldn’t be happier. And less than a year ago I got back from them a 1601 Datejust with terrible bracelet stretch that they rebuilt and refinished masterfully to my specifications. I only have good things to say about them.


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[kenkeith]

His Name is Michael Hui....

[EvelynWaugh]

Originally Posted by fskywalker

Rolliworks did a refurbish on my gone DD 18239 president bracelet and was very pleased with the end result. Below before and after picture:




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Thats fantastic work. I wonder if there any downsides to doing bracelet restoration on president bracelets. Like are there markings or signs that appears unoriginal once you get it tightened like that?

[johnliley]

Check out Zimmerman watch repair as well. He refurbed my Exp II

JL

[csaltphoto]

Originally Posted by Pepperjack

Obviously I can't know what the exact scenario was, and this by no means absolves them of anything else, but I just want to say that crown tubes can have a variety of issues. It's uncommon, but they can snap when removing them, snap when installing them, and the ridges inside (for engagement with the installation key) often wear down over time. Crown tubes are more-or-less consumables. That said, I'm surprised they would charge you for a tube, especially since it wasn't estimated for in the first place. Maybe I'm spoiled, but my shop throws those things away like they're nothing.

Rolliworks doesn't have a Rolex parts account so some things that are super cheap at an AD/RSC can end up costing quite a bit on the aftermarket. They are careful to only use genuine Rolex parts. So something like an aluminum bezel insert will cost market price not RSC price. They do excellent work though. They serviced my sub and 5 years later still at +2 spd. As near as I can tell they are among the best for rebuilding trashed cases and bracelets.