Red Submariner (~1973) -1680 1575

[C101]

Hello there,

Looking at restoring, then wearing my Father's red submariner (~1973 ; Model 1680/0; Calibre 1575) which is currently in rather poor condition having been constantly for over 40 years (non-Rolex bracelet; missing bezel; scratched glass (not crystal)).

I have received a service estimate from Rolex at 665 Fifth Ave who informed me that once the glass is removed, the hands will not be able to be saved. This is disappointing as new hands will not match the vintage patina of the red Submariner dial.

Just looking for advise on what to do to maintain the watch's value. (eg. should the dial be left uncleaned / hands left as it / glass/crystal left unchanged? Or is it the case that as the watch is already so damaged ((non-Rolex bracelet; missing bezel; scratched glass (not crystal)) then my getting it properly serviced to put it into working order will not really make a difference?

Happy to learn as much as I can to make an informed decision how to proceed.

Thanks

Craig

[Robbyvm]

Bob Ridley would be your man
Post some pics ofvthe watch please !

[Jacek]

I would recommend ABC Watchwerks in LA.

[TimeToGo]

Welcome to the Forum!

The best suggestion is to leave the watch as original as possible, obviously the dial and hands are a big plus. From the sound of it, you have the main components that make up the watch = head, dial, and hands. The crystal is not a big deal to replace, specially if it is in bad shape. Also, you can get an authentic bracelet plus the bezel and insert for it. But without pictures, it is hard to comment.

If you are looking for a service recommendation there are plenty in the US that can accommodate to keep the watch as original as possible, if you are willing to ship abroad..

[cruvon]

Since you are in Australia, I would speak to Jed(Jedly1) http://www.thetimetraveler.co/ and check if he can help you get it serviced by Rolex in Melbourne to vintage specs, he kindly helped with getting my Red Sub serviced by them. The other alternative is as the guys above have mentioned. Are you in Sydney or Melboune?

[Cc1966]

Originally Posted by C101

Hello there,

Looking at restoring, then wearing my Father's red submariner (~1973 ; Model 1680/0; Calibre 1575) which is currently in rather poor condition having been constantly for over 40 years (non-Rolex bracelet; missing bezel; scratched glass (not crystal)).

I have received a service estimate from Rolex at 665 Fifth Ave who informed me that once the glass is removed, the hands will not be able to be saved. This is disappointing as new hands will not match the vintage patina of the red Submariner dial.

Just looking for advise on what to do to maintain the watch's value. (eg. should the dial be left uncleaned / hands left as it / glass/crystal left unchanged? Or is it the case that as the watch is already so damaged ((non-Rolex bracelet; missing bezel; scratched glass (not crystal)) then my getting it properly serviced to put it into working order will not really make a difference?

Happy to learn as much as I can to make an informed decision how to proceed.

Thanks

Craig

I would ship internationally if I had to to maintain the vintage aspects of your fathers watch. Good luck

[azguy]

Do not use RSC, find/research a solid independent that knows and respects vintage time pieces. ABC is solid recommendation along with Bob Ridley in Texas which can be found at http://www.watchmakers.com/

[pdoukas]

Originally Posted by cruvon

Since you are in Australia, I would speak to Jed(Jedly1) http://www.thetimetraveler.co/ and check if he can help you get it serviced by Rolex in Melbourne to vintage specs, he kindly helped with getting my Red Sub serviced by them. The other alternative is as the guys above have mentioned. Are you in Sydney or ?

Agree with with San! RSC in Aus, if you're in OZ, is much different than RSC in the states. Get in touch with Jed.


Sent from my mobile device. Please excuse spelling, punctuation, and brevity.

[Kringkily]

Don't let them take the hands....for vintage pieces find a great independent watchmaker as you could potentially lose a TON of a value once RSC gets their hands on it.

[Michael M.]

Since you are in Australia, I would suggest you talk to Andrew aka Jedly. He uses the RSC and has told me in the past he has trained them well on vintage pieces.

[C101]

Thanks all for the info. Really appreciated.

Sorry for the delayed reply. Been away with work. I will contact RSC Aus, however, just wondering why they are/would be so different to RSC NY ?

Thanks

[azguy]

NY has no appreciation or interest in keeping vintage watches original, sure they'll fix it just fine but you'll end up with new hands, bezels and God knows what else greatly effecting the value, and look, of the watch...

[scottb2]

bob ridley is the guy i think of when restoring a watch properly but be prepared to pay a nice price for it - it is worth the money :P

[Hmac]

I have a 1972 Red letter Submariner (Mk IV) that I just sent off to Bob Ridley in Arlington. He called me two days ago after looking it over closely and we had about a 40 minute conversation about the watch. Good lord, that man loves Rolexes! The discussion led me to the clear conclusion that that level of passion combined with his documented restoration skill was definitely the way to go in restoring a watch of that value and panache. Sentiment aside, some sympathetically restored red subs are going in the $10,000-$14,000 USD range. I think you can forget value like that if it goes to an RSC. It will be a highly functional watch, but its value will be remarkably diminished.

[scottb2]

40 min conversation ?? I've had those before. Did you need all forty minutes ?? :)))))??)

[Hmac]

Originally Posted by scottb2

40 min conversation ?? I've had those before. Did you need all forty minutes ?? :)))))??)

In fairness, I also sent him my 16523 Daytona.

[scottb2]

Hey BR is top notch repair guy and knows just about everything about the inner workings of a watch - if i had to fix an expensive watch i would not think of another place

- if it were a watch that was a beater that would be a different story

[C101]

Thanks all. I will contact Bob and see how it goes. Really looking forward to getting my Dad's watch restored to its original condition.

Kind regards,

Craig

[RolexWatcher]

Originally Posted by C101

Thanks all for the info. Really appreciated.

Sorry for the delayed reply. Been away with work. I will contact RSC Aus, however, just wondering why they are/would be so different to RSC NY ?

Thanks

If you want to stay in Australia, as per other members, you should contact jedly first rather than contacting RSC Aus directly. His username is "jedly1" (http://www.rolexforums.com/member.php?u=34622).

[Fredrik]

Originally Posted by C101

Thanks all. I will contact Bob and see how it goes. Really looking forward to getting my Dad's watch restored to its original condition.

You have to hand deliver the watch to him then, you can't ship Rolex watches into the USA.

[Hmac]

Originally Posted by Fredrik

You have to hand deliver the watch to him then, you can't ship Rolex watches into the USA.

Interesting....I never knew that. Apparently no idle threat. CBP can and does confiscate them.

The Rolex trademark recordation with Customs indicates "Import of Goods Bearing Genuine Trademarks or Trade Names Restricted." This means that genuine Rolex products can only be imported with the permission of the trademark owner, Rolex Watch U.S.A. Inc. A private individual can hand carry one Rolex watch from a trip overseas without obtaining permission. Bring in more than one, and they will all be seized as a trademark violation. Purchasing a Rolex from overseas by mail is also a trademark violation.

Rolex & USA shipments In an attempt to protect their trademarks Rolex USA have registered their name & designs with the US Customs. Because of this US Customs will seize all Rolex watches which have not been bought new from an authorised US retailer. There are only two possible exemptions to this rule:

When the watch has been bought overseas and is being imported by the purchaser in person and is declared to the US Customs on entry to the US. This exemption is at the discretion of the individual customs agent and normally covers only one watch per person.
If the purchaser can produce a letter from Rolex USA or the company’s attorney authorising them to import the watch. Please note in over ten years that I have never known any collector or dealer to be able to obtain such a letter.

[Mark020]

Bob R may be a magician with Rolex but there are more people on this world in his league.