The Conservative Restoration of a DRSD
 

The Conservative Restoration of a Mark III Double Red Sea-Dweller

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to acquire a Double Red Sea-Dweller (3.7 million serial range), which appears to have never been polished, had any parts replaced, and possibly never serviced, as there are no service dates or references as normally inscribed inside the case. In consulting with a number of experienced vintage Sub collectors, I decided to heed their recommendation and go with the conservative restoration approach--a complete dismantle, cleaning, and servicing of the movement, keeping the watch as original as possible.

My friend Rudy Stockli, owner of Swiss Time located in Royal Palm Beach, Florida, who is an expert Rolex factory-trained watchmaker and a true old-world Swiss craftsman, performed the restoration on the watch. The first thing Rudy commented on was the full serial number factory-stamped inside the case back. And then we reviewed my desire to keep everything as original as possible, including the crown and tube, bezel insert, and crystal. The crystal was badly scratched and I was lucky to locate an original Rolex NOS (new old stock from the ‘70s) “superdome” crystal.

I hope you enjoy the photos!

Incredible work and results!:thumbsup: Thanks for posting.:cheers:

looks sweet!
great work brother.

Thanks to your help Steve!

Excellent work:thumbsup:

Great pics, thanks for sharing.

The finished product looks outstanding. Great Job!

Wonderful - just how it should be done :smokin:




Cheers
:cheers:

Very nice. Thanks for sharing. :thumbsup:

Many thanks for all the nice pics,,congrats on having a great watch

Nice post, one of my grail watches !!!

That was cool to see the restoration and what a difference it made! Congrats!

Looks good. :)

Great Job!!

A very original example!!

Very nice restoration, little as possible makes it worth more in the end.
Did you notice the caseback has the serial number of the case in it?

What a beauty.

Now its sentimental value is worth much more than its retail. I envy people like you who have the chance to venture into the "unseen" parts of the watch.

Enjoy it in good health

:thumbsup:

beautiful work !!!

Fantastic photo-essay... spactacular watch!

Congrats, enjoy it...

That's a nice piece you got there!!

Amazing!!! Great job!

Fantastic post. This is great example to the rest of us on how to do things the right way.

wowza. Id give a kidney for one of those in that condition. :thumbsup:

:clap:Awesome....

Very Very Nice...:thumbsup:

What a superb restoration job and the end result is a fantastic watch. Many congratulations!

Thanks a lot to all....BTY, I purchased the watch through my good friend, Matthew Green of http://www.bocabling.com. He's honest and always has a great selection of fine Rolex's in stock.

Another fine resto job by Rudy! I've seen a couple of nice ones.
DW

Truly spectacular work and craftsmanship. Rolex is a work of art, but the caring and precise work of the restorer is likewise equal to the original. I am in awe!