failed pressure test - advice? urgency?

[kinnick24]

I've been offered a Rolex Datejust and the current owner told me he had taken it to a authorized Rolex service center who informed him that the bezel is aftermarket and as a result the watch wont pass a pressure test, hence the watch is not waterproof. He went on to say that the only way to correct the problem would be to find an original bezel for this model of Rolex.

With that said..if I decide to purchase the Rolex and have no desire to take the watch into water...how big a problem is the failed pressure test? Is this an urgent matter to get serviced? What if I want to keep the aftermarket bezel on the watch?

thank you

[breitlings]

just get a factory bezel and retest?

[pah5153]

Depends on price, if it never gets wet no problem. If your like a lot of us the bezel would eventually bother us enough that we would have to replace it.

[steviebeat]

The watch isnt necessarily not waterproof. The Rolex policy is to say they cant guarantee waterproof as its been modified so you have to get a new one for that model. Take it to an independent and ask them to test it, it most probably is waterproof.

No Rolex official service centre will do the watch with the non correct bezel though.

[sitka39]

Originally Posted by steviebeat

The watch isnt necessarily not waterproof. The Rolex policy is to say they cant guarantee waterproof as its been modified so you have to get a new one for that model. Take it to an independent and ask them to test it, it most probably is waterproof.

No Rolex official service centre will do the watch with the non correct bezel though.

I agree. While a different bezel might affect the water resistance of the watch we're probably taking something over a few meters deep such as free diving and so on... so shouldn't be a problem.

[mjclark32]

Take a look in the for sale section (parts/accessories/etc), figure out what you can buy one for factor in $50-100 for a competent watch maker to install. Then take that off the asking price and go for it (assuming you like the watch enough).
My guess is the watch is old enough where you're going to want to factor in a service on it too. Should be in the $500-1,000 range.

[avirom]

the above is correct.

my rolex with an aftermarket crystal was pressure tested by my local watchmaker and passed just fine.

when i was at the rolex service center about a month later for somthing else, they gave me the whole song and dance about how my watch was not waterproof because the crystal was not an original rolex part- did not help telling them that the watch was pressure tested only one month before and passed properly.

their motto was "non original part - no waterproof gaurentee.

of course they offered to replace the crystal for "only" $160...ha ha