Restored Rolex 16233 DateJust

[billsbuddy2]

I wanted to share a recent restoration project on a 16233 DateJust.

My name is Rob and I have been teaching myself Horology for the past few years. Mainly making mistakes on cheap buys on Ebay. I always wanted to work on a real Rolex having worked on many an ETA movement and horrid EB8800's. Once I completed a repair job on a Valjoux 7750 I thought I could tackle an affordable Rolex. Huh!

I bought a very abused 16233 DateJust case, 3135 movement and crystal online with the hope that I could one day get it running and looking mint again. When it arrived I was in for a surprise. Every skill I had would need to be drawn upon to get this watch in good order again. I guess I have been determined to have a great watch to pass on one day.

Firstly the case back had been pried off with a screwdriver which damaged the case and some threading. The balance was broken and to my horror I discovered that the same screwdriver was used to force off the balance bridge. Thats what broke the staff and bent the balance itself. Miraculously the spring was undamaged.
The crown and all the gold parts were missing so I only had the basics for £500.
The face must have been subjected to severe heat as it was bubbling in places. The gold markers were untouched so I sent it off to be restored.

It baffles me how some one could do this to anything let alone a Rolex. I assumed it must have been stolen at some point but I purchased it from a well known dealer online. Still it's a mystery watch. I am not sure I would leave it with Rolex just in case!

The general state of the movement was OK. The rotor axel was slightly worn so I replaced that. The pallet jewel shock spring was broken and the barrel and spring I replaced with a new one as the barrel was treated with the same screwdriver or jack hammer. Take your pick..
The balance system on a Rolex was a bit of a shock to me when I found that a free spring system does not have a regulator but rather it needs to be perfectly poised and balanced before fitting. This was a bit of a surprise which I should have researched before hand. I hear you techies laughing! I did however assemble the spring to the collet of a 2nd hand balance wheel with staff but it gains about 1 minute a day. When I have more budget I will either learn how to poise it or sent it away.
Generally the movement was OK but dirty as the case back was missing which caused some screws to rust. I found a way to clean them up well enough.

The case was badly scored so I carefully filed the case uniformly and polished until all was right. Surprisingly little material had to be removed to achieve this. The threads were an exercise in patience. I had to carefully distort each thread back until the case back screwed on securely. There are still marks but once the casebook is on it looks untouched.

The crystal has some small edge chips that I can live with for now. The bezel is a replacement 18k and the crown and tube is 18k original replacement.

Here is the watch before and after.
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/...10%3A935970664
The face will soon be replaced with the original gold marker version when it comes back from the shop. The casebook will also be replaced with an original one as I cant find one for a reasonable price at the moment. The bracelet is aftermarket which will also be replaced in time. So far the whole project cost near £1000 which I think is really good considering it's now in excellent condition. The bracelet should cost quite a bit but then its worth it in the long run.

Its been a mammoth task but well worth while and I will do it again anyway. For now I wear it with great joy in the knowledge that the hard work has been done and for a reasonable cost.

[Rikki]

Nice job do a little poising and get the timing a little tighter other than that good job. Rikki

[MoBe]

Nicely done,I know how satisfying a restoration project can be and I also know the frustrations so I must say I`m impressed.

[acce1999]

Thank you for sharing this. I enjoyed reading your post, and following your photo presentation.

Best,
A

[dysondiver]

well done indeed

[jatco]

Very impressive.. gotta have ALOT of patience for that...!
Kudos..

[11618]

very well done giving life to it again, poor thing, it had a very rough time at some point

[billsbuddy2]

Thanks for your comments. I received the dial back from the Spanish Dial restoration company....All I can say is (this is my opinion) Make sure you can actually look at a restored dial in the flesh before you hand it over or get a recommendation from this forum. The internet is just not safe enough. The dial printing was a major let down. Still it would take an expert to see it.

Now I have to decide how to proceed with a few timing issues that require investment in equipment and learning to work on a free spring balance or send it away to be adjusted. BTW This thread is mega helpful:
http://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=203260
Its way too fast! 2 min per day. From the above thread I deduct that the beat center is off for a start but how can I set it without a machine?

Question: When setting the balance spring into the cock while the balance is in position, the stud does not slip into the slot with ease. I have to help it in slightly which leads me to think that that distortion in the spring shape will translate into a 'shorter' spring and therefore faster timing? Is it common practice to shape the spring stud to align better with the balance cock slot before any timing adjustments are made?

Also the Bezel will not sit down flat on the case. The generic gasket was supposed to be for this model but the local Horologist I sent it to said he dare not push any harder I have just ordered another.

I can see why working on a Rolex takes such skill and experience. I shall not try another until I can safely learn on more movements off Ebay