1986 Vintage GMT Master II to RSC

[smheying]

I recently sent my vintage GMT Master II to RSC Dallas for maintenance. They claimed that because the inside of the middle case had some corrosion that they would have to replace the case (at a cost of $2650). When I had sent it to an RSC about 15 years ago, they had to replace a few parts because there had been some moisture intrusion, but they refurbished the watch without replacing the case. If there is indeed some corrosion on the inside of the case where none of the movement is affected, is it really critical to replace the whole case?

[Tools]

Frequently the corrosion that an RSC would consider as out of tolerance, can be stabilized or corrected by an Independent who can take the time to do the job.

Rolex does not "repair" because it is time consuming and they have unlimited replacement parts.

If you need a second opinion you need to take your watch to a place such as Watchmakers International (Bob Ridley), located outside of Dallas.

We can't really assess anything without seeing the issue.

[Dan S]

It may be an issue where RSC doesn't feel that they can guarantee the water resistance because there is some corrosion on the sealing surfaces. If this isn't so important to you, send it to an independent as Larry suggested. If you could post good photos showing the level of damage to the case, we might be able to give you more informed advice.

[harry in montreal]

Just so you know, they will give you a new midcase with a new serial number which begin 4,4xx,xxx. I would pull the watch from Rolex and bring it to bob Ridley. Don’t lose your case, it’s really not advisable. Plus $3k is nuts.

[zapokee]

Originally Posted by harry in montreal

Just so you know, they will give you a new midcase with a new serial number which begin 4,4xx,xxx. I would pull the watch from Rolex and bring it to bob Ridley. Don’t lose your case, it’s really not advisable. Plus $3k is nuts.

Agree. It will cost you $3k-ish for the new case as well as removing at least 3k from the value of your watch, so that's 6k and a watch that will be hard to shift if you ever decide to try selling it (replacement cases aren't desirable in vintage Rolex).

Just don't swim/shower with it and it'll be fine.

[smheying]

Thank all of you for confirming what I had decided to do. I am going to have RSC return the watch and then take it to an independent to have them evaluate whether the case needs to be replaced.