Recent service experiences?

[Kliminator]

Hey TRF - It's been awhile since I've worn my royal oak. I put it on today and was running initially, and then during the day realized that it stopped and wouldn't run even when I was winding it. Pushed in crown, pulled out, moved hands and wound again and started running again but noticed it would stop randomly.

I bought the watch brand new from AD back in 2018 so it's been about 7 year since -- seems like it's time to send it in for it's first service.

I don't have a boutique/AD/service center conveniently close to me in CA. Curious if there are recent experiences on service centers that folks have and can share.

I've always read good things about the Clearwater Service Center. Members who have sent their watches in for service can you chime in on:

1. What service center you sent your watch to, why you chose it (if one other than one close to you / in your market), and if you were happy with experience
2. Cost -- I'm just looking for movement service (no polish as mine is in good condition) so AP site lists 950 CHF, plus I'm assuming any parts needed
3. Did service center send you insured label to send the watch in?
4. What was the turn around time from sending in the watch, to getting it back in hand?
5. When/what year did this take place (just good as a reference point)

Thanks in advance!

[Dino944]

I recently had my AP RO Extra Thin/Jumbo 15202 serviced by AP in Clearwater, FL. I live an hour from my nearest AP boutique, so I brought it in to them for service, and they sent it to to Clearwater for me. The watch is in excellent condition, so I just had the movement serviced. I did not have it refinished/polished.

An Extra Thin/Jumbo costs a bit more than a standard RO to service. AP's website says it is 1300 for a movement service. It cost me $1,380, so just a little more than mentioned on the website, and I presume no parts other than gaskets were replaced.

I dropped the watch off for service in mid October 2024. There was a hurricane expected to hit the east coast within a few week, so they said they were going to wait a week or so to send it to Clearwater so nothing happened to in shipping it during a storm. They sent me an estimate about a month later with a quote for the price of the work to be done and a projection of 14 weeks to complete the work.

The watch was dropped off in October 2024 and the watch was back at the boutique and ready to be picked up by the second week of February 2025.

Overall, my experience went well. The watch was in excellent shape, when I dropped it off, so I did not have it polished, and it did not come back with any new scratches or other issues. Overall, it was a good experience for me and the people at the boutique were super nice.

Wishing you lots of luck with your service. Below are a few recent wrist shots from earlier this month.

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[srvrf]

1. What service center you sent your watch to, why you chose it (if one other than one close to you / in your market), and if you were happy with experience

Clearwater is the only US-based service center

2. Cost -- I'm just looking for movement service (no polish as mine is in good condition) so AP site lists 950 CHF, plus I'm assuming any parts needed

Depends on model and what you choose to have done. My chronograph services have been around the $1500-2000 USD range

3. Did service center send you insured label to send the watch in?

Yes, although my watch went in under warranty. Recent threads here indicate that may no longer be the case if out of warranty

4. What was the turn around time from sending in the watch, to getting it back in hand?

Probably 6-8 weeks minimum

5. When/what year did this take place (just good as a reference point)

My last service was in 2024 for warranty work