Watch Damage: Who to trust with Repair?

[LAFlyer]

I had a run-in with some power woodworking machinery and won the battle. (I won because I didn't lose my hand or arm and the only damage was to my 70s vintage Rolex Day-Date.)

The watch was flung across my shop and landed on concrete. At first, I thought: "Whew. No damage. Double lucky here..." But now, the watch loses 10 minutes every hour.

Questions:
What successful repairs have you had?
Who did the work?
What recommendations do you have?

Thanks!

- AB

[SeeDweller]

Where do you live??
Is it in LA, as your name suggests?

Is there any case damage, or only the timing being off?

I’d suggest you call the guys at Craft&Tailored. They are in downtown LA and have connections with all kinds of good resources. They are VERY familiar with vintage Rolex. (I’ve purchased three of them from him, including 1655 and 16753). Great people!!!

Alternatively, you can take it to an authorized dealer who will charge you $1000 and send it in for full servicing, during which time they will change-out all of the priceless components on your vintage watch.

[SOG DIVER]

Also alternatively, consider Vanessa Contreras-whose work you can see at the
top of this tech section. She is down the road from you and is a well respected CW-21.

It costs nothing to call or mail with the details of your DJ accident-my bet is she can diagnose and bring it back to normal. Good luck.

[toxicavenger]

Originally Posted by SOG DIVER

Also alternatively, consider Vanessa Contreras-whose work you can see at the
top of this tech section. She is down the road from you and is a well respected CW-21.

It costs nothing to call or mail with the details of your DJ accident-my bet is she can diagnose and bring it back to normal. Good luck.

I am pretty sure she retired last year.

[LAFlyer]

My moniker is misleading... LA is also shorthand for Louisiana and sometimes 'Lower Alabama'... I live on the East Coast, in NC.

The advice is greatly appreciated nonetheless.

There is no visible damage to my untrained eye. I underestimated the degree to which it loses time: on further checking, it loses 35 minutes per hour. The stem will unscrew as normal, but I decided not to wind it. (It is still running since yesterday.)

[SOG DIVER]

Rik or Bob Ridley .
Both Rik and John Brozek of QualityTyme are in the Tampa-St Petersburg, FL area.
They warranty their repair and service work.

[Nelson6]

If you care about the watch, send it to Rolex Dallas and get it done right. They will use the right parts, techniques, and testing to make it good as new and give a 2-year worldwide warranty. It will cost a lot, but should keep it purring along for a decade or more. If you don't really care you can send it anywhere.

[Ashton_Horologist]

If you care about the watch, send it to Rolex Dallas and get it done right. They will use the right parts, techniques, and testing to make it good as new and give a 2-year worldwide warranty. It will cost a lot, but should keep it purring along for a decade or more. If you don't really care you can send it anywhere.

This is quite misleading information. There are plenty of independent watchmakers with access to parts who are more than qualified to tackle a restoration like this. I would argue that the more you care about your watch, the more vital this may be. The repair process at a service center isn’t exactly personal for vintage peices.

[Ashton_Horologist]

Sorry, I don’t know how to quote from my phone!

[toxicavenger]

Originally Posted by Nelson6

If you care about the watch, send it to Rolex Dallas and get it done right. They will use the right parts, techniques, and testing to make it good as new and give a 2-year worldwide warranty. It will cost a lot, but should keep it purring along for a decade or more. If you don't really care you can send it anywhere.

Hahaha, so no one else can do this???

[Vicc]

Originally Posted by toxicavenger

Hahaha, so no one else can do this???

For what it's worth, if you suck at googling and you are debating between RSC and a shoemaker, do send it to RSC.

IF you do know how to google, there are plenty of reputable repair shops that had access to Rolex parts in the past who are more than capable to repair a basic Rolex.

[toxicavenger]

Originally Posted by Vicc

For what it's worth, if you suck at googling and you are debating between RSC and a shoemaker, do send it to RSC.

IF you do know how to google, there are plenty of reputable repair shops that had access to Rolex parts in the past who are more than capable to repair a basic Rolex.

You do not even have to use google. You can do a search here. It has been asked almost everyday of the week.

[joli160]

RSC will take care of you