Not Happy

[kilyung]

Originally Posted by mtasquared

Plastic! There should be NO plastic in a Rolex, right?

@Spacedweller: where'd you get the cool schematics

Sorry to burst your bubble but nearly all watches use delrin plastic.

[boywondergq1]

Agreed that it has been worn more than 4-5 times. Perhaps the OP purchased pre-owned? Also, can we confirm what serial this was? The other referenced thread appears to be from 2009. Perhaps there were a couple early growing pains.

[mtasquared]

Originally Posted by kilyung

Sorry to burst your bubble but nearly all watches use delrin plastic.

Where do they use it? As shocking absorbing material? When I think plastic I think...Casio G shock.

[kilyung]

Originally Posted by mtasquared

Where do they use it? As shocking absorbing material? When I think plastic I think...Casio G shock.

It's used to press fit/seal the crystal to the case. If it were such a design issue, you'd be seeing crystals pop off everyone's wrists.

There are differences between polycarbonate GShock cases and delrin plastic.

[Rodentman]

It's a shame to feel that you must be extra careful with a Rolex concerned that parts may fall off. Especially expensive ones. Hopefully it can be refitted properly to give you confidence back.

[joleel7]

Sorry to hear the issue hope you RSC will get the fix FOC + some free gift for you hopefully like a Rolex watch winder .

[supertrooper]

Originally Posted by cdweller

Yikes! For as slow as Rolex is to make changes, I am surprised they changed to plastic. Evolution? Not so sure it is for the better...

One step forward, two steps back.

Seriously, these incidents just stink, and just reflects badly on the brand.

How long have they been making the GMT II-C now? I think since 2006? 6 years and still they haven't solved it? Talk about teething problems. Tsk. Tsk. Tsk.

[supertrooper]

Originally Posted by Passionata

i assume Rolex will fix it FOC

Do you think Rolex will give a free bezel if you lost it that way ? Lucky for the TS he found it in his car. But what if he did not find it ever? Will AD even believe his story? Will we since there will be no pictures?

[Brushpup]

Well, have there been any instances of metal/metal shimmed bezels coming off?

[supertrooper]

Originally Posted by FremStar

This looks like a watch that has been worn WAAAAYYYYY more than 4/5 times. In any event something seems to be amiss here. I agree for what you pay the watch should last a lifetime... Something still seems very wrong here... Good luck with repairs.

Maybe better pictures will help to determine true condition?

[padi56]

Originally Posted by kilyung

Sorry to burst your bubble but nearly all watches use delrin plastic.

Quite true and when installed correctly there should not be any problems.Out of the many thousands possibly a million Rolex ceramic watches in this world today. If this was a design fault then there should be many other occurrences of this bezel problem but this is the first time I have seen it in any forum.Delrin or Copolymer Acetal is a highly versatile engineering polymer that bridges the gap between metals and ordinary type plastics.Delrin Acetal has great mechanical strength, stiffness and toughness.Delrin also has high impact strength and maintains very good dimensional stability with low water absorption. It is used in many static and dynamic industrial applications.It often replaces the usual materials like Steel, Brass, Bronze, Cooper and Aluminium.Delrin Acetal have greatly improved the 'part life' because of better wear when used as shims or gaskets.

[kilyung]

Let's do some math. Assuming a best guess production number of 700k watches/year based on COSC certification numbers. With 35% of that production using the same design (Subs and GMTs), we're talking about a sample size of 245,000 watches/year with the potential to fail. Assuming no variations in production and an average use of the design of 4yrs, the universe of potential failures is 980,000 Rolexes. Assuming 100 failures (I think this is an inflated guesstimate), that's a failure rate of 0.01%. How is that a design failure?

[kilyung]

Originally Posted by Brushpup

Well, have there been any instances of metal/metal shimmed bezels coming off?

As a matter of fact, I've had this happen. And there's a post over on TZ of someone's 16613 bezel popping off. Maybe it's a TT thing?

http://forums.timezone.com/index.php...45#msg_6274169

[Brushpup]

Originally Posted by kilyung

Sorry to burst your bubble but nearly all watches use delrin plastic.

Does this include ROLEX aside from the OP subject? If so, do you know what parts, and in which models? I'm not calling you into question, I am very curious and really, really want to know.

[kilyung]

Originally Posted by Brushpup

Does this include ROLEX aside from the OP subject? If so, do you know what parts, and in which models? I'm not calling you into question, I am very curious and really, really want to know.

Take your pick. I virtually guarantee delrin is used to attach every crystal in every modern watch.

[Brushpup]

Interesting, and fair enough. I didn't know, but wouldn't be surprised. Seems to be working.

To answer your question earlier...No, I have never had a bezel pop off an older type Rolex or any other watch. I did catch one on the edge of some sheet metal once and it came up a little, but not off. Snapped it right back down, and sighed.........whew!

[Solo118]

Can anyone confirm the Sub-C has the same construction?

[WatchingTime]

Wow. Thanks for photos.

[mtasquared]

@ Kilyung Thanks for the info on Delrin. I've had my bezel pop off my 16610, but that was after about 20 years of use, and it had become very loose. So I guess an all metal design (which is what I presume it was) is not perfectly durable either. After coming back from RSC service the bezel is tight again! Not sure how they did that. I guess no design is perfect, from serviceability or durability point of views.

[JerseyGuy]

Originally Posted by Solo118

Can anyone confirm the Sub-C has the same construction?

I was at my AD yesterday here in NJ purchasing a datejust for my wife after hearing her complain for so long that i have multiple Rolexes and asked the watchmaker about this as i seen this thread. The watchmaker used to work for Rolex and told me all Rolexes with a rotating ceramic bezel use this design.

[kilyung]

Originally Posted by Solo118

Can anyone confirm the Sub-C has the same construction?

Deepsea appears to be the same design so I don't imagine the SubC is any different. Note the mangled gasket.

[Brushpup]

Originally Posted by kilyung

As a matter of fact, I've had this happen. And there's a post over on TZ of someone's 16613 bezel popping off. Maybe it's a TT thing?

http://forums.timezone.com/index.php...45#msg_6274169

Hey, you know what? Maybe it is.....if so I like that a lot better!

[A.J.R.]

Originally Posted by FremStar

This looks like a watch that has been worn WAAAAYYYYY more than 4/5 times.

Was about to say the same thing.

[Kingair]

Originally Posted by FremStar

This looks like a watch that has been worn WAAAAYYYYY more than 4/5 times. In any event something seems to be amiss here. I agree for what you pay the watch should last a lifetime... Something still seems very wrong here... Good luck with repairs.

Guess it was 415 times . . . ;-)

But still . . . it shouldn't happen

HAGOne

[kilyung]

Originally Posted by Kingair

Guess it was 415 times . . . ;-)

But still . . . it shouldn't happen

HAGOne

I thought he said 4 two 5... 425.

[Dan Pierce]

Originally Posted by kilyung

Has no one with an older model gmt/sub ever had their bezel pop off? I have. Only difference is that I could easily pop it back in without a press. Upsetting for sure but not the end of the world. I'd be shocked if it happened again after being repaired.

Never had a bezel fall off from any watch I've ever owned.
dP

[brettpaul]

AWESOME assembly pix Bo...thanks!

[kcmo]

Yikes, that is a shocker. Hope it can be repaired quickly for you!

[RJC]

Originally Posted by kilyung

Deepsea appears to be the same design so I don't imagine the SubC is any different. Note the mangled gasket.

It's worth the bezel coming off to admire that huge crystal!!!

[SPACE-DWELLER]

Originally Posted by Solo118

Can anyone confirm the Sub-C has the same construction?

Basically the same design apart from the SubC bezel design having 3 ballbearings with spring plus the spring that makes the bezel turn only counter-clockwise: