Think I might let this guy service my rolex for 100 bucks.

[GinNtonic]

There is an old watch repair guy here who has been doing it for 50 years. He retired and works out of his house now so he is cheap. Only downside is that he does the work on the side so his turn around is anywhere from 10-19 weeks lol..

100 bucks doesn't include parts. I wonder how he gets the parts tho as I know for a fact he doesn't have a parts account with Rolex.

The other guy I was thinking about trying was this guy..

https://www.watchdoctor.biz/Default.aspx

[JustinK]

He is probably supplementing his social security by oiling watches and holding on to them for fifteen weeks to make you think he did something.

Seriously I think I would seek a local watchmaker with a parts account. You get what you pay for.

[TimeToGo]

Just remember, you get what you paid for...

I would skip Sirianni...

[Presa canary]

This is a pretty bad idea op... Best of luck

[andromeda160]

I read his feedback and it looks good, he has a pretty professional website, and almost 1000 likes on facebook, he's allegedly serviced 700 rolexes in the past 3 years I'd give him a shot. Pay with credit card so you can get money refunded if the service isn't what is represented.

[2ar2c1]

sounds like a good idea: let us know how it turns out.

[ExplorerChris]

I think I'd rather have him give me a prostrate exam then touch my Rolex.

[stmoore]

wow. really?

I agree though, I wouldn't want to have a "value" service performed.

Originally Posted by ExplorerChris

I think I'd rather have him give me a prostrate exam then touch my Rolex.

[ExplorerChris]

Originally Posted by stmoore

wow. really?

I agree though, I wouldn't want to have a "value" service performed.

Not really just trying it hammer home a point.
No way in hell just anyone is going to touch my Rolex
You get what you pay for

[GGGMT]

He can do way more damage than $100, so credit card or not, this could be an unhappy ending.

[GinNtonic]

Originally Posted by ExplorerChris

Not really just trying it hammer home a point.
No way in hell just anyone is going to touch my Rolex
You get what you pay for

Serious question... whag makes a vintage rolex more complicated than vintage tissot? Why would a good watch repair person who does mid range watches not be able to repair a rolex

I see this elitism in luxury cars all the time..where a benz owner goes on and on about how only the dealer can fix their car. Any good mechanic can fix the car in reality

[accce]

You get what you pay for. Send it to Rik or ABC. They are trusted and you will get the best care.

[Kingair]

Originally Posted by accce

You get what you pay for. Send it to Rik or ABC. They are trusted and you will get the best care.

X 2

HAGOne

Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk

[joe100]

Originally Posted by GinNtonic

Serious question... whag makes a vintage rolex more complicated than vintage tissot? Why would a good watch repair person who does mid range watches not be able to repair a rolex

I see this elitism in luxury cars all the time..where a benz owner goes on and on about how only the dealer can fix their car. Any good mechanic can fix the car in reality

A good mechanic is one thing but a good watchmaker is another. What you're failing to understand is that while a good mechanic may have the tools to do the job, he also has access to the parts. A watchmaker well-versed in Rolex and a Rolex parts account will always be a better bet. Experience and access to the right parts is worth the extra expenditure.

Remember, there is a right way and a wrong way to do things. A $100 watch service falls right into the "wrong way" category

[ExplorerChris]

Originally Posted by kingair

x 2

hagone

sent from my sm-n900t using tapatalk

x 3

[crowncollection]

i cannot se that he would use original parts with that price

[springer]

Anyone who has been servicing Rolex and other watches for 50 years will have no trouble sourcing genuine parts if necessary. I'm sure he knows a few watchmakers with a Rolex parts account.

[GinNtonic]

Originally Posted by crowncollection

i cannot se that he would use original parts with that price

100 dollars is just for the cleaning and oil. Not any parts.

[Old Expat Beast]

Picking up my 1964 Air King from Michael Young tomorrow. Full service for $125. RSC here wanted $685, even though they only charge $350 to service/overhaul an Exp 16570 or GMT 16710 or similar.

[GinNtonic]

Originally Posted by Old Expat Beast

Picking up my 1964 Air King from Michael Young tomorrow. Full service for $125. RSC here wanted $685, even though they only charge $350 to service/overhaul an Exp 16570 or GMT 16710 or similar.

Exactly and we all know Mr Young does good work. There isn't anything magical about cleaning and oiling a rolex. Any honest good watch repair person can do it. Really no reason a tissot costs 100 dollars to service and a rollex costs
600.00

Wish I could get my watch to MY but since I am in the US prob wouldn't be able to get it back.

[greekbum]

Most watchmakers I know where very happy to get $100-$150 to service a rolex 4-5 years ago. Then came the forums and a certain watchmakers (no parts account) $2000 plus services and they saw all of the people willing to pay this and they all raised prices...lol

[Vincent65]

Think I might let this guy service my rolex for 100 bucks.

I don't see why not - pretty basic movements. I'm sure he can get parts, otherwise, why advertise/set up?

[R.W.T.]

Soapbox.

Right and I wouldn't do a Tissot for a hundred bucks either. It would cost you the same price for the same type of Tissot that I would charge you to do a Rolex. You hand me a calendar, automatic Tissot and I'll charge you the same thing that I would charge to do a Datejust if I would even take it.

I work primarily on older Rolex.

You wouldn't believe what I find when I open up a watch sometimes. Some things you can correct and other things you just can't when you are dealing with an old watch...but the last guy who is now me...is gonna get the blame from the next guy who works on it for all the previous ills that I can't fix.

I just did an A K.....kind of rough....stem broken, bezel bent, crystal cracked, open it up...original butterfly rotor...the rotor axle has been SILVER SOLDERED ON TO THE WEIGHT...because the last guy obviously didn't have the proper stake to set a new axle. Well he set that one...it's permanent...if you try to remove it you'll probably destroy the rotor...so...it is what it is.
Upper and lower rotor jewels broken.

The hairspring was 9 degrees out of beat. The stud was so far out of adjustment that the coils of the hairspring were touching on the stud side...and you could drive a truck through them on the other side. Just for starters...

The watch is pretty cool really. Original dial 1959. I've got it running chronometer specs for its era 6 positions and it's not even a chrono grade movement. It all works pretty well now.

But it didn't just happen. It took a lot of work.

So even on 15xx series movements like used in the Air King, balances are often way out of beat and hairspring is out of center....and you wonder if the last guy even knew the difference? It's very often more than just "routine" tear down, inspect, clean, reassemble and lubricate. Hairspring work is tricky. Every calibre has a different placement of the stud...curve of the overcoil. If you don't know ROLEX then you don't KNOW how it's supposed to be. Granted it's a it intuitive and a good watchmaker familiar with other brands could see it and figure it out.



And let's throw around that old....my Rolex has never been serviced and it keeps perfect time and it's 40 years old myth too.

You know I'm sure that anything can be fixed with the right equipment and the access to parts new or used, in the case of parts that don't exist any longer, and the skills to complete the job. Some guys are definitely very skilled and can do anything and some of us can do a great deal but not everything. I make no claims.

Luckily most Rolex are pretty robust and if some monkey hasn't made too much of a mess in there you can usually get the thing to run pretty well without too much effort if you know what you're doing. They are very resilient and you're not likely to need a lot of parts. Certain calibres have certain weak points that show up more often. Most guys that do Rolex primarily are aware of those.

But if you let your watch run dry...oh yeah... I know the oils are so much better now...well....yeah...they are better than 1940.. but there isn't a lot of difference between the basic oils that are used now and the ones that were used 30 years ago.

In most parts of an 18000 bph watch your gonna be using the same lubricants you used in 1980. They dry out....and yes your watch is running...but it's like running your crank shaft in your car with no oil. The newer the calibre the better the tolerances and the higher the propensity to continue to function despite lack of maintenance is there. The 1570 is darned near bullet proof BUT....

The center wheel hole in the mainplate of Rolex is NOT jeweled. If it runs dry, the pressure from the mainspring...which will also be greater if IT lacks proper lubrication because it will wind up tighter without clutching...is gonna wear a NICE oblong hole in your mainplate. The center wheel post is steel the plate is brass. Which is gonna go first? Same situation on the bushed holes of the barrel bridge and on the mainplate for the mspg barrel.

I'm dealing with a 1030 with that center hole situation right now. This one is so bad I'm going to have to jewel it.

But back to the 100.00 service. Sure...if he has nothing but time on his hands and loves to work on watches....he could do it for you for free even maybe, and that is certainly his prerogative.

I've had guys tell me that you shouldn't charge more than 100.00 to service a bubbleback. It's like REALLY? Vraiment?

I should charge triple to do a bubbleback over what I do for a Datejust...because I could do 3 Datejusts in the time it takes to do one bubbleback. A guy told me he could tear one down and put it back together in an hour...it's like...well sure if you were running a race but would it run and keep time? His reply was .... those watches never keep time anyway.

Mine do.

Okay then we have the REST of the service. Polishing of the case lightly if that is desired. (oh god I know let's not go there)

CLEANING your DNA out of the case and bracelet so we can work on it without being completely creeped out.

Polishing or replacing the crystal. This stuff all takes time. Especially sports models.

Fitting up a new crown tube if necessary. Sometimes you have to clean up the threads in the case with a tap after your remove the old tube. Sometimes they break off when they come out. The bits have to be removed and then a tap run down through. How long does that take? It's all time.

So then you need to put gaskets in and water test the case prior to casing the movement so you don't inadvertently wreck the wonderful original dial if something is awry?

Aligning the hands so that a. the calendar changes within specs. It's a bit trial and error. It's also touchy work because everytime the hands go on or off it's risky. b. so they don't touch each other...as they cross.

Then you have to inspect the dial and hands for debris and carefully make sure that it is all gone. Then the same for the underside of the crystal. You have no idea how long it takes on some watches...gloss black dials...shoot me.

Then you case it. Then you need to check the timing. Newer watches are much more friendly...but on an old watch like a bubbleback...

Okay on those...the rotor cover completely covers the regulator...so in order to change the timing you have to remove the rotor entirely. The problem is....every single move on one of those watches can often affect the timing. You can have the watch doing one thing on the movement holder...and you case it...and the timing is completely different. Then you put the rotor on and it's different again. Then you screw the back on and it's different again. So how many moves do I have to make, and how often, to get the watch to time right? It's a lot of hunt and peck...and it's very time consuming. Then you get it all timed beautifully and uh oh...the second hand skips...because there isn't enough tension on the sweep second spring...off comes the rotor mech again....and we start the entire process over, because when you add pressure to the sweep pinion spring the amplitude changes and there goes your timing.

I could go on and on. It all sounds real simple until you do it.

Then you have to water test again.

Backing up...on a bubbleback case the crystal is compression fit. The old crowns had lead gaskets that don't seal now. I may have to try 5 identical crystals to get a seal at the rehaut....how many hours are we in now? In order to put a rubber gasket in the crown you have to dig the old lead one out with a old pair of strong tweezers...how long does that take? Sometimes they come right out...sometimes you can spend the better part of an hour. How many times did I stab myself in the fingers as the tweezer slipped out of the crown? Now...

How much have I invested in my equipment? Loupes, lamps, staking sets, jeweling tools, timing machines, cleaning machines....on and on...

Replacement screwdriver blades are 1.20 a piece. I've got 2 sets of 10 screwdrivers.

And how much do cleaning fluids and oils cost? And electricity and driving to the post office or fedex and back to send your watch off.

How much did most of the guys you speak of here spend to go to watchmaking school?.....

$100.00?....To service your Rolex?

I'm gonna play drums in a nightclub tomorrow night for an hour and make $100.00

[Old Expat Beast]

www.classicwatchrepair.com

[mluther]

Originally Posted by R.W.T.

Soapbox.

What a fantastic read - if you had a blog I'd read it

[HERITAGE82]

Originally Posted by R.W.T.

Soapbox.

Originally Posted by mluther

What a fantastic read - if you had a blog I'd read it

X2..... Reality is not what people always think.

[Johny]

[QUOTE=R.W.T.;5002593]Soapbox.

a very interesting post.

[Widows Son]

Mark did a fantastic job on a vintage Omega for me. He wasn't able to repair a vintage IWC though. Didn't charge for the IWC, just said he wasn't able to work on it. My local watch guy got the IWC up and running. I'm considering sending Mark a vintage AK and Date for overhaul.

[Kingair]

Originally Posted by Old Expat Beast

Picking up my 1964 Air King from Michael Young tomorrow. Full service for $125. RSC here wanted $685, even though they only charge $350 to service/overhaul an Exp 16570 or GMT 16710 or similar.

Nice Adam !

HAGOne

Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk

[linesiders]

Originally Posted by R.W.T.

Soapbox....

I'm gonna play drums in a nightclub tomorrow night for an hour and make $100.00

Great post. Though your ROI @ the nightclub will be much worse.

Originally Posted by mluther

What a fantastic read - if you had a blog I'd read it

Originally Posted by QCASANOVA

X2..... Reality is not what people always think.