Truth or a way for folks to make more money?

[face5535]

Over the last few weeks I have been in and out of watch stores looking at Daytonas! I finally bought one here on this forum!

Along the way, ive asked several "watchmakers" about opening up a Rolex... I am getting many, many mixed answers...

50% say every time you open one, all gaskets need to be replaced, and the watch needs to be resealed. The other 50% say no, as long as the gaskets are not stretched and you have the right grease the watch is fine.

The price quotes are all over the place.... Some say $50 bucks to open it, some upwards of $400...

Nothing about Rolex is "cheap", so it's a pretty interesting subject here (at least for me).

I am inclined to think that when Delong with a 10k watch, you would just replace the gaskets, even if they don't "need" to be... At some point 200 bucks doesn't really matter.

In saying that, a friend who works in a jewelry store told me, no... It's bullshat that it's just a way for these stores to make more money...

I'm not asking for anyone to review trade secrets or expose anyone... Just want to know some ins and outs to avoid getting taken advantage of when speaking with some of these stores!

Curious...

[michigan.watches]

There is some truth to each side of this argument. On one hand, you can probably safely reuse a caseback gasket (especially if its an o-ring as opposed to a flat gasket) without there being any issue. On the other hand, if a watchmaker is providing a warranty for their service, it only makes sense to install a new caseback gasket and perform water-resistance testing.

Crystal gaskets are a different story. I would never re-use a crystal gasket.

When in doubt, the conservative approach is to just replace all of the gaskets and perform water resistance testing. Then there is no question. Gaskets are cheap, whether genuine or aftermarket. All of the gaskets can be replaced for just a few dollars.

[face5535]

The biggest reason for the question is because of the randomly high to low price quotes I was getting..

[michigan.watches]

What is the purpose of opening the watch, in your case?

[El Cascarrabias]

I talked with the Rolex certified watchmaker who will eventually be servicing my watch about the cost of having my Sea-Dweller receive a light polish in the future. He said it would cost $175 and would include new gaskets and a pressure test.

So for $175 that's:
- Polish
- New gaskets
- Pressure test

I would assume that the labor involved in polishing would account for most of the charge. I'm thinking gaskets and pressure testing would not cost that much. That may give you a ballpark figure to work with.

[face5535]

Originally Posted by michigan.watches

What is the purpose of opening the watch, in your case?

Swapping the dial out in my watch...

[michigan.watches]

Originally Posted by face5535

Swapping the dial out in my watch...

It's hard to find a good watchmaker who will perform quality work. You should be able to find someone to do this for around $100 including gasket replacement and water resistance testing. Make sure they are providing water-resistance testing. Depending on the skill of the watchmaker, you may find marks on the hands and lint on the dial afterward.

[joli160]

Originally Posted by michigan.watches

It's hard to find a good watchmaker who will perform quality work. You should be able to find someone to do this for around $100 including gasket replacement and water resistance testing. Make sure they are providing water-resistance testing. Depending on the skill of the watchmaker, you may find marks on the hands and lint on the dial afterward.

It's a half hour job max, so a 100 should indeed be enough.

[face5535]

Good info here... Thanks guys!

[Mfrankel2]

One issue with gaskets (not as bad with o ring seals) is that each time the two mating surfaces are tightened, the soft gasket material is indented (what helps make the seal). Invariably, each time the watch is opened and re-sealed, the indentation will be in a slightly different location. This would then create locations where both indentations cross each other and areas where the seal is not as strong and potential areas for leaks under pressure. For any equipment exposed to water under any pressure (swimming and certainly any underwater incursions), the standard is to replace gaskets each time you open.