Reply With QuoteHe's got mixed up with the scrappage scheme for cars.Originally Posted by Hooshabak
Was talking to a chap today about possibly getting my gmt serviced and he said that Rolex are now not servicing watches older than 30yrs and instead offering a PX, is this true?
He's got mixed up with the scrappage scheme for cars.
Last edited by sarky; 16th September 2017 at 18:22. Reason: Spelling
Sharp!!
Ha imagine the uproar
Maybe they will offer a carbon neutral quartz conversion.
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Hahahahaha.
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True or not I'd say it was academic. For a 30+ year old watch I'd be going to an indie where I could talk to the actual watchmaker about the job and my exact requirements.
Brilliant!
+1.......Rolex accredited indies are probably the best bet.
Paul
Would 30 year plus watches now be the ones that will go back to Geneva and have a circa £2500 surcharge to service and authenticate. What watches fall into this category?
If it is of any help, I just had my 1986 17000 serviced by Rolex.
Came back looking like new.
Many new parts added/replaced?
The 3135 is over 30 years old... Rolex haven't even stopped producing parts for the 15XX or even 12XX calibres... You're safe another couple of decades.
Only the crystal, as far as I know.
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There was a bloke on here that had a similar experience with a broom.
"Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."
'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.
you don't need an indie.Visit an RSC,ask them for a movement service,be clear enough to leave the case,dial,hands and bracelet untouched and that's all.
I had my 16800 serviced 2 years ago,circa 1980,they made it my way.
maybe he got mixed up with the service replacement parts
I think they state they will definitely service new watches for at least 30 years (it was possibly 40), due to their policy of maintaining parts. There are other options, although with limited parts supply these days it may not be good news for the future classics
It's just a matter of time...
I doubt they'd want to see a plunge in the value of vintage pieces as it's all part of their brand mystique. Comex would be worthless and they'd lose brand value overnight. Not to say that they won't make it more difficult and more expensive...
For the really old stuff that Rolex won't service the RSC in St James recommends Stephen Hales:
http://www.watchrestoration.co.uk/
Please explain why you think values would plummet if rolex no longer serviced watches over 30 years old.
It simply doesn't make sense.
Part of the reason Rolex can charge so much is that customers know that if they want or need to sell, they can recoup most of the price. Part of that is related to the longevity of the watches. What price would you get for a 29 year old watch if a year later it was unserviceable? Used prices would diminish, and thus purchasers of new pieces would need greater confidence in their personal situations before buying. This would ultimately have an inhibiting effect on Rolex's capacity for raising MRSPs.
If this is still not making sense, then the fault will be mine for failing to explain it clearly enough.
I guess there are two types of people who would be buying a new Rolex.....
1. Those non-WIS people who know little about watches but want a "nice" luxury present for themselves or a relative to mark a noteworthy event.
They probably aren't going to think too hard about long term ownership and potential servicing issues.
2. WIS people, members of this forum who are constantly "Flipping" and have the time, knowledge and experience to know when to get rid of a watch before it
becomes a "problem"...
Besides, many young people don't wear wrist watches these days.... so the typical Rolex owners are likely going to be "middle aged" or older (probably why they like the hideous cyclops), which means that a 30 year life span of a Rolex could possibly coincide with the demise of the owner.
All this talk of 'unservicable' watches at 30 years old is utter rubbish.
Quartz watches would be more of a concern, because when the electronic parts fail they stop, and if no replacements are available the watch stays stopped. Not usually the case with mechanicals.
I doubt whether Rolex will stop supporting 1980s watches for many years to come.
Anyhow, to draw analogies, many 1950s watches retain high values despite parts being obsolete.......explain that one to me!
If a watch is regularly serviced during it's lifetime it'll get worn parts replaced. If/when parts do become obsolete the watch that's been serviced (and had parts replaced) will be in better health than the one that's still running but has many worn parts because the owner didn't bother to get it serviced.
I suspect we'll end up in an unhealthy situation where watches beyond a certain age have to go back to the manufacturer's service centre and the accredited indies won`t be allowed to work on them. Omega have already done this, any 1950s watch is now in a category that has to go either to Omega Service Centre or Bienne. This is absurd, but the big manufacturers can make their own rules.
My guess is that Rolex will support watches indefinitely but the price of service will increase. In 20 years time the watch repairer will be a rare species on the brink of extinction in the wild; the only survivors will be in captivity working in Switzerland for the big manufacturers.
Paul
Last edited by walkerwek1958; 19th September 2017 at 15:01.
Here in the states I got my dad's 35 year old Air-King serviced by Rolex New York, with no problems. New hands, dial, bracelet, crystal, etc. If they have the parts, they'll service the watch, period. The only way to know is to try. Oh, and the watch is not only perfect in appearance, it keeps time at about +2 seconds a day. Not bad for an old, non-chronometer movement.
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