I wonder if anyone can help with some advice. getting vintage rolex watches serviced. i had a chat with eddie today and he recommended duncan in cumbria. i havenot managed to talk to him but he states on his webpage no seadwellers. the problem is a lack of trust with the rolex system and also they will not accept the risk, but pump it back to you offering new for old. when i say lack of trust i know one guy who sent off his comex rolex via the jewelers and he got a replacement when they lost it. he was chuffed to bits as then the perception was that the comex ones were 2nd class and made by the trainees. now we are in a different world of understanding.
the watches i am talking about are seadwellers - vintage great whites or double reds, comex and some pusser (SB or bomb team) these are subs so i guess duncan might do those
i would add they are not held by collectors but personal watches and hopefully there is somewhere in the UK that is kosher and can help?
thanks
Currently the best option is back to Rolex with specific instructions not to replace / relume / polish etc.
A lot of the independents can't/wont do sea dwellers any more due to not having the equipment to properly attend to the HE valve and inadequate pressure testing. Some will service but not guarantee water resistance which imo is a pointless endeavour with a SD.
My SD (16660) was serviced and pressure tested by thewatchbloke aka duncan
To what pressure?Originally Posted by hafle
I agree but do recall a number of posts from other members about Rolex disregarding service instructions which can prove costly to the owner.
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I cant recall, service receipt is with my watches elsewhere. Certainly not 1220m, I've a feeling it was 300m, but could be wrong. All I recall is that it was more than enough for me.
thanks for the replies so far. some further info that might help. these dont need to be pressure tested to the depth on the face dial, or the helium valve needed to be used. they are not used for diving anymore - they were mostly not in the first place and one of the reasons they were also called cabin dwellers. maybe the pusser ones were used but their timekeeping was notoriously bad, so i doubt anyone relied on them for anything important
basically you are looking at a load of old geysers with watches that are deteriorating in functionality as fast as their worth is sky rocketing and not trusting rolex to get them serviced. a pretty sorry state of affairs. i think if you can pressure test a sub you must be able to do a similar test on the SD? looking at some of the depth ratings for the new seadwllers not even a sperm whale can go that deep
thanks for your help
Most indies will have a 11 bar tester, I have access to one myself, so if depth rating is not an issue then there are quite a few guys you can use,
regards
mike
Rolex will be fine with specific instructions around retaining parts, these should be clear when submitting the watch and should be stated on the service estimate from Rolex prior to undertaking the work. Plenty high value rare & special subs/SD's undergo Rolex service on this basis, who can cite an example in recent years where instructions for retaining dials, hands, inserts etc have not been followed ? This is in the scenario of dealing with Rolex directly and not through an AD with potential for crossed wires.
The most Duncan can test to is 200m I believe. As std he tests to 100m. This is obviously fine unless you are an actual saturation diver but is rather less than the SD is rated for.
I'll have to check (unless he chips in before) but I know that the first time it went back it was tested to 10bar, but could swear the time after that it was 30 bar. I know I brought this up a while ago in a similar thread and Duncan posted to clarify.
Welcome
"Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."
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Is he taking on jobs at the minute?
Last watch sent took 16 weeks.He should charge more.
Wouldn't know. The servicing was done not long before I bought it off SC.
For the watches you quote, I suggest Rolex London or Steven Hale (SHWR)
Either that or leave them as is.
If you don't wear them then it would do no harm to leave them untouched.
If you don't wear them then it would do no harm to leave them untouched.
they are worn for sure, and very much enjoyed, but not in the ogin maybe some did i guess. it now can be a pathetic sight, ie mines a bit snug, too loose if i open the strap, yet i have seen mates where with the strap now fully open its bar tight on the now podgy wrist and they wont take it to the jewelers through lack of trust. the self winding on mine stopped 4 years ago and i have to wind it, and so does my mate with his...i know its pathetic, but it is what it is
thanks very much for your replies and advice
I believe there is a company called SHWR in London that deals with lots of vintage watches
As far as I remember it stands for STEPHEN HAITH WATCH REPAIR BUT TO BE CONFIRMED
I sent a very old Daytona 6239 to SHWR (Stephen Hale) in London, and they did a fantastic job, servicing it, in a reasonable time, and at a good price. They have also done other Rolex work for me.
very interesting information. thank you
To clarify, it's a crazy situation with Rolex accredited repairers and Seadwellers!
To keep accreditation thety have to do what Rolex tell them; Rolex have decreed that Seadwellers have to be serviced by RSC in the UK, the indies aren`t allowed to work on them despite the fact that they have the correct WR test equipment because Rolex made them all invest in it.
There's no reason why a non-accredited repairer can`t work on one even if he can`t test it to the required depth.
Common sense comes in to play here: if a competent repairer's replaced the seals, and there's no corrosion issues around the seating areas, the watch will behave as it's designed to behave. Unless the watch is going to get used under arduous conditions a pressure test too a far lower pressure would be adequate. Mike (Seadog) is one of that rare breed who uses his Rolex diver for what it's designed for so I can understand his need to check more rigorously, but for most people it's not necessary.
I think folks have to accept that maintaining a Rolex correctly will cost significant money at some point. The comments about hand-winding because the auto-winding's not working win little sympathy from me. It's like whipping a horse till it collapses in the shackles and, frankly, the owner deserves the significant bill he'll have to face eventually to get the watch fixed.
Unless I have a change of heart my days of fixing watches for other folks at reasonable cost are over; all too often the owners neglect the watch and expect a 'service' to make it like new again.......it doesn`t work that way. A badly neglected watch will incur serious wear and tear and that's all down to the owner taking a blinkered approach.
Paul
Last edited by walkerwek1958; 22nd October 2017 at 21:48.
Various independents will service sea dwellers, you just need to find one who might advertise that they don't but might just do so. The water proofing they can test to is more than adequate, by a good few hundred metres I would think. If it needs a new HEV or crystal then that would be a problem parts wise, but neither are a common thing to need. Other movement and case consumables are shared with other contemporary sports models.
sea dwellers will not be a sizeable part of the typical workload in any case, day to day will be the other Rolex models and other watch makes.
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