Reply With Quotethey want to charge £255 to clean your lug holes! wow
So I decided to treat my 1997 14060 Submariner to a service. I had no service history with the watch so decided to take it in to a well known high street chain
The salesman said "ah you've got a classic model there so the service charge will be £740"
Classic in his book were the exposed lug holes
He showed me his price tariffs and there are two prices , one for non classic (£520) and one for classic (£740)
I was expecting a figure of around £500 so was rather shocked at the price
I got home and rang Rolex St James , she asked what model i had and what year it was and their initial quote was £485 but then she did say that it could be £710 if it was determined to be a classic model
She didn't seem to know what the criterion was for "classic".
I'm hoping once Rolex receive my watch they will tweak the price if they determine it is "non classic"
Last edited by mhurley; 8th December 2017 at 12:32.
they want to charge £255 to clean your lug holes! wow
Maybe you've stumbled upon a good definition of "vintage": the point at which you get fleeced for servicing.
I thought that the basic way Rolex distinguish if a model falls into the standard service tariffs, or the more expensive "classic" is whether it is a model fitted with a sapphire crystal, or an older model with plexi.
My mother used to do mine for free!Originally Posted by Seang
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Around £470 is the actual cost charged by my AD, with additional items as required (e.g. crown, glass, etc) attracting further costs.
Well ear syringing is an involved process and can be painful if done clumsily.
I've sent an email to the high street stores general address
Hi, i dropped my Submariner off for a service today at Cardiff WOS.
The chap i spoke to said it was a “Classic model” and the cost would be the upper tariff of £740
I rang Rolex St James when i got home and they quoted me the cheaper tariff of £485
Can you confirm once Rolex receive my watch and determine if it is "non classic" that i wont be charged the “Classic" price
A 'classic' for them could be a Rolex fitted with Plexi. In which case you're safe. Or it could be one with a tritium dial. In which case you're probably not.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
lug holes seems like an odd discriminator. plenty what i would call modern subs with them
What difference does the glass material or the lume chemistry make to how they service the movement? Exactly what do they do differently for the extra £250?
Harley Street Hearing have the tiny vacuum cleaners and charge £80 if you can't be bothered with the 10 days of faffing around before your local surgery nurse wields the automated squirter.
As does Clean Ear Clinic, 80quid is a small price to pay in order not to have me ears syringed ever again (how is this on topic BTW?).
Duncan at Genesis quoted me £350 for a full 14060m movement service a few months back. I would avoid the High Street ADs if I was you.
My understanding was always that it's the crystal the defines the service cost. That's what I've previously been told directly by Rolex anyway. Sounds like the AD is a bit clueless
Showing that humans lug holes are cheaper to deal with than Rolex ones?
You've made two basic mistakes.
You took your watch to "a High Street Retailer" for a service quote.
You started a post with "So".
Neither of which is forgivable.
When my 1966 GMT was Rolex serviced as a Classic I was advised that these are serviced by one watchmaker, rather then the "conveyor belt" system they now use for the newer models. Sounds plausible although whether you think it's worth it, (including the free disclaimer on waterproofing) is a personal thing. I thought it worthwhile for this one but vast majority of the time my watches go to Duncan at Genesis.
Maybe it's because they used to make a lot on replacement dials before there was so much value in the originals so what they're doing differently is making less money?
A classic ? The 14060 still had lug holes in 2010 !
Worse still my 14060M was afflicted with them in 2012! If only I had known.............
That all seems a bit haphazard for a company like Rolex. Is that normal? I'd have expected such things to be made very clear with dealers (unless dealers are free to profiteer if they see the chance?
That's correct, In my experience since i've had a fair few different subs/sd moden and vintage serviced by RSC over the past few years.
"Classic" = Plexi
Modern = Sapphire
Sapphire models also get turned around in half the time of the Plexi models.
Think about it: it's not the holes or the glass material that's the issue, it's the age of the watch that's the significant factor. I`m guessing that Rolex are charging more for watches that are 20 yrs old?....that's the only rational explanation I can see.
I really disagree with the 'menu pricing' approach. OK, a 20 yr old watch is likely to need more parts, particularly if it's been neglected, but I think the cost should be set on an individual basis. One 1997 watch can be in poor condition whilst another can be excellent. Furthermore, if an older watch has been Rolex serviced a couple of times I`d expect it to be in decent condition and certainly better than the 'never ben serviced' example.
My advice is to send the watch to a Rolex accredited Indy, but don`t be surprised if they've been instructed to operate a similar charging system.
It would be interesting to hear more on this issue and to get confirmation that Rolex are basing the price on the age. It would also be interesting to get an explanation from RSC to justify this.
Paul
Edit: On the subject of lugholes, the cold weather's playing havoc with my right ear. Had a perforated eardrum as a kid, right lug's never been perfect since.
Last edited by walkerwek1958; 8th December 2017 at 19:58.
Having checked with my AD this is 100% correct.
The normal distinction is plexi/sapphire. There's also movement specific ones, like the 2135, where an older model needs to have essentially the whole dial side date mechanism replaced and updated, and as such incurrs extra costs because of the sheer number of parts needed.
For plexi models they usually include the plexi, and also need updating to newest crown and tube type, as well as reverser wheels and other bits and bobs... Rolex have done significant upgrades through the years on all their movements.
But calling a 14060 a classic is borderline imo, perhaps if it contains a 3000 movement, i.e not a 14060M reference. But still, theres fewer parts to replace as no date mechanism in it, and quicker to service therefore... They're ripping you off if you pay £740, thats Daytona price service costs....
Oh God, I can Imagine the sc pitches:
For Sale, Rolex 16600, part of the Classic range...
With regards the ear Hoover, do you need to use olive oil for a couple of weeks first?
If they are classic, they must be worth more
My Exp2 is going to be due a service in the next few years and it's going straight to Duncan Potter.
"A man of little significance"
Spot on.
Plus on something like the 2135 if it has not been regularly serviced then the great wheel, barrel and balance staff may need replacing to get the movement to spec. Especially when checking results after 24 hours.
No, you just make your booking, hand over your eighty quid and off they go. After years and years of olive oil it's bliss
I will keep you posted. I've had a rough estimate of watch being ready early feb
Indeed. Later four line 14060m examples have the modern blue hairspring and other such updates. They're also much newer than an old modern ceramic gmt2.
Can you not get your lug holes re drilled?
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Had my 1997 Sub serviced only 10 days ago or so at a cost of £440~. As has been said multiple times on already, the model is not a 'vintage' by any stretch. The service centres I spoke to didn't even try to claim it was.
I recently had my 14060m from 2005 serviced at Watch Doctors in Tring for £320 following a broken mainspring.
I had my 2004 SD with lug holes serviced through St James' RSC recently. £475 and 3 week turnaround, great service
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