Reply With QuoteIf you are unhappy with it now, you will never be happy with it..........I would send it back.
Hi all
I very recently sold all my main watches which therefore gave me the opportunity to purchase my first ever Rolex, a 2005 Explorer 2 16570.
I received it in the post today and although it is a gorgeous watch that also feels great on my wrist, the bezel has been polish pretty badly. It has an uneven surface with basically lots of flat spots going round. It's not atrocious but it is noticeable. Picture below.
The question I put to you is....
Shall I just accept it is a 13 year old watch which will gather nicks and scratches whilst I wear it anyway and therefore should love it for what it is?
Or shall I return it (I have 2 weeks to do so) and keep saving for a non uneven polished one?
What would YOU do?
Any help will be much appreciated.
Thanks
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If you are unhappy with it now, you will never be happy with it..........I would send it back.
Personally if it were my first Rolex purchase I'd want everything in tip top shape to begin with .... the wear and tear it's going to pick up is all down to you then, I'd want a fresh start so to speak.
There are plenty of these about so I would wait for another one. Send it back.
Rolex will replace the bezel for about £150 as part of a service.
wear it, once you have taken a few lumps out of it, get it refurbished
If you're happy with the rest of the watch, I'd just get a brand-new bezel fitted; they're not terribly expensive for that model.
But the current one doesn't look too bad in the photo, so you might want to just get a spare bezel to set aside, and then wear it stress-free with the knowledge that you can put the unmarked one on whenever you like.
It depends how it was described, what you paid for it and what you expected.
Lots of examples of this watch around, though nothing like the glut which followed the launch of its replacement.
Is that 24-hour hand misaligned?
Trade seller or private?
Such disagreements are one of the reasons I choose not to sell over the internet or by mail order. No amount or quality of description or pictures allows you truly to understand the state of watch anything like as well as having it in your hands.
H
The bezel is the first thing I noticed, and a photo is nowhere near as detailed as reality. If you got a bargain, then I’d keep it and wear the heck out of it, as long as the bezel is the only issue. However if it was a normal sort of price, I’d return it and find “the one”.
As above / below, depends what you paid for it and how long ago it was serviced. If you expect to service it soon, and the price of the service and a new bezel was factored into the sale price, then you'll have a new looking watch for the right price. And frankly, it's worth factoring in a service when buying anything. If you paid top dollar, you may be able to do better elsewhere as they aren't too hard to find in good condition. NB the bezel change is an RSC job, they don't just switch out like some other models, and they'll want to do a full service along with it, I don't think they'll just do the bezel (correct me if I'm wrong on that). I seem to recall a new bezel was £200 when I had one on mine a year ago, but with the service on top it was a fair amount.
Completely agree. I reckon it’s a good £6-700 job as long as they don’t find anything else. Rolex seem to like recommending crown replacements quite a bit.Originally Posted by Itsguy
Thanks for all your responses.
I would rather not say what I paid but I did get it from a shop not a private purchase as I wanted the peace of mind.
What SHOULD I have paid for this?
How much is a bezel for one of these anyway and where would I source one from. EDIT seen above.
It was like Christmas eve last night with the excitement, now I feel pretty deflated.
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I would return it. I think you would be dissatisfied until it was right, and that would require at the least a Rolex independent to replace the bezel.
I would wait for a better example. Mine was 10y old when I got it, but really good, thanks to Mr Milton.
Dave
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I’d say if you paid nearer to £3k you’re safe factoring a service in. If you paid nearer to £4K, return it and find another. Try not to let it put you off the watch, the exp ii is massively underrated. Slim, tough, can dress up or down etc.
RSC is one thing, but any decent independent should be able to install a new bezel without requiring a full service, and at minimal expense, if the customer were to source the part.
I felt a bit Meh! when I received my first Rolex, a 2002 Polar Explorer II. The lugs felt like they'd been finished with a bastard file, the bracelet felt flimsy and rattly and I was just underwhelmed. However, it's gone on to be one of my favourite watches that I can't imagine selling.
It's the perfect all-rounder, with SELs, lug holes, strong lume, superb accuracy and it's the perfect size and super comfortable to wear. And despite my initial concern over the bracelet, it's tough as old tactical boots and doesn't rattle at all on the wrist.
Like people have already said, depending on what you paid you can either service it and get a new bezel or return it and wait for a better example.
Whisper it quietly, but Rolex made their name with toolwatches that you really could wear day in day out for decades with little consequence. As such there's something very genuine and likable about a nicely battered Rolex. This is a fine example of one looking pretty damned good after a decade or more of service. The question of price is one thing and if you overpaid, then return with a clear conscience. However, if the price was decent for a well loved watch then rather than send it back and save for an immaculate one, hold on to it and save for the first service and recondition. This will probably be cheaper than buying a spotless safe queen, give you a chance to get to know and batter your watch safe in the knowledge that it will be reincarnated by Rolex to their usual as good as new standards, and will mean that you can strap it straight on, grin and get on with your life.
^
That's a good point.
There are few watches that look better with honest wear than a steel sports Rolex, and the Explorer II is no exception. Just use it and enjoy it, and be thankful that you don't have to fret about causing the first scuff.
Send it back as unlikely you will ever be happy with it given that you are not happy straight away. Find another example that hasn’t been polished badly
Good eye. ;)
If you are uncertain now it will just eat away at you ... unless this was a bargain then I'd return ... plenty of these up for grabs.
Isn’t it just the cyclops making it look like that?
The part outside the cyclops seems to be line with the 9 hour marker.
Or was that a joke?
I believe you mean the three o'clock marker.
No joke; the angle of view through the cyclops can mislead but the tip of the hand beyond it does appear to be slightly misaligned against the chapter ring.
There could often be some "play" in the hand-stacks of the GMTs and Explorer IIs and that may be all it is. The OP can at least look at it to see if there is a slight misalignment on the hour.
I don’t understand the thinking behind not wanting to say what you paid?
You sure you’re not just a bit underwhelmed by the purchase? If the bezel was in better condition would you actually be super happy you’ve replaced your collection with it?
The price of them is really something and I could sell my collection and buy an old sub but after handling one I know I’d feel remorse if I did so.
Don’t get me wrong I would still like an old sub but it’s the kind of purchase I’d have to make in addition to my other watches if I had a lot of disposable income. I could definitely see selling up and buying one a totally different experience to adding one to the collection. You’re bound to feel remorse that way.
Update....
The GMT hand is in fact misaligned (thank you for spotting that!) also there is a mark on the GMT hand half way down. Not sure if it is a nick or some dust but there is something there.
Just spoke to them and they are being very helpful and seem like they want to make me happy
The watch is being returned with a replacement in the pipe line.
Thanks again all for your comments. I hope to be a happy Rolex owner soon.
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I’d bet you could pick up a second hand bezel on trf or even eBay for humble money, and recoup some cost by selling your polished one. Someone will be missing one, or have one worse than yours.
So maybe not much outlay at all, albeit with a bit of extra leg work (assuming you’re happy with the rest of the watch of course)
It's probably because I feel a bit embarrassed and done over to be honest. My first Rolex purchase had me too giddy. Live and learn and all that.
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Well that May have helped people judge whether you should send it back, the fact you paid too much for a sub par one means you’ve made the right call to return it. We’ve all overpaid for something one time or another so forget worrying about embarrassment on here!
Take your time finding a nice one and if you must buy online get super detailed pictures, if the Watch is a nice one the seller will want to show that off so anyone reluctant to help in that regard may not be the person to buy from.
Just out of interest how did you feel about the Watch being a multiple thousand pound item after owning other watches? Was the experience something that’s put you off buying another or are you chomping at the bit because you were blown away with the quality?
Sounds like a wise decision. Live and learn as they say.Update....
The GMT hand is in fact misaligned (thank you for spotting that!) also there is a mark on the GMT hand half way down. Not sure if it is a nick or some dust but there is something there.
Just spoke to them and they are being very helpful and seem like they want to make me happy
The watch is being returned with a replacement in the pipe line.
Thanks again all for your comments. I hope to be a happy Rolex owner soon.
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Not that it matters because you've returned it now but if you paid roughly £3000 to £3300 I'd say that was a good price in that condition but if you pay roughly between £3900 and £4200 you could get one that's absolutely mint
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I did mean nine O’clock but obviously that’s just my eye looking at it, but see what you mean
after zooming in on the tip.
Guess it doesn’t matter now anyway.
I’m not so sure the gmt hand is misalignedUpdate....
The GMT hand is in fact misaligned (thank you for spotting that!) also there is a mark on the GMT hand half way down. Not sure if it is a nick or some dust but there is something there.
Just spoke to them and they are being very helpful and seem like they want to make me happy
The watch is being returned with a replacement in the pipe line.
Thanks again all for your comments. I hope to be a happy Rolex owner soon.
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It is
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Seems noticeable to me in OP’s first post, you can see the tip of it to the right of the 3 marker.
What I mean is, I just think that’s the nature of the beast and was always like that, my gmt is like that all be it not as dramatic as that and I believe they have the same movement
I think the price is key here. If it was cheap I would accept it as part of the bargain. If not and I wasn’t 100% happy i would need to return. Every time I look at it, it would bug me.
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If it was mine and I felt as you do about it, I’d return it. Life is too short to compromise at that price. Wait for a better example and wear that one free from any niggling doubts or worries.
Return it - significant effect in value
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You did the right thing by returning it, it would have forever bugged me.
What is the replacement?
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