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Thread: Cost of Rolex Submariner Service - £585 or £835 ?

  1. #51
    Quote Originally Posted by Dave+63 View Post
    If you buy a new one, that’s a result for Rolex. If you buy a pre owned one then it’s only one service in which you’ll save any money.

    Are you seriously saying that you’ll sell any Rolex over ten years old and replace it with one under that age in order to save £250 (less any cost to change)?
    I'd buy used, but yes I'd sell an older Rolex to fund a new one. Nearly two years ago I sold a Speedmaster for £2150 on eBay that was 8/9 years old. At the time newer big box version could have been bought for similar money, certainly less to change than the cost of a service.

    And now I've a 14060m from 2003, again I'd rather sell that on eBay and find something newer like the 114060 that sold here recently for £4800, or the 14060m that had just returned from a service. Either watch would cost me a lot less than an £800 service.

  2. #52
    Quote Originally Posted by Dave+63 View Post
    Sorry, I misinterpreted what you’d written. My mistake.
    No worries!

  3. #53
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    Whoever you spoke to has the prices all wrong. The 3135 equipped 16610 is indeed 550 to service. Its in the "modern" category. Ask to speak to someone who can read.

  4. #54
    Craftsman Go Big's Avatar
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    When I rang St James a couple of months ago, they quoted £550 for my 2007 16600.

  5. #55
    I will re-check with my other local dealer (who quoted £585) on Tues.
    My understanding is the price increase is very recent, but why apply it to the age of the watch rather than the model.
    My sub is 14 years old, and this would be it’s second routine.
    Are they trying to discourage servicing, milking the market, or is this the true cost/benefit?

  6. #56
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    Quote Originally Posted by Go Big View Post
    When I rang St James a couple of months ago, they quoted £550 for my 2007 16600.
    Same here. My 14060m from 2002 was £550 with Rolex, via an AD in March 2018.

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  7. #57
    Quote Originally Posted by Geneve View Post
    I will re-check with my other local dealer (who quoted £585) on Tues.
    My understanding is the price increase is very recent, but why apply it to the age of the watch rather than the model.
    More wear, more components need replacing?

  8. #58
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    My wife’s Rolex went to Rolex via Goldsmiths in Newcastle .

    They charged me extra for new crystal as and I quote “ it was chipped on the inside “ , I queried this and was told by an after sales assistant “ it might have been damaged after being hit by my wife’s bracelet “ , the fact she doesn’t wear a bracelet on the same wrist as her watch passed him by.

    It had to be replaced to be guaranteed waterproof apparently, the fact she never wears it in the bath or shower and cannot swim was irrelevant.

    Comes across as nothing more than getting more cash out of the customer, almost confirmed by the fact that they wouldn’t show any communication from Rolex stating what was needed.

    Clueless , and unprofessional with it.

  9. #59
    Grand Master dkpw's Avatar
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    This thread has unfortunately become relevant, as my Sub’s keyless works have started playing up, to the extent that I can no longer adjust the date or hack. This is especially disappointing since in addition to the price increase mentioned here, my Sub has been more or less a safe queen, since its last service 4 years ago. It’s only been used for a handful of special occasions, so I’m peeved to say the least that the crown and stem have given up the ghost after so little use. Grrrr....

  10. #60
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    Quote Originally Posted by Templogin View Post
    To be fair to Goldsmiths, your vintage Rolex will be packed in a box, cushioned by the rarest orchids, and hand delivered to the Rolex Service centre by a nubile, 21 year old, 6 feet tall, genuine blonde from Liverpool. The price seems very reasonable to me.
    There are no genuine blondes in Liverpool.

  11. #61
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    Quote Originally Posted by Geneve View Post
    I will re-check with my other local dealer (who quoted £585) on Tues.
    My understanding is the price increase is very recent, but why apply it to the age of the watch rather than the model.
    My sub is 14 years old, and this would be it’s second routine.
    Are they trying to discourage servicing, milking the market, or is this the true cost/benefit?
    I have checked with Rolex Service at Kings Hill. I have been told that they still use the rule of thumb that if it has a plexi-glass then it counts as classic and would be £800 plus anything else that needed quoting for.

    The current RRP for ANY Professional model other than a Daytona or Yacht-Master ll/Sky-Dweller is £550 unless otherwise quoted by Rolex.
    The confusion comes from the new pricing lists that they sent out where they say that Classic watches are "Watches and calibres that have not been in the sales catalogue for 10 to 35 years and/or special watches and calibres"

    My gripe would be having to pay £35 postage or whatever Goldsmiths want to call it.
    Last edited by Oracle; 29th May 2018 at 16:07.

  12. #62
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    I’m happy for the OP. But for those of us with watches from the 60s, 70s or 80s this is scant consolation. Rolex is further squeezing the vintage market, I presume to drive new sales—or, in the case of SS sports models, to swell their waiting lists still further.


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  13. #63
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    Quote Originally Posted by NickRed71 View Post
    I’m happy for the OP. But for those of us with watches from the 60s, 70s or 80s this is scant consolation. Rolex is further squeezing the vintage market, I presume to drive new sales—or, in the case of SS sports models, to swell their waiting lists still further.


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    Im sorry but what? Who else supplies all parts for watches made as far back as the late 50's so readily as Rolex? Rolex is the easiest brand of all to own as "vintage" and as such it's so popular, compared to many others.

  14. #64
    Quote Originally Posted by Scrubnut View Post
    You’ve gotta love Rolex. You know you’re getting shafted at service time, but keep on buying them...
    To be fair it's not only at service time!
    Glad I'm out of the Rolex orbit :)


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  15. #65
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    Quote Originally Posted by 744ER View Post
    Im sorry but what? Who else supplies all parts for watches made as far back as the late 50's so readily as Rolex? Rolex is the easiest brand of all to own as "vintage" and as such it's so popular, compared to many others.
    Patek Philippe. They are the only Swiss watch company AFAIK that guarantee they can service / repair any of their watches, no matter what age

  16. #66
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    Quote Originally Posted by Scrubnut View Post
    You’ve gotta love Rolex. You know you’re getting shafted at service time, but keep on buying them...
    How so? Rolex as a luxury brand has fairly reasonable service costs compared to others.

  17. #67
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    Quote Originally Posted by dkpw View Post
    This thread has unfortunately become relevant, as my Sub’s keyless works have started playing up, to the extent that I can no longer adjust the date or hack. This is especially disappointing since in addition to the price increase mentioned here, my Sub has been more or less a safe queen, since its last service 4 years ago. It’s only been used for a handful of special occasions, so I’m peeved to say the least that the crown and stem have given up the ghost after so little use. Grrrr....
    If the service was carried out by Rolex and you have all the details along with the Service card although they will have it all on record , write a letter or better still do what I did and go in person to express your disappointment in how little the the watch has been worn and condition verifies this.

    I had the same issue with a 1665 that was out of service Warranty that had developed a problem , the watch was sent back with no promises but as a gesture of goodwill this was sorted all within a couple of weeks , be firm but polite and you never know as this is something that you don’t expect from such little use .

  18. #68
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    I love the way £550 is now seen as reasonable. What a crazy bunch of Rolex nut huggers we are:
    (Yeah include me too)....

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  19. #69
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    I think the service was around £400 in 2016, then they increased it to £485 and now £550. I guess it is reasonable compared to AP because at least it includes polishing

  20. #70
    I spoke to Rolex St James today about the cost of a service and was quoted £500 + vat.

  21. #71
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    Just for info - in a reputable Rolex dealer the service is €550 in France (upto €660). It may be worth taking your watch to the other side of the channel.

  22. #72
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    Quote Originally Posted by Joe.K View Post
    I love the way £550 is now seen as reasonable. What a crazy bunch of Rolex nut huggers we are:
    (Yeah include me too)....

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    Of course it is, it’s all relative and as I mentioned earlier “in comparison with other manufacturers”

    As to whether servicing across all premium brands is over priced, that’s another discussion. Also think about what goes into a service, and only once a decade, yeah I still think the price is still pretty good

  23. #73
    Quote Originally Posted by nunya View Post
    Of course it is, it’s all relative and as I mentioned earlier “in comparison with other manufacturers”

    As to whether servicing across all premium brands is over priced, that’s another discussion. Also think about what goes into a service, and only once a decade, yeah I still think the price is still pretty good
    I agree if only required every 10 years then the price seems quite good to me.

  24. #74
    Anyone know long a typical service takes (actually being worked on, not the weeks/months in a queue)?

  25. #75
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    Quote Originally Posted by nunya View Post
    Patek Philippe. They are the only Swiss watch company AFAIK that guarantee they can service / repair any of their watches, no matter what age
    Longines also do this. And a few others. Not as easy to get parts as with rolex though where it can be done locally.

    Quote Originally Posted by Kingstepper View Post
    Anyone know long a typical service takes (actually being worked on, not the weeks/months in a queue)?
    A day, with polishing, then 4 days of test cycle. Half a day if someone else does the polish. This for a basic 3135. Some movements take a little longer.

  26. #76
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    Quote Originally Posted by Joe.K View Post
    I love the way £550 is now seen as reasonable. What a crazy bunch of Rolex nut huggers we are:
    (Yeah include me too)....

    Sent from my Moto G (4) using TZ-UK mobile app
    How much do you spend on having your car serviced if it's done by the main dealer?

    And do you spend that every year on something that sits idle most of the time, unlike a watch that runs 24/7?

    Don't forget, too, that Rolex now advise a service every 10 years for the newer calibre models equating to 15p per day running cost.

    I'd say that's pretty good value.

  27. #77
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    Quote Originally Posted by dabear View Post
    I think the service was around £400 in 2016, then they increased it to £485 and now £550. I guess it is reasonable compared to AP because at least it includes polishing
    My 16600 was serviced in 2013 and it was £420.

  28. #78
    Quote Originally Posted by 744ER View Post
    A day, with polishing, then 4 days of test cycle. Half a day if someone else does the polish. This for a basic 3135. Some movements take a little longer.
    Suppose hourly rate not too bad.

  29. #79
    Quote Originally Posted by marksh View Post
    If the service was carried out by Rolex and you have all the details along with the Service card although they will have it all on record , write a letter or better still do what I did and go in person to express your disappointment in how little the the watch has been worn and condition verifies this.

    I had the same issue with a 1665 that was out of service Warranty that had developed a problem , the watch was sent back with no promises but as a gesture of goodwill this was sorted all within a couple of weeks , be firm but polite and you never know as this is something that you don’t expect from such little use .
    I might well do that. Thanks

  30. #80
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    Just got off the phone with Rolex on an unrelated matter and a service cost on a modern professional model (at least 2006 onwards) is £550

  31. #81
    Grand Master dkpw's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by marksh View Post
    If the service was carried out by Rolex and you have all the details along with the Service card although they will have it all on record , write a letter or better still do what I did and go in person to express your disappointment in how little the the watch has been worn and condition verifies this.

    I had the same issue with a 1665 that was out of service Warranty that had developed a problem , the watch was sent back with no promises but as a gesture of goodwill this was sorted all within a couple of weeks , be firm but polite and you never know as this is something that you don’t expect from such little use .
    Thanks Mark, sound advice. I'll be taking it in to H&I in the near future and will definitely mention my disappointment.
    David
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  32. #82
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    Quote Originally Posted by KavKav View Post
    Goldsmiths are grotesquely overpriced greedy barstewards with delusions that they are not Ratneresque.

    Number of my past purchases from Goldsmiths...0

    Number of future planned purchases from Goldsmiths...0

    Goldsmiths? Bah!
    Bought a diamond ring from them about 10 years ago (I was naive, OK)? Carefully chose one with no visible flaws in the diamonds. Needed it re-sized - to which they said "No problem, Sir...".

    To cut a long story short, after about 8 weeks of wrangling & phone calls the shop manager admitted that they'd sent our ring to somewhere in the Far East to be sized, & it hadn't returned (bear in mind that this was in central London, where I could have walked 1/2 a mile in more or less any direction & found someone to do it in the same day). Eventually the ring arrived back and was returned (with apologies). A short time after slipping it on her finger, the (then) girlfriend literally screamed as she spotted the massive inclusion in what was previously a stone that we'd specifically chosen as there were no flaws visible to the naked eye. It had clearly been swapped. Ring returned & refund offered with (suspiciously) little argument.

    I might buy from them again if they had something I wanted that was massively reduced, but I would never entrust them with a service or alteration...

  33. #83
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    I’ve just been quoted £800 service cost for my 1680 Red Sub.
    I’m happy to pay that but OPs watch should surely be cheaper?

  34. #84
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    Quote Originally Posted by 744ER View Post
    Im sorry but what? Who else supplies all parts for watches made as far back as the late 50's so readily as Rolex? Rolex is the easiest brand of all to own as "vintage" and as such it's so popular, compared to many others.
    That’s fair, though I was comparing Rolex today with Rolex 10-15 years ago, before the company reduced the supply of spare parts to independents and drove more business to its own service centres.


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  35. #85
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    Eye opening this thread - 800 quid for a not-very-old Sub is crazy, that's Royal Oak service money (and AP often get, unfairly in my view, criticised for their "exorbitant" prices!).

  36. #86
    It's 585 that's the quote I got back for lv service today

  37. #87
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    See the posts further up - that’s the charge for a watch up to ten years old. A day older than that and it’s 800!

  38. #88
    Didn't think the 1994 is that old

  39. #89
    It's a classic move to restrict part supply to independents thereby reducing service competitors and allowing prices to move up.
    What's not to like if you are Rolex and wanting to push your overall brand image upmarket from being a solid manufacturer of good quality timepieces to an international purveyor of luxury.
    'YES, I WANT A GOOD WATCH' - was the strapline they used to have in their old literature; sadly this now seems to have been overtaken by the rather arrogant sounding 'Rolex - There is Only a Way' (is there really no other way to build watches?) of today.
    In my view the reality is that if you put all the expensive branding to one side the bulk of the Rolex range is still built around a single calibre architecture with few complications to justify top end pricing. This is in marked contrast to most other high end manufacturers in the haute horlogerie sector where beautiful complications are almost a pre-requisite of membership.
    This all brought to mind an interview I saw a few years back where the CEO of Rolex stated that they weren't in the watch business they were in the luxury business (or words to that effect).
    I can now see more clearly what he meant in as much as luxury is essentially a customer illusion. This is created by mixing premium pricing, product scarcity and skilful marketing to create product desirability. This in turn justifies and reinforces the price premium paid for luxury in the consumers mind.
    You should therefore be glad that the service charge is high because you are in the fortunate position of being able to afford this little luxury - go on treat yourself YOU deserve it!
    For myself, I finally sold my last two Rolex the other week and can honestly say that I haven't felt a pang of regret! I'm happy to leave Rolex to push ever onwards into the jewellery business and inflate their prices to their hearts content.


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  40. #90
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    Quote Originally Posted by BlueIn2Red View Post
    See the posts further up - that’s the charge for a watch up to ten years old. A day older than that and it’s 800!
    I think you might be misinformed, I belive this clarifies the current situation.


    Quote Originally Posted by Oracle View Post
    I have checked with Rolex Service at Kings Hill. I have been told that they still use the rule of thumb that if it has a plexi-glass then it counts as classic and would be £800 plus anything else that needed quoting for.

    The current RRP for ANY Professional model other than a Daytona or Yacht-Master ll/Sky-Dweller is £550 unless otherwise quoted by Rolex.
    The confusion comes from the new pricing lists that they sent out where they say that Classic watches are "Watches and calibres that have not been in the sales catalogue for 10 to 35 years and/or special watches and calibres"

    My gripe would be having to pay £35 postage or whatever Goldsmiths want to call it.

  41. #91
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    This post from the OP is what I was referring to, were they told the wrong thing then?

    Quote Originally Posted by Geneve View Post
    So, I just phoned Rolex St James.

    "How much is a service on a Submariner?"

    "Service on a 'Modern' Submariner is £550"

    "What's a 'Modern' Submariner?"

    "Up to 10 years old"

    "Mine's 2004, so 14 years old"

    "That will be £800"

    "But you serviced my 1999 Daytona last month for £550"

    "Our prices have now gone up, that would now be £900"
    Last edited by BlueIn2Red; 1st June 2018 at 17:16.

  42. #92
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    Quote Originally Posted by BlueIn2Red View Post
    This post from the OP is what I was referring to, were they told the wrong thing then?

    Yes, they issued new service price lists recently, and there's an error quoted above, which if you only bother to read that top portion of the price list, as a simple shop staff person probably would, one would quote the wrong price.

    Further down on the price lists are all models listed by calibre and family, there are two pricelists, one Classic one Modern. A 2004 submariner is 100% in the modern category and should be £550.

  43. #93
    Still awaiting clarification, but on checking the papers, discovered it's actually Nov 2005 - so only 12.5 years old.

  44. #94
    Quote Originally Posted by Geneve View Post
    Still awaiting clarification, but on checking the papers, discovered it's actually Nov 2005 - so only 12.5 years old.
    Took my same age GMT into RSC yesterday, just had estimate back £550

  45. #95

    Some Good News

    Wrote to Rolex, and both Goldsmiths and Rolex called me.

    There had been an error, wrongly identifying my Sub as a 'classic/vintage' model, and the correct Service charge is in fact £550.

    I was told this would have been picked up at service invoicing, so I would never actually have been over charged, despite the erroneous quote.

    However, there will be a cut off point between newer and older models, so worth checking.

  46. #96
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    Quote Originally Posted by Geneve View Post
    Wrote to Rolex, and both Goldsmiths and Rolex called me.

    There had been an error, wrongly identifying my Sub as a 'classic/vintage' model, and the correct Service charge is in fact £550.

    I was told this would have been picked up at service invoicing, so I would never actually have been over charged, despite the erroneous quote.
    Picked up by Rolex maybe, but would GS have passed on the saving or just charged their original price?

    We’ll probably never know.

  47. #97
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    Quote Originally Posted by Geneve View Post
    Wrote to Rolex, and both Goldsmiths and Rolex called me.

    There had been an error, wrongly identifying my Sub as a 'classic/vintage' model, and the correct Service charge is in fact £550.

    I was told this would have been picked up at service invoicing, so I would never actually have been over charged, despite the erroneous quote.

    However, there will be a cut off point between newer and older models, so worth checking.

    Its not time related, but calibre/reference related.

  48. #98
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    This is quite apart from servicing your old banger that you rely on to get to work. This is playing the game of ornamental accessories that also happen to function as workhorse tool watches. It's not the other way around unfortunately. Unfortunate because on paper they are still pretty great functionally.

    At least the service price issue has been cleared up. But these are still very expensive in the scheme of things.

  49. #99
    Quote Originally Posted by Kallang View Post
    This is quite apart from servicing your old banger that you rely on to get to work. This is playing the game of ornamental accessories that also happen to function as workhorse tool watches. It's not the other way around unfortunately. Unfortunate because on paper they are still pretty great functionally.

    At least the service price issue has been cleared up. But these are still very expensive in the scheme of things.
    Mine just gone in for 1st service, £550 in 12 years ain’t bad, it was at -2secs when I took it in.

  50. #100
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    Quote Originally Posted by Oracle View Post
    Don't forget, too, that Rolex now advise a service every 10 years for the newer calibre models equating to 15p per day running cost.
    Was it ever actually confirmed that Rolex, the company, 'advises' that you wait ten years before service? As in, does there exist somewhere a press release, or a line in a guarantee booklet, that actually says this? Or does it just stem from that internal memo that claimed the average customer brings their watch in after about ten years?

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