Rolex Service 1997 Sea dweller optional extras

[budfox88]

I have just been quoted for a service for my 1997 Sea dweller watch.

Crown needs to be replaced so all in it will be about £480.

Can I ask for the old crown to be returned to me?

Also the purpose of this post is to solicit comments and advice on whether or not I also go for the "optional" extras??

Hands £78
Clasp/buckle £422
Glass £97
Bezel insert £37

Which of these are considered essential?

Any advice or tips as to how to proceed would be most gratefully received .

[Mouse]

The 'optionals' are just that. It's down to you, if you feel it needs them sorting.

You won't get the old crown back. Rolex do things on an exchange basis. Same goes for all of the other service parts too unless you fork out even more for the privilege of buying new, and that'd probably only apply to the insert. I stand to be corrected but I think that's how it goes.

Re the clasp, if it's really had it then, at that price I would be considering buying a complete new bracelet and then selling the old one for spares to mitigate the cost.

As with most things, it all depends how far you want to go with it. Anything Rolex tends to get expensive really quickly!

[Omegamanic]

I think you'd be surprised by the current new bracelet cost as a replacement.

[Seamaster73]

Omega always give you the old parts back; Rolex never do.

A crown replacement on Rolex divers is now routine.

The rest, depends on your preference for patina.

[Wallasey Runner]

The hands are the key issue here, if the dial has any kind of patina, brand new shiny white hands will look odd against an 18 year old dial. The new glass should be the same as the one on your watch, so if chipped or scratched it might be worth changing it. The new bezel insert will be the same as the last of the pre-ceramic inserts - check them out and if the same as yours then buy a new one, if yours has a slightly fatter font you may want to consider keeping the one you already have.

Hope this helps.

[Mouse]

I think you'd be surprised by the current new bracelet cost as a replacement.

Based on the price quoted for Sub bracelet (old style) not so long back then I reckon £1K to £1.5K for an SD 'old style' ?

I stand to be shocked further though :-)

[GrandS]

When you purchased the watch you payed for the crown. It belongs to you, not Rolex. If you want it back, then tell them that. Surely Rolex will not steal your property...

Only let them replace things that you really want replaced. If you are happy with the way these things look and work, then don't replace them.

[seadog1408]

I think the 93160 were around £840, don't quote me though

[Guitarfan]

When you purchased the watch you payed for the crown. It belongs to you, not Rolex. If you want it back, then tell them that. Surely Rolex will not steal your property...

They're not stealing them. The price for replacements is on an exchange basis i.e. discounted. If you want the original parts back too, the replacements will be more expensive.

My thoughts:

Hands - I wouldn't change them, I like my watches to be as original as possible
Bezel insert - as for the hands, it's part of the history of the watch
Clasp - only exchange it if the old one is beyond use, otherwise use it until it breaks!
Crystal - only exchange it if it's damaged and it bothers you, or it won't pass the pressure test (highly unlikely if it's just edge chips)

[mjoranga]

From what I've read Rolex never return the old parts but don't hold Me into it... Clasp and Buckle for that price!!! I hope it's the upgraded Glidelock...

[Guitarfan]

No, that'll be just the old tuna can style clasp. A Glidelock bracelet is around £1500 I think, and the clasp itself must be half that.

Based on that, a compete 93160 must be around £900.

[geoffcotton]

I have just been quoted for a service for my 1997 Sea dweller watch.

Crown needs to be replaced so all in it will be about £480.

Can I ask for the old crown to be returned to me?

Also the purpose of this post is to solicit comments and advice on whether or not I also go for the "optional" extras??

Hands £78
Clasp/buckle £422
Glass £97
Bezel insert £37

Which of these are considered essential?

Any advice or tips as to how to proceed would be most gratefully received .

My 2003 SD is away at Rolex right now. They quote £430, got a letter last week to suggest changing the glass out for £100. I personally would keep your watch as original as possible and not change out anything unless it's absolutely essential.

[t955daytona]

I don't know if it was by accident or whether it is different for other models but I have just had my wife's watch serviced (179160) and Rolex returned the crown.

[budfox88]

Thanks to all those who have posted comments and advice, it really is educational being a member of this forum.

I received a reply from Rolex regarding some of the points raised here.

A) service part costs are based on an exchange basis, i.e. They supply you with the new part but take back the old one. I am not sure of the reasoning but it does mean I can't sell on the redundant part. I presume the service exchange price is cheaper than for outright supply.

B) the service agent was very helpful as to what was the priority in terms of replacement options.

C) I have decided against changing the clasp/buckle as I would rather retain the bracelet as a whole unit

D) changing the hands is a no as well, as I don't want the colour tone of the hands to be different to that of the dial

E) bezel won't be changed either as I think it is consistent with a watch that's 18 yrs old

F) in the end it'll be just the crown and glass and a service

Thanks to all for your kind contributions

[Schofie]

You've definitely made the right choices there in keeping it as original as possible. And you've probably hit on one of the reasons rolex don't want old parts sent back out and ending up on the market.

Bit of a shame because I bought a PO recently from SC and it had been recently serviced, and it was interesting to see those lovely tiny parts that had been replaced, particularly the coax escapement parts.

Enjoy the watch in good health

[jpjsavage]

Another vote for keeping things original and to enjoy the ageing process!

[Wallasey Runner]

Great decision, well done. As you say, the bezel insert and hands are part of the original look of the watch whereas the glass and crown are not. The glass would have only been an issue if it was an older SD and you had say a Superdome on - then you would have wanted to keep that, but changing a sapphire crystal is a no brainer really.

Logically the prices are cheaper at the time of service because they already have your watch dismantled. I have seen on here before that Rolex will not change a glass unless it is as part of a service - seems sensible if true.

A movement service should keep it sweet for years to come - enjoy.