Reply With QuoteWell you could I suppose, then again you could take it to any Rolex AD.Originally Posted by Siysiy
I have a 16 year old Bi metal, blue Sub, and have never had it serviced. It runs well, maybe a fraction fast.
Just looking for an idea of servicing costs at Rolex - is it best to take it in to St James' directly?
Appreciate any advice/thoughts?
Well you could I suppose, then again you could take it to any Rolex AD.
"Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."
'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.
If in the area as you are, I would not think of involving a main agent. Take it into St. James and make the most of the experience - it's like entering the lobby of a Bond Baddy's lair!
H
Give St James a call, they are usually nice on the phone. Unless you're looking to improve the watch cosmetically i'd be tempted to leave it longer until it shows signs of needing a service. My Exp II is nearly 10 seconds fast per day
That is miles out, my Explorer11 is almost spot on, you are gaining more in a day than mine is gaining in a month. Get it looked at, there is no point in wearing a decent watch if it performs like a glorified sun dial.Give St James a call, they are usually nice on the phone. Unless you're looking to improve the watch cosmetically i'd be tempted to leave it longer until it shows signs of needing a service. My Exp II is nearly 10 seconds fast per day
I know, I'm being cruel to the old girl, every penny is in the "Daytona Fund" at the moment, so once I manage to pick one up, I'll send the EXP in for a Service.
Do they have set pricing levels at St James for a service or is it done on an individual watch by watch basis?
Service price for this will be £550.00 but doesn't include glass, crown, bracelet etc. Some ADs will try and charge postage of varying amounts but the R.R.P. is £550.00.
Sundial? Lol!
10 secs per day = 5 minutes per month
I had a chuckle at the Sundial comment too. I'd rather it fast than slow, that's my only come back
£585 From any Goldsmiths. If you can walk in, I also heard £550, but I can’t get there for another month so have sent my Sub just last weekend.
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Is the nye on 600 quid a strip and lube...does it include new parts? If its a strip and lube...only seems a silly price. Even if they polish the case.
To be fair, a sundial should be perfectly accurate, at least when the sun’s out 😀I had a chuckle at the Sundial comment too. I'd rather it fast than slow, that's my only come back
If a sundial were out by 5 mins a month, we might well have much more serious issues to worry about!!😀😀
They replace any worn parts, no extra charge. And they give a proper two-year guarantee. You get, in mechanical terms, close to a new watch. Seems a fair enough deal to me.
They frequently charge extra for worn parts.
Goldsmiths may use their own accredited watchmaker in my experience, so your watch may not go back to Rolex themselves and you would not get the green pouch, service box, booklet or Rolex paperwork.
Much better, if you can, either to deliver to Rolex by hand or post (to West Malling).
H
To be fair, in this particular instance only, I think he is mainly referring to the replacement of internal movement parts that are regularly changed or even upgraded, without any advice on what they are or what has been done, and in the vast majority of cases are included within the service price, as opposed to worn crowns, bezels, crystals, bracelets etc. etc. which are routinely charge for at set prices.
It's just a matter of time...
Have they stopped charging for major movement parts like a new rotor, then?
Not as far as I’m aware, major parts are usually itemised and charged separately but that’s not such a regular occurrence. In fact thinking about it I have never had a charge for a rotor on any service with them, but then Ive only had a small percentage of the services carried out that you have, and I usually only wear one watch at a time so mine are unlikely to get excessive rotor wear/damage.
It's just a matter of time...
Seriously bad advice considering the age of the watch!Unless you're looking to improve the watch cosmetically i'd be tempted to leave it longer until it shows signs of needing a service. My Exp II is nearly 10 seconds fast per day
There is nothing “seriously bad” about the opinion Paul. You are just having a bad day with people disagreeing with your personal approach on regular servicing.
It's just a matter of time...
There are independents that service Rolex for less than a third of the cost of a Rolex service, yes you don’t get the paperwork but you are in control of dial, hands and polishing.
Which part of the Rolex pricing model seems moderate?
A £550 service (excluding parts) is more than most people will spend on a watch so can easily seem silly. Indeed the price of any Rolex is probably more than many will spend on a car.
However, if you are interested in watches and can afford it the price can be seen as quite realistic - especially when compared to other watch brands in the 'luxury' end of the market.
Why on Earth am I defending Rolex?
Ah, it's late, I must be tired, or drunk, that's my only defence :)
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My 16800 date wheel stopped moving so I asked my local highly regarded indie to look at it. He said he’d not look at it without doing a full service...for £800! And he refused to fit a period date wheel (assuming I can even find one).
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Thanks all - very informative.
my opinion has always been dont open them up, unless they give reason to. I think the dial is a little soft (clicking) when it turns, and it def runs a little fast - so I think the time has come. I cant complain at £550 service once in 16 years. Hopefully that will see it through until 2034 !!!
Time will tell (literally) whether having it done once opens up the necessity for more frequent services.
The difference might be that he knows what he's talking about. If people really believe they know more than the entire watch-making industry, then good luck.
As for parts costs...I was indeed referring to internal parts, which is all modern watches are likely to need. Vintage stuff is a quite different issue.
Last edited by paskinner; 17th October 2018 at 09:23.
On a serious note, reading comments from the amount of people who just keep wearing an unserviced watch until it drops, makes me realise that my policy of sending in every Rolex I buy for a service is sound practice.
So, no need to worry about pushers, crowns, glasses, bezels etc being quoted for the next time you send in your Rolexes, chaps!
Almost every Rolex owner who does it seems to get away without regular servicing. They will wear one until it develops an unacceptable fault or drop in performance, then have it serviced without suffering any penalty whatsoever for this "neglect." Those who regularly service them whether they need it or not are a tiny minority and, in my experience, almost always face a much higher cost of ownership.
H
That my good sir is what they call Sod’s law. Unfortunately, I’m always one of the unlucky ones in life which means that I’m forever damned if I do or damned if I don’t...
All are extremely reasonably priced parts though, especially compared to the rest of the industry.
Good info and thoughts guys - thanks very much indeed.
Ok l will change my strategy, I will wear it until it plays up. So thanks for the informed tip which I will now put into practice.
Just one question, how long would you wear it for after a service whilst swimming. I wear every watch (except the Daytona) for swimming and the Sub 16610 was serviced by Rolex in 2014. I was under the impression that the seals were waterproof for around 5 years. I would hate to have a watch full of sea water.
Last edited by Mick P; 17th October 2018 at 12:26.
I would expect modern rubber seals to last a lot longer than 5 years. I pressure tested an Omega Speedmaster reduced recently whilst servicing it, and the case was OK up to 5 bar. That watch hadn’t been touched for a lot longer than 5 years!
Ideally, if a watch is used for swimming it should be tested regularly for WR, especially if it goes in the sea.
I'm up to twenty years on some of my personal watch and never gave the seals a thought. Saying that, we do have testing machines and routinely check them.
If your watches concern you, a regular test of water resistance might be the cost-effective way forward with peace of mind.
Forgive my ignorance but how does a pressure check work? Presumably watches are not submerged during the process!
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There are different methods.
In a dry vacuum tester, the air is sucked from a chamber while any distortion in the case / glass is measured precisely, then air is re-admitted. Air leaving / re-entering the watch can usually be detected. This is a basic test, but in fairness quite a good one.
In a wet test, the watch is submerged in liquid but then pressure adjusted so that gas exits the watch case if it is not sealed, rather than liquid enter it.
I anticipate that Paul or others will correct and expand upon the above.
H
I find that part of the pleasure of owning any item of precision engineering is to know it's in tip top shape. I don't wish to save money by running lovely things until the lubricant dries up, timing goes off and it eventually just stops.To me, that shows a lack of respect for well designed pieces of fine engineering. Which makes the hobby a bit pointless from my perspective.
And if such a 'romantic' attitude costs a bit more, so what, the aim of the hobby, to me, is not to see how little you can spend. It's about doing things properly, looking after your stuff.
I spent real money to get precision engineering; I want to keep it that way.
Otherwise I'd just stick to my mobile.
Last edited by paskinner; 17th October 2018 at 15:14.
Apart from a very brief encounter during a BHI training seminar, I’ve no experience with the dry vacuum testers, my recollection is that they can give false negatives.....or maybe it was me who used it wrongly.
I own a wet tester that goes up to 6.5 bar, and I use it very cautiously. In principle, water shouldn’t get into the watch, even if it isn’t sealing, but I know from experience that it can! I have my own theories as to why these testers aren’t foolproof in operation, but if a watch survives/ passes the wet test you can be confident it won’t leak. The problem from my point of view is the risk of getting water in the watch whilst testing, ideally they whould be used by a repairer who can rapidly whip the watch apart if there’s an issue! It’s also possible to blow the glass out if the thing isn’t used correctly, and that’s not what you want to happen.
When I work on a watch I always pressure test it with the movement out to confirm that new seals/glass/crown are doing what they should and keeping the wet out. Depending on the watch I’ll give it a second check after full reassembly. Occasionally I’ve had problems with acrylic glasses not sealing if the case is slightly out of round or there’s pitting/corrosion present, it’s best to find this out without the movement fitted.
The dry vacuum testers clearly have advantages, but they’re way too expensive for me. My advice to anyone requesting a pressure test is to only trust the watch with a professional repairer, and ask for confirmation that the watch won’t get water ingress during the test.
Not wishing to tempt fate, I personally use a dry vacuum tester and find it easy enough, while providing reliable readings after a little practice.
H
I’m sure they’re fine, I think the one I tried to use may have been faulty. It was on the last day of the course and it was all a bit rushed
Out of interest - how much do these pressure testers cost?
Well put, I am with you on that.
It sounds silly, but it isn't, the overheads aren't free, the highly trained staff aren't free, the training in the first place isn't free. Once every ten years for an expensive precision item, the price is quite reasonable at 17p a day.
- - - Updated - - -
Also this ^^^^^^
I initially asked if it is better to take it into St James' (as opposed to an AD) and what expected cost may be
I think that was a fair question
Last edited by Siysiy; 18th October 2018 at 16:59. Reason: (edited as I didn't want to start a back and forth spat)
What I find amusing is the trivial reference to a 'strip and lube'...........if you're going to the trouble of stripping the watch down you may as well go the whole hog and inspect all the parts, correct the inter-relationship between the parts, get everything right, and do the job thoroughly.
To be brutally honest, the majority of people who offer opinions haven`t got a clue about what's really involved in watch work. Having said that, even taking into account the skill/expertise required and the cost of tools/facilities, I think the big manufacturers are overcharging for what they do and what they offer.
I see both sides of the debate..........but when I read comments like 'strip and lube' I have to smile. It conjures up an image of changing the oil quickly on a car!
Paul
I’d be less happy with that! I know that Notts and Leicester Goldsmiths send them back to Rolex directly (I used Notts) but read that some Goldsmiths do have an accredited on-site watch chap
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Nothing wrong with dry testers at all, most run to 10bar and the best run to 20bar.I’m sure they’re fine, I think the one I tried to use may have been faulty. It was on the last day of the course and it was all a bit rushed
It is what almost all manufacturers use and it works.
The only wet tests you see these days are things like the leak tester which is a vacuum test on Rolex and when doing watches above 20bar.
As for the regular servicing or not, this isn't an issue if sending the watch back to the manufacturer. They will replace every part that has any sign of wear until the watch is back to spec. Independants will replace everything that is needed to get it running well again.
For an independant to replace two or three wheels in a rolex train is costing them anything from £90-200. For Rolex its a few £'s.
Personally I would service every 5-10 years or when a watch develops a fault.
If it was something with a rare movement (not a Rolex!) then I would get it regularly serviced because if parts wear they would then have to be made, which is not cheap at all.
This is obviously negating all issues from bad seals, water, dust ingress or case corrosion.
Last edited by me32dc; 19th October 2018 at 14:25.
For Rolex watches, only wet testers are used.
A vacuum test first, to see if air escapes from the case.
Then a pressure test at 60-3990 meters depending on model.
Rolex do not recommend use of any dry testers at all, because the case construction is so rigid (especially on professional models) that the results will not be accurate. It works on older plexi models of course.
Too rigid? Ha, not true. Even under 10bar sub cases flex a fair bit.
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