Not always possible but buying in person is best bet
And always ask lots of questions about condition/timekeeping prior to purchase
Hi guys!
Very pleased to be part of the forum.
I bought a Explorer 2 full set £4690 and was a bit disapointed about the polished state of the watch which was difficult to see on the pictures.
However, today I went to Rolex and we checked the timekeeping. Its running on +10s a day and the amplitude is 260. According to Rolex it needs to be serviced soon. My other Rolex from 2008 is quite similar but has never been services after I bought it new.
Furthermore, links where missing so I can’t yet wear the watch (minor issue).
Having that said, what would you do?
Would you send it back and look for a crisper model that has been serviced?
Would you try to haggle down the price?
What are your thoughts?
Find attached some pics of the watch.
Regards,
Turicum
Not always possible but buying in person is best bet
And always ask lots of questions about condition/timekeeping prior to purchase
Where r the pictures?
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Big question is:
Keep or Return
Only you can make the call really. The missus bought a yellow gold Rolex s/h from a local Omega AD and it was not keeping good time. They had said if it didn't keep time to Rolex standards they'd warranty it and they did. They paid for it to go to Rolex for a service and it's been spot on since.
Did you get a warranty with the watch and will they service/fix it?
Started out with nothing. Still have most of it left.
It doesn’t look overpolished to my eyes
And did you ask if it was in need of service or last time it was serviced?
It doesn’t look overpolished to me either, and a service is reasonable given it’s age and will give you peace of mind. If you can get a couple of hundred off then great. I’d keep the watch.
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I’ve seen worse.
I’d go as far as saying it’s a really nice example from the photos and can’t see anything wrong with it
A watch from around 2002? Would be in need of a service anyhow
There’s a lot of second hand watch retailers that would polish it up and get a back street guy to give it a once over and claim it to be serviced with warranty
Whereas A genuine Rolex service would be a complete strip down and properly cleaned and lubricated and timed
I personally think it’s a nice watch but I dare say if you expected a Rolex service from a second hand retailer you’d have payed the extra on top of the purchase price
+10spd is off spec so a service should really be done. When you went to Rolex to check the timekeeping, did they tell you when it was last serviced? They should be able to tell from checking the serial. My Polar is from 2001 and given no papers I thought it had never been serviced, but to my surprise Rolex said based on the serial it was serviced in 2014 and timekeeping is around +3spd which is within the -4 to +6 COSC spec for that age of watch.
Personally I would keep it as it's getting more difficult to get a decent 16570 Swiss only nowadays. I'll probably just get it serviced and polished properly and enjoy it.
I wrote the dealer that I want a refuction of the price. Half of the service costs & the missing links. (-£364)
I might put some more money in to make the case right again.
I am happy I have found an Aseries from 1999 which is not in a too bad shape. ( was looking for one for about half a year.
I suppose its the same with a partner - there will always be a better one😂
If the dealer agrees on the price I will keep it, service it and keep it for ever.
Does anyone know something about welding and bringing the case watch back to the factory shape?
Thanks guys!
I took my watch to Rolex St James planning to book in a service or at least a regulation. They didn't do the regulation as it's technically within spec, but the lady at the front desk did a favour and checked the serial for me to see if they had any records. Thankfully they did, and said it's still ok to wait another year or two before doing another service.
Not sure if you can call to ask RSJ about a watch serial's service history (they would get inundated!), but might just be luck on the day for me when I visited them. If you're not too far from a Rolex service centre, might be worth popping in.
Still the advice from others makes sense. If you can get the seller/dealer you bought from to put some cost towards a Rolex service, that would be the optimal solution.
Last edited by KingKitega; 9th March 2019 at 23:16.
How clever of you. But not that helpful. A watch needing a service isn’t exactly a raw deal (my second hand explorer II did and I’m glad I got it done) and none of us can see any overpolishing. I think price wise the OP did ok. But I will concede that spending that kind of money on anything I like you want to see it before I buy.
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It looks soft in my opinion, particularly lugs
Good to see you on this forum. There are very many seasoned collectors over here.
- Jacob
From the images provided the polishing dont look too bad, I would consider a respected independent that could service the watch far cheaper than Rolex, if you want the case polished/rectified at the same time then RSC is the only way for piece of mind but I would state that I want the dial and hand set not to be changed..
I might try Rocco in Bristol.
I‘ve read he really understands how to bring this case back into shape and would do a service in the same time I suppose.
Any experiences with watchworks?
Do you think RSC would be the way to go?
Many thanks
Unfortunately I have been down this road myself (on several occasions) and it always (for me) ends in heartbreak. You are likely going to spend a lot of time and effort trying to get tis watch to a condition that you are happy with. In my experience it is highly unlikely that you will ever achieve this goal. My advice is to cut your losses, move the watch on and be prepared to spend a significant amount of money to obtain a NOS or close to example. If you decide not to take this option then the only route I would consider is sending the watch to RSC for a full service (including case refinishing as that appears to be the issue that really concerns you). At least then you will know that the watch has been returned to as close as possible to factory standards. For what it is worth I think you have a bought a very nice example but it is what you think that counts and if you are unhappy with it now then any amount of "fiddling" is unlikely to make you feel differently. Good luck with whatever you decide and I hope all works out ok for you.
Thanks very much indeed Woody.
So you would highly advice me to send it to a RSC rather than to watchworks from your own experience?
I am not entirely unhappy with the watch but I thought I can make it look much nicer (less soft) in regards of the lugs. On top of that - as already mentioned, it needs servicing. Therefore, I‘m looking for the best options to make it happen.
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Yes, I have, and they are (or were, have not been there for ages) very good.
However, lapping after laser welding is a technique for repairing holes, gouges, scratches and refilling engraving that needs easing, it is not really a technique used for rebuilding a case that has soft edges due to overpolishing. It just doesn't work like that, as you would have to build up every edge and facet.
Dave
Rocco is price controlled for Rolex work, he is a little cheaper than RSC, and is good enough to have trained many of the RSC operatives. His case-lapping machine is also the ex-RSC machine. You will need to contact him to see what waiting time is like.
Take it back for a refund.
There are better examples for less available.
(to my eyes it its over polished and soft)
I‘ve been looking for quite some time and ended up buyong my one for $5800 usd which is in my mind a good price.
NOS starts from 7-8k but not the transitional models full set.
I am happy with it. Just needs a make over - happy to spend another grand to make it look better than today.
I guess thats possible
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I think your mind and my mind differ significantly, but good luck with the makeover.
Not sure about that :)
Anyway- thanks for your comment and let‘s see - happy to share the results after the service.
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rather then change another watch
Honestly, I think you're throwing good money after bad here.
The explorer you've posted images of has lost its graining on the top of the lugs and the bezel, it looks almost like a satin finish.
The meaty bevels that should be running down the outer lugs cant be seen, either they're gone or its the angle of the photo. Its sharp lines are lost from the back of the case.
Its not running well, a service from rolex will cost you 500+ odd quid for basic and more if you decide to replace parts (bezel). Polishing it back into the right shape is all well and good but is not going to replace lost metal.
There are GOOD explorers on the private market from 3750-4250.
You've paid high and servicing could easily take your spending up to £5k.
You won't get that back if you ever decide to sell.
Im happy to hope that the photos make things look worse, but in the event that they properly represent condition you're going to take a bath.
I am with you - The only thing is that I will keep the watch, I‘m not planning to sell it. The graining can be done and the lugs can be made more prominent again. The pictures indeed are quite neat to reality but In my eyes it is still beautiful.
It took me 2 weeks to admit that because I was haunted by exactely the same thoughts you‘ve stated above.
I just wanted the transitional model A series and my one was one of the best ones that was on the market since month.
I‘ve showed the watch to 3 experts and they‘ve all said they‘ve seen worse and it is actually is still in a good shape - hopefully not just to give me peace of mind.
Let‘s see how it goes, the next watch I might buy NOS or from Rolex themselves in order to avoid these sentiments xD
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Okay.
Only other thing I can suggest is looking into these guys - http://www.shwr.co.uk
Their casework is a cut above Rolex service line standards IMO and if I was having a restoration done, I would go there.
Hi guys,
I promised I give you an update after servicing the watch. I am over the moon with the result :)
Last edited by Turicum; 11th April 2019 at 19:46.