Get it back and send to an independent
but... Duncan won’t do an SD or Daytona - others might be able to with full warranty, but they will be few and far between, as they need the 1200m testing set up etc.
So chaps, advice needed.
I have a 2007 16600 that stopped working so sent to Rolex for a quote. Expected around 500 quid for service and fix plus maybe new clasp.
They have identified that the case is heavilydented at 9o'clock and that they want to replace at a cost of £3200. If not replaced then they wont warranty the waterproofing. I have never noticed this denting but I dont expect Rolex lie.
Not sure what to do. As you might imagine not keen on paying 3k for I guess a new case !
Ideas? Send to Duncan/Genesys and see what he says?
Cheers
Mike
Get it back and send to an independent
but... Duncan won’t do an SD or Daytona - others might be able to with full warranty, but they will be few and far between, as they need the 1200m testing set up etc.
Last edited by Omegamanic; 28th February 2020 at 15:55.
It's just a matter of time...
Sorry to hear that Mike, sounds very expensive, more than the RRP of these watches back in 2007.
Hope you get something sorted.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
You're not not the only one --- including main agents --- to have noticed that Rolex UK recently appear to be quoting for, ahem, rather more work than one might have expected to need doing.
Very difficult, as short of going abroad there aren't many options with such a watch.
Thanks guys.
Apparently the watch also benefits from
Dial Marked
Glass chipped
Bracelet stretched and scratched
Specks on dial
Bezel marked
Hands marked
Bezel insert marked
Almost sounds like its been used :-) may as well bin it with all that damage
Mike
Don't tell me you've actually worn the thing ??? You've only yourself to blame :-)
Seriously though Mike, get it back from them, £3k+ is frankly, offensive IMO. I love a SD but the limited service options have put me off acquiring one somewhat. Would it really need full WR testing in your hands ? Surely there's an indy out there that can do a movement service and reseal.
Keep us updated.
Also, how much will they charge if you opt not to change the case?
£550 for the service with no refurb. £3200 just for the case.
Mike
Is the case that bad? Would love to see a picture of it to see what Rolex consider as requiring a case replacement.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Actually, I’d probably let them do the basic work and just not warranty the waterproofing
It's just a matter of time...
They are trying it with me at the moment, apparently I need a new glass at £125, mine is chipped and "fractured", as it was working on the seabed last year at 274m without problem, and I looked over it with a loupe before sending it, I have asked Rolex to email me a picture of the damage.
also my hands were scratched and specks on dial etc.
How do hands even get scratched - incompetence at a previous service?
I wonder if the dent is stopping them replacing the HEV and wouldn’t be a problem if it was elsewhere on the case? Does make you wonder what kind of force must have been needed to do that sort of damage.
But, if an indy can WR test to 300m and you have a perfectly fit-for-purpose HEV valve, then I don't see what the problem is, wouldn't bother me one bit.
Is it a coincidence that the alleged deformation on the case is HEV side ? I get that the HEV side offers another point of ingress for water but do they really go wrong without use that would require replacement at service ?
How did it get damaged? My house insurance covered and issue with my B-1 to the tune of £1500
Accidental damage etc
I'd get rolex to do the basic service but to also test the waterproofing as surely they can test it and tell you if it passes or fails. In fact I'd have thought they could test at steps in pressure, 100m, 200m, 300m, 1200m and tell you what it passes/fails. So what that they don't warranty it after that? unless you actually dive with it that is.
Just think though.....£3200 is only 200 quid short of tudor pelagos which is waterprrof to 500m and hev'ed up for saturation diving.
I had a Breitling that was brand new unworn and had the plastic stuck on the face. Dealer sent it off for a battery, having removed the sticker and Breitling said it needed a new glass.
Whereas they think they are being clever it does influence the brands I buy next time.
Last edited by joe narvey; 17th April 2022 at 15:47.
Goo news I hope. I’ve contacted my home insurance who have started a claim. Thanks to the poster who advised I do this. I’ll keep updating the post.
Would love to see a picture of the damage, as laser welding can fix most everything now. Only instance it won't is if the case is warped somehow, but that's highly doubtful. I think it's a sign of how hard it is to find quality labourers who are interested in this kind of work these days, sounds like a technician following a script did the estimate. Ask for the watch back and turn elsewhere for help. I'd happily look at it for you if you fancy a trip to Scandinavia :)
wet test? so every time they test a watch and it fails they have to dismantle and reservice? really? that would seem .... incredibly stupid ... but perhaps I'm missing something
Normal Rolex use = do not remove stickers, put in back of safe.
Sent from my iPhone using TZ-UK mobile app
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CB4ol8FckGc
- the watch is held above water in air and pressurised so if there's a leak the watch case has 10bar pressure inside it,
- the watch is dropped in water and the pressure released so the air flows from the case outwards if there's a leak and as stream of bubbles is then viewed.
- The watch gets raised when the pressure is near atmospheric so the watch doesn't get water in it.
Just to chime in, had Rolex swing the lead with me on both a Tudor service and a Rolex Sub service, within the last 18 months.
Told me I needed a new crystal and bracelet for the Sub. Same warranty story. Also refused to polish up the bracket. Truthfully bracelet was absolutely fine, with very little stretch - and the crystal had the most hairline of hairline marks on it, could my even feel or under a fingernail.
For the Tudor, I bent the bezel insert but they insisted that the bezel was also bent and “completely unserviceable” - and that it would benefit from a polish (to which I agreed) but that they would not polish it unless I also had a full service at the same time - despite the fact it was still in warranty!
So a £45 bezel insert was about to cost me 500 notes from Rolex.
So I sent it to a very well known Rolex approved repairer and said nothing. He replaced insert without question. £90 I think?
I also know the bezel was not bent, 100%. Another story as to how but anyway
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Last edited by notenoughwrists; 28th February 2020 at 20:45.
Ouch 3k for just the case sounds harsh I’m no expert but I thaught the majority of the cost in the watch would be in the movement etc sounds like a 5k service if they insist on a new bracelet and the rest .. ouch
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Also sorry to but in, however and in all honesty, I’d still be interested, knowing the background and assuming an independent service, sans WR, had been carried out. I might be a bit strange but I’m kind of into wearing watches, lots of them divers but have never dived in my life and never will. Like lots on here. Probably.
Good luck with getting this sorted out to your satisfaction. Sounds very unsatisfactory at the moment.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Cheaper to replace a ceramic case.
Rolex made the 16600 to withstand a depth of 4000ft and it is perfectly reasonable for them to either repair it to that standard or to send it back. A 16600 that is not up to taking a depth of 4000ft is not a true 16600 and it is in no ones interest for an inadequately performing watch to be in circulation. Rolex will supply a two year warranty which is highly valued as an indicator to authenticity and quality and it must not be diluted.
I have a 16520 and I know that the average service charge is now around £1500.00 in order to keep it at original spec. I knowingly bought it that it has to go back to Rolex and that I will have to stomp up when the time comes, so like the OP I will have to take it on the chin.
The obvious conclusion is not to buy a specialist watch unless you are prepared to pay the going rate for it to be serviced to the original spec, a 16600 is a specialist watch and not a frippery to adorn your wrist.
YAWN.
Having recently bought a used Deepsea, I’m considering getting it serviced by Rolex. I went into Mappin & Webb and they quoted me £580 which seemed quite reasonable.
Stories like this make me think twice though. The 10 week wait also isn’t ideal.
Mick, its just a bloody watch, stop worshiping the brand like a religion. You sound like a cult member.
Edit.. Damn predictive text spelling.
Cheers..
Jase
It's as if with each progressive year, Rolex policy managers get around a table with the agenda "How can we rip it further out of our customers?"
Sent from my CLT-L09 using Tapatalk
Last edited by stefmcd; 29th February 2020 at 12:46.
Hardly think that would be true to be honest. Sent an '07 Submariner 16610 to Rolex for a service and had no problems at all. Replacement crown was the only charged item apart from the service cost. Am happy with the service, and there are probably a lot of people who feel the same. Thats not to say mistakes won't occur, and people are fallible, but to say it's a company agenda to rip people off is a bit too conspiracy theory in my opinion.
Started out with nothing. Still have most of it left.
Agreed. I suspect stefmcd's comment was somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but I think that if you decided to fleece customers in the way proposed, you'd soon lose those customers.
I had my sub date serviced by the centre at Kings Hill. 2002 model. Only me as the owner. No issues whatsoever. And I have used them several times for other watches.
Only the original owner knows the condition of the case, and if Rolex are suggesting the case needs to be replaced, then I'd make an appointment to attend the service centre to see exactly why. Obviously, they would and should, justify their reasons. If you are still not convinced, then a trusted independent would be the next step.