Reply With QuoteThat’s bloody awful finishing. I just grabbed a loupe to check the hands on some of my watches and none are even close to that bad
I've stumbled upon this video on YT. What I'm talking about starts @ 4:57. I was actually quite shocked to see that. How is it possible? I do appreciate it's an ''entry level'' Rolex but still... What the hell?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPpdv-WlJOE
That’s bloody awful finishing. I just grabbed a loupe to check the hands on some of my watches and none are even close to that bad
Disapointing.
Thank you for sharing. That’s really shocking. Rolex as the reference brand in terms of quality and top finishing and detail perfection allowing such a “faux pas “... unbelievable.
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Watchfinder videos frequently show poor finishing on Rolex.
It’s a mass produced watch that I am sure has in process acceptable quality limits far higher than the price should suggest.
The cynic in me thinks something has been in and tampered with this, yeah on WF you often see poor finishing from Rolex but nothing this bad and I’ve never seen any Rolex this rough that I’ve owned modern or vintage
A bit unexpected - is it very difficult to polish the hands properly (I mean to a decent finish)?
Bare in mind this is some serious macro. He mentions this is not visible with the naked eye, but still, it is shocking.Originally Posted by Hooshabak
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Well, I don’t know, but I think these are similar price to the OP Rolex.
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Reminds me of that time Walt Odet reviewed a Rolex and in his conclusion said
" I cannot think of another consumer product in which the gulf between the publicly perceived quality and the reality I saw is as broad as with the Explorer "
Sorry, had to wind up the Rolex fans lol
Tapatalk possible compressed this so much it might look badWell, I don’t know, but I think these are similar price to the OP Rolex.
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I’m very curious. I’m due to go to the AD when it becomes possible. Will take a loupe with me
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Stick to grand seiko mateI’m very curious. I’m due to go to the AD when it becomes possible. Will take a loupe with me
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I’m just curious. Can’t wait to go to the AD. I think I want a Rolex but the more I research, the more I think - maybe it’s not for me.
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I thought of that as well; in this case though my suspicion would be that the watch that's the subject of the video has been opened up. To me those marks on the surface of the hands don't look like a failure to polish them properly, they look more like they happened since then.
I`m only winding people up, have a good look in person. If spending many thousands you cant be too careful though.
I watch Watchfinder videos and I'm appalled.
Then I see one on a watch I actually own and go and take a closer look and realise these macro shots show you what you can't see. And if I can't see it-who cares?
Because if it looks good to me and anyone who doesn't start looking through a magnifying glass what on earth does it matter?
I think the guy in the video sums it up pretty well at the end of the video - “if there is no attention to detail, then what is horology all about?”
Grand Seiko can do it on their entry level watches, no excuse for Rolex really.
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Calm down folk with pitchforks. Yes it looks bad in the video. But it's clearly not the norm so let's not judge the brands 1m+ a year watches on the basis of this one watch. Perhaps something went wrong on this one, maybe they missed the final polish or something, who knows.
If they did miss it though - how is that possible? I am used to see rough edges on the underside of the hands but this really surprised me to be honest.
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No idea. I assume at the scale they operate the romantic notions of a watch maker working on the movement piece by piece is probably not reality. Probably some poor bugger sits there all day, every day, just polishing hands. Maybe they missed a set on the line.
Just guessing really, but the point is it's not the norm so I don't think it's anything to get worked up about. At those volumes there will always be outliers. Buyer should return it, problem solved.
You'd expect these would go through multiple stages of QC before being given the OK. I'm very surprised it slipped through
Remind me again, who owns Watchfinder?
:D This made me chuckle!
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Personally I don't think this has been tampered with.
Before picking up my 2020 I was slightly worried after seeing his stainless steel review where he said it was perfect and excellently finished when there were clearly marks..
So I don't think he is exaggerating or lying.
BTW, are these marks normal on the back of a sub? The grid pattern looks so uniform, I thought it had been put in a vice or something when they removed the links, and it's been like this since I picked it up on the day.
My AD says this is deliberate and part of the new sub design.
He showed me a picture of a gold yachmaster II. I saw the brushed design but didn't really see the grid effect like I do on my sub..
Possibly a silly suggestion, but have you tried giving it a good scrub with water and your finger? Looking at the second photo, I wonder whether it could be residue from a sticker?
I'm sure you could make any hands look that bad by removing them and putting them back on, roughly.
It's just a matter of time...
Yep, thought it was a sticker issue too as I had some stickers left on from the AD. No dice. But it looks way worse in the photos than real life. It really isn’t bothering me. My guess is it’s some weird anti counter fitting printing.
I’ve seen several of this guy’s YouTube videos exposing the same issue with Rolex’s finishing. I’m fairly certain some of the watches he’s reviewed have all the stickers on, suggesting tampering is less likely. Whilst it’s true that the video is shot in macro, and the poor finishing would be imperceptible to the human eye, so many of the great features of watchmaking are. When buying a Rolex you expect a competent level of finishing at a minimum. As others have also noted, Grand Seiko absolutely dominates this arena at the price point.
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The uniform brushed lines seem normal but the other marks don’t. I can’t see how this would be normal.Personally I don't think this has been tampered with.
Before picking up my 2020 I was slightly worried after seeing his stainless steel review where he said it was perfect and excellently finished when there were clearly marks..
So I don't think he is exaggerating or lying.
BTW, are these marks normal on the back of a sub? The grid pattern looks so uniform, I thought it had been put in a vice or something when they removed the links, and it's been like this since I picked it up on the day.
My AD says this is deliberate and part of the new sub design.
He showed me a picture of a gold yachmaster II. I saw the brushed design but didn't really see the grid effect like I do on my sub..
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Is it true that hands are one of the very few things Rolex don’t do in-house (yet)?
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Per my comment in your other thread, that doesn’t look normal at all.
If it were ‘anti counterfeit’ (as you say), they wouldn’t be random scuff and scratch marks, would they?
Your caseback, from the photos, is scuffed.
I once sent a watch to Rolex (a brand new GMT running 60 seconds per day slow from brand new) and it came back with vice marks all over the back (very similar looking to yours). In the end they sent me a new replacement watch direct from Rolex HQ as it was such a balls up / Friday afternoon watch.
Take some better photos for us.
Yes, they're made by Aguilla SA and another company i can't remember name of. They come on sheets and if you're sloppy when removing them marks like this can appear. So this is an assembly line error that slipped through. My guess is they're working at full speed after corona and maybe stress is a factor.
Are grand seiko hands made in 18k gold? Otherwise comparison is moot. Anyone have macro shots of a real GS? Not that fake 3d rendering like above?
Those marks are from the bracelet rubbing against the case back. Do you leave your watch face down or chuck it into a bag now and then? Otherwise you were sold a second hand watch :DPersonally I don't think this has been tampered with.
Before picking up my 2020 I was slightly worried after seeing his stainless steel review where he said it was perfect and excellently finished when there were clearly marks..
So I don't think he is exaggerating or lying.
BTW, are these marks normal on the back of a sub? The grid pattern looks so uniform, I thought it had been put in a vice or something when they removed the links, and it's been like this since I picked it up on the day.
My AD says this is deliberate and part of the new sub design.
He showed me a picture of a gold yachmaster II. I saw the brushed design but didn't really see the grid effect like I do on my sub..
Thanks for the info.
I think the Rolex in the video is a 39mm OP which have now been discontinued (I believe?) and the video is from 24th of January 2020, so the guy probably got it last year - no corona there.
Video from the same guy - some imperfections can be seen (on the underside). @7:53
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tO5EexPAQwU
Yea noone cares about the underside. Are they 18k?
I beg to differ and no, I don't think so.
Noone finishes the underside of the hands. If you care it means you don't really understand anything about manufacturing and watches, and how to gauge quality.
Exactly. My thoughts entirely.
I’m not talking high polish on the underside, but a quick polish to get rid of the bumps isn’t really that uncommon I think.
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Horomariobro on Instagram takes pictures of the hands in macro (sides and if possible via reflections the other side as well)
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Have you ever seen the back of a dial?
Grans Seiko don't seem to have a problem doing so.
I follow that account and his comparisons with PP and GS are astounding. GS really are a level above 90% of what's out there and 100% of what's out there at 3x the price.
To be fair, the same logic could be used to describe movement finishing in the majority of watches that don't have display backs. Yet folk seem to care about that. So why not the underside of other parts?
Not saying it's right or wrong, just not that unusual.
I watched the vid, watch looked great.
TBH once you get into using high mag macro photography on hand sets and finding faults with something that is invisible to the naked eye you have too much time on your hands.
Why sit there staring through loupes etc etc like sad sacks?
You'll only spoil the pleasure of ownership for yourself because there is always going to be something......
Cheers,
Neil.
@Xellos99 - anyone who has been around the block, won't bother with your childish wind-up attempt, they'll know the score with the Odets review. So all you'll accomplish is to confuse/perturb new members or potential owners. Why bother?
For anyone who doesn't know the about the Odets review. He was a self-taught watchmaker (and Clinical Psychologist) who enjoyed dismantling his very high end collection of Pateks etc. He was sent an 14270 Explorer by the editor of TZ, it was the first Rolex he'd ever examined with his high magnification equipment. When he compared it to the Patek and VCs he was used to, he found the Explorer unsurprisingly not of the same quality. His review caused a lot of upset amongst some Rolex users, however Odets later went onto to praise the brand and the watch, as he had done in the review.
@PawG - please don't take a loupe with you when you go to the AD. You'll just look like a berk. Looking at watches, unless they're high, high end with anything other than your own eyes is the path to madness.
@dkpw I know what you mean. I will look like an idiot maybe but for me £4450 is pretty high end to be honest and don’t want to buy the watch just to find out later I don’t really like it. I think it’s fair.
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If you have to use to a loupe to see if you like or not you're doomed and I can tell you now you won't like it. You are looking for faults and like most things in life if you look for faults you will find them.
Do let me know which AD you're going to. I'd love to look through the window and see their faces when you're staring through the loupe. I'll be seeing what you won't be, which is them laughing their backsides off at you.
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