Seeking advice on servicing a vintage

[martin77]

I checked the serial number some years ago and apparently its from the 60s. (I don't have it on me now, my dad keeps it in a safe). The thing is actually still ticking though the hour and minute hand are stuck and the dial to adjust the time is stuck.

So i got a quote from Rolex (Toronto) to service it and they quoted me $1,500CAD (back in 2016). Basically I need a new band (the current one is a bit loose) and they need to change some of the mechanics in the watch that have eroded and seized.

Should I let Rolex refurbish it at that price or is it worthwhile to shop around for a good watchsmith?

[Baco Noir]

Jul 1, 2019 5:21:19 GMT -6 martin77 said:

I checked the serial number some years ago and apparently its from the 60s. (I don't have it on me now, my dad keeps it in a safe). The thing is actually still ticking though the hour and minute hand are stuck and the dial to adjust the time is stuck.

So i got a quote from Rolex (Toronto) to service it and they quoted me $1,500CAD (back in 2016). Basically I need a new band (the current one is a bit loose) and they need to change some of the mechanics in the watch that have eroded and seized.

Should I let Rolex refurbish it at that price or is it worthwhile to shop around for a good watchsmith?

Welcome to the forum. For vintage watches, it’s best to avoid Rolex in the USA but not sure about Canada. Rolex USA generally want to replace parts rather than restore them, which loses value / originality of the watches.

If you go back to the quote from Rolex Canada, it probably lists the band/bracelet replacement as “optional” or “recommended” and you can say no to those items. If they will service the watch, not replace the dial or hands, and not refinish the outside of the case, then they may be your best choice. Replacing the crystal if needed is generally seen as ok.

Give them a call and talk to a live person to see what is “required” vs optional. That will tell you if you need to fins another watchmaker to service it.

[Archer]

Rolex Canada is not different than Rolex USA - for vintage it is the last place you want to take the watch.

[Baco Noir]

Jul 4, 2019 6:23:43 GMT -6 Archer said:

Rolex Canada is not different than Rolex USA - for vintage it is the last place you want to take the watch.

Al - Thanks for the info. Yes you don’t have a Rolex parts account do you? If not, anyone up north that you can recommend?

[Archer]

Jul 4, 2019 9:38:18 GMT -6 Baco Noir said:

Jul 4, 2019 6:23:43 GMT -6 Archer said:

Rolex Canada is not different than Rolex USA - for vintage it is the last place you want to take the watch.

Al - Thanks for the info. Yes you don’t have a Rolex parts account do you? If not, anyone up north that you can recommend?

Parts accounts for Rolex don't exist in Canada the way they do in the US*.  So as a completely independent watchmaker (not affiliated with any AD) you simply cannot get a parts account here.  You must be part of an AD that sells Rolex to get parts here, and the way parts ordering and record keeping works in that situation, I wouldn't want an account to be quite honest.  

With Rolex they control everything.  When you order every single part, no matter how small, you have to do it using the model and serial number of the watch. You can't order more than one part for a watch at a time, so if you need one and want to order another to keep in stock, this is not allowed - they will only send you enough parts to be used on one watch at a given time, right down to ordering things like screws.  You must keep records of everything you do to the watch, every part you replace, and you must use a special tablet to take a photo of the watch on a special matt that Rolex provides to use as a background, and all this data is saved into a computer system. Rolex can ask you to call up any specific job you have done at any time, and if there isn't a photo and all the right documentation, this could be grounds for losing the parts account.  I want no part of a system that makes me feel like I'm working for them and them alone thanks - I've had enough of corporate oversight like that in my days as an engineer...

With the Omega/Swatch account I have, I can order whatever parts I want in any quantity I want (with some exceptions), and Omega leaves me alone for the most part.

Having said that I do service some Rolex models, but I limit my work to vintage.  There are plenty of Rolex parts out there, and a couple of years ago I bought out part of the stock of a retiring watchmaker in the US who had a Rolex parts account.  Although he had parts for all kinds of movements, I stuck with the parts I have used most, so the 1210 series manual wind movements, and the 1570 series.  If the OP wants to contact me we can talk, but I'm swamped, so it would depend on when he wants the work done and what the watch is specifically.  If I can't do it I can give him someone else to try...

Cheers, Al

* In the watchmakers groups I belong to, it's become apparent that Rolex is closing most of the independent parts accounts in the US.  There was a wave of closures a few years ago (and my primary contact in the US for parts lost his account) and recently in the last couple of months there has been another wave of closures (50+ accounts from what I have gathered) across the US.  These aren't for account violations, just Rolex deciding that you no longer have access for whatever business reason they decide.