Rolex five year "overhaul"

Wife paid $1200 for her service about 3 years ago IIRC. Of course, living in DFW, we took it down to the Rolex Service Center in Dallas.
T

 

I had mine sent to Rolex after 6 years, believe it was around $800. Will send it out next when it starts to go amiss, whenever that will be

 

My Sub is starting to get crunchy when I need to adjust the time if I haven’t worn it for a while. I think it’s time for a service, it’s been five years. I’m not married to the idea of sending it to Rolex as I have done this for the past three services and haven’t been all that pleased.


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Maybe I’m nuts, but my Submariner, purchased new in Switzerland in 1984, has NEVER been opened and keeps great time. My intention is to NEVER open it until/unless it has some sort of problem.
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Mine isn't as old as "Labcars", but I bought it in early 2000's and haven't touched it.

MDS

 

Wearing it today by chance ...


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The battery in mine seems only to last about five years.


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Kidding!


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I was told that the lubricant becomes abrasive as it drys out and can cause problems. Don’t know if this is true or not??? Last time I sent my Sub to the Rolex service center in NYC it came back keeping worse time. I brought it back and they tested it and said it was within specification.


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watches arent for telling time - who cares. im done getting them serviced. even when theyre serviced they arent accurate.

 

My wife's motivation was similar. After about 15 years, there were a few minor scratches, and it wasn't keeping perfect time. So, once we found out that there was a service center here in Dallas, it was an easy decision to make. I have to say that the service here in Dallas was impeccable. They went through the whole process of what would be done, answered all the wife's questions, and even gave her a loaner Tudor while her watch was being worked on. It took about 2 weeks as I recall, maybe a month in total before we could free up time to get to downtown Dallas.

Interesting overview of the process...
https://www.rolex.com/rolex-dealers/servicing-your-rolex.html

T

 

Sort of. The oils do wear out (much like a car) and need to be changed. If they're not changed, rotating parts start to wear because of metal on metal or metal on jewel contact without lubricant, pushers and levers get stiff and can break off, and stems and keyless works stiffen and break or shear off gears. Watches will run for a time, even without lubricant, but old or no lubricant means they'll wear faster. Very likely, the watches mentioned above with the 20 plus year service interval look like the attached:

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As an aside, anyone remember the Cartalk experiment where they never changed the oil in an engine?

 

Question ..what about if you don't use it or wind it ..does that count towards the oil getting old and wearing parts

Thoughts

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Can't figure why else I have watches other than to tell time. I bought my 14kt Rolex Oyster Perpetual 1503 from Rolex dealer Don Laviano in New York City in 1978 as a getting divorce present to me. Cost $895. Wear it mainly on 'occasions'. Wear Timex Iron Man daily - incredible accuracy - gains three seconds in a month. I believe chronometer accuracy is +/- 5 sec/week.

Had the Rolex serviced in 1997 by the fellow who bought Laviano's business - cost (in 1997) was $300. Also serviced an Omega Speedmaster 125 (Anniversary edition) Constellation chronometer for $125. Sold the latter some years ago for $2,000.

 

Don, of course there will be no wear of parts if the watch isn't run. But the lubricant will deteriorate and could make the parts stick; then when you wind the watch unusual wear can occur.

I inherited from my Dad in 1980 a Gruen Verithin Pentagon Precision pocket watch that he must have bought in the mid-1920s. From my observation I know he carried and used it occasionally but not frequently. It stayed in a dresser drawer until a couple of years ago, when I decided to use it. I had it fully serviced by Manhattan Time Service, Thomas Lodowski, a fine father-son business in the same building in NYC where Laviano's shop was. Could not recommend them more highly. Here cut and pasted is the message I got back with the watch:

Dear Seth,

Your Gruen Verithin Pocketwatch went through a complete service/overhaul, which consists of:
- Disassembling the movement
- Cleaning all the parts
- Applying oil and lubrication to the mechanism and adjust
This process returns the mechanism back to mint-factory condition.
The cost was $450 plus $30 insured shipping back to you with a 6-month warranty as of 9/27/17.
Service ticket number 21442. FedEx tracking number 7878 8049 7335. Thank you!
Sincerely,

Thomas Lodowski
Watchmaker
Manhattan Time Services
2 West 46th street, suite 308
New York, NY 10036
(212) 840-0441

He neglected to mention and later told me that he replaced the Breguet mainspring simply out of caution. The old one was not broken but it was almost a century old.

 

Chris, In 1961 I was living in Paris and friends with a young American painter, David Wasserman, still living in France and a very highly regarded painter/sculptor. He had a FIAT 500 Topolino, a two-cylinder 500cc air-cooled engine. He came to my room one afternoon, almost in tears. What's up, David? I was driving on the Champs Elysees toward the Rond-Point and my car stopped. What happened? Lost of smoke and it wouldn't go. Long story short, he had never checked the oil which ran dry, and his engine simply blew up.

What the hell, it was only almost sixty years ago

 

For what it is worth..my "guy" from Switzerland that services different watches said to me ..anything wrong with it ..does it lose time ..can you adjust the date/ time no issue ..then leave it be ..

Not debating ..just passing info on

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I bought my Rolex in 1995.
I wear it every day and have had it serviced twice, both by Rolex dealers.
The last time, it was about $1000. But it came back looking like the day I bought it.

 

I do remember that experiment! I never thought of applying it to my internal combustion watch, though.

 

When my Rolex starts to run slow, that's the time to send it in. Usually around 5-6 years. I used to have a local guy do it, but he's long gone and it's been the Rolex factory service in Texas the last couple of times. I will probably need to do it again before too long.

I wear the Rolex and a Fitbit, so I could always look at that... but when I send it off, I will get out my old Seiko 5 and wear that for a month or so instead. Come to think of it, I should wear the Seiko a bit more generally-- whenever I get it out, I really like it.

 

My Submariner has gone in for service about every 5 years. My 2007 Daytona had not because I hardly ever wear it. Wouldnt ya know, I took the Daytona with me on vaca last fall and it was needing wound every morning. That's when I realized I hadnt noticed it had become harder to wind. As soon I we got back to the states I sent it in for service. Now that I have it back, it's keeping almost perfect time.

 

A friend has a Daytona he purchased new in 1987. His only watch, wears it daily. He's never had it serviced.

 

I have a 18k Date Just that I bought in 1985. It has a bracelet that Rolex only make for a few years...can't remember the name. I've had it serviced about every 5-6 years. Once I had a guy in Andover MA do it and he totally screwed it up. When I then sent it to the Rolex authorized shop in Texas, the service tech called me and asked who had done the last service. When I told him it was an authorized Rolex dealer/ repair and gave him the name, there was a long silence on the phone. They guy said the watch was screwed up (I already knew that) and told me there would be no service charge, just parts. I'm more of a vintage watch guy and don't wear that Rolex much (I have a 1941 Patek for dress-up events) but, while it keeps perfect time, the pull out stem was sticking and the date adjustment was loose, so it's back in Texas. The estimate was $ 850 for the service this time.