[phillip ridley]

Unfortunately, I hear this too often! In a way, I understand due to rarity and an outside chance of damage. But I guarantee one wouldn't put 20 thousand miles plus on their Porsche without an oil change/service, right?

Well, these old Rolex's are the same and preventative care is an absolute! Especially since 316 grade steel was used up until 1985 where Rolex started using 904L.

My first few photos (apologies as I do not know how to separate my text per section) show a GMT that had been worn generously, then worn some more without
servicing. You will see how the moisture corroded the case, case back, retaining ring and even the bezel. Fortunately, we were able to get it to pass the pressure testing. Unfortunately, this cannot be fixed without completely rebuilding the whole case which is very costly!



This next example belongs to a very rare 5508 which was never serviced. Clearly, we are looking at several beyond worn parts which lead to a very extensive repair.


My overall point is if you take care of your watch in the short run, it will take care of you in the long run. By not having it gone through every 5 to 6 years, one does take a risk.


On the flip side, my last set of photos show why it is so important to find a well-trained watchmaker! I received a His and Hers Presidental that literally were just serviced. Here are just a few of the issues I noticed. Fortunately, this did not lead to a disaster as that amount of oil could had easily spread onto the dial.