Smashed glass anything I need to do? Rolex 114234 air king

[365drills]

Dropped watch 114234 Air King from 1ft onto a tiled floor. Cracked the glass right across the dial and split it into a 7 figure




Anything I need to do (other than cry)

I am based near London so my assumtion is that its off to Rolex for service and replacement.

Imagine costs to be between £600 and £1000

[renfield33]

I think most people would tell you to pull the crown to make sure the watch isn't running. Not because of the the broken glass but because something could be loose in there from dropping it.

[MonBK]

First thing I would do (before crying) is stop the watch so fragmented pieces don't get into the movement.

[mjclark32]

Stop the movement and get it to a qualified watchmaker, sorry to see/hear this, hope it gets fixed quickly

[The GMT Master]

You'll need a full service plus a new glass. Expect the cost to be just over £500. As above, stop the movement by pulling the crown all the way out, and get it off to Rolex. Turnaround is relatively quick at the moment

[365drills]

Cheers for that.

Stupidly I was wearing it (cracked) for the rest of my holiday and a couple of times it did stop. I will go and pull the crown out now

[03cobraa]

Try to keep it face down as much as possible, to keep glass fragments from working its way into the movement. They will have do do a full service now anyway, so it might not even matter. Just a thought...

[Rolex-10]

Originally Posted by The GMT Master

You'll need a full service plus a new glass. Expect the cost to be just over £500. As above, stop the movement by pulling the crown all the way out, and get it off to Rolex. Turnaround is relatively quick at the moment

Why a full service? Only needs the glass surely?
Sounds like a car main dealer ploy.

If that's the case then an independent may be better.

[The GMT Master]

Originally Posted by Rolex-10

Why a full service? Only needs the glass surely?
Sounds like a car main dealer ploy.

If that's the case then an independent may be better.

If you're talking about a drop onto a tiled floor, the force generated by that can potentially do a lot of damage to the movement. Any number of parts could be damaged or misaligned through a fall like that. There's also the possibility that shards of crystal can work their way through to the movement as well, even the tiniest fragment can cause a lot of damage. Admittedly it is unlikely on a non date, but it's worth doing to avoid the possibility of it causing damage and you needing a service anyway (potentially with the cost of additional parts)

Chris

[cop414]

Originally Posted by The GMT Master

If you're talking about a drop onto a tiled floor, the force generated by that can potentially do a lot of damage to the movement. Any number of parts could be damaged or misaligned through a fall like that. There's also the possibility that shards of crystal can work their way through to the movement as well, even the tiniest fragment can cause a lot of damage. Admittedly it is unlikely on a non date, but it's worth doing to avoid the possibility of it causing damage and you needing a service anyway (potentially with the cost of additional parts)

Chris

+100 on this, better to be safe than sorry.

[365drills]

I think it was the "Service" part thats stopped me claiming on either my holiday insurance (thats where it happened) or my home insurance.

My guess is that they WONT pay for a service on a 5 year old watch and would probably weasle out of the glass stating its a wear and tear part or something.

So I am preparing to suck up and front the bill. My guess is still £1000 so anything less than that and I am cheering. More than that - wont be too impressed....

We will see !

[Rolexwatch]

And still, you paid for the labor of taking off and putting in a bezel you didn't want Rolex to touch...

[kilyung]

As everyone stated and drop off at St James.

[PMiddy]

Nice watch btw.....I'm sure it will be put back together again well

[365drills]

It was nice... for five years.



I will turn it face down but I assume I have to post it off to here?

Rolex Service Centre
1 Jubilee Way
Kings Hill
West Malling
Kent
ME19 4NR
United Kingdom

Tel: +44 17 3275 2400
Fax: +44 17 3275 2444

[The GMT Master]

Originally Posted by 365drills

It was nice... for five years.



I will turn it face down but I assume I have to post it off to here?

Rolex Service Centre
1 Jubilee Way
Kings Hill
West Malling
Kent
ME19 4NR
United Kingdom

Tel: +44 17 3275 2400
Fax: +44 17 3275 2444

That's definitely the best place to send it, the service centre at King's Hill is state of the art, and the quality of their work is very high. Usual turnaround is 4-6 weeks, and you get a 2 year guarantee on the work. Drop it off with your local AD, and they will be able to take care of the necessary postage, packaging and insurance

All the best,

Chris

[joe100]

Yeah, I'd say your local could do the repair and service for less and quicker. Do what you feel you need to do.

[365drills]

The other thing I was just wondering is do you think it would be better to swap the dial from black to white? (I really struggle to see the hands sometimes)

At night its impossible. And the second hand can really blur into the minute hand.



I found this example of what a white dial would look like on this model
(Note the image is from a copy)

Oh and if I did SWAP IT OUT would they charge the full whack for a new dial or would I get part exchange.

Or is Part Ex too tacky for Rolex

[365drills]

Is a white face easier to read than a black face and will Rolex part-ex be possible with Rolex

[365drills]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQBDQ6etJ5w

Nice little You Tube video of how its SUPPOSED to look without a broken glass face

[The GMT Master]

Originally Posted by 365drills

Is a white face easier to read than a black face and will Rolex part-ex be possible with Rolex

A white dial might be a bit easier to read than a black dial, but the hands will be the same size, they're not the widest on an AK. You can do a dial swap with Rolex, but don't expect it to be cheap - a diamond dial usually goes for £1000 and above on top of a service.

Chris

[365drills]

Thanks for that. Think I will be sticking to black if its that pricy. That's my biggest moan about this watch is how hard it is to tell the time!! And at night.... Forget it!

[Watchcollectables]

You have mail!

[365drills]

Have posted watch off to Rolex Repais by Royal Mail Special delivery + extra compo (£2500 max) so fingers crossed they will be kind with the quotation. Sent so we wait....

[Lgear080]

wow 500! that's incredible. the factory replacement safire and gaskets are only
$250usd...

[Time2time]

No don't send it to Kent. Go to RSC St.James in central London.
They're very helpful there!

Good luck.

[DrLindaPhD]

I hope you have a backup. That's why I like to have a "collection" because one of mine is always getting fixed and that leaves the others to be worn. But, I like variety. So sorry for the break. A similar thing happened to me with my 1946 mint condition ladies watch. Thankfully the crystal didn't break but the balance did. That was a $275 repair. Now I only put my watches on over the bed or something soft in case it falls again.

[365drills]

Welll the good news is that they have recieved the unit and I have a letter to hold on tightly too..




I did think they were the only Rolex repair centre in the UK so thats where it went.

So the next update will be the estimate.....

[Rolex-10]

Originally Posted by 365drills

Welll the good news is that they have recieved the unit and I have a letter to hold on tightly too..




I did think they were the only Rolex repair centre in the UK so thats where it went.

So the next update will be the estimate.....

I don't think they are the only service centre.
St.James in Central London also have a service centre. They are very helpful too.
Good luck with your repair.

[boywondergq1]

Full service is recommended because shards of glass can work themselves into the movement and damage it. Moving gears + glass shards = crunch