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Smackin · 26 October 2014, 08:08 AM

I had a question about a recent Rolex service that I had preformed on my stainless date just at a fairly well known watch store in Southern CA. I took it to this store due to the fact that my best friend has purchased numerous watches from them including Breitlings and Rolexes, his last one was 50K.

When I picked the watch up and got home I noticed it was not working, at all. I immediately brought it back and said after the the amount of money I just paid it would be better if it could tell me the time. After a bit I was called and got my watch back. about 2-3 months ago I knocked off the crown and took it to a place that for many many years has been located in Laguna Beach CA and they are now in Mission Viejo. They only do watch repair for Rolex watches they do not have a showroom and are Rolex Authorized. While I was there to drop off my watch to get the crown fixed. I told him my interest was to some day get a submariner two tone blue face. Sure enough he has one there for a great price that he pulled out of his safe. I bought it :-0

When I went back to pick up my Stainless, Terry the owner of the authorized store asked me to come in the back room to show me something he was concerned about. He showed me that two posts that hold up the dial and explained that one of mine must ave been broken. This is what got me, he further explained that whoever was the tech that did the work on the watch thought it would be better to GLUE the dial in place rather then fix it. This kinda explains why it did not work when I got it home.

My question. Is this standard practice to glue a dial in place on a Rolex? If I would have been told there was a broken part, I would have paid for it. I think I was already paying $600 or $700 dollars to tune it up in the first place.

Please give me your thoughts on the ability to get my watch tuned up in the future. The watch person that showed me the problem said it could not be tuned. I wanted to give my watches to my son when he gets older, oh well.

Thank you for any advice on gluing parts together in a watch that is considered to be one of the best watches in the world.

anothernewphone · 26 October 2014, 10:58 AM

I'm no expert by any means, but that does not sound right at all. Glue anywhere near the inside of a watch sounds like a bad practice. It sounds like they took a shortcut while fixing it, or maybe they broke it themselves and didn't want to have to try and get you to pay for a new post at the first shop.

Dalton · 26 October 2014, 12:38 PM

there should be absolutely no glue in there. A replacement is needed or an expert dial guy has to solder new feet in. That's where the trick lies, heat can ruin the enamel if not done properly. I doubt it was broken by the Service Center you took it to. It had existing issues, which means someone was just trying to move it along...

Smackin · 27 October 2014, 08:52 AM

Thank you for steering me in the right direction. I just cant believe someone would think that they could get away with this When I go to service it the next time which now makes me think it may be sooner then later due to an obvious shoty job??? Makes me wonder what else was or was not done.

I am really bummed I spent so much money to get it done right and now I feel that they could have damaged the watch and that it still needs to be serviced which means I have to pay again. Wish I was a watch tech :-0

Dalton · 27 October 2014, 02:45 PM

I feel your pain. This is the kind of stuff that makes us lose sleep. A few years ago, I had a Tudor Sub with a Dial that started to spin inside the case. I had it repaired by a Rolex Tech I know, of course it had to be serviced

Rogdogg · 27 October 2014, 07:17 PM

Have you gone back to the shop which did the original service and who you think introduced the glue into it?

If so, what did they say?

What can the OP do about this?

Roger1079 · 27 October 2014, 08:37 PM

If it could not be repaired to factory specifications, the dial would be replaced as a necessary part of the service. That dial would never have been put back into the watch, especially not with glue at any RSC. If the AD that did the initial service was authorized by Rolex, I would contact Rolex and inform them of what happened. Take pictures if you still can, and have the paperwork from the original service available also. Hopefully Rolex will make it right at no additional cost to you since you already paid for a full service and the dial was obviously broken at that time and should have been replaced. Keep us updated.

Watchcollectables · 28 October 2014, 12:50 AM

It is not the end of the world if dial feet snap off it happens from time to time. No dial should ever be glued to the top of the movement, ever. There are a couple of options, like Dalton said to ether solder a new foot onto the dial or you can epoxy a foot on also, as the dial doesnt move the glued foot will last and stay stuck in position . I have seen dial stickers also but these are not a good fix and the adhesive will gradually deteriorate.
Its down to the skill and knowledge of the guy doing the job;-)

rmfnla · 29 October 2014, 02:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Watchcollectables

It is not the end of the world if dial feet snap off it happens from time to time. No dial should ever be glued to the top of the movement, ever. There are a couple of options, like Dalton said to ether solder a new foot onto the dial or you can epoxy a foot on also, as the dial doesnt move the glued foot will last and stay stuck in position . I have seen dial stickers also but these are not a good fix and the adhesive will gradually deteriorate.
Its down to the skill and knowledge of the guy doing the job;-)

I cannot imagine the heat of soldering not damaging the face; attaching the foot with epoxy sounds like the right idea here.

OP, can you give the name of the place that did the questionable repair so we can be sure to not go there..?

dysondiver · 29 October 2014, 02:58 AM

epoxy , is that what i call glue ,,, thats how i read the question originally , so , it boils down to should the dial have been replaced at service .
guess that depends if it was an ad or not that serviced it.
and welcome to the forum too.

rmfnla · 29 October 2014, 03:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Smackin

I had a question about a recent Rolex service that I had preformed on my stainless date just at a fairly well known watch store in Southern CA. I took it to this store due to the fact that my best friend has purchased numerous watches from them including Breitlings and Rolexes, his last one was 50K.

Perhaps you should get your friend involved.

And yes, welcome to TRF...

Rikki · 29 October 2014, 05:50 AM

The machine that is used works like a spot welder you use soft solder which has a low melting point put a small piece of solder on dial where you want the foot to be ground the dial with one electrode and using the other electrode hold the foot over the solder then press the foot pedal and push down on top of solder it melts immediately. It's a one shot deal and should not get hot enough to ruin the paint in my experience. Rikki

Watchcollectables · 29 October 2014, 07:31 PM

We use a PUK welder , very useful and hardly any heat as Rikki says .

rmfnla · 30 October 2014, 03:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rikki

The machine that is used works like a spot welder you use soft solder which has a low melting point put a small piece of solder on dial where you want the foot to be ground the dial with one electrode and using the other electrode hold the foot over the solder then press the foot pedal and push down on top of solder it melts immediately. It's a one shot deal and should not get hot enough to ruin the paint in my experience. Rikki

Cool... thanks!

26 October 2014, 08:08 AM	#1
Smackin "TRF" Member Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Laguna Beach Posts: 2	I'm Coming Unglued I had a question about a recent Rolex service that I had preformed on my stainless date just at a fairly well known watch store in Southern CA. I took it to this store due to the fact that my best friend has purchased numerous watches from them including Breitlings and Rolexes, his last one was 50K. When I picked the watch up and got home I noticed it was not working, at all. I immediately brought it back and said after the the amount of money I just paid it would be better if it could tell me the time. After a bit I was called and got my watch back. about 2-3 months ago I knocked off the crown and took it to a place that for many many years has been located in Laguna Beach CA and they are now in Mission Viejo. They only do watch repair for Rolex watches they do not have a showroom and are Rolex Authorized. While I was there to drop off my watch to get the crown fixed. I told him my interest was to some day get a submariner two tone blue face. Sure enough he has one there for a great price that he pulled out of his safe. I bought it :-0 When I went back to pick up my Stainless, Terry the owner of the authorized store asked me to come in the back room to show me something he was concerned about. He showed me that two posts that hold up the dial and explained that one of mine must ave been broken. This is what got me, he further explained that whoever was the tech that did the work on the watch thought it would be better to GLUE the dial in place rather then fix it. This kinda explains why it did not work when I got it home. My question. Is this standard practice to glue a dial in place on a Rolex? If I would have been told there was a broken part, I would have paid for it. I think I was already paying $600 or $700 dollars to tune it up in the first place. Please give me your thoughts on the ability to get my watch tuned up in the future. The watch person that showed me the problem said it could not be tuned. I wanted to give my watches to my son when he gets older, oh well. Thank you for any advice on gluing parts together in a watch that is considered to be one of the best watches in the world.

27 October 2014, 08:52 AM	#4
Smackin "TRF" Member Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Laguna Beach Posts: 2	Bummed and Glued Thank you for steering me in the right direction. I just cant believe someone would think that they could get away with this When I go to service it the next time which now makes me think it may be sooner then later due to an obvious shoty job??? Makes me wonder what else was or was not done. I am really bummed I spent so much money to get it done right and now I feel that they could have damaged the watch and that it still needs to be serviced which means I have to pay again. Wish I was a watch tech :-0

29 October 2014, 05:50 AM	#12
Rikki TechXpert Join Date: Jun 2009 Real Name: Rik Dietel Location: Seminole Fla Watch: 5512 s/s Sub Posts: 1,818	The machine that is used works like a spot welder you use soft solder which has a low melting point put a small piece of solder on dial where you want the foot to be ground the dial with one electrode and using the other electrode hold the foot over the solder then press the foot pedal and push down on top of solder it melts immediately. It's a one shot deal and should not get hot enough to ruin the paint in my experience. Rikki __________________ Century 21 Certified watchmaker Omega Service Provider Trained Omega OWME Certified. Rolex Parts Account Holder.

26 October 2014, 10:58 AM	#2
anothernewphone Banned Join Date: Feb 2013 Real Name: Bill Location: Plymouth Meeting Watch: 116520 Posts: 3,209	I'm no expert by any means, but that does not sound right at all. Glue anywhere near the inside of a watch sounds like a bad practice. It sounds like they took a shortcut while fixing it, or maybe they broke it themselves and didn't want to have to try and get you to pay for a new post at the first shop.

26 October 2014, 12:38 PM	#3
Dalton TechXpert Join Date: Mar 2008 Real Name: Dal Location: Seattle Watch: 168000 Posts: 1,614	there should be absolutely no glue in there. A replacement is needed or an expert dial guy has to solder new feet in. That's where the trick lies, heat can ruin the enamel if not done properly. I doubt it was broken by the Service Center you took it to. It had existing issues, which means someone was just trying to move it along...

27 October 2014, 02:45 PM	#5
Dalton TechXpert Join Date: Mar 2008 Real Name: Dal Location: Seattle Watch: 168000 Posts: 1,614	I feel your pain. This is the kind of stuff that makes us lose sleep. A few years ago, I had a Tudor Sub with a Dial that started to spin inside the case. I had it repaired by a Rolex Tech I know, of course it had to be serviced

27 October 2014, 07:17 PM	#6
Rogdogg "TRF" Member Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Bangkok Posts: 6,117	Have you gone back to the shop which did the original service and who you think introduced the glue into it? If so, what did they say? What can the OP do about this?

27 October 2014, 08:37 PM	#7
Roger1079 "TRF" Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: South FL Posts: 444	If it could not be repaired to factory specifications, the dial would be replaced as a necessary part of the service. That dial would never have been put back into the watch, especially not with glue at any RSC. If the AD that did the initial service was authorized by Rolex, I would contact Rolex and inform them of what happened. Take pictures if you still can, and have the paperwork from the original service available also. Hopefully Rolex will make it right at no additional cost to you since you already paid for a full service and the dial was obviously broken at that time and should have been replaced. Keep us updated.

28 October 2014, 12:50 AM	#8
Watchcollectables "TRF" Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: UK Posts: 316	It is not the end of the world if dial feet snap off it happens from time to time. No dial should ever be glued to the top of the movement, ever. There are a couple of options, like Dalton said to ether solder a new foot onto the dial or you can epoxy a foot on also, as the dial doesnt move the glued foot will last and stay stuck in position . I have seen dial stickers also but these are not a good fix and the adhesive will gradually deteriorate. Its down to the skill and knowledge of the guy doing the job;-)

29 October 2014, 02:58 AM	#10
dysondiver "TRF" Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Real Name: tom Location: northern ireland Watch: my fins Posts: 10,063	epoxy , is that what i call glue ,,, thats how i read the question originally , so , it boils down to should the dial have been replaced at service . guess that depends if it was an ad or not that serviced it. and welcome to the forum too.

29 October 2014, 07:31 PM	#13
Watchcollectables "TRF" Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: UK Posts: 316	We use a PUK welder , very useful and hardly any heat as Rikki says .

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