Service Papers

[pdoukas]

Is there any benefit to having service papers if you do not have and papers for your watch?

I'm not looking to sell my watch, but it came with both outer and inner boxes and it's sticker. Later down the road, would the valuation increase if it had RSC service papers (strictly for movement servicing and not replacement parts like dial and hands). It doesn't have any papers now.

Just wondering.

Pete

[sleddog]

Monetary value, not a whole lot.
However, it does provide a service record and a little peace of mind to a prospective buyer!

[HL65]

It isn't a bad thing to have. As Rob said adds a bit of peace of mind to owner....

[onkyo]

It adds little in terms of value ..... though it does add a bit of security knowing it was looked over by Rolex.

[colpol]

they also say that you should factor in the cost of a service if you buy an older watch with no papers as who's to known when\ if the watch ever been serviced.

[dricig]

As a buyer, I always go by:

No Papers/No Deal.

New watch or vintage does not matter, I want a complete kit and the original paper is not something you can get down the road.

RSC service papers would be a plus for me and I would pay extra for a watch with it.

dave

[dddrees]

Originally Posted by sleddog

monetary value, not a whole lot.
However, it does provide a service record and a little peace of mind to a prospective buyer!

x2

[smallcandle]

Originally Posted by dricig

As a buyer, I always go by:

No Papers/No Deal.

New watch or vintage does not matter, I want a complete kit and the original paper is not something you can get down the road.

RSC service papers would be a plus for me and I would pay extra for a watch with it.

dave

Agreed. I would also pay extra for a watch with RSC papers and would certainly feel better about the deal.

[Clay]

I personally would rather have recent Rolex service papers then original paper work....
I'm not a big B&P fan anyway, and the recent service papers tell me that the watch has been seen, serviced and is 100% authentic.
I would certainly pay more for a watch that has them then one that doesn't...
Especially if it's a RED 1680 or DRSD.

[Jagatai]

What about service papers from Bob Ridley for a 45 plus year old watch?

[pdoukas]

Originally Posted by Jagatai

What about service papers from Bob Ridley for a 45 plus year old watch?

x2 I was going to ask about that next.

[conrail]

As Dave points out above, there are lots of buyers like him who want it, so it def. doesn't hurt, and can add a small bit of monetary value. It's always nice to have the original punched papers, but if its not terribly inconvenient to you to get the service papers, go for it.

To knowledgeable vintage folks, I would say service papers from Bob Ridley are more valuable than RSC papers, but again, its more piece of mind to the interested party that xyz has been tended to on this watch on abc date.

[Al1988]

I recently bought a watch that didn't have original papers but did come with service papers. Obviously I would rather have had original papers but to be honest I wouldn't have touched the watch had it not had service papers.

Just adds a bit of peace of mind and authenticity that might help a transaction go through

[greekbum]

Service papers etc are a nice bonus but I do not put any value on them myself.They are very easy to obtain if a RSC is near you.

[Al1988]

Originally Posted by greekbum

Service papers etc are a nice bonus but I do not put any value on them myself.They are very easy to obtain if a RSC is near you.

But I'm right in thinking if a watch isn't exactly kosher i.e. stolen or fake movement etc it can't pass through an RSC to get service papers?

At least that's what the presence of service papers assures me of.

[Beaumont Miller II]

This topic has come up before and the general consensus among the posts were this: there are 2 groups with different feelings on the subject.

In the first group the value placed on service papers is not considerably high. A much higher premium is placed on original guarantee papers with box and accessories a real bonus as well. Service history while nice to know is perhaps not as important as finding the full set with box and papers. They may be able to determine authenticity/originality on their own and for this reason as well service papers may not add much.

In the second group service papers add a certain amount of value. This group may prefer service papers to original guarantee papers. They may feel this way because watches with guarantee papers tend to sell for more money. For them this added cost is unwarranted because it doesnt address the concerns of originality/authenticity and service history. The service papers do offer some piece of mind that the watch has gone through an RSC and was found to have authentic parts. I realize that this has not always proven true. The real value is perhaps that if the papers are current you won't have the burden of trying to find someone to service your vintage treasure. I think in the back of our minds many of us realize that some of these watches get damaged during the service. Chipped paint on the periphery of dials are an example.

I don't think you need to be in one camp or the other. You can be in the middle. Perhaps if the watch is a daily wearer service papers might be more important; however if the watch is truly rare and collectible a full set may be more desirable. I think the trick is to not overpay for the watch based upon how important the seller views the service papers.

[TurboWatch]

Originally Posted by conrail

As Dave points out above, there are lots of buyers like him who want it, so it def. doesn't hurt, and can add a small bit of monetary value. It's always nice to have the original punched papers, but if its not terribly inconvenient to you to get the service papers, go for it.

To knowledgeable vintage folks, I would say service papers from Bob Ridley are more valuable than RSC papers, but again, its more piece of mind to the interested party that xyz has been tended to on this watch on abc date.

RSC gives you much more .... it also means that your watch is 100% Rolex and not STOLEN.

[pdoukas]

Originally Posted by Beaumont Miller II

This topic has come up before and the general consensus among the posts were this: there are 2 groups with different feelings on the subject.

In the first group the value placed on service papers is not considerably high. A much higher premium is placed on original guarantee papers with box and accessories a real bonus as well. Service history while nice to know is perhaps not as important as finding the full set with box and papers. They may be able to determine authenticity/originality on their own and for this reason as well service papers may not add much.

In the second group service papers add a certain amount of value. This group may prefer service papers to original guarantee papers. They may feel this way because watches with guarantee papers tend to sell for more money. For them this added cost is unwarranted because it doesnt address the concerns of originality/authenticity and service history. The service papers do offer some piece of mind that the watch has gone through an RSC and was found to have authentic parts. I realize that this has not always proven true. The real value is perhaps that if the papers are current you won't have the burden of trying to find someone to service your vintage treasure. I think in the back of our minds many of us realize that some of these watches get damaged during the service. Chipped paint on the periphery of dials are an example.

I don't think you need to be in one camp or the other. You can be in the middle. Perhaps if the watch is a daily wearer service papers might be more important; however if the watch is truly rare and collectible a full set may be more desirable. I think the trick is to not overpay for the watch based upon how important the seller views the service papers.

A very sensible answer and much appreciated. Honestly, i did not mean to open a can of worms.

I currently need to service my 16760. When I bought it, I knew I would need it serviced. My first thought was to send it to Bob Ridley. And although I respect every comment that has come from his camp of admirers, I am tempted to send it to RSC SF only because I lack paperwork that my family may or may not have a need for when or if the watch changes hands.

On another topic, what could I expect from an RSC service? I would explicitly mention no replacement dials or hands, no polish, etc. I am only interested in a movement service to correct the time loss and replace any movement parts that need replacing. I know there have been comments about RSC replacing parts that they should not have but I have heard good things about RSC SF.

Pete

[Rickster]

Like most have said piece of mind is what you are really paying for... but I think about it this way too. Service can cost $1000-$2500 (yes $2500! believe me) divide that by 6 years then multiply by how many years left till service again. I guess you get the "real" value of having the service papers...

thats your math class for today

[alanski]

from a personal point of view i think a recent RSC service does add value to a watch especially here in the Uk where we are quite fortunate that our RSC
at kings hill and st james will service 5513, 1675, 1665, 1680s etc without insisting on changing dial hands etc.

however here is the but as of a few months ago the cost of having a watch service doubled from £330ish to £700+ for the vintage stuff .
plus the normal 6 months turn around time for it to come back . as only a handful of guys are qualified to work on them

so in my opinion a service by RSC does and will continue to add value to a vintage piece , if im buying you need to factor in a service / contigency against the piece if it hasnt been done but if a piece has already been done the last few yrs by rsc its good to go . when buying a vintage piece it takes time to find a gem and if you find one with service papers as well its a dobule bonus as you dont have the nagging in the back of your mind that you really should get it serviced . just my 2 cents worth

[skyedog]

For me - I personally prefer the original paper (make sure it is legit!)...service paper is nice to have but not a must for me... I can always bring it to my watchmaker anyway...... unless the watch is not in a working condition. Box ... I care less.

[cruvon]

For me, unless I bought a loose watch from a well known source, I would prefer a watch with Rolex service papers over one with none. Guess it helps in making the sale. But then again, if it had Bob Ridley service papers, I would take that as a plus too but not many in the open market except us on the forums might know him as much as they will a RSC service paper. Maybe one RSC service and the subsequent services with Bob would be the best of both worlds. Would I pay extra for a loose watch with one, I surely would and even more if the service warranty is currently active.