New to the forum/ RSC question

[EmmaN]

Hi everyone,

I am new to this group and this is my first post.

I have been introduced to the joys of owning a Rolex, thanks to my grandfather who has left me a beautiful classic stainless steel Submariner that he bought back in 78. It is truly an amazing timepiece. I am also astonished over how well it is still holding up after almost four decades of wear and tear, in harsh mountainous environments.
I remember my grandad used to wear it almost everyday rockclimbing etc, and to my knowledge, has not serviced it once!

Anyway, I got a bit over excited with it, and took it swimming with me in the ocean.... Stupid me jumped off a rock while wearing it and as soon as I hit the water, the impact blew the little security buckle on the clasp that holds the bracelet together right off. Lucky I managed to hold onto it...

Long story short, I think it's time to take this bad boy in for a service!

My question is:
There's a bit on the clasp that has considerably bent out of shape through time, or maybe a single impact (I attached a pic); and that little buckle security bit is now missing.. Does anyone have any idea if the RSC will want to push to change the clasp altogether when I send it in, or would they be happy to try to fix that little piece of steel back into the right shape? Also, I'm guessing that replacing the little security buckle bit shouldn't be a problem for them, right? It's just that tiny piece of metal.

I'm hoping that they will be fine with readjusting the current clasp, since this watch has a lot of sentimental value for me and I don't want them to just put a brand new clasp on it!

Any advice would be more than appreciated!

Emmanuel

[Bigsykedaddy]

I'm not sure what they will charge you but if you send the whole watch in (not sure if they will work on just a bracelet, I'm sure someone more knowledgeable than me will come along shortly) they will recommend a full service. Depending on what is wrong with it the price for service could be $800 up to multiple thousands of dollars. See what others on the forum say and let us know what you end up doing.

Congrats on the awesome piece and I'm sure you will enjoy it for many years to come

[Juantxo]

I doubt it very much that Rolex will try to repair that bracelet. I'll be surprised if they do.

That said, there are a few watchmakers mentioned here who specialize in repairing bracelets such as yours. Search them out and you might just get lucky.

[Speed]

You can seek out a bracelet specialist ala Michael Young in Hong Kong...or you can call / visit a RSC. And be very specific about what you want / don't want. Sounds like that watch should get serviced anyway.

[DCheeta]

Sound advice here already. All I want to add is - please show us the Sub!

[Tools]

Rolex does not repair bracelets generally, especially not ones that are as worn as yours. I can see that some of the links are almost worn through and suspect that the reason the bracelet came apart was because the rivets and pins holding it together were worn through.

At some point it just makes good sense to put on a new bracelet, just like a leather strap that eventually wears out.

[Boaters]

Originally Posted by Speed

You can seek out a bracelet specialist ala Michael Young in Hong Kong...or you can call / visit a RSC. And be very specific about what you want / don't want. Sounds like that watch should get serviced anyway.

Perfect!

[LuminousMaximus]

Originally Posted by tools

rolex does not repair bracelets generally, especially not ones that are as worn as yours. I can see that some of the links are almost worn through and suspect that the reason the bracelet came apart was because the rivets and pins holding it together were worn through.

At some point it just makes good sense to put on a new bracelet, just like a leather strap that eventually wears out.

+1

and this

Originally Posted by DCheeta

Sound advice here already. All I want to add is - please show us the Sub!

[bjw]

I have never heard of a RSC "repairing". If there is the slightest wear of any part, it will be replaced. If you send your watch/bracelet in (and I would highly recommend that as it has never been ) they would either quote you a new bracelet and replace with your OK or return your old one untouched.

Please get your sub worked on. You're risking a total overhaul by exposing it it water. I'm sure you have no gaskets left after 40 years. You have a great watch and heirloom. Take care of it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[EmmaN]

Thank you so much for all the responses!

After my close encounter with almost losing this watch in the ocean, I have stopped wearing it altogether and I am planning to get it fully serviced at the RSC before it sees the light of day again.

By the sounds of it, it seems like Rolex will probably want to just replace the clasp and I'm guessing about 5 or 6 links on the bracelet that are very worn.

For the actual Sub, I'm guessing that it will be quite a bit of work... As you can see in the pic, the crown is quite badly damaged and there is a chip in the crystal. Not to mention the scratches all over the watch, bezel and bracelet.
In terms of the movement, everything seems to be working fine, except for Date setting. When I pull out the crown it won't let me manually set the date anymore, I have to twist around the whole 24hrs to set to the next day... It's a bit of a thumb workout!

I'm guessing this will be a very expensive servicing... But it definitely needs to be done to keep this little guy alive and running for many more years to come!

[Tools]

Don't let anybody replace that dial.

That is where most of the value and charm is; replacing it would devalue your watch by half and is much more of a loss than replacement of the bracelet (which I would recommend) would be.

RSC may not be the best place for this watch to be for an overhaul.

[japenney]

agree with not replacing the dial. Beautiful watch and from your gradfather...get it serviced and wear it for the rest of your days ....well worth the money and time to get it serviced properly. So nice to see these family heirlooms.

[TheRolexKingofLV]

Looks like you got your answers, so il just say welcome!

[MVP]

Awesome watch

[droptopman]

Nice watch. Has some great character. Personally, I would not send that to RSC. I would use an independent watch maker who specializes in vintage Rolex. It will be more cost effective and you can keep all the original parts. I sent a bracelet more worn than that to Michael Young and it came back in great condition. I did have to replace the clasp though. Too much wear to be worth fixing.
Good luck!

[Verdi]

Service the watch and get a new bracelet. Repairing the bracelet is costly and takes a while if sent to MY in HKG.

Keep the bezel, dial and the hands, get a new crown and crystal.

[GradyPhilpott]

Originally Posted by Tools

Don't let anybody replace that dial.

That is where most of the value and charm is; replacing it would devalue your watch by half and is much more of a loss than replacement of the bracelet (which I would recommend) would be.

RSC may not be the best place for this watch to be for an overhaul.

Listen to Larry.

[hambone1983]

if it were my watch I would not even contemplate a repair/refurb of that bracelet. That patina is the story of your grandfather's life, I wouldn't let anyone near any of its gorgeous dents and dings. Buy a new bracelet and start putting your own stuff on it.

[RichardF]

Wonderful watch to inherit. Since you are wearing and swimming with it I would recommend sending it to a RSC so the movement, crown, tube, and crystal can be replaced and brought back to the factory specifications. Certain parts of the movement will be replaced at their discretion and covered in the cost of the service. The decision whether to do anything else to the case, hands, dial or bezel is your choice. I do know for a fact Rolex will not touch the band. The most they might do is place the band in the ultra-sonic cleaner and replace the spring bars at your cost. but that is all. They will note this on the estimate and will not service warranty the band. Rolex will recommend band replacement with a price quote and state they are not responsible if the watch were to separate from the head. You are not obligated to purchase a new band. Rolex will still service warranty the head of the watch.

[EmmaN]

Hi everyone,

Thanks again for all the replies. It took ages to get responses from all the watchmakers I made enquiries with here in Paris, but I ended up going with Michael Young in Hong Kong! After your advice on this forum and a bit of online research, I couldn't find one bad thing being said about him, so I'm excited to see the results!

I'm glad I didn't end up just sending it to the RSC, it seems like they would have replaced a lot of the pieces to bring it up to today's standards.

As much as I think it would be nice to keep my grandad's old bracelet with all of it's scratches and dents, I have decided to let MY restore it. I think it will be more cost effective than buying a new one.
Plus; I think the small scratches/wear and tear on the bezel are a nicer way to remember the story of my grandad's life, and in my opinion, they add a lot of character to the watch. So I will ask MY to simply add a new "pearl", or whatever that little ball is called, to the bezel but nothing else.

Funny coincidence, the watch stopped ticking the day I was planning on sending it to HK.. A good indication that it was about time to have it sent in, and honestly, I'm actually really impressed that it survived almost four decades without being serviced!

I have asked MY for a movement repair/service, polish, band restoration. and a crystal and crown replacement. Also, I will definitely be holding on to that dial!
I asked if he could repair the clasp too... but I'm not sure if he has the machinery to bend steel back into place on such a precise level; hopefully!

Still waiting to hear back from him. Will keep you guys updated! :)

[natosub]

Glad you got it sorted. Keep us posted on the progress.

[Johny]

Originally Posted by EmmaN

Hi everyone,

Thanks again for all the replies. It took ages to get responses from all the watchmakers I made enquiries with here in Paris, but I ended up going with Michael Young in Hong Kong! After your advice on this forum and a bit of online research, I couldn't find one bad thing being said about him, so I'm excited to see the results!

I'm glad I didn't end up just sending it to the RSC, it seems like they would have replaced a lot of the pieces to bring it up to today's standards.

As much as I think it would be nice to keep my grandad's old bracelet with all of it's scratches and dents, I have decided to let MY restore it. I think it will be more cost effective than buying a new one.
Plus; I think the small scratches/wear and tear on the bezel are a nicer way to remember the story of my grandad's life, and in my opinion, they add a lot of character to the watch. So I will ask MY to simply add a new "pearl", or whatever that little ball is called, to the bezel but nothing else.

Funny coincidence, the watch stopped ticking the day I was planning on sending it to HK.. A good indication that it was about time to have it sent in, and honestly, I'm actually really impressed that it survived almost four decades without being serviced!

I have asked MY for a movement repair/service, polish, band restoration. and a crystal and crown replacement. Also, I will definitely be holding on to that dial!
I asked if he could repair the clasp too... but I'm not sure if he has the machinery to bend steel back into place on such a precise level; hopefully!

Still waiting to hear back from him. Will keep you guys updated! :)

hi op. are you having the case polished?

[EmmaN]

Originally Posted by Johny

hi op. are you having the case polished?

Hey Johny, yes I will get the case and bracelet polished. It has accumulated quite a few scratches but none of them too major.

[Chewbacca]

all good answers but keep the original crown too.

i'd like to add that i would take detailed pix of the watch from every angle including the movement prior to sending it to whoever and ask for parts back if anything is replaced. its good to keep them should you ever pass it along.

don't polish.

[EmmaN]

Originally Posted by Chewbacca

all good answers but keep the original crown too.

i'd like to add that i would take detailed pix of the watch from every angle including the movement prior to sending it to whoever and ask for parts back if anything is replaced. its good to keep them should you ever pass it along.

don't polish.

Thanks for the advise Chewbacca! Also, why should I not polish?

[Chewbacca]

Originally Posted by EmmaN

Thanks for the advise Chewbacca! Also, why should I not polish?

polishing is considered a no-no for vintage pieces. if not done right, your watch loses value.

others can explain better or just search function 'polish' and many threads will pop up.

[Johny]

Originally Posted by EmmaN

Hey Johny, yes I will get the case and bracelet polished. It has accumulated quite a few scratches but none of them too major.

please don't. try to keep it as original as possible. if it were mine I would go for a movement only service.

[EmmaN]

thanks for the heads up! I just did some research on the forum, and it does seem like the consensus is not to polish the case of a vintage watch. Most of the scratches are actually just on the crystal anyway, which I will get replaced since it has a few deep scratches and dents.

[Johny]

Originally Posted by EmmaN

thanks for the heads up! I just did some research on the forum, and it does seem like the consensus is not to polish the case of a vintage watch. Most of the scratches are actually just on the crystal anyway, which I will get replaced since it has a few deep scratches and dents.

if you polish it your grandfathers watch it will come back looking like a stranger.