RGM or RUSA?

[Big Nutty]

I will be servicing my TT16013 soon and am trying to decide where to send.

Has anyone ever used RGM Watches for complete servicing? If so, any feedback?

Admittedly, I'm fascinated that RGM manufactures/assembles watches in the U.S. In perusing their website, I noticed that they offer repairs and complete servicing for many brands. I seem to recall that I read somewhere that RUSA may even use/refer folks to RGM for vintage work. I believe that they are also the "official" U.S service center for Sinn watches and some other brands, too. It seems that their pricing and turnaround times may be a little better than RUSA?

Are there any advantages to having a watch serviced at RUSA? Documentation, etc..

All opinions and experiences welcomed!

[walds11]

I am curious about this as well. What do they charge for a basic service?

[greekbum]

On a vintage watch that RUSA will not service I would recommend you find a local independent watchmaker with a Rolex parts account and check out some examples of his work before committing. Don't be shy here ask to see or experiment with yours. Try and deal with the watchmaker directly no middleman as to be able to make sure there is no misunderstanding on exactly what it is you want or don't want done to your vintage watch.

On a newer model Rolex that RUSA will service you have a choice.
1.Send it to RUSA for a full service and a warranty or an Independent.
With Rolex I will say you will get excellent results, authentic parts and a warranty directly from them.
They are the standard so when choosing somebody else it will fall down to how close to Rolex is there service.
The biggest reason somebody would not send the watch to Rolex would have to be they need it done faster or want to get it done cheaper.If it has aftermarket parts is another reason.
If you are considering an independent.
Compare the
1.Quality of work :any competent watchmaker can service a Rolex movement but my experience has been that the case and bracelet work only a few can get it like Rolex.
2.Turn around time : this is where an independent can beat out Rolex in most cases.
3.Authentic parts:Make sure the watchmaker you choose has a Rolex parts account and uses authentic parts.(not all do)
4.Price:This is the area that usually means the most to people and an independent should be in most cases allot cheaper than Rolex.

In most cases it usually comes down to getting your watch back faster and saving some money.So the question is is the money you will save and the turn around time worth going elsewhere? Only you will know. I am very happy with the watchmaker I use and don't use Rolex.

A thing about price shopping labor. Aside from the parts involved most of the work is a watchmakers labor.The people that discount there own labor to a really low price I have found don't know what they are doing and you will pay for their mistakes latter.

If the watchmaker you are considering does excellent work(comparable to Rolex), uses authentic parts, has a fast turnaround and offers a similar warranty to Rolex this is another option to consider.

[Big Nutty]

great info greekbum. just what I was looking for.

walds11: from the RGM website: Complete service on most modern watches starts at $350.00 (vintage starts at $400)

[walds11]

That ain't bad. RUSA charges about about $500 for modern watches I believe (maybe in the 400s?).

Originally Posted by Big Nutty

great info greekbum. just what I was looking for.

walds11: from the RGM website: Complete service on most modern watches starts at $350.00 (vintage starts at $400)

[ShawnK]

I think RUSA service is the way to go for a couple of reasons:

1. If you ever resell the watch, the RSC warranty paperwork is a clear advantage that could net you a little more money on the resale.

2. I have seen some abused Rolex watches go to RSC and come back looking like a different piece. There are many fine, independent watchmakers who can expertly service a Rolex movement. But I don't think there is anyone else who can finish a case and bracelet like RSC and make a tired watch look new again.

[turboBB]

No experiences with RSC but re: RGM, had dropped off my wife's GP for repair due to the watch being "stuck" (overwound somehow).

Based on my personal experience, it wasn't the greatest for the following reasons:

1. Watch was returned with silk strap dirty
2. While it's still keeping excellent time, I'm not sure what they did to the movement. I used to be able manually wind it silky smooth. After the repair, it feels like they directly connected the rotor (this is an automatic) to the winding stem and when I wind it, it rotates the rotor very fast causing a wobbling effect. It wasn't like this before the watch was sent in.

To be fair, I've never made an issue to them and followed up on this as I had some pressing family issues at the time.

[Nods]

There are some superb independent watch makers that will blitz any RSC engineer. Their names grace this sub section of this forum. Have a look at their posts, and replies to posts, then you will see they love watches and Rolex (I hope) in particular. These Girls and Guys will do a far better job than any RSC. Just a shame none of them live in Darwin Australia, or Australia for that point. If they did RSC would have none of my business.

[Rikki]

To Turbobb the problem with your watch is the autowinder is over lubricated causing the reversing wheels to lock up and start the occillating weight to spinning when you wind it. It should be tended to because the torque required to wind your watch and subsequently your stuck reversing wheel is too much for the gearing and may cause some gear stripping. Lubricating auto winders is a tricky business and some auto winders you just pass the oiling over the parts that;s how little oil they need. My recomendation is get the auto device cleaned and reoiled before something breaks. Rik

[turboBB]

Originally Posted by Rikki

To Turbobb the problem with your watch is the autowinder is over lubricated causing the reversing wheels to lock up and start the occillating weight to spinning when you wind it. It should be tended to because the torque required to wind your watch and subsequently your stuck reversing wheel is too much for the gearing and may cause some gear stripping. Lubricating auto winders is a tricky business and some auto winders you just pass the oiling over the parts that;s how little oil they need. My recomendation is get the auto device cleaned and reoiled before something breaks. Rik

Rik thx a lot for the advice, I'll definitely have it checked out but the service wasn't cheap, RGM charged me nearly $600 and then to find this out later... sigh...

Again, to be fair, I've never given them the opportunity to set things right so it could've had a different outcome.

Cheers,
Tim

[MQ416]

The best authorized Rolex repair center is located in Haddonfield , New Jersey. Sam Yampell jewelers a 60+ year old Rolex dealer . A complete service center center with certifed Rolex technicians on premise.

[Big Nutty]

Michael, how much for a complete service at Sam Yampell?

[WatchTimes]

Bob Ridley is the MAN if you have a current or vintage piece and do not want to send it to Rolex corp. Bob is an artist when it comes to watches, especially Rolex (moreso even vintage!) He is VERY well known.

ALSO

There are a couple others guys that are on the board here who are well known for quality work (Rik among others) you may consider.

[MQ416]

Originally Posted by Big Nutty

Michael, how much for a complete service at Sam Yampell?

General Overhauls will vary depending on the metal as well as the models. Overhauled from $ 495.00 which included refinishing and water sealing. The refinishing is better than Rolex Service Center. The service is performed by a certified Rolex Technician with only Genuine parts used as well as the specific refinishing wheels and equipment used by Rolex. Also provided are complimentary updated appraisals for insurance purposes with model and serial numbers. Feel free to make contact at 856.429.2626.

[Big Nutty]

Good Info. Thanks!

[Sparky CRNA]

Nutty,

If you are going RUSA (RSC)...GO DALLAS! NYC actually damaged my watch and acted like I should have expected it!

Sparky

[Big Nutty]

Sorry to hear. I'll definitely use Dallas over NYC...

[RolexPete]

I use an independent watchmaker who uses genuine Rolex parts and will never use RSCNY again, after I paid dearly to have 3 watches serviced there.

[cber7]

Agree with Bob Ridley being the man!

[NGN]

I apologize for hijacking someone else's thread, but I'm not sure if my question warrants a whole new thread, so I hope you will excuse me.

I have a submariner (<2 years old) that has a tiny little scratch on the crystal, and as I was getting ready to send it to Dallas, I came across this thread.

I'm not sure if RSC would try and polish the scratch out, or simply replace it (I'm okay with either option), they said they would have to look at it first, which is reasonable.

Although, after reading about independent master craftsmen like Mr. Ridley, I am now interested in maybe sending it to him instead, but I'm not sure if this is too trivial a job to bother him with.

What does everyone think?

Thank you for your time.