Is repair/rebuild of old Explorer worth it?

[dddrees]

Great looking watch.

Considering what you have it is surely worth the time and investment of treating it like it deserves.

If you take it to the wrong person you will probably regret it later on. Take it to someone who knows what they are doing and will do the right thing. Give Bob Ridley a call.

http://www.watchmakers.com/

[harry in montreal]

its an AMAZING watch. it is what every collector wants. you are a Texan; this is the equivalent of a big-block muscle car found in a barn.

the dial holds 50% of its value. dont let anyone touch it. same with the hands.

just a cleaning and a plexi. also, you should get plenty of unsolicited offers for this watch. find out the model number and post it here. i think its a solid USD$6000 watch.

[slcbbrown]

Originally Posted by OldPilot

First...thanks to everyone for the comments. You have certainly given me something to think about.

I got some pictures today. That was really a chore - experimenting with macro focusing and all. The serial number is very hard to read because of how the band "scraped" the side of the case over the years. It looks like the number is a 517268 or 6. I guess a jeweler would have to see it with a glass. There is a "58" stamped on both ends of the band up where it connects with the body.

I do have some thinking about whether to do the rebuild. After what I have learned, I wonder how folks wear and treat their Rolexes in modern times. I think we looked at these watches differently back in the day. My Dad wore a Rolex, Mother had a small Rolex and Omega. I don't know if they were expensive back in the early 60's, but we did not worry about taking great care of them. Dad never warned me to be careful with the new watch. They were expected to last through whatever you gave them. I wore my Rolex, as my Dad did, everywhere and all the time. I never remember taking it off during the approximately 6 years that I wore it. Literally: "it takes a licking and keeps on ticking" I'm wearing it now and it's keeping time.

As to how to treat a Rolex-- a key reason for owning a Rolex is the robust design made for almost any daily acitvity. An older Rolex is still a very tough and useful watch. I've never babied a Rolex and never regretted it.

[RPMcKenna]

Originally Posted by Kitty Rivershack

Really? From what I have been reading elsewhere in the forum, it seems like you would want to spend a bit more than $200 to make sure everything is all oiled and has new gaskets, and all. But then, I'm a WI as opposed to a WIS

I used this great thread http://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=182662 to find vintage watch repairers that forumers have had good experiences with.

To perform the work that he needs done on the watch it would seem like $200 is the fair asking price. If the watch is not in need of full servicing which it does not seem like than yes, $200-250 is fair asking price. If the watch requires parts then it obviously it goes up. From the sound of it, the watch just requires (standard servicing).

It is his choice to have it fully serviced or not.

We should not have to go into details about the mans requirements at this time if you fully read the initial reasoning and understood it.

Look around and there are people that will help you out without gouging your pocket book and you will receive your watch back in like new/very good condition.

There are some good people out there that are willing to help out others.

[harry in montreal]

Rpmckenna, i disagree with you. There are too many people that lose their good dials on service. More information is better than less.

[adam78]

As mentioned ubiqitously in these replies, Contact Bob Ridley. You are in Texas, and so is he. His work is not cheap, but he is one of the best to work on vintage Rolex (he worked on several of mine, too). The repair of your cal. 1560 movement is not a routine service; sounds like the original butterfly rotor assembly is shot, and will need to be replaced. Bob will let you know the scoop. Please don't touch that dial!

I hope you are able to wear your old Explorer again with pride very soon.

[pdoukas]

Originally Posted by harry in montreal

Rpmckenna, i disagree with you. There are too many people that lose their good dials on service. More information is better than less.

x2 This is like sending a classic Mustang (Eleanor comes to mind) to the local Ford Dealer to have her engine rebuilt, new windshield, and a good waxing if the paint is ok. Would rather have Mike's Mustang Emporium handle it if all they did were classic cars for over 30 years. Just sayin......

[harry in montreal]

mckenna, if you read more of the post on this board about what Rolex dealers do to vintage watches, you would not object to our unsolicited advice and warnings. there are countless people who effectively ruin the value of their assets becaise they dont know. now our original poster should get a better idea of what collectors want and the key attributes of a collectible watch... ORIGINALITY. the 'official' rolex service guidelines involve throwing out and replacing many key parts. then give yo ua bill for $1000-2000. this is complete disaster.

[harry in montreal]

imagine bringing in a classic car and then they tell you; 'we replaced the original 427 with a new block because it was running a little rough'.

[vintagewaferthin]

That's a beautiful vintage explorer, but I agree the dial and hands should not be touched