Have you ever seen a craftsmanship defect?

[Bangel]

Originally Posted by crowncollection

That is damage not a defect IMHO. Complain to the AD ASAP.

Exactly this.

I would be disappointed, angry, annoyed and frustrated. Extremely.

Having said that, I echo the sentiment of others in encouraging you to interact with your AD calmly (as challenging as that would be, for me at least!)

Please keep us posted and good luck.

[padi56]

The only defect on that case was most certainly man made after it left the Rolex factory that's 100% sure some sort of tool damage.

[travisb]

Yikes.
I hope they work with you.

[roadie1]

Totally unacceptable. I hope you get it resolved ASAP.

[Invictus Maneo]

The thing that I would try and remember, and point out to the AD if he/she balks at making this right, is that any business, especially one attached to a brand as particular as Rolex, needs to maintain a good, if not great, going concern for their customers. Bad word of mouth spreads quickly and a disgruntled customer is sure to talk about their bad experience for years to come. Those people tell other people and so on....... By the same token, good customer service, while it does not usually have the longevity of a bad experience, can and will be shared with others too. Most businesses will do anything in their power to make sure that bad experiences with their product (service) are remedied. If a calm but firm attitude is displayed a good outcome will probably arise from this. Lose your temper and all bets are off. My brief time spent here on TRF has shown me that the members here are gentlemen and women and successful at what they do in life. I would hope that if this AD is approached in a reasonable, calm manner that they will make this bad situation right. If not, after all negotiations are exhausted, I would not hesitate to let them know that EVERYONE from Rolex Headquarters to the kid who delivers my paper every morning will hear of this.
In any case, I wish you luck and please let us know how it turns out for you.

[handsfull]

Originally Posted by kilyung

One tidbit I learned long ago. A) ALWAYS take detailed pics of the watch BEFORE handing it over to the AD/RSC for work. B) Exam it and compare it against your pics immediately after getting it back.

+1 No exceptions/Sage advice.

[Steel28]

Originally Posted by Invictus Maneo

The thing that I would try and remember, and point out to the AD if he/she balks at making this right, is that any business, especially one attached to a brand as particular as Rolex, needs to maintain a good, if not great, going concern for their customers. Bad word of mouth spreads quickly and a disgruntled customer is sure to talk about their bad experience for years to come. Those people tell other people and so on....... By the same token, good customer service, while it does not usually have the longevity of a bad experience, can and will be shared with others too. Most businesses will do anything in their power to make sure that bad experiences with their product (service) are remedied. If a calm but firm attitude is displayed a good outcome will probably arise from this. Lose your temper and all bets are off. My brief time spent here on TRF has shown me that the members here are gentlemen and women and successful at what they do in life. I would hope that if this AD is approached in a reasonable, calm manner that they will make this bad situation right. If not, after all negotiations are exhausted, I would not hesitate to let them know that EVERYONE from Rolex Headquarters to the kid who delivers my paper every morning will hear of this.
In any case, I wish you luck and please let us know how it turns out for you.

great advice! Good luck OP.

[CarbonCrew]

Originally Posted by Invictus Maneo

The thing that I would try and remember, and point out to the AD if he/she balks at making this right, is that any business, especially one attached to a brand as particular as Rolex, needs to maintain a good, if not great, going concern for their customers. Bad word of mouth spreads quickly and a disgruntled customer is sure to talk about their bad experience for years to come. Those people tell other people and so on....... By the same token, good customer service, while it does not usually have the longevity of a bad experience, can and will be shared with others too. Most businesses will do anything in their power to make sure that bad experiences with their product (service) are remedied. If a calm but firm attitude is displayed a good outcome will probably arise from this. Lose your temper and all bets are off. My brief time spent here on TRF has shown me that the members here are gentlemen and women and successful at what they do in life. I would hope that if this AD is approached in a reasonable, calm manner that they will make this bad situation right. If not, after all negotiations are exhausted, I would not hesitate to let them know that EVERYONE from Rolex Headquarters to the kid who delivers my paper every morning will hear of this.
In any case, I wish you luck and please let us know how it turns out for you.

Solid recommendations, thanks! I can keep pretty cool when it comes to situations like this. I'm hoping things will work out, but I'm really afraid they are going to give me the ole 'we don't know what you did' routine. My intentions are to be at the store as they open and to let you all know how it goes.

Someone mentioned that the marks looked like they could come from a case back tool. Any plausible reason that a tool like this would be used for a resizing?

Again, thanks for all of the help.

[T. Ferguson]

Originally Posted by CarbonCrew

Solid recommendations, thanks! I can keep pretty cool when it comes to situations like this. I'm hoping things will work out, but I'm really afraid they are going to give me the ole 'we don't know what you did' routine. My intentions are to be at the store as they open and to let you all know how it goes.

Someone mentioned that the marks looked like they could come from a case back tool. Any plausible reason that a tool like this would be used for a resizing?

Again, thanks for all of the help.

I'm not a watch maker but I just don't see any reason the watch needs to go in a case vice to remove a link(s). No need to detach the bracelet from the watch at all.

[Grey.Coupe]

To your question, no, I have never seen a new Rolex that was not cosmetically perfect...even if the pearl on my Sub's bezel doesn't sit precisely above the 12.

Odd, it looks like something that would have been done fooling with the case in some way, but that's not what was done.

If the bracelet size was being adjusted with it still on the watch, I suppose this could have been done--moving the spring bar inside the clasp very sloppily, it could happen. If he/she was really sloppy, I suppose a screwdriver employed while adding/removing a link in the
bracelet.

It looks like a steel tool against 18K, and not something Rolex would ship. AD would have to repair it, but there's going to be significant deep polishing to take this out, it will distort reflections after removing these marks.

Bad luck, dude.

[Coubs]

Sounds like the watch was purchased from the same AD that adjusted the bracelet.
Have you decided on an acceptable remedy?

[CarbonCrew]

I agree. At this point I sort of wish the big marks were scratches so that they can be polished out. The big gouges are not scratches. They are indentations where something very hard has been pressed against the case hard enough to plastically deform the metal, as you said. I'm not a metallurgist but I do work with metals a lot in my occupation and I can say with high confidence that these are tool marks. I think if you all could see the marks under a loupe you would agree. I hope the AD agrees as well.

Do you think it would be wise to skip the sales associate and speak directly with the store owner? He is at the store most days and we have spoken a few times.

[CarbonCrew]

Originally Posted by Coubs

Sounds like the watch was purchased from the same AD that adjusted the bracelet.
Have you decided on an acceptable remedy?

While it will not be the watch that my wife bought me, I would prefer and accept an exchange. At this point, I'm not interested in a polishing.

[apollo11]

Originally Posted by CarbonCrew

I agree. At this point I sort of wish the big marks were scratches so that they can be polished out. The big gouges are not scratches. They are indentations where something very hard has been pressed against the case hard enough to plastically deform the metal, as you said. I'm not a metallurgist but I do work with metals a lot in my occupation and I can say with high confidence that these are tool marks. I think if you all could see the marks under a loupe you would agree. I hope the AD agrees as well.

Do you think it would be wise to skip the sales associate and speak directly with the store owner? He is at the store most days and we have spoken a few times.

I would say, there is no way there is any other way for those marks to appear on the case other than sharp mechanical damage. If they say it was dropped or done by other means, there would be other damage to go along with these marks. These look isolated to the case area from a butcher job on someones part.

The only way to rectify this is a new case, or a totally new watch. Polish will only fix this if the case is totally reshaped to bring all the metal the level of the gouges. POLISH IS NOT THE ANSWER HERE (unless you want a custom case that can never be resold with any real value).

I would deal with the owner directly, as this level of problem can only be solved by the owner. You have resources like the BBB, Rolex USA, social media outlets, and CC company complaints to use if they want to play hardball. However, I'd leave these as a last resort as I am sure a respectable AD would want to make this right.

Very interested to hear the outcome of the conversation tomorrow. Good luck.

[Grey.Coupe]

Smart man. You'd always see these marks, even if you polish.

Make your own marks on your watch. They must have decided doofus could size bracelets, and he/she never worked on anything but SS. The tools he/she used would have barely marked SS.

[Rashid.bk]

Originally Posted by CarbonCrew

Do you think it would be wise to skip the sales associate and speak directly with the store owner? He is at the store most days and we have spoken a few times.

Yes, I would go directly to the store owner. It will land on his lap anyway. Best of luck.

[accce]

Laser welding would fix the case as good as new, but I would not want that for a watch I just bought.

[Coubs]

Originally Posted by CarbonCrew

While it will not be the watch that my wife bought me, I would prefer and accept an exchange. At this point, I'm not interested in a polishing.

Same watch, same sentiment. Hope you walk out with a new serial #.
Good luck.

[Frederic Becker]

Originally Posted by apollo11

I would say, there is no way there is any other way for those marks to appear on the case other than sharp mechanical damage. If they say it was dropped or done by other means, there would be other damage to go along with these marks. These look isolated to the case area from a butcher job on someones part.

The only way to rectify this is a new case, or a totally new watch. Polish will only fix this if the case is totally reshaped to bring all the metal the level of the gouges. POLISH IS NOT THE ANSWER HERE (unless you want a custom case that can never be resold with any real value).

I would deal with the owner directly, as this level of problem can only be solved by the owner. You have resources like the BBB, Rolex USA, social media outlets, and CC company complaints to use if they want to play hardball. However, I'd leave these as a last resort as I am sure a respectable AD would want to make this right.

Very interested to hear the outcome of the conversation tomorrow. Good luck.

[Invictus Maneo]

I would definitely go directly to the owner. As Rasid.bk said, "it will wind up in his lap anyway" so why mess around with a salesperson. I would also start off with the attitude of "mistakes happen" within any business and I'm here to work this out with you. I would also take the position if you are 100% sure, and you have stated that you are (believe me, I am sure you would remember something that had to be traumatic to put gouges like that in your case) that you know, definitively, that the damage occurred during bracelet re-sizing. Don't even open the door that it may have happened somewhere else. I would say that I was so excited about receiving and subsequently wearing the watch that I failed to properly inspect it upon receipt (true?). I would assure the owner that I will never make this mistake again(very true). I would tell him that even though I am dissatisfied with the service that I was not worried about it because everyone I have spoken to prior to making this purchase spoke so highly of your fine establishment and I know you will make it right. I would also assure him that this will not affect future fine jewelry or timepiece purchases and that he can rely on my business in the near future (even if this is a total lie. Personally I would be hesitant to have them service the watch in the future). In other words, without being too obvious I would try to "kill em with kindness".
As a side note, I have a REALLY good feeling that this is all going to work out to your advantage, as it should! If he makes it right you may have made a good friend in your AD which can come in handy!

[mjclark32]

My bet is they'll make it right (I'm 1 for 4 on the ponies today). Hope the best for you!

[codecow]

Yeah I wouldn't be excited about laser welding as a repair unless Rolex did it. If this is your only nice watch I'd try hard for an exchange through the AD.

My wife bought a rose gold Daytona which had a slight defect in the crystal. The AD sent it back to Rolex for a new crystal, no problemo although my wife has three other Rolexes that she was able to wear while she was waiting.

[cop414]

Waiting with bated breath for the outcome of this debacle tomorrow. Good luck OP, lots of members here holding their breath on this one.

[dysondiver]

those marks took effort to put there , who ever did it knows it was done ,,,,
so that part is beyond doubt ,,, the real question is ,, why didnt they say so at the time and do something to sort it out then.

[cop414]

Originally Posted by dysondiver

those marks took effort to put there , who ever did it knows it was done ,,,,
so that part is beyond doubt ,,, the real question is ,, why didnt they say so at the time and do something to sort it out then.

That exactly is what makes me sick about these kind of things. You can't not know that you did that damage. Hopefully all will work out for the OP.

[Lgear080]

I'm sorry about what happened to your watch.

Take your time and be patient with the AD. The problem can be fixed,
and your approach will definitely matter. In my opinion you should try
to work this out calmly, in person, at the store. Explain the situation to
a manager - or the sales person who last helped you. Clearly explain
that the marks happened on their watch (no pun intended), and that
you've barely worn the timepiece. The parallel nature of the gouges
and the explanation you've seen via the posts is simple /definitive.

This will work out for you.

Good Luck.

[Wacker23]

Wow cant understand how u did not notice that.

[Andad]

If you read the thread you might understand Wacker.

[GoodThings]

Ouch! I hope they make it right.

[topcat30093]

Good luck.

If they are a half decent AD, they will put it right.

Though if that is the case, then ironically that is what may happen!!

It be returning to Rolex for a new case.