What is happening with Rolex quality???

[fpassionwatches]

Last week I went to collect with a friend his new Rolex Gmt Pepsi (first Rolex of his life) after 2 years of waiting list and the dealer gifted him a magnifier lens. After taking a closer look I have to say I was pretty disappointed with the quality of the watch. The paint on the GMT hand was awful, totally unacceptable for a watch of that price but my friend was so happy that I didn' have the courage to say him anything. Researching online it seems to be a common issue, I wonder why Rolex is behaving like this, I'm reconsidering the whole brand after this experience. Is any of you having the same problem?

[Solo118]

If I can't see a defect with my naked eye, I really do not care. The truth is you only hear about the bad things on the internet. The few cases you are hearing about on youtube do not come close to the hundreds of thousands watches being produced.

[ostatedchi]

I'm a pretty easy going customer. However my 2 year old Datejust did pick up a grinding noise and I could really feel the mechanism move when I couldn't when it was first purchased.

But I just took it into the AD I bought it from and they have it off at RSC right now. I should have it back this week. I expect it to look and feel like new at no cost.

Sounds about right to me.

[Muxi]

Originally Posted by FinWatch

???
I disagree with you: This is not some modern mania. These are Very expensive watches. Rolex has increased the prices quite a lot and if the overall quality is getting down, we have a real problem. I feel that people are having too much faith on what Rolex is doing.
I think in the 70’s or 80’s when these watches were cheaper, there was no need for being so pedantic.
Customers who are spending insane amounts of money on these watches do have a right to ask for better quality.


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I’m pretty OCD but the last 4 Rolex watches I bought new passed my careful scrutiny with flying colors. Timekeeping was spectacular too.

[padi56]

Originally Posted by FinWatch

???
I disagree with you: This is not some modern mania. These are Very expensive watches. Rolex has increased the prices quite a lot and if the overall quality is getting down, we have a real problem. I feel that people are having too much faith on what Rolex is doing.
I think in the 70’s or 80’s when these watches were cheaper, there was no need for being so pedantic.
Customers who are spending insane amounts of money on these watches do have a right to ask for better quality.


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Watches may have been cheaper in the 70s 80s but when you take in-perspective the wages then to today, even back then they were expensive.And I remember my Father taking on two jobs and saved for 3 years before buying his first Rolex.And can assure he did not use loupes or even heard of alignment points, or constant checking seconds back then, not like many of today's Rolex owners. And yes it is a more modern mania after reading the hundreds of thousands of posts on this forum over the past 15 years.You state its a real problem but in the real world its a very tiny proportion considering the volume thats made each year thats mainly blown out of all proportion by many of today's Rolex watch buyers.

[FinWatch]

Originally Posted by Dirt

Good point



Rolex make near on a million watches a year hense the mass produced thing, and there's bound to be some that slip through.

Besides don't get caught up in the Rolex perfection spin they put about at every opportunity as part of "the Rowlex way".

It's simple. Rolex makes great solid watches which are for the most part overpriced. But we mostly like em

Well said!


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[FinWatch]

Originally Posted by Robf52

I'm a Rolex fanboy, BUT the bezel on my new 126710BLNR is off-center. I remember this being common on cheap Seikos. When I pay an AD $10k for a new timepiece I do expect perfection. A misaligned bezel shows pretty shoddy workmanship and QA. Come on, Rolex, you can do better.

Grand Seiko’s GMT’s are facing misaligned hour markers—GS has also been increasing prices... I think with the price increase the overall quality should also be improved?


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[FinWatch]

Originally Posted by jvb.nc

these are very robust mid-priced watches, if you consider the wider watch world. you get a lot for your money but you shouldn’t expect perfection.

Yeah... this is interesting: where to set the boundaries? With a +/- 10k watch: What kind of quality issues are acceptable?


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[FinWatch]

Originally Posted by Robf52

I guess we have different expectations. When spending $10k, I don't expect to see "manufacturing variables" that are plainly visible and clearly fixable. If I, as a person who doesn't drop that kind of money lightly, can spot a misalignment a RCH off then I expect Rolex QC to spot the same issue and correct it prior to leaving the factory. If we're paying for quality, and we are BIG time, then we shouldn't have to put up with stuff that should be caught and remedied prior to shipping.

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[FinWatch]

Originally Posted by ndrs63

Not sure that limited anecdotal evidence from unverified sources are convincing enough for me. My personal experience is quite the contrary. Having a dozen watches from various reputable brands, nothing matched Rolex quality so far


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Good for you! But there are too much of these quality issue -cases—not anymore ”limited anecdotal evidence from unverified sources”.


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[FinWatch]

Originally Posted by ijpx

Buying a Rolex and expecting the quality of holy trinity like Patek is a dream.

Took a lope and looked at competing brands like Omega and everything makes sense to me. LOL
But I’m sure Omega’s new factory will make Rolex a run for their money in the future.

You’re so very right:
Rolex-watches are not part of the Trinity as been stated earlier—mass produced watches. BUT:
What kind of quality issues are acceptable at Rolex price point? Rolex is aggressively aiming higher... What actually is ”The Rolex way”? Misaligned bezels, painted hands which look like the work from the kindergarten....?
I still love Rolex-watches and the brand, but I think it is a honest&important question: Is the quality as good as the price indicates?


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[FinWatch]

Originally Posted by Robf52

I’m sorry but misalignment issues are not imo interpretive or subjective. Pips, bezels, rehauts are either aligned correctly or they are not. Simple as that.
If customers of ANY product “settle” for less than expected or deserved, that is what you end up with. The mindset that we’ll settle for less, begets receiving less.
At this level of watchmaking we shouldn’t have to settle.
Sorry for the rant. I’m very happy with Rolex but know they can and should do better (as we all can and should).


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Yes!!!


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[FinWatch]

Originally Posted by mmmmp

You have nothing to apologize for, it's good thread.

As you point out, misalignment issues, etc. are. indeed "right" or. "wrong". Your passionate post didn't produce a heaven-sent revelation in which I changed my mind, however, small issues like a little 'play' with the bezel or some slightly off axis date wheel, you know, the small but annoying problems, are to be expected on watches in this price point. For instance, the 12 pip/triangle was ever-so-slightly off on my bluesy. I simply dealt with it by clicking it to 12 and moving it backward which made it okay. And, even that was silly because it never bothered me until someone pointed it out. Others find things like this completely unacceptable. Yes, it *should* be spot on, but heck who's got time to fret about stuff like that. I respect the people with eagle eyes that notice these issues but I just feel it's better (and less stressful) to accept the imperfections and enjoy the watch. Complaining (I do not mean the OP) about it without offering a solution is pointless. Bringing it to TRF attention is great and makes for good conversation but *anything and everthing* has small flaws and I find it better to just move on.
Again, and I ain't a billionaire, Rolex offer great, classy and reliable products afforadable to anyone with the will and patience to save up or sacrifice a little to purchase one.

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Excellent thoughts, thanks for sharing!
Your point is IMO very important:
I wouldn’t be aware of these issues without someone pointing out the issues... I’ve never even thought about looking watches through loop—only after digging deeper into watches I started to observe watches this way...
Crazy actually! Just wear your watch and enjoy..!!??



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[FinWatch]

Originally Posted by Nikrnic

Rolex quality seems as good as ever to me, I can only go by what I've seen on mine and theres been no issues for me.
I've never had to use any warranty. They're still a good buy at msrp. They'll be never haute horology obviously but for mid tier they have to be the best bang for the buck all the way around. Their built to a tough standard through their history that lasts a lifetime therefore they hold their value. Whats not to like...

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[FinWatch]

Originally Posted by 037

100% click bait. That's not to say there aren't issues once in a while but the whole point of YouTube is to get as many clicks and eyeballs on a video to sell advertising. Issues with Rolex are a huge topic so it's not uncommon to see melodramatic titles or minor issues overblown.



Like I said, consider your own experience and see how that compares. I'm sure you've had pretty good luck.

Good point to remember:
Professionals are doing these videos on a regular basis... they need drama and clicks...


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[FinWatch]

Originally Posted by Singslinger

I agree.



I've never had an issue with quality (then again, I don't own a loupe ) and I've bought and sold several Rolexes over the past 30 years.

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[FinWatch]

Originally Posted by joli160

I am totally satisfied with my Rolex watches. Love the design and the durability. The abuse I've thrown at them and they keep on working is really amazing.

Just had a 20 year old serviced for the first time. Came back looking brand new and there was nothing wrong with its internals.



None of them are 100% perfect in finishing, nor would I expect them to be. After all they probably produce about 1 million pieces a year and are still relatively cheap.



If you want perfection you have to look at other brands i.e. Gronefeld, Lange and any Seiko from the Micro Artist Studio.

These brands I really admire for what they do but with my failing eyesight I go for robustness and classic designs

Please share us a pic of your 20 years old!!!


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[FinWatch]

Originally Posted by fpassionwatches

Last week I went to collect with a friend his new Rolex Gmt Pepsi (first Rolex of his life) after 2 years of waiting list and the dealer gifted him a magnifier lens. After taking a closer look I have to say I was pretty disappointed with the quality of the watch. The paint on the GMT hand was awful, totally unacceptable for a watch of that price but my friend was so happy that I didn' have the courage to say him anything. Researching online it seems to be a common issue, I wonder why Rolex is behaving like this, I'm reconsidering the whole brand after this experience. Is any of you having the same problem?

This seems to be pretty common with the latest GMT’s... Are these watches ment to be inspected with a loop?


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[enjoythemusic]

Originally Posted by padi56

Watches may have been cheaper in the 70s 80s but when you take in-perspective the wages then to today, even back then they were expensive.... You state its a real problem but in the real world its a very tiny proportion considering the volume thats made each year thats mainly blown out of all proportion by many of today's Rolex watch buyers.

Padi speaks the truth (as always).

Originally Posted by FinWatch

I think with the price increase the overall quality should also be improved?

Has price really increased in reality, or has the underlining currency it is based upon declined? My family's first home in the 1960s cost around $25,000. Same home today, over $250,000.

Would you say prices are stable?

[FinWatch]

Originally Posted by ostatedchi

I'm a pretty easy going customer. However my 2 year old Datejust did pick up a grinding noise and I could really feel the mechanism move when I couldn't when it was first purchased.



But I just took it into the AD I bought it from and they have it off at RSC right now. I should have it back this week. I expect it to look and feel like new at no cost.



Sounds about right to me.

5 years warranty is excellent! I’ve experienced one plat DD (1,5 years old), which started to loose like 10 minutes a day. I serviced the watch under warranty and it was allright after that but: I wasn’t comfortable anymore with that expensive watch with the issues... I was certain that something would go wrong later on. Not fun to have your watch in service for such a long time.


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[FinWatch]

Originally Posted by padi56

Watches may have been cheaper in the 70s 80s but when you take in-perspective the wages then to today, even back then they were expensive.And I remember my Father taking on two jobs and saved for 3 years before buying his first Rolex.And can assure he did not use loupes or even heard of alignment points, or constant checking seconds back then, not like many of today's Rolex owners. And yes it is a more modern mania after reading the hundreds of thousands of posts on this forum over the past 15 years.You state its a real problem but in the real world its a very tiny proportion considering the volume thats made each year thats mainly blown out of all proportion by many of today's Rolex watch buyers.

Excellent points, thanks for sharing! A little bit perspective is good to have.
Are we nowadays too demanding as customers?


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[Ravager135]

It's called confirmation bias, if you look for information about defective Rolex watches you will find information about defective Rolex watches and then be convinced that Rolex makes a lot of defective watches.

This happens everyday in my office. I have a headache, it must be a brain tumor! Well if you Google "headaches and brain tumors" you will see that some brain tumors present with a headache. How many headaches are actually tumors though?

[joli160]

Originally Posted by FinWatch

Please share us a pic of your 20 years old!!!

Here are both of them. Mine (1996) and the one from the Mrs (2000) just had it's first service.
Looking at this watch closely again its absolutely flawless, so perhaps you are right about earlier days quality control

[daOnlyBG]

My watch's GMT arm is painted perfectly. I have both a 15x loupe and a 40x loupe, and the consistency among the lettering is not damn near perfect, but simply perfect. The only way to improve the aesthetic quality might be to literally call NASA and ask them for equipment.

Truth be told, you cannot conclude anything about Rolex- and, for all the fanboys, Grand Seiko- unless you have conclusive quality assurance data directly from the manufacturers themselves.

The "quality" issue is stupid. Even with the infamous 9-9 Air-King, conclusions on Rolex's QA/QC rely on some fairly strong assumptions- assumptions that fail in other areas of collecting.

[Toproll85]

Originally Posted by FinWatch

People are still buying their watches, so it doesn’t matter if the quality is poor?

I don't know if you realize that a million watches come out of the factory every year ... and that we are talking about dust visible with a magnifying glass on hour markers.
It's true, it shouldn't happen. But the quality isn't poor !! What is this bullshit ?? We are perhaps talking about less than one percent of objects with a "defect".


Remains exceptional, but like everywhere there can be a small manufacturing or control error which passes. In this case it is in any case simple (return to the service after sale), under guarantee and free of charge...

[jvb.nc]

Originally Posted by FinWatch

Yeah... this is interesting: where to set the boundaries? With a +/- 10k watch: What kind of quality issues are acceptable?


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i have six rolex watches and zero quality issues.


zero.


set the boundaries wherever the hell you want. but if you consider that Greuble-Forsey STARTS north of $100,000, you’ll understand why i think rolex offers astonishing value for money.

[Billfav]

I have several Rolex's and many other brands but overall my experience has been A+. Robust tough watches with spot on time keeping and reliability. I have to smile when I see reply posts reference don't expect holy trinity quality. I had a AP Royal Oak purchased new and it was terrible. Had to send it back twice under warranty.

[FinWatch]

Thank You all for your thoughts&experiences so far! It seems that there are people who are making a statement that one should not make any conclusions relying on couple of web-videos—million Rolex-watches made every year. Couple of clickbait-Rolex-issue -videos... at the same time people are making a statement like ”I’ve had 4 Rolexes and no issues. There is no problem...” Well... if one million Rolexes are made every year, someone’s personal experience of 4 watches with no issues is nothing.
I don’t know the truth. I’ve personally experienced some issues, but overall I am very happy with Rolex. I’ve also learned to appreciate the quality that only the Trinity can offer. Rolex is far from that. I am very curious what’s happening for real. One thing is for sure: Rolex prices will go up. The quality? Who cares. It’s a Rolex!


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[dimag333]

There was a price increase?

steve

[Mystro]

Originally Posted by FinWatch

This seems to be pretty common with the latest GMT’s... Are these watches ment to be inspected with a loop?


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Mine is pretty damn near perfect even under the macro pics. I always go over all my new watches under a macro lens.
Then again, my last few Panerai and Omega were spectacular under the macro lens as their dials are crisper than Rolex printing.