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Old 17 March 2018, 11:49 AM   #1
aalyu
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Vintage Rolex Crystals - Replacing to Generic affect value?

Do replacing the plexi crystals to a generic plexi crystal say from Ofrei affect value of the piece overall? Quite hard to source an original vintage Rolex Plexi glass
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Old 17 March 2018, 01:06 PM   #2
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Yep, it hurts the value. Have RSC replace the crystal. A service crystal hurts the value
a little, but at least it's a Rolex part.
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Old 17 March 2018, 02:06 PM   #3
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Old 17 March 2018, 08:08 PM   #4
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The only hit in value is the difference in the cost of a Rolex crystal and the Ofrei. Your watch won't get cooties from the aftermarket crystal and if you sell it to an originality nazi just discount it the cost to replace.

Some vintage crystals are extremely expensive and hard to find. I was cruising ebay and saw an original crystal for my sweet 1969 7020 Date Day Tudor for 299US! Just below was a replacement for under 6 bucks. If I ever need a replacement I won't hesitate to use the aftermarket, it's a consumable. If I ever sell it (haven't sold a watch since 2008) I'll just avoid crazy people. :)

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Old 18 March 2018, 07:34 AM   #5
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Of course it hurts the value to use fake parts on your vintage Rolex.Potential Buyers will think “if he used a fake Crystal,What else is shady”
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Old 18 March 2018, 08:06 AM   #6
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Originally Posted by Beelzy View Post
Yep, it hurts the value. Have RSC replace the crystal. A service crystal hurts the value
a little, but at least it's a Rolex part.
You can't go in the RSC and just get a crystal installed - at least not in Dallas. They will want to service the watch which is about $800 plus the cost of any parts.
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Old 18 March 2018, 08:08 AM   #7
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Of course it hurts the value to use fake parts on your vintage Rolex.Potential Buyers will think “if he used a fake Crystal,What else is shady”
Shady...are you serious? There are probably more vintage Rolex out there with aftermarket crystals than genuine. By the way, Rolex does not make their crystals. It's not a "fake" part it is aftermarket.
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Old 18 March 2018, 08:42 AM   #8
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So the aftermarket bezel inserts on EBay are not fake? Rolex did not make their Dials back in the day either,So a modern aftermarket Dial isn’t fake? If You judge One aftermarket part a certain way,Why not all of them? Call me a nut or a purist but that’s how I see it especially when viewing a vintage piece for sale.A service crystal is another story....
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Old 18 March 2018, 08:50 AM   #9
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It becomes fake only when you sell it and did not mentioned the replacement crystal.

If you declare it right away, that's not a fake. It simply is a non-Rolex crystal.
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Old 18 March 2018, 09:09 AM   #10
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I’ve had very bad experiences with aftermarket crystals. For me, it’s less about originality and more about safety. I want to know that the crystal is high quality and will not develop cracks at the base. I stick with Rolex, even if it’s a service crystal. Doesn’t bother me at all and shouldn’t affect value too much, except when it comes to super domes on vintage Subs/SDs.
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Old 18 March 2018, 09:11 AM   #11
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It becomes fake only when you sell it and did not mentioned the replacement crystal.

If you declare it right away, that's not a fake. It simply is a non-Rolex crystal.
Fake refers to branded, trademarked parts. . and yes, it is a non Rolex crystal not fake crystal. Just like my Shelby replacement Michelin tires are not fake. My non Lexus oil and filter are not fake. My aftermarket replacement handlebars on my Harley Springer are not "Fake." My Nike sneakers purchased in Chinatown, NYC are fake...etc etc.

Since I dealt with fakes and genuine items for over 30 years professionally, I have a good idea about differences between fake, counterfeit and aftermarket vs genuine.
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Old 18 March 2018, 09:13 AM   #12
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I’ve had very bad experiences with aftermarket crystals. For me, it’s less about originality and more about safety. I want to know that the crystal is high quality and will not develop cracks at the base. I stick with Rolex, even if it’s a service crystal. Doesn’t bother me at all and shouldn’t affect value too much, except when it comes to super domes on vintage Subs/SDs.
Good points Aaron. There are good and bad aftermarket as well as poor quality older, NOS vintage genuine crystals. Any crystal can develop cracks at the base - and most eventually do.
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Old 18 March 2018, 10:43 AM   #13
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Good points Aaron. There are good and bad aftermarket as well as poor quality older, NOS vintage genuine crystals. Any crystal can develop cracks at the base - and most eventually do.
Funny how people see things differently. To me, those old factory crystals are far too unstable to use on a working watch. I guess if it's a safe queen never to be exposed to stress an old dry original is good enough but I like to wear mine and a high quality replacement is far safer.
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Old 18 March 2018, 11:30 AM   #14
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You can't go in the RSC and just get a crystal installed - at least not in Dallas. They will want to service the watch which is about $800 plus the cost of any parts.
You gotta pay to play. That and if I needed a new crystal, a service would be a given. Why pull the watch apart and not service it?
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Old 18 March 2018, 11:58 AM   #15
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You gotta pay to play. That and if I needed a new crystal, a service would be a given. Why pull the watch apart and not service it?
If it isn't broke, why service it? I've cracked a couple crystals within a year or two of a service and once cracked, it goes straight to my watchmaker who has a good supply of factory crystals. I've never had the watch serviced after having one of these replaced -just a simple pressure test and I'm on my way. As I mentioned, the RSC is a complete different story.
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Old 19 March 2018, 12:24 AM   #16
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"Vintage Rolex Crystals - Replacing to Generic affect value?"

The value is affected by the value of a crystal.
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Old 19 March 2018, 02:26 AM   #17
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Retain the original

Quote:
Originally Posted by aalyu View Post
Do replacing the plexi crystals to a generic plexi crystal say from Ofrei affect value of the piece overall? Quite hard to source an original vintage Rolex Plexi glass
Retain the original and in the event of selling the watch on either swap it back or include it in the sale thus cover all eventualities,
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Old 19 March 2018, 03:51 AM   #18
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Fake refers to branded, trademarked parts. . and yes, it is a non Rolex crystal not fake crystal. Just like my Shelby replacement Michelin tires are not fake. My non Lexus oil and filter are not fake. My aftermarket replacement handlebars on my Harley Springer are not "Fake." My Nike sneakers purchased in Chinatown, NYC are fake...etc etc.

Since I dealt with fakes and genuine items for over 30 years professionally, I have a good idea about differences between fake, counterfeit and aftermarket vs genuine.
So no response to my post? Hmmmm....And What does any of that other stuff have to do with vintage Rolex collecting? Every Hobby has different opinions on parts,refinishing,etc.We are on the Rolex Forum,Right? Not the Shelby Forum or Harley Forum.You called me out for my post,I replied and You skipped my reply,Probably because you know you can’t argue it.I have original Crystal’s on most of my Watches,I’m not scared one bit.I don’t intend to dive in my 20K Vintage Watch.
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Old 19 March 2018, 10:45 AM   #19
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Originally Posted by 05carbondrz View Post
So no response to my post? Hmmmm....And What does any of that other stuff have to do with vintage Rolex collecting? Every Hobby has different opinions on parts,refinishing,etc.We are on the Rolex Forum,Right? Not the Shelby Forum or Harley Forum.You called me out for my post,I replied and You skipped my reply,Probably because you know you can’t argue it.I have original Crystal’s on most of my Watches,I’m not scared one bit.I don’t intend to dive in my 20K Vintage Watch.
Think Springer tried to answer both your question and another post with his reply.

Your point about keeping a watch "pure" I get and I think most people on this site would try to keep theirs pure if they can but like others have pointed out, the value of the watch if sold with an aftermarket crystal is arguably the market value of that watch less the price of an original crystal, which in most cases, is not a significant portion of the watch.

Regarding your point around the ebay inserts - the inserts on ebay are technically "aftermarket". Springer's response, I believe, is that because they are not branded Rolex but simply compatible to a Rolex watch, they aren't considered "fake". Now, a Rolex aftermarket dial on the other hand is arguably a fake despite many people labelling it "aftermarket, refinished, etc".

The reality here and maybe what Springer is also alluding to is that because crystals are not usually a "valuable" part of a Rolex watch, having an aftermarket crystal on a Rolex watch doesn't deem it "shady"
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Old 19 March 2018, 11:07 AM   #20
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So the aftermarket bezel inserts on EBay are not fake? Rolex did not make their Dials back in the day either,So a modern aftermarket Dial isn’t fake? If You judge One aftermarket part a certain way,Why not all of them? Call me a nut or a purist but that’s how I see it especially when viewing a vintage piece for sale.A service crystal is another story....
This has been discussed here before. As I understand it, the difference between aftermarket and fake is copyrighted and/or trademarked items being used. For example, a dial not made by/commissioned by Rolex but still carrying the Rolex name/coronet is a fake. A Chinese-made bracelet with Rolex crown and scroll work is a fake. An item without these (a crystal, bezel insert, or unbranded rivet bracelet, for example) is considered aftermarket. At least that’s my take on the difference, but I could be wrong.
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Old 19 March 2018, 12:41 PM   #21
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So no response to my post? Hmmmm....And What does any of that other stuff have to do with vintage Rolex collecting? Every Hobby has different opinions on parts,refinishing,etc.We are on the Rolex Forum,Right? Not the Shelby Forum or Harley Forum.You called me out for my post,I replied and You skipped my reply,Probably because you know you can’t argue it.I have original Crystal’s on most of my Watches,I’m not scared one bit.I don’t intend to dive in my 20K Vintage Watch.
...
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Old 19 March 2018, 12:47 PM   #22
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Originally Posted by 05carbondrz View Post
So no response to my post? Hmmmm....And What does any of that other stuff have to do with vintage Rolex collecting? Every Hobby has different opinions on parts,refinishing,etc.We are on the Rolex Forum,Right? Not the Shelby Forum or Harley Forum.You called me out for my post,I replied and You skipped my reply,Probably because you know you can’t argue it.I have original Crystal’s on most of my Watches,I’m not scared one bit.I don’t intend to dive in my 20K Vintage Watch.
Thanks for the kind words and comments. I'll be referring all my vintage PMs to you now for advice.
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Old 19 March 2018, 03:58 PM   #23
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So with the number of vintage watches out there all with dome crystal, im pretty sure a lot of them is replacement given that a lot of these are 30-40 years old and 30-40 years is a lot of time for these crystal to endure. Is there a way to tell if its an original dome crystal or an aftermarket one?
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Old 19 March 2018, 06:37 PM   #24
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So with the number of vintage watches out there all with dome crystal, im pretty sure a lot of them is replacement given that a lot of these are 30-40 years old and 30-40 years is a lot of time for these crystal to endure. Is there a way to tell if its an original dome crystal or an aftermarket one?
As someone already said; no - not really. It's not a big deal. It's only a slightly bigger deal if you decide to shell out $500 bucks for what you believe is a genuine NOS Rolex crystal, because there's a good chance it isn't. Even then, it's 500 bucks. With all due respect, I'd get past the acrylic crystal issue if I were you. It's a service part, normally replaced at every [Rolex] service. Again, it has very little effect on the value of a vintage watch.
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Old 19 March 2018, 06:55 PM   #25
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I’d value an original old style crystal higher than an aftermarket/later service replacement from Rolex. I wouldn’t value an aftermarket crystal different to a lager service crystal.
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Old 20 March 2018, 12:31 AM   #26
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aftermarket crystals do not fit properly & ....

I have had 2 of them pop off the watch while testing them in the pressure tester.
Therefore I would never risk a few bucks for a cheap aftermarket crystal on my vintage watches. New genuine Rolex crystals can be found for $100-$200 for just about any model.

Justin
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Old 20 March 2018, 04:33 AM   #27
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I have had 2 of them pop off the watch while testing them in the pressure tester.
Therefore I would never risk a few bucks for a cheap aftermarket crystal on my vintage watches. New genuine Rolex crystals can be found for $100-$200 for just about any model.

Justin
Good point, assuming you swim/dive with your vintage watches...
Most don't, and many prefer the aesthetic (dome) of the early ones, so after-market
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