Step fathers 5513

[narembeen]

Originally Posted by 3wheeler7

Hi, this must be the longest, most eagerly awaited "incoming" thread ever!

Interestingly, an old friend of mind purchased a 5513 brand new in about 1977, he's still wearing it to this day, it genuinely never leaves his wrist, except when the bracelet broke, the glass got smashed (x2) or it stopped. Not surprising as he was in the building trade and now HGV driving! Never been back to Rolex - always used a local independent and it's still keeps good time.
Next time I bump into him I'll ask if I can take a few pics, I expect it'll have a lot of replacement parts by now but I can't imagine the stories it could tell.

Regards
Tony.

Hi Tony, that sounds like a 5513 thats had the same life as the one left to me. Pictures and some tales of its life are most welcome here

[narembeen]

Originally Posted by winst

I’ve loved keeping my eye on this thread. However, I’m starting to think this is becoming for all of us like waiting for a Christmas present you really want with all the anticipation and excitement. I just hope you do get it before Christmas!

I am pretty confident I will have it shortly. He said it was only two weeks away. I did ask for some progress photos and he didnt reply. Fingers crossed.

[Jackie Daytona]

I keep checking in on this. I am excited to see the final result.

I’ve been following this for a bit and it has definitely been quite a journey. I look forwards to seeing it, and for you to have it back and up to par as well.

[Brny11]

Subscribed! Excited to see results


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[Slimpee]

Originally Posted by narembeen

I am pretty confident I will have it shortly. He said it was only two weeks away. I did ask for some progress photos and he didnt reply. Fingers crossed.

I hate to be the grinch here, but does anyone else get a bad feeling about how this is going down?

I really hope i'm wrong...

[Stan Cooper]

No bad feeling about it here.

It ordinarily takes a long time to get all the right pieces together, chose the right watchmaker(s), get the work on their calendars, and have it all come together for a project like this. Additional delays caused by the pandemic further complicate things.

It takes patience.

[GGGMT]

Originally Posted by Stan Cooper

No bad feeling about it here.

It ordinarily takes a long time to get all the right pieces together, chose the right watchmaker(s), get the work on their calendars, and have it all come together for a project like this. Additional delays caused by the pandemic further complicate things.

It takes patience.

Coops is right. This is going to take some time, our friend in Narembeen Has put the right due diligence and research into this, feeling good and enjoying the ride!

[Slimpee]

Originally Posted by GGGMT

Coops is right. This is going to take some time, our friend in Narembeen Has put the right due diligence and research into this, feeling good and enjoying the ride!

Word. My job centers primarily around...malfeasance...so perhaps i'm overly sensitive.

Every time I see a new post I hope it's finished pics.

Hopefully soon!

[eton97]

Originally Posted by Slimpee

Word...Every time I see a new post I hope it's finished pics.

Hopefully soon!

EXACTLY the same

[GGGMT]

Originally Posted by Slimpee

My job centers primarily around...malfeasance...so perhaps i'm overly sensitive. !

Ah funny! Lemme hazard a few guesses — white collar dense lawyer; law enforcement; Certified Fraud Examiner; insurance investigator. Am I close? Way off?

[narembeen]

Originally Posted by Slimpee

I hate to be the grinch here, but does anyone else get a bad feeling about how this is going down?

I really hope i'm wrong...

Well look, if we are still having a conversation about this watch in a month then yes I will be worried. I hope to hear about it soon and either have it in hand or have photos. The request for photos seemed quite reasonable and not receiving a response for two weeks seems a bit unusual to be honest. I am not used to having watches restored like this, so I dont know what is normal.

[narembeen]

Originally Posted by eton97

EXACTLY the same

I'm sorry, I am starting to feel a bit guilty about the lack of information now.

[Filipão]

Calm down Gents, calm down!

I had and have the happiest feeling about this restore. Every little thing on a vintage Rolex takes ages to source/fix and that's the fun of it.

+ the pandemic delays...

[Tritto]

Although I've been silent, I've been following this thread from the start. I'm really pleased with the way you've handled the restoration, @narembeen.
For all those who're getting antsy at the time it's taking the watchmaker and his poor responsiveness, this is just the way some watchmakers work - especially those who are more "old school". With some tricky jobs I've had to patiently wait up to two years. It's very frustrating, but that's just the way it is. Independent local watchmaking is a dying art and their services are in high demand. A few years ago I could choose between 5 watchmakers in my CBD. Three have retired so I'm down to two, and they're both struggling to keep up.

Constantly asking the watchmaker for updates rarely moves things along.


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[narembeen]

Originally Posted by Tritto

Although I've been silent, I've been following this thread from the start. I'm really pleased with the way you've handled the restoration, @narembeen.
For all those who're getting antsy at the time it's taking the watchmaker and his poor responsiveness, this is just the way some watchmakers work - especially those who are more "old school". With some tricky jobs I've had to patiently wait up to two years. It's very frustrating, but that's just the way it is. Independent local watchmaking is a dying art and their services are in high demand. A few years ago I could choose between 5 watchmakers in my CBD. Three have retired so I'm down to two, and they're both struggling to keep up.

Constantly asking the watchmaker for updates rarely moves things along.


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Thanks Tritto. I agree, the art of watch restoration is something that hopefully experiences a resurgence due to crazy guys like me. I've given my watch maker plenty of time and space. This was not a pleasant or standard restoration I am sure. The fact a working rolex will pop out at the end of this process still amazes me.

[narembeen]

Still no news. I asked again for an update as its been two weeks and no response. Hopefully I will hear something on Monday. I have to say this whole waiting and utter lack of communication sure has taken the fun out of this process.

[VintageRX]

Originally Posted by narembeen

Still no news. I asked again for an update as its been two weeks and no response. Hopefully I will hear something on Monday. I have to say this whole waiting and utter lack of communication sure has taken the fun out of this process.

Definitely frustrating


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[zapokee]

Originally Posted by narembeen

Still no news. I asked again for an update as its been two weeks and no response. Hopefully I will hear something on Monday. I have to say this whole waiting and utter lack of communication sure has taken the fun out of this process.

At what point do you start to smell fish?

[narembeen]

Originally Posted by zapokee

At what point do you start to smell fish?

There is nothing fishy. Just no communication. When I send someone an email, a two second 'yeah its coming along nicely here is a photo' isnt too much to ask right?

[southtexas]

Originally Posted by narembeen

Still no news. I asked again for an update as its been two weeks and no response. Hopefully I will hear something on Monday. I have to say this whole waiting and utter lack of communication sure has taken the fun out of this process.

Is it MY in HK?


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[Dan S]

Originally Posted by zapokee

At what point do you start to smell fish?

Originally Posted by narembeen

There is nothing fishy. Just no communication. When I send someone an email, a two second 'yeah its coming along nicely here is a photo' isnt too much to ask right?

Without any experience to fall back on, it's hard to say. There is one watchmaker who I have used multiple times for a specific brand because he is one of the top specialists in the world. He is notoriously terrible at returning emails and will routinely respond to an email a month later. However, he is an excellent watchmaker, very careful, honest and fair, great attention to detail, reasonable prices. So now that I know what to expect with him, I can live with it. But when I have referred other people to him, sometimes they get very frustrated.

However, I've also had bad experiences with people who were unresponsive. I can think of two other occasions where watch repair people were very slow and failed to respond to my inquiries, and on both occasions the work done was poor and they explicitly disregarded my instructions.

[Filipão]

@narembeen

Can't you give the watchmaker a call?

Ask a friend to visit him?

I have a very good friend in Cowes, Phillip Island, how far is it from your guy?

P.S. You've reached 502 posts...

[fozzyf18]

To go from essentially zero Rolex experience to a restoration of a desirable watch, I think the OP has shown remarkable resilience and patience. Especially considering the way initial reactions panned out. Like others have inferred, this is the “feel good” thread of 2020. It either turns out well or we are going to have to plan a community wide road-trip to recover narembeen’s watch.

[narembeen]

Originally Posted by fozzyf18

To go from essentially zero Rolex experience to a restoration of a desirable watch, I think the OP has shown remarkable resilience and patience. Especially considering the way initial reactions panned out. Like others have inferred, this is the “feel good” thread of 2020. It either turns out well or we are going to have to plan a community wide road-trip to recover narembeen’s watch.

lol, well lets hope I have some news this week

[swaini3]

Originally Posted by fozzyf18

To go from essentially zero Rolex experience to a restoration of a desirable watch, I think the OP has shown remarkable resilience and patience. Especially considering the way initial reactions panned out. Like others have inferred, this is the “feel good” thread of 2020. It either turns out well or we are going to have to plan a community wide road-trip to recover narembeen’s watch.

Totally agree. I like OP's attitude and optimism towards this whole thing. I hope he gets his watch up to his expectations.
I would be frustrated with no comms and consider a cut off at some point.

[BDII]

I can add that speciality guys in any field can be bad with emails. I had an amplifier guy who would ghost me for up to a month, but would always deliver a great product. Was soooooo annoying, but he always came through eventually.

Subscribed and can’t wait to see the result!

[narembeen]

Originally Posted by BDII

I can add that speciality guys in any field can be bad with emails. I had an amplifier guy who would ghost me for up to a month, but would always deliver a great product. Was soooooo annoying, but he always came through eventually.

Subscribed and can’t wait to see the result!

Thank you mate. Yes I have decided this is what must be going now too. Hopefully I have some good news this week

[Kingface66]

Originally Posted by BDII

I can add that speciality guys in any field can be bad with emails. I had an amplifier guy who would ghost me for up to a month, but would always deliver a great product. Was soooooo annoying, but he always came through eventually.

Subscribed and can’t wait to see the result!

Was he in northern New Jersey? This guy had my 1971 acoustic 361 power amp for 6 unbearably long months.

[GGGMT]

When the watch, and Covid, are done, I support the idea of a field trip to Narembeen to check out the 5513 and the place where it spent its first life!


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[Filipão]

Originally Posted by GGGMT

When the watch, and Covid, are done, I support the idea of a field trip to Narembeen to check out the 5513 and the place where it spent its first life!


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Count me in!

But you do know Narembeen is in Oz, don't you?