new guy here needs advice

[Polarexplorerii]

ok guys, so I bought my very 1st Rolex, a 2006 no holes case sel 16570 Polar.. I bought from a grey market dealer Federico at Delray watch supply. He sourced it for me as he didn’t have one in stock and i didn’t have a lot of money to work with. Long story short I paid $5,800 naked and with a after market crystal "which he disclosed”.. 6 months later and Im thinking about replacing the crystal with a authentic Rolex crystal. Is the $200+ worth it? Thanks in advance

[Tools]

Not really. Sapphire is sapphire; can you see a difference.

[garyk]

Photo?

[peterpl]

Crystals are cheap. Just replace it with an original.

[77T]

Congrats on getting your Expl. II.

If the watch was sold as “service history unknown”, then it’s possibly time for an overhaul. Maybe it’s had one before - perhaps when the aftermarket crystal was installed. Or not...

The thing I’d wonder is the quality of any prior service if the prior owner was trying to save money and had a watchmaker put in a generic crystal. Clearly not an RSC service.

I disagree with any who say sapphire is sapphire. Whether the thickness is the same is always a question. The fitment between different cases and gaskets - failure due to poorly crafted nominal tolerances can leave one with a watch that hasn’t proper water resistance. The magnification factor of the cyclops can also be off.

The watch is 14 years old and may have other aftermarket parts in it, I’d have it off to the RSC when they reopen.


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[Onikage]

Is the magnification ok? Laser Etched Coronet is about all you're missing. Poor magnification just annoys me though. Tightwad owner got the cheapest crystal fitted at the cheapest repair shop they could find is what it says.

[johnjm]

Originally Posted by 77T

Congrats on getting your Expl. II.

If the watch was sold as “service history unknown”, then it’s possibly time for an overhaul. Maybe it’s had one before - perhaps when the aftermarket crystal was installed. Or not...

The thing I’d wonder is the quality of any prior service if the prior owner was trying to save money and had a watchmaker put in a generic crystal. Clearly not an RSC service.

I disagree with any who say sapphire is sapphire. Whether the thickness is the same is always a question. The fitment between different cases and gaskets - failure due to poorly crafted nominal tolerances can leave one with a watch that hasn’t proper water resistance. The magnification factor of the cyclops can also be off.

The watch is 14 years old and may have other aftermarket parts in it, I’d have it off to the RSC when they reopen.


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This. Send it to RSC.

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[GGGMT]

Absolutely I’d do this.


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[pikers]

I'd wait until it needs a service, then I'd get it replaced as part of the service.

[barneb10]

Agreed with getting it sent for service/overhaul. Any pre-owned watch should be sent in for servicing, especially when a service history is unknown. You might consider just getting it pressure tested, but go the extra good mile and get it serviced. If you go the RSC route, it will come back without any questions to authenticity, performance, and warranty.

[1William]

If all is good with timing I would wait until it needs service and replace it then. I typically do not mess with things that are functioning fine.

[kbutler1]

Congrats on the watch!
I’d be getting it serviced for peace of mind alone.

[huba01]

Originally Posted by kbutler1

Congrats on the watch!
I’d be getting it serviced for peace of mind alone.

+1