What do Rolex Service Centres Do With Vintage Parts

[MitchSteel]

Rolex has somewhat of a control complex!

Yes, agreed.As much as they're trying to protect their intelectual property, they got bigger fish to fry- making the best mass produced watches.I don't think they care too much about a few parts on ebay, considering the number of parts they produce per year, every year.Rolex is a pretty enigmatic company, very conservative, they like to do things their way without compromise.
Now, the question here, since Rolex does not "support" vintage crowd, would your all original vintage piece become more and more valuable over time.I think yes, but then, there's the parts available issue.
Too bad for us Vintage lovers, as our dials and hands get creamier and creamier by the year

[powerfunk]

Originally Posted by MitchSteel

Rolex does not "support" vintage crowd

Why do you say that? They let you keep your vintage parts if you don't want to replace them. Not to mention their whole vintage restoration team, if you're willing to drop a few grand for service. People seem to repeat the "RSC has no idea what to do with vintage watches" mantra blindly, but it hasn't been true for several years.

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[964RS]

Rolex is a business.

It is in the business of selling NEW luxury innovative watches and servicing those existing watches to ensure functionality.

It is not in business for vintage collectors and we make up the tiniest tiniest tiniest atom of their revenue.

Sometime because of our passion for their watches/brand it is easy us to forget that and wonder why they do not do more for us.

It certainly understands it's heritage and the value of that heritage it just does not wish to 'play' much in the vintage collector market as it is:

1. Not it's business objective
2. Not profitable...and all businesses need to be
3. Something it can not control and constantly changing
4. Overly complex
5. etc etc etc

[andromeda160]

Originally Posted by 964RS

Rolex is a business.

It is in the business of selling NEW luxury innovative watches and servicing those existing watches to ensure functionality.

It is not in business for vintage collectors and we make up the tiniest tiniest tiniest atom of their revenue.

Sometime because of our passion for their watches/brand it is easy us to forget that and wonder why they do not do more for us.

It certainly understands it's heritage and the value of that heritage it just does not wish to 'play' much in the vintage collector market as it is:

1. Not it's business objective
2. Not profitable...and all businesses need to be
3. Something it can not control and constantly changing
4. Overly complex
5. etc etc etc

Not to mention the vintage market would be full of perfect original dial and handsets, recased watches and other stuff which ultimately would make deciding a value on a vintage a hell of a lot harder and the vintage market would be much more unstable if theyre we're infinite service parts available

[Sous]

Originally Posted by springer

According to the RSC in Dallas, I was told that all the parts removed during a service or replaced are sent back to Switzerland. I've heard through the grapevine that many of the vintage parts are used on restorations and or repairs for some of the big spenders/friends of Rolex.

^This.

I was told by a friendly Rolex agent here in Canada that all the old parts are returned to Rolex Geneva. When I asked what they do with the parts, he raised his eyebrows, and said, "People get to buy them. But not people like you and me."

[CaveDiver]

Originally Posted by Sous

^This.

I was told by a friendly Rolex agent here in Canada that all the old parts are returned to Rolex Geneva. When I asked what they do with the parts, he raised his eyebrows, and said, "People get to buy them. But not people like you and me."

I can see this happening... Friend of Rolex---> I have a buggered 5510 dial, think you can get me one. Rolex --->. Yea sure no problem. We don't have one in right now but we will tell our RSCs to keep lookout for a schmuck to bring one in for service and tell him we damaged it. Should take a month or two. Do you need a crown and tube too?

[Charles@UW]

Originally Posted by powerfunk

A vintage watch does not have its "original" appearance. Rolexes did not originally have yellowed hands and faded dials. Replacement parts are actually more true to the original look. Also RSC does not replace any of your valuable vintage dials or hands or anything without asking first. Anyone who says otherwise probably hasn't had a watch serviced by RSC in the past three years.

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I think the problem is not they ask or not. More importantly, how they deal with the old parts.


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[powerfunk]

Originally Posted by Charles@UW

I think the problem is not they ask or not. More importantly, how they deal with the old parts.[/URL]

Indeed, Rolex parts prices are pretty absurd if you don't pay the "trade-in" price. But I have heard that they do give you the option to keep the old parts if you pay up: https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?p=4507727

[Herron]

This thread was helpful as I thought my Center was ripping me off! Thanks!

[4gentile]

Does the value of a vintage Rolex watch suffer lose of value if you send it in to a Rolex service center and if parts need to be replaced. My watch is 1975 vintage and never been serviced.

[GeorgeK]

Interestingly, when I threw a stink after they removed the silver date wheel on my 16800 and said the original was damaged and no longer available, it took them about...25 seconds to find it, or another same one, with patina and put it back in.

Someone talks about business acumen above... do we REALLY think that rolex has no idea of the worth of the parts they are removing? Do we REALLY think they do not read in here?

[ChrisB]

This is an interesting thread when my late-60s (owned from new) 1016 is currently with RSC in Uk for service after 9 year gap since it last visit.
I need my Explorer on my wrist telling the time accurately and dependably, not in a drawer in vintage condition but not working. RSC has already said that my dial is interesting and has been photographed for the record. Some will feint when I depot that my watch needs a new baseplate, one of the hearts of the watch but subject to wear in the pivot sockets. It is costing extra as not included in a standard service scope.
Lugs need attention, very quickly identified on first strip and few £ extra as well.
Nice to know that my Explorer is in the hands of a senior watchmaker even though it is taking longer than I hoped.
It may not be the original parts but it is all Rolex factory parts and it works for me as a 24x7 wearer. I do not own it to accrue value.

[Mark020]

Originally Posted by 4gentile

Does the value of a vintage Rolex watch suffer lose of value if you send it in to a Rolex service center and if parts need to be replaced. My watch is 1975 vintage and never been serviced.

Don't send it to an RSC. They will mess it up

[JimRoanoke]

I've inherited a steel Oyster Precision by dad bought in Hong Kong around 1960. I suspect the dial was replaced sometime between now and then. It is way cleaner than what I remember it looked like years and years ago. The "Swiss" or "Swiss Made" under the 6 does not appear. Does Rolex replace dials with originals for a watch that old?

[JimRoanoke]

Speaking of which, I've inherited a steel Oyster Precision by dad bought in Hong Kong around 1960. I suspect the dial was replaced or repainted sometime between now and then. It is way cleaner than what I remember it looked like years and years ago. The "Swiss" or "Swiss Made" under the 6 does not appear. Does Rolex replace dials with originals for a watch that old?

[kryan5732]

When I worked for a large bank as an Internal Auditor I would buy all the Silver Certificates and pre-64 silver for face value. They did not care!

[uncleluck]

What always amazes me is Rolex employees 2800 people (according to google). And yet I can’t remember ever reading anything on a forum from a watchmaker/polisher/floor sweeper that works there. Are they sworn to complete secrecy?

[Rocketman39]

Like I posted before. Ten years of TRF and thousands upon thousands of posts on every conceivable topic of Rolex and no one really "Jack S"it" about Rolex. Our Quest for facts is
enhanced by their Secrecy. Maybe it's all in the Grand Plan of the Game ?