Speck of dust on dial

[themast]

Hello, I am the original owner of this watch (bought brand new from AD back in 2013) and the watch has never been opened since I bought it. It has been used gently and never dropped or hit particularly hard.

Well, today I discovered that there is a speck of "dust" on the dial! I have put "dust" in quotations because I am not sure what it really is. The speck was not there before (see photos below) and the watch was never opened. So it is either a speck of dust that was already in the watch, and made its way to the dial, or it is a piece of superluminova (or something else) that came lose.

Overall the watch is running great, and although I have had it for 5 years, I have worn it maybe a 1/6 of the time and I was not planning to send it in yet.

I am ok living with the speck of dust there, there are so many other imperfections on the watch... that does not bother me.

Is this something concerning? What do you suggest to do? (please see poll)

Photo of the dial from a couple of years ago (in the photos there seem to be other specks on the dial. These are on the outside of the crystal).
IMG_0182_2.JPG

Photos of the dial taken today
IMG_3397.JPG

IMG_3398.JPG

[shaunylw]

Just had the same thing happen to me. Not a huge deal, a watchmaker should be able to get it cleaned for you for relatively inexpensive. Or, you can wait until service. I’m dropping mine off in a week or two, i think i was quoted $75 to have it taken care of and pressure test it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Ucsd626]

I had a speck on my explorer 2 polar and took it to rsc to get the speck removed. Took them one week and it looked great. Once I saw the speck I couldn’t avoid it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[peterpl]

Send it in. Once seen it cant be unseen and it will affect the way you enjoy your watch.

[Vishy26]

Your eyes are working very well

[Seibei]

Leave it. There are risks involved in having the watch opened, serviced. the possibilities are endless.

[Macnavara]

Originally Posted by Seibei

Leave it. There are risks involved in having the watch opened, serviced. the possibilities are endless.

Not true if rolex do it during service...they open thousands of watches and problems are rare

[Seibei]

Originally Posted by Macnavara

Not true if rolex do it during service...they open thousands of watches and problems are rare

I would still not risk it for something insignificant.

[Onikage]

Gotta be the mallet.

[Seibei]

6 people voted to knock the watch with a mallet... Another reason to avoid pre-owned watches...

[AK797]

I'd get it fixed by RSC, white specks on a black dial would bug me.

[peterpl]

Originally Posted by AK797

I'd get it fixed by RSC, white specks on a black dial would bug me.

Yep specks of dust are the worst on black dials. If it was a different color dial or a lighter colored one it would be extremely hard to see but unfortunately on a black dial it will show up at any angle you look.

[padi56]

Originally Posted by peterpl

Yep specks of dust are the worst on black dials. If it was a different color dial or a lighter colored one it would be extremely hard to see but unfortunately on a black dial it will show up at any angle you look.

Its extremely hard to see now without high magnification, and so miniscule not worth the bother of opening the case until next 5-8 year routine RSC service time.I can see more dust on the dial surface and the general watch but struggle to see that miniscule spec on dial surface.

[1William]

I would not do anything and wear the watch. There is a chance it will move or fall to the side. If not and you can not live with it then do a service and have it removed then.

[RC2]

Had it happen and got it removed. I know the risks but it bugged me too. If it drives you nuts then have it fixed. Not a big deal for a watch maker to remove.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[tyler1980]

Originally Posted by themast

Photo of the dial from a couple of years ago (in the photos there seem to be other specks on the dial. These are on the outside of the crystal).

i get that it is a personal thing to be bothered by it or not, however if you are OK walking around with a watch with all kinds of dust and debris on the dial it seems strange to not be ok with a spec under the dial.

Especially around the cyclops that is just dirty but presumably that is fine?

Personally i cant stand my dial being dirty at all and clean it off every time before i wear it and several times throughout the day. If your dial was immaculate and then there was this one spec under the dial, then ok.

[themast]

Thanks all for your replies.

The watch is running well and I think I will wait for service time. It seems like this ‘issue’ won’t affect the watch durability/reliability so I can live with it.

Regarding the cleanliness of the watch, the closeups are merciless with minor grime and superficial dust/fingerprints. In real life the watch looks great and I take good care of it (without being obsessed with scratches).

[DoctorA]

I would not worry about it

[Peter99]

Some years ago a Rolex technician who was based at Bexley, UK told me that when they subjected watches to pressure change under lab conditions, it was more difficult to keep out fine dust than water.
He put it down to the surface tension of water which aided sealing.

[tyler1980]

Originally Posted by themast

Thanks all for your replies.

The watch is running well and I think I will wait for service time. It seems like this ‘issue’ won’t affect the watch durability/reliability so I can live with it.

Regarding the cleanliness of the watch, the closeups are merciless with minor grime and superficial dust/fingerprints. In real life the watch looks great and I take good care of it (without being obsessed with scratches).

no doubt it looks great, just pointing out that you can almost always see some stuff on the dial and you don't appear to be overly OCD... wasn't trying to bust your chops.

[tommy91]

I had a black spec on white dial cartier once, it annoyed me everytime i wore it. Flipped it in the end .

[brandrea]

Originally Posted by tyler1980

i get that it is a personal thing to be bothered by it or not, however if you are OK walking around with a watch with all kinds of dust and debris on the dial it seems strange to not be ok with a spec under the dial.

Especially around the cyclops that is just dirty but presumably that is fine?

Personally i cant stand my dial being dirty at all and clean it off every time before i wear it and several times throughout the day. If your dial was immaculate and then there was this one spec under the dial, then ok.

This is exactly where I land too

[themast]

Originally Posted by tyler1980

no doubt it looks great, just pointing out that you can almost always see some stuff on the dial and you don't appear to be overly OCD... wasn't trying to bust your chops.

[SS Oyster]

While driving from San Diego to LA, I noticed a pretty decent size dust flake inside my Sub LVc, which drove me crazy. I called the Beverly Hills RSC, and they told me to bring it in. They told me to hack the watch so it didn't have a chance to go into the movement.

I took it there straight away and while I was at my meeting in LA, they cleaned it out, pressure tested it and called me to come pick it up (all at no cost).

I say send it in.

[jimcameron]

Keep an eye on it to see if you get more. The original date dial on my 16800 started to flake off white paint after about 15 years of ownership. Dial replaced for free by Rolex during service by independent with a parts account. That was around 2001. Problem solved.

[themast]

Originally Posted by jimcameron

Keep an eye on it to see if you get more. The original date dial on my 16800 started to flake off white paint after about 15 years of ownership. Dial replaced for free by Rolex during service by independent with a parts account. That was around 2001. Problem solved.

Thanks for your input. This is an interesting piece of information. I will definitively keep an eye on it.

Thanks again all for your suggestions/stories. This is very helpful in informing my actions.

[Kawirider]

With my 1987 rolex I purchased from I friend I decided to have the dial changed. It wasn’t an authorized Rolex dealer that I used, but it was a reputable watchmaker. When he put it together I noticed specs of dust on the face. I am extremely anal, so I had him open it up to remove them. Each time he did, he removed the original spec, only to have more dust get in and show as specs in other spots on the dial. Lol. I’m not sure if this is common or if a genuine RSC uses a vacuumed room or something if that is even possible, but it’s something to keep in mind. Does anybody know how a genuine RSC avoids dust, if possible? Or is it common but most people just don’t notice the specs.

[Old Geezer]

I’ve got an OCD streak but have learned that sometimes it’s best to leave well enough alone. If during normal wear you aren’t fixated on the speck of dust, I’d suggest forgetting about it until you decide to service it. I don’t think it’s going to wreck your movement if it made its way inside.

[Meridianum]

I had a similar issue, except the speck was on the dial upon purchase. I sent it to RSC and they removed it.

[droptopman]

Depends on how easy it is to see without magnification. I could go either way with this. I am pretty OCD with my watches so I would guess that I would probably address this issue and have my watchmaker or RSC fix it.