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Old 17 March 2010, 12:29 AM   #1
JamesSF
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What does it take to get a watch fixed ? -Ongoing tale

Hi All,

Let me tell you a tale that still is not resolved.


BACKGROUND:

In 2004 when I first soloed and airplane, a dear friend of mine who was a Korean War Combat Veteran and a pilot gave me a GMT Master as a gift.

It is in the original Box and and is serial number 5464xxx. The little green plastic tag and the larger red plastic tag are still in the box.

Last year I had not worn the watch for a month and went to wind it up. I wound it and it did not work. I left it in my wardrobe and figured I would take it in at some point and get it fixed when I could spend money on a luxury item.

I am a low level computer geek and my wife is a nurse, hardly the high-life or high-dollar life style.

The STORY:

My birthday is in a couple of weeks. A month ago my wife goes into my wardrobe and takes the watch out of the case and takes it to a place here in San Francisco to get it fixed. She went on Yelp! to try and figure out who to take it to as when she went online to the Rolex Web site it only showed New York and Texas as have Rolex service centers.

Given the non-economic importance of this watch to me, she did not want to ship it across the US.

She tells the local contract Rolex Service Center to do whatever they have to to make the watch work and clean up the hands that had some kind of pitting on the edges of them.

They tell her that the watch had never been taken apart and they confirmed is was real. They also told her they would return any parts taken off the watch when she picked it up.

Last Thursday she picked the watch up. Paid them with a check. They did NOT return any of the replaced parts back. She took the watch home and wrapped it up and gave it to me as the my birthday present.

It worked for two minutes and stopped.

She was mortified. All that trouble and expense, she would not tell me how much...but I know she worked a couple of extra ICU shifts in the last few weeks so it had to cost a lot.

So on Friday, I take it back to the shop in San Francisco and they tell me after a few minutes they know what the problem is and to leave it and then will fix it.

Yesterday, Monday, my wife goes down to pick it up and she brings it home. When she gets it home and gives it to me it is NOT running. I wind it up at least 30 times and set it on our desk. This morning it is not running. Stopped after 8.5 hours.

I called the New York Rolex Service Center and ask to talk with a supervisor. I woman come on the line and listens to my story. She tell me she knows the owner of the San Francisco shop well and will call him this morning. She states that they will collaborate and make sure that the watch is fixed correctly. We will see.

My wife's efforts and gift are wrecked in her eyes. She wanted to get the thing fixed and see to it that I did not have to lift a finger.

If this is an example of Rolex's system of service and repair on their equipment, then I have to question their good name. If they have 3rd party people doing their repairs, then they need to tighten up on their service providers. They had a whole month to get it correct.

We will see if they get the watch fixed in time for our trip for my birthday next weekend.

James.
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Old 17 March 2010, 08:55 PM   #2
Lol-x
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That is an unfortunate story.

I wish you had come here first and asked some questions, the guys might have steered you in the right direction.

Rolex should eventually sort this out for you, but my main concern is that if you had a vintage GMT and Rolex swapped the old dial/hands out, that might have a substantial impact on the value and collectibility of your watch.

Any photos of your watch would be appreciated?

Going by the serial number it is a GMT 1675 and having a production year of around 1978.

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Old 18 March 2010, 08:48 AM   #3
JamesSF
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I dropped the watch off yesterday again...

They changed the hands as they had the corrosion on them. The dial they did not touch. They said something about changing the main spring and a couple of other internal parts.

When my wife dropped it off they told her they would return any parts. They did not. They also told her that it had never been opened before. This I know is true as an old gold round sticker was on the back.

....I will keep you posted.

Thanks, James
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Old 18 March 2010, 08:58 AM   #4
JamesSF
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I just called in and they said they wound it up 40 times and it ran all night and as yet has not stopped. They will test it for another day or two and call me.

When I asked again about the parts removed from the watch, they told me it is NOT their policy to return old parts taken off the watch. This is in direct conflict to what my wife was told when she dropped it off.

I asked them to see if the hands, which had corrosion around the edges, were still on hand and not tossed out.

He said they would see if they still had them.

These guys don't seem very heads up to me.

All other things being equal, what would be the lowering of the value of the watch with the hands being replaced ?

James
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Old 18 March 2010, 08:32 PM   #5
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Sorry to hear your story. I am new to Rolex, and have not been around here for long, but I have read enough about the way RSC treats its customers and the vintage watches placed with them for repair to know that I will NEVER send a watch to Rolex for service. Incompetence, arrogance and dishonesty seem be the the hallmarks of Rolex service (at least with respect to vintage pieces). If I were you, I would get my watch back, and send it to a good independent.

The good news is that the hands should be easily replaceable if they are not returned to you. Good luck, and hope it works out for you.
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Old 19 March 2010, 06:58 AM   #6
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It is not unusual even to have RSC to work on it serveral times to get it right. I had mine TT DJ serviced at Bankok RSC about 7 years ago when I vacationing. It was just a routine service. Came back to States, the watch stopped working. Sent to RSC, NYC for service at no charge, came back and worked for a few days and stopped again, sent it back to NYC with a note to general manager that it has been serviced twice already. Came back to me and has worked well ever since. My point is that RSC will repair it at no charge. However, it is unusual to change the hands on an older watch without asking you first.
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Old 19 March 2010, 02:16 PM   #7
fusionstorm
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Sorry, I'm a little unsure/unclear here. Did your wife take it to the RSC @ 210 Post St. in San Francisco, or did she go to an AD (authorized dealer) for the service?
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Old 19 March 2010, 02:20 PM   #8
JamesSF
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Hi All,

I got a call from NYC RSC saying they checked in with the San Francisco ARSC and that my watch was still running. They want to let it run down and then do a short test of some sort.

I will call NYC RSC in the AM and ask about the old parts. When my wife took it in, they told her she would get them back. Now when I ask them were they are they tell me that they don't give them back.

Hummmmm,,,,,

James
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Old 19 March 2010, 02:52 PM   #9
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I'm surprised to hear of your experience with the SFO RSC. My transaction with Giovanni was nothing but pleasant!

I hope you get your watch's issues resolved. RSCs normally do not return parts, but if your wife was promised something I would expect that they man up to their word.

Good luck!
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Old 20 March 2010, 01:20 AM   #10
David Woo
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sakuraba View Post
My transaction with Giovanni was nothing but pleasant
X2. This RSC has done some work for me and I've never been disappointed, excellent service. I've never had parts returned by a RSC, I wonder if they said that to your wife but she may have misunderstood?
Anyway, I hope your gmt is fixed quickly.
DW
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Old 31 March 2010, 05:30 AM   #11
JamesSF
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Update March 30th

Well,

My Birthday was the other day and my Rolex was just available for pickup today. So much for my wifes efforts, a month in advance, to have it ready for my birthday.

Turns out that a small screw that hold the major plates together in the watch has a tendency for the end of the screw to break off. That little part was moving around on the inside of the watch causing an intermittent stoppage of the watch.

The owner Giovanni told me that they decided to take the entire watch apart and check everything. That is when they noticed the part floating around.

The only visible parts changed were the hands that had the corrosion around them. At least now the hands glow. Since I really do pilot with this watch, I can see the time now at night.

Giovanni told me wife when she picked it up not to get it wet for three months and at that time bring it in for him to inspect. Apparently there are some micro cracks in the crystals on some of the watches and it shows up after wearing it for a few months. Since mine has seen little wrist duty, he wants to make sure that mine does not develop the cracks.

Time will tell how the thing runs. Thanks for everyones help and comments.

James


PS. I want to add this watch onto my insurance. What value should I use for insurance replacement value?
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Old 31 March 2010, 06:34 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JamesSF View Post
Well,

Giovanni told me wife when she picked it up not to get it wet for three months and at that time bring it in for him to inspect. Apparently there are some micro cracks in the crystals on some of the watches and it shows up after wearing it for a few months. Since mine has seen little wrist duty, he wants to make sure that mine does not develop the cracks.

?
Have not heard that one about a crystal?
Did you get your old parts back?
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Old 31 March 2010, 07:45 AM   #13
jdc
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Lovely looking watch James, looks like it was worth all the effort
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Old 31 March 2010, 09:46 AM   #14
JamesSF
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They did not give my wife any parts back.

James
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Old 31 March 2010, 12:50 PM   #15
CaveDiver
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Sorry to hear that. At least it does not look like they touched your dial.
Another RSC frustration. I'm not happy with Rolex either. They busted a screw in yours and did not notice it? What attention to detail Rolex has? They hacked on mine too at Dallas and all I wanted was bracelet.
I don’t think the hands will hurt the value much.

I sure would like to know more about the crystal thing.
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