Vintage Datejust 1603 - 1978 Linen dial

[Liio]

Hey everyone,

I am currently considering a DJ 1603 with a tritium linen dial from 1978. It also looks like the lugs etc (not the bezel) were polished. It is supposed to be condition 1, which I have my doubts with. I will have a look at it at the shop some time this week I hope.

Can anyone give me some advice on what to consider especially with the linen dial?
It is not a gold dial, but also not really silver either. What linen dial colours were actually available originally?

Thanks for your help

[Liio]

Update:
I just talked to the dealer and will have a look at the watch this week. He told me the bezel might have been swaped at some point, but not polished since. The "rest" has been polished and checked by the watchmaker. No service required, hence they didnt do a service.

Following are three pictures.
Could anyone give me an opinion please about the polishing (especially on the lugs) and the dial?

What is your procedure (service, cleaning etc.) after purchasing a vintage watch?

Thanks

[mag]

Hi Leo,

> What is your procedure (service, cleaning etc.) after purchasing a vintage
> watch?

i love the linen dial s, too :-)

if you don t know, when the last full service routine was completed.
i would consider a overhaul. look at the edges of the dial and the
dirt. i dont think that a watchmaker completed a full service in the
last years. maybe a timegrapher will tell.

check the water resistance first, then clean the watch with soap water,
that would be my procedure for the first "test-drive"

greetings from germany
MaG

[Liio]

Hi MaG, thanks for your advice, much appreciated! Also, great watch and cool strap you got there!

Where do you usually go for such an overhaul? Straight to Rolex or to "any" other reputable watchmaker specialized in vintage watches?

What kind of services does such an overhaul include? What is an acceptable price for those services?

Thanks
Leo

[Richard Carver]

It's a good looking watch. not overpolished, bracelet looks good. Looks a little grubby but nothing a service won't take care of. It has a dress dial (based on those pics) which has no lume. The hands should be no lume as well. You could have them replaced at service.

Hard to say on a service, it varies all over the world. Around 700US will get it done I would think depending on the parts needed. It ill need a crystal, gaskets, crown and tube, cleaning and oiling. With the new oils the service could last up to ten years.

Do not fall victim to the noobie "originality fetish". It's a 40 year old watch, its had parts replaced and none of it matters. You want to end up with a nice functional daily wear Rolex. No one on the face of the earth gives a rats azz if it has a new crystal except a deranged noob who believes a replaced original makes a whits difference in the value of the watch.

Rolex may or may not service the watch, depends on their parts situation. You should develop a relationship with a reliable independent.

Here's my '68 1603...

[05carbondrz]

Originally Posted by Richard Carver

It's a good looking watch. not overpolished, bracelet looks good. Looks a little grubby but nothing a service won't take care of. It has a dress dial (based on those pics) which has no lume. The hands should be no lume as well. You could have them replaced at service.

Hard to say on a service, it varies all over the world. Around 700US will get it done I would think depending on the parts needed. It ill need a crystal, gaskets, crown and tube, cleaning and oiling. With the new oils the service could last up to ten years.

Do not fall victim to the noobie "originality fetish". It's a 40 year old watch, its had parts replaced and none of it matters. You want to end up with a nice functional daily wear Rolex. No one on the face of the earth gives a rats azz if it has a new crystal except a deranged noob who believes a replaced original makes a whits difference in the value of the watch.

Rolex may or may not service the watch, depends on their parts situation. You should develop a relationship with a reliable independent.

Here's my '68 1603...

Guess I’m a deranged Noob then...Been called worse.

[FrankBullitt]

I have nothing useful to add to this educational thread, other than to say - I love linen dials, and Liio and Mag, yours are lovely.

And I love black dials, and Richard Carver, yours is lovely as well.

Linen or black are two of my favorite DJ dials, great to see them. I would love to own either.

[ChristopheH]

Hi there !
Great DJ here !
When I buy a new vintage, I wear the watch for two weeks. Which allows me to measure its accuracy. Then I put it away until it stops. If your watch stopped after 2 days, it's excellent and it shows that the caliber is clean.
If the power reserve has not held a day, it means that it is dirty and that the oils are worn out and dry. In which case, a "full service" seems to be necessary.

[Liio]

Originally Posted by Richard Carver

It's a good looking watch. not overpolished, bracelet looks good. Looks a little grubby but nothing a service won't take care of. It has a dress dial (based on those pics) which has no lume. The hands should be no lume as well. You could have them replaced at service.

Hard to say on a service, it varies all over the world. Around 700US will get it done I would think depending on the parts needed. It ill need a crystal, gaskets, crown and tube, cleaning and oiling. With the new oils the service could last up to ten years.

Do not fall victim to the noobie "originality fetish". It's a 40 year old watch, its had parts replaced and none of it matters. You want to end up with a nice functional daily wear Rolex. No one on the face of the earth gives a rats azz if it has a new crystal except a deranged noob who believes a replaced original makes a whits difference in the value of the watch.

Rolex may or may not service the watch, depends on their parts situation. You should develop a relationship with a reliable independent.

Here's my '68 1603...

Thank you for you input!

I wouldnt want to go for a "frankenwatch" but if original parts have to be replaced by same for the sake of functionality I think it is a very reasonable thing to do. What else is usually done in a service (internal cleaning, oils etc.?). I am a bit surprised tbh by the number of parts that might need replacement, is this normal?

The dealer has answered me that the amplitude is 280° and the watch runs with +17 sec/day. Guess that makes a service necessary.

[CaveDweller]

Standard service is that they take the watch apart, clean every piece to remove old oils, then re-assemble using new oils

It’s standard procedure to replace the acrylic lens, also the stem and crown – this, together with the case gaskets, ensures a reliable waterproof seal – any other parts required are done on a “need” basis, but this is usually very minimal

To accurately assess the time keeping, first the old oils have to be replaced by new, as they may stiffen over time. This is why the watch should be serviced regularly. Stiff oil not only affects time keeping, it can accelerate wear. The longest my own 16030 has gone without a service was 10 years, but realistically, it should have probably been done at around the seven year mark – I asked for a new main spring while the (independent) was in there, simply because it’s cheap to replace

Richard is quite correct as to price, which seems to be consistent between the USA and the UK, so likely to be the same in Germany. That price also covers all the parts costs, and the work should come with a guarantee, which in my case was two years. All replacement parts on my watch are genuine Rolex, (I know this because I was given the old parts back in the new packaging), this “proves” the work done

The time scale for servicing is around five weeks, which is comparable with the RSC, for that matter so was the price, I went to an independent simply because there is no RSC anywhere near to me (plus you get the old replaced parts back). Forget about “Franken watch”, it doesn’t apply unless you change the look of something that was originally supposed to be on that watch, and that mostly applies to the cosmetics, such as dial, hands, case etc

When I bought my watch new it was running at +2 seconds per day – 30 years later, it still does. There’s no reason to expect that a 1603 should be particularly wide of that mark

Looking at it, it’s a nice watch – the bezel is a bit “shiny”, but that won’t last – one of the lugs looks a bit thin, but then so does one of the lugs on mine (1988) – overall, nothing to be concerned about

Buy it – service it – and enjoy it in good health …..

[Gary ransome]

Just bought an unused Datejust stored in a safe deposit safe for 41 years!!

[Liio]

Thank you everyone for your input and help. Sadly, the watch has been sold in the meantime. However, the info will be very helpful for my further search.

Best