Some advice needed on service papers

[104peterb]

Hi All,

I was hoping somebody could help me.

I have seen a vintage Rolex which I am looking to buy and will be going to view and meet the seller in person very soon. It will be a private sale and watch comes with Rolex service papers from 2005.

The seller unfortunately has no photographs of the movement which I have asked to see, so it would possibly be a case of me taking the watch to a local jeweller with the seller on the day I visit to see if they will remove the case back for me.

Before I suggest this to the seller and potentially rock the boat a little, I was wondering if anybody here thinks that the service papers alone would be enough? Would anybody take this risk or should I insist on seeing the movement before committing to buy?

If removing the case back isn't an option with the seller, would Rolex be able to tell me more info on the movement/calibre from the service documents if I were to contact them? Do the papers have a reference number etc?

Does anybody have any photos of 2005 Rolex service papers I could see so I know what I'm looking for?

Any help would be hugely appreciated.

Cheers,

Peter 🍻

[MonBK]

The service receipt will have all info on the watch (model, serial #) including the owners name as well as what has been done to it.

If your seller has a proper ID and the name matches I don't think you have to worry.

It should also come with a service card with an expiration date.

[MonBK]

You wanted 2005 service paper so they would look like this.

I deleted the top part where owners name and address is.

Hope this helps.

[Haywood_Milton]

Service papers in the U.K. (OP is in London) will not look like this.

Haywood

[MonBK]

Originally Posted by Haywood_Milton

Service papers in the U.K. (OP is in London) will not look like this.

Haywood

Well may I be feathered and tared.

[watchlovr]

I'm not sure from your post what you are worried about, would you know what a "good" to "bad" movement looks like?

If you are only worried if the service papers match the watch, those numbers are between the watche's lugs, get him to remove the bracelet.

Originally Posted by 104peterb

Hi All,

I was hoping somebody could help me.

I have seen a vintage Rolex which I am looking to buy and will be going to view and meet the seller in person very soon. It will be a private sale and watch comes with Rolex service papers from 2005.

The seller unfortunately has no photographs of the movement which I have asked to see, so it would possibly be a case of me taking the watch to a local jeweller with the seller on the day I visit to see if they will remove the case back for me.

Before I suggest this to the seller and potentially rock the boat a little, I was wondering if anybody here thinks that the service papers alone would be enough? Would anybody take this risk or should I insist on seeing the movement before committing to buy?

If removing the case back isn't an option with the seller, would Rolex be able to tell me more info on the movement/calibre from the service documents if I were to contact them? Do the papers have a reference number etc?

Does anybody have any photos of 2005 Rolex service papers I could see so I know what I'm looking for?

Any help would be hugely appreciated.

Cheers,

Peter 🍻

[104peterb]

Thanks MonBK, your responses are a huge help.

Watchlovr - thanks for your reply. Not really worried, I just like to see the movement generally, and I want to know that the movement is the correct calibre (I know what is should be), so was wondering if service appears would confirm this info for me?

[104peterb]

Thanks Heywood, are the UK service papers likely to have the owners name on them too?

[MonBK]

Originally Posted by 104peterb

Thanks Heywood, are the UK service papers likely to have the owners name on them too?

He will probably come back and show you what they look like in the UK.

[Haywood_Milton]

I think the OP's entire focus is incorrect here. Service papers from 11 years ago, or even a few days ago, should give no buyer of a vintage Rolex peace of mind. It takes less than an hour to swap parts out, while the Rolex service papers will still match the case number.

Confidence in most jewellers' ability to identify the correct parts of a vintage Rolex is also misplaced. Few if any main agents can do it and only a small number of specialists around the country are good for it.

My advice would be for the OP to ask for a written description of the watch and ensure he negotiates the opportunity to return it for a refund within a certain period, long enough to allow him to post good pictures here so that the watch may be scrutinised. If he were a little closer, as a fellow forum member I would have been happy to inspect it for free for him.

For what it is worth, Rolex UK service papers looked something like this (on white paper in 2005 I recall), with the name of the client clearly shown.



The watch was also given a small service slip with briefer details thereon, excluding the client's own.

Haywood