RSC: turnaround just for an estimate (to authenticate)?

[Guybrush]

Might want RSC in NY to give me 100% peace of mind* about a preowned watch---that is, to do the thing where I send it in for a service estimate but then deny the service, just to confirm it's legit.

Anyone know what the turnaround time for that would be, via shipping? And is it the kind of thing that could happen while I wait if I actually went there directly? I've seen mixed info on that. Apologies if there's been a recent post on this---I'm not finding anything that new.

None of the local ADs here will authenticate in-house: they'll send it to Rolex themselves. And I don't think the mom & pop jewelers that offer "appraisal" services actually open the watch.

Thanks in advance for anyone who can advise!

*please don't lecture me about 'buying the seller.' I did, and I have little to no doubt about authenticity. But for a big-ticket item like this, I see no harm in getting that extra peace of mind.

[watchmaker]

All estimates from Rolex UK contain this disclaimer: "This quotation is intended to inform the Client on the price of a service. It does not attest to or guarantee the
authenticity of a timepiece."

I would expect the same disclaimer is issued by all RSC's globally now.

[Guybrush]

Originally Posted by watchmaker

All estimates from Rolex UK contain this disclaimer: "This quotation is intended to inform the Client on the price of a service. It does not attest to or guarantee the
authenticity of a timepiece."

I would expect the same disclaimer is issued by all RSC's globally now.

Ah, interesting. Seems they got hip to what people were doing. Wish they offered a straightforward authentication service...

[rushca01]

Originally Posted by watchmaker

All estimates from Rolex UK contain this disclaimer: "This quotation is intended to inform the Client on the price of a service. It does not attest to or guarantee the
authenticity of a timepiece."

I would expect the same disclaimer is issued by all RSC's globally now.

Assuming Rolex wouldn’t work on non authentic pieces one could assume if they quote a service it’s an authentic piece.

[Guybrush]

Originally Posted by rushca01

Assuming Rolex wouldn’t work on non authentic pieces one could assume if they quote a service it’s an authentic piece.

That seems to have been the longstanding prevailing logic here (and the reason for my inquiry), but maybe they're disclaiming that? Suggesting that they are not doing the loupe-work of discriminating between a high-end super-clone and a legit piece at the price-quoting stage--?

[mountainjogger]

Originally Posted by Guybrush

That seems to have been the longstanding prevailing logic here (and the reason for my inquiry), but maybe they're disclaiming that? Suggesting that they are not doing the loupe-work of discriminating between a high-end super-clone and a legit piece at the price-quoting stage--?

They can disclaim all they want. So they are not responsible. And that is understandable.

But from personal experience, a quote to service from Rolex in writing adds value to a watch without papers and makes it easier to sell.

Having said that, I would go ahead and service if I sent it in. That adds value too.

[rushca01]

Originally Posted by Guybrush

That seems to have been the longstanding prevailing logic here (and the reason for my inquiry), but maybe they're disclaiming that? Suggesting that they are not doing the loupe-work of discriminating between a high-end super-clone and a legit piece at the price-quoting stage--?

With how closely Rolex protects their brand image even down to keeping old parts like bezels I just can’t see them not verifying they are working on the real deal. They wouldn’t want the embarrassment of servicing a super clone they thought was real…

[padi56]

Originally Posted by Guybrush

Might want RSC in NY to give me 100% peace of mind* about a preowned watch---that is, to do the thing where I send it in for a service estimate but then deny the service, just to confirm it's legit.

Anyone know what the turnaround time for that would be, via shipping? And is it the kind of thing that could happen while I wait if I actually went there directly? I've seen mixed info on that. Apologies if there's been a recent post on this---I'm not finding anything that new.

None of the local ADs here will authenticate in-house: they'll send it to Rolex themselves. And I don't think the mom & pop jewelers that offer "appraisal" services actually open the watch.

Thanks in advance for anyone who can advise!

*please don't lecture me about 'buying the seller.' I did, and I have little to no doubt about authenticity. But for a big-ticket item like this, I see no harm in getting that extra peace of mind.

If you have already bought the watch its a bit late to authenticate it, have you got doubts from where you bought it, if so cannot understand why you bought it.

[Guybrush]

Originally Posted by mountainjogger

They can disclaim all they want. So they are not responsible. And that is understandable.

But from personal experience, a quote to service from Rolex in writing adds value to a watch without papers and makes it easier to sell.

Having said that, I would go ahead and service if I sent it in. That adds value too.

Which seems to be a >two-month turnaround these days? If I did just want an estimate, is that usually a few days? A couple weeks? Or something done on-site if you walk in? New to all of this.

[Guybrush]

Originally Posted by padi56

If you have already bought the watch its a bit late to authenticate it, have you got doubts from where you bought it, if so cannot understand why you bought it.

All due respect to an established forum member, this is the lecture I'd rather avoid. You're not saying anything I haven't already run through in my head. There's nothing wrong with trusting & verifying. I'm not asking people whether they think it's a worthwhile endeavor; I'm inquiring about turnaround time.

[Daytona88]

In the past, I have taken watches into my AD or a dealer of high end pre-owned watches for possible trade-in or sale. They have always asked me if they could open the watch prior to providing me with a trade/sell value. If I had any doubt as to authenticity, it would probably put my mind at ease a bit. May be an option if you are confident but want an extra look.

[Guybrush]

Originally Posted by Daytona88

In the past, I have taken watches into my AD or a dealer of high end pre-owned watches for possible trade-in or sale. They have always asked me if they could open the watch prior to providing me with a trade/sell value. If I had any doubt as to authenticity, it would probably put my mind at ease a bit. May be an option if you are confident but want an extra look.

I may indeed got this route: a high-end watch dealer that's not an AD but has Rolex experience. (As long as they'll seal it back properly and pressure-test it.)

[omar-rye]

What reference is it and how old is it? Are you against taking it for a full service at RSC? Taking it straight to RSC will not only give you peace of mind that it’s authentic all the way through, but will also give you the peace of mind that it’s not a stolen watch

[burnthesehills]

Originally Posted by rushca01

With how closely Rolex protects their brand image even down to keeping old parts like bezels I just can’t see them not verifying they are working on the real deal. They wouldn’t want the embarrassment of servicing a super clone they thought was real…

But how involved is the estimate? Do they actually disassemble and inspect the watch and movement or simply give an estimate based on a brief inspection and the request for type of service?

Also, I am not certain that Rolex would state up front that the watch is not authentic until they are actually completing the service and being paid for their time, work, authentication. But I could be wrong, I really have no clue.

[Guybrush]

Originally Posted by omar-rye

What reference is it and how old is it? Are you against taking it for a full service at RSC? Taking it straight to RSC will not only give you peace of mind that it’s authentic all the way through, but will also give you the peace of mind that it’s not a stolen watch

DD36 c. 2000. Purchased from a very reputable preowned dealer but there has been some complexity in the transaction (some of which I've documented elsewhere on this forum) and it would just help me to feel totally at ease. I'm not really worried, but I feel like it'll remove even the faintest shadow of a doubt. To me this is not so different from having your mechanic look over a used car you're purchasing---even if it's from a friend you trust, you'd still be wise to do it. Could be something the friend didn't know about, etc etc etc.

That said, the seller claims to service all watches pre-sale, and offers a guarantee, so I wouldn't expect it to need a service. ...And I wouldn't want to have it out of my hands for months right out of the gate.

[burnthesehills]

Originally Posted by Guybrush

DD36 c. 2000. Purchased from a very reputable preowned dealer but there has been some complexity in the transaction (some of which I've documented elsewhere on this forum) and it would just help me to feel totally at ease. I'm not really worried, but I feel like it'll remove even the faintest shadow of a doubt. To me this is not so different from having your mechanic look over a used car you're purchasing---even if it's from a friend you trust, you'd still be wise to do it. Could be something the friend didn't know about, etc etc etc.

That said, the seller claims to service all watches pre-sale, and offers a guarantee, so I wouldn't expect it to need a service. ...And I wouldn't want to have it out of my hands for months right out of the gate.

What about purchasing a timegrapher? I suspect even the highest end super clone would be unable to match Rolex Superlative Chronometer standards, accuracy, beat rate, amplitude, beat error, beat number, etc.

Couple hundred bucks, probably a decent investment.

Then again I see that it is a 22 year old watch so possibly not running at peak performance. I personally would just pay for a service and this way you get the authentication and also know that the watch is as good as new (per Rolex specs, not some unknown).

[ROLEXster]

I sent in my Daytona for authentication 4 years ago in Canada.
It was $200 cad and turn around time was 2 weeks. (Probably longer now)
.
.

[TswaneNguni]

Originally Posted by Guybrush

That said, the seller claims to service all watches pre-sale,

Now I understand your worry and its legitimate .

"Seller service " is opening the caseback ,checking the movement and then not pressure testing it .

RSC papers ads value to your grey market purchase .Spend the few dollars .

[Guybrush]

Originally Posted by ROLEXster

I sent in my Daytona for authentication 4 years ago in Canada.
It was $200 cad and turn around time was 2 weeks. (Probably longer now)
.
.

Cheers for this!

Originally Posted by burnthesehills

What about purchasing a timegrapher? I suspect even the highest end super clone would be unable to match Rolex Superlative Chronometer standards, accuracy, beat rate, amplitude, beat error, beat number, etc.

Couple hundred bucks, probably a decent investment.

Then again I see that it is a 22 year old watch so possibly not running at peak performance. I personally would just pay for a service and this way you get the authentication and also know that the watch is as good as new (per Rolex specs, not some unknown).

I'm not worried that is a super-clone (not sure this is the model one would bother doing that with--bit vintage for that--and the case weighs and feels exactly as it should. It's 18k white gold, I'm positive). More that it may have been serviced with non-OEM parts or something like that.

[CarlOver]

Originally Posted by Guybrush

Cheers for this!



I'm not worried that is a super-clone (not sure this is the model one would bother doing that with--bit vintage for that--and the case weighs and feels exactly as it should. It's 18k white gold, I'm positive). More that it may have been serviced with non-OEM parts or something like that.

If this is a vintage watch then sending to one of the vintage specialists makes sense. They would be able to tell you if it’s been cobbled up or if everything is reasonably correct. As you know Rolex has installed same dials in different generation watches so that knowledge is critical to authenticate an older piece in my opinion with someone with this knowledge base.

[IgCarr]

What I can offer is that I took my 16220 to my local AD for service in February. Was told it would take 5 weeks for the estimate and 5 to 10 weeks for the work to be completed. I received the estimate in the fifth week and authorized the work. I've now been waiting for five weeks and suspect I'll be waiting for another five.

I'm old enough to remember a ketchup commercial from the late 70s ... Anticipation....

[Guybrush]

Thought I read somewhere that if you walk into an RSC location, they will take your watch and provide an estimate while you wait---am I making that up (or conflating a couple different stories, perhaps), or is that a thing?

[Tools]

Originally Posted by Guybrush

Thought I read somewhere that if you walk into an RSC location, they will take your watch and provide an estimate while you wait---am I making that up (or conflating a couple different stories, perhaps), or is that a thing?

Sounds like you are looking for a freebie.

They used to take it and give you a regular quote at the front. This is not the actual "estimate of work" where they itemize what they require and what they recommend with costs. The written estimate where they look inside is labor, which they charge for, and will credit if you choose to go ahead with the work.

[Guybrush]

I see.

To be clear, the price isn’t my concern—happy to pay a few hundred bucks for peace of mind. It’s the time sans watch that I’m dreading.

[MSL997]

I have concerns with this as well since I want to buy a 116520 and I would send it to rsc and go through the service just so the watch comes back new and I have piece of mind. So am interested in OP answers received. To the OP just follow through and decline the service see what Rolex writes back you can always “change your mind” and go thru with the service.