My first rolex with alot of thoughts

[Rolex time is money]

Hi guys, this is the 2nd time I a´had to write this since my last post got lost somehow :(

Anyway, like most I did alot of research and alot of reading on TRF before I purchased my first rolex, alot of helpfull advice here on TRF, so I decided to register today to share with you all my first rolex

I always wanted a Rolex as when I was a kid I saw on TV how they can throw in a Rolex instead of money on a poker table, or how they can bribe themself out of trouble with a Rolex, so ever since I was a kid I knew that a Rolex is something cool and valuable.

I actually bought a Rolex when I was 14 years old or so but it was a fake that i bought in Vietnam so that does not count :)

I was close to get a GMT II Root Beer but I got a deal today that I could not resist, a classic and timeless piece Datejust gold/steel silver dial:


But I got some questions but before that let me share with you all how I got the Rolex.
I bought the Rolex from a 68 years old man that said to be he bought the Rolex back in 1993 from a guy that needed money. He been wearing it everyday since 1993, but to make sure its a real Rolex I took it to a AD. Once there the AD took the Rolex, feeled the weight, took a look,feeled it and then told me it was a real Rolex. He then pass the Rolex on to the service guy and he used the one eye google thing and after inspecting it a fast one he also said the Rolex was a real one. But can they determ a real Rolex that fast? I was hoping they would open the back case to check things out. Since after reading about the DeepSea fake warnings here on TRF Im a little afraid since they look so real, but I thought since he said he bought the Rolex back in 1993 that they were not that good with making fake Rolex yet. The service guy also told me that the Rolex "lock" is not a authentic, I think he said so because the lock got a USA stamp on, but from reading on TRF I know that there is some jubilee band with a USA stamp on it?


So my questions is:

1. I bought the Rolex without box and any kind of papers, its a hollow gold/steel jubilee band for 1750 dollars, is that a good deal?

2. Can your guys from watching the pictures alone tell me if its a real Rolex or not?

3. The "lock" on the Rolex is a authentic one one?

4. The man said he been wearing the Rolex since 1993 and I start to believe him since the jubilee band is really, really, really dirty. Look at the black on the gold part, that is some very thick dirt. Is there anyway I can clean it? can I buy some powder, put it in some water and then dip the whole watch into it to clean it? Please give me advice to how to clean the Rolex.


Thanks guys for any advice/help you can give me.

[FremStar]

Great story! Looking at the pictures you provided your Rolex is the real deal. With that said and as you described in your post, the proof is in the pudding, i.e. the guts of the case. Have a skilled watchmaker open the case, take pictures of the mechanism come back here then we can further validate for you. Congratulations! By the way any jeweler can clean your timepiece, cool b200 bracelet.

[Paladin]

Clean your Rolex with hot water, dish washing soap ( rinses the cleanest with no residue) and a "soft" bristle toothbrush.

Enjoy your new datejust. Its the "classic" Rolex.

[gwalker]

Congrats and enjoy.

[Rolex time is money]

Can I dip the whole watch into hot water+dishing soap? or just the bracelet?

[FremStar]

Yes. Just make sure the crown is securely fastened.

[Rolex time is money]

Originally Posted by FremStar

Yes. Just make sure the crown is securely fastened.

How do I do that? my "winding" it clockwise til it cant be winded anymore?

Also FemStar, if the jubilee bracelet with USA stamp on my Rolex is the original one, does it mean the clock was made before 1960? or?

[Brenngun]

At this point you don't know exactly what you have until the case back is removed and the movement inspected. As Fremstar suggested get this done and post pictures.

Originally Posted by Rolex time is money

Can I dip the whole watch into hot water+dishing soap? or just the bracelet?

STOP!! Don't dip the watch into any liquid until you have it pressure tested. In it's current state you don't know if it's seals are intact. You could end up causing a bigger problem. If you want this watch to be with you for a long time you need to invest in a full service now. Find a local qualified watchmaker with access to genuine Rolex parts. Get it in for service. They will also fully clean all parts of your watch. After that dip it all you want.

[FremStar]

Sound advice Rick! You are 100% correct!

[Rolex time is money]

Ok, so I did a little more detective work on my Rolex today and found out some intresting thing:

Its a Rolex 1601 with a so call Pie Pan dial and have "OT to SWISS TO" which mean the dials index are gold and has tritium paint.

The watch is from around the 70s and to my knowledge have never been on service, so over 30 years and its still running without any service, WOW Im impressed. But I will renew this watch next week, gonna send it away to get a service work on the watch.

Since its from the 70s, can my watch be classified as a vintage piece now?

[FX44]

Congrats

[nbTimes]

congrats.

[z32turbo]

Congrats!! Great story