1680 Red Submariner Help

[emersm]

Hi guys, I would appreciate your feedback on this 1969/70 Red Submariner I recently purchased.

First, a short introduction to what I was/am looking for and thinking when I made this purchase. I have always appreciated the aesthetics of the 1680 submariner and I have been looking for one for quite a while. I am not looking for an investment or museum piece, rather a workhorse that I can wear everyday to work. I appreciate the look and feel of these watches and believe they should be left "as is" as much as possible .

So, what I have here is a 1969/70 Red Submariner with significant flaking throughout the dial. The dial has been touched up at some point with black paint to blend it in with the rest of the dial. I do know the bezel and hands have been replaced at some point and that it is going to need servicing soon, as evident when looking at the date wheel. Surprisingly, it functions properly and keeps good time.

That being said, I paid $7,000 for this watch. The watch has a 2 week return policy with 9 days remaining. I would appreciate your thoughts and feedback on my purchase. Do you think I should return it? Keep it and wear it? Send it to Bob Ridley to have the dial stabilized and repaired? (I have already sent him pictures)

Personally, I like the watch and think that the price if fair; I do not think it is worth another $8k for a daily watch.

What do you guys think? Thank you in advance for your help.
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[forgedblades]

you overpaid imho

[mactruck]

Will rolex replace a red sub dial if he sends it in?

[emersm]

Originally Posted by mactruck

Will rolex replace a red sub dial if he sends it in?

I called the service center in New York and they said they would replace the dial with a white service dial.

[mactruck]

Originally Posted by emersm

I called the service center in New York and they said they would replace the dial with a white service dial.

So it won't have the red? That's too bad.

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[twnturbo]

You knew it looked like that when you bought it right i'm guessing ?

[ADINVA]

I would pass on this watch. With the dial not in the right condition, it pretty much defeats the purpose of owning a vintage IMO.

[yukosaturno]

being very honest, i do not think this is worth 7k, but more like 5k MAX.

new bracelet, new insert and hands, new crystal, polished (probably more than one time), and will need a full servicing soon.

buying it just because it's a "red sub" isn't a good buy, the dial looks very bad, you can find better ones for less than what you paid.

[Andad]

Return it if you can.

[michaelodonnell123]

I think you should keep it. The watch looks vintage cool and has a lot of history on it. I would leave it just as it is, wear it every single day and just enjoy the hell out of it. If one day it stops working, then take it to an independent jeweler to fix it. Don't send it to Rolex, as they will replace your dial with a new one. Is it worth what you paid? If it makes you happy and puts a smile on your face..then yes it is.

It's like an old unrestored Jag...they just look so damn cool.

[Frakis]

Dial needs lots of repair, and RSC will replace it with a white dial which defeats the purpose of this being a vintage. I would return it.

[stewester]

Return it and get a nice non-red 1680 for the same money. I don't think it's worth a damaged dial and the rest of the watch being in poor condition for a line of red text.

[demonloop]

Originally Posted by stewester

Return it and get a nice non-red 1680 for the same money. I don't think it's worth a damaged dial and the rest of the watch being in poor condition for a line of red text.

Exactly my thoughts

[scooba]

Approx a year ago a guy came on here with a water damaged Red Submariner , He was based in Australia , PeterWM maybe any way Jed /jedley took charge and introduced him to someone who helped him repair the damage to the movement and I believe salvaged the dial ,

I always wanted to see how it finished up, but don't think he ever brought the watch pics up on here .

It may be worth asking or searching PeterWM or Jed for there opinion . Service dials do come up but are expensive

[scooba]

https://www.rolexforums.com/showthre...hlight=PeterWM

[scooba]

https://www.rolexforums.com/showthre...hlight=PeterWM

[emersm]

Originally Posted by twnturbo

You knew it looked like that when you bought it right i'm guessing ?

I did and the previous owner did not try to hide anything. Thank you

Originally Posted by ADINVA

I would pass on this watch. With the dial not in the right condition, it pretty much defeats the purpose of owning a vintage IMO.

I am still struggling a little with what owning vintage means. Thank you

Originally Posted by yukosaturno

being very honest, i do not think this is worth 7k, but more like 5k MAX.

new bracelet, new insert and hands, new crystal, polished (probably more than one time), and will need a full servicing soon.

buying it just because it's a "red sub" isn't a good buy, the dial looks very bad, you can find better ones for less than what you paid.

Good points; I have not seen anything near or below 7k. Thank you

Originally Posted by directioneng

Return it if you can.

Thank you

Originally Posted by michaelodonnell123

I think you should keep it. The watch looks vintage cool and has a lot of history on it. I would leave it just as it is, wear it every single day and just enjoy the hell out of it. If one day it stops working, then take it to an independent jeweler to fix it. Don't send it to Rolex, as they will replace your dial with a new one. Is it worth what you paid? If it makes you happy and puts a smile on your face..then yes it is.

It's like an old unrestored Jag...they just look so damn cool.

Thank you... that is exactly what I was thinking before I purchased it. (minus the Jag reference)

Originally Posted by Frakis

Dial needs lots of repair, and RSC will replace it with a white dial which defeats the purpose of this being a vintage. I would return it.

I thought about that, too. The RSC quoted $2,000 just for servicing the movement. I'm not sure how much a white service dial would be, but I would imagine the total cost could reach $3.5k or higher.

Originally Posted by stewester

Return it and get a nice non-red 1680 for the same money. I don't think it's worth a damaged dial and the rest of the watch being in poor condition for a line of red text.

It is an option I am now considering, thanks.

Originally Posted by demonloop

Exactly my thoughts

Thank you

Originally Posted by scooba

Approx a year ago a guy came on here with a water damaged Red Submariner , He was based in Australia , PeterWM maybe any way Jed /jedley took charge and introduced him to someone who helped him repair the damage to the movement and I believe salvaged the dial ,

I always wanted to see how it finished up, but don't think he ever brought the watch pics up on here .

It may be worth asking or searching PeterWM or Jed for there opinion . Service dials do come up but are expensive

Thanks, I will definitely reach out to them for some input or a quote. I have already been in contact with Bob Ridley and Michael Young.

[emersm]

Originally Posted by scooba

https://www.rolexforums.com/showthre...hlight=PeterWM

Thanks for sharing the thread. It would be nice if the OP would follow up with some photo's of the watch after the repair.

[SubKing]

I had gotten into an argument with someone from the parts dep at RSC Texas a couple years ago and had to get the director involved.. There IS a red luminova service dial Rolex can give you. You have to insist they replace it with a red one. Many at RSC don't know they exist because those service dials are never sent to them. The watch needs to go back to Rolex geneve and once they confirm the serial range and authenticity of the damaged red dial, they will replace it with a red luminova service dial. The watch then goes back to R.USA and then back to you...

It's a pain but the only way it can be done. I think this watch is a perfect canadate for that.

The alternative is to send the dial to Michael Young and have him restore the dial. He does stunning work. I would use Bob for different services.. just my 2 cents. You can run a search and see restored dials and even a red 1680 dial M.Y. Has restored in the past with stunning results.

[RC2]

Bob Ridley does amazing work to repair dials. I bet he or his son can do some magic and at least make it look much better.


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[RC2]

Originally Posted by RC2

Bob Ridley does amazing work to repair dials. I bet he or his son can do some magic and at least make it look much better.

Reds are going for like 13/15 so 7 is not "that"bad. Although I think its too much.

You could have gotten a killer white for 7k though with no work needed.

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[swish77]

If you still have the option to return this watch for a refund, my recommendation is to return it right away. Way, way too many issues for any amount of money, let alone $7K. Damaged dial is worthless, case is overpolished, replaced parts, etc ...

There's sometimes a fine line between a cool, worn vintage look and what other people view as damage. This ain't one of those times, IMHO. Seems pretty clear cut.

[Michael M.]

Originally Posted by swish77

If you still have the option to return this watch for a refund, my recommendation is to return it right away. Way, way too many issues for any amount of money, let alone $7K. Damaged dial is worthless, case is overpolished, replaced parts, etc ...

There's sometimes a fine line between a cool, worn vintage look and what other people view as damage. This ain't one of those times, IMHO. Seems pretty clear cut.

Articulated perfectly. I agree 100%, Aaron.

[Autavian]

Return it asap. If you want something similar, a local store in Tampa has one just like yours for $5500. Good luck

[emersm]

Originally Posted by swish77

If you still have the option to return this watch for a refund, my recommendation is to return it right away. Way, way too many issues for any amount of money, let alone $7K. Damaged dial is worthless, case is overpolished, replaced parts, etc ...

There's sometimes a fine line between a cool, worn vintage look and what other people view as damage. This ain't one of those times, IMHO. Seems pretty clear cut.

Originally Posted by Michael M.

Articulated perfectly. I agree 100%, Aaron.

Originally Posted by Autavian

Return it asap. If you want something similar, a local store in Tampa has one just like yours for $5500. Good luck

Thank you, gentlemen. I appreciate your candor and respect your input. You just made my decision much easier.

[GGGMT]

Ain't much left here; return it. By a wonderful gmt or 16800 or DJ some other amazing vintage piece with some integrity left.


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[Blakerhodes]

Send it back asap for a refund. You can find a pretty good gmt for 7k that won't have near the issues this watch has. Or save up a few extra grand and get a better example of a red sub if possible.

[emersm]

Originally Posted by GGGMT

Ain't much left here; return it. By a wonderful gmt or 16800 or DJ some other amazing vintage piece with some integrity left.


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Originally Posted by Blakerhodes

Send it back asap for a refund. You can find a pretty good gmt for 7k that won't have near the issues this watch has. Or save up a few extra grand and get a better example of a red sub if possible.

That seems to be the general consensus, thank you!

[GGGMT]

Good luck finding something amazing. The journey is more than half the fun, in my experience.


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[Blakerhodes]

Ridley is legit so that is a viable option too