Rolex Air King Date - time for a service?

[hopeydaze]

Not very experienced on this so I hope you will forgive the basic questions.

The watch was last serviced 5 years ago and I have just spotted a bit of condensation under the glass. I bet I didn't retighten it properly when I changed the time last weekend.

So would you recommend an immediate service?

Also, last time I got it serviced I took it to a jeweller in Bath where I live and I think they sent it to Rolex. Service seemed fine. However I wonder if this is the best way to go?

[hilly10]

If there is condensation its a good bet the seals are shot. The other thing is its never a good thing to moisture in a precision instrument. Get it looked at ASAP

[Variomatic]

If there's condensation then there's moisture in there. The priority is to get it dried out. It may or may not need servicing at the moment but, if you leave damp in there, it will turn a simple service into parts needed and a much bigger bill. Even a week or two with damp inside can cause serious problems.

For drying it out all you need is the back off and somewhere warm (under a desk lamp with a proper 60w bulb is ideal). Any local jeweller or battery changer should he able to get the back loose for this. Once it's dry you can decide where to go from there