Rolex servicing - is it necessary?

[philcray]

Hi

I have a Rolex SS Sub date which I have owned for 6 years since new. It has never skipped a beat and has only been back to the jewellers for a free clean when it was 2 years old (which I have to say did make it nice and shiny).

I am aware that servicing is discussed for watches but my gut feeling is, if it isn't broken don't fix it - after all is a completely sealed unit and I am concerned that a service is likely to create more problems than it solves (a bit like going to the dentist for a check up....). Has anyone Rolex servicing experiences good, bad or indifferent? I live in Lancashire and bought the watch from Whittles in Preston.

[cinque]

I have a 2000 stainless steel sub date with cyclops, which has never had any servicing etc

Worn every day, taken on hols, saltwater, chlorine, gardening, building and so on.

Got the usual scuffs and scratches of a 9 year old watch.

Last 3-4 months the power reserve has started to fail.

i.e. take off at night and within 3-4 hours it stops. At first, a subtle jolt gets it going again, but this has started to happen every night. (even after winding).

Recently its got worse and i popped into an AD. They suggested that it should have been serviced at 5 year intervals, at a cost of approx. £280 and it could be the oils drying up inside or potential failure of the seals. Its not the cost that worries me, its being without it for 10 weeks or so!

D Duggan in Burlington Arcade, have a Rolex trained tech. that will carry out full service, replace parts etc for £180. which i am exploring currently, turnaround is about 5-6 weeks and they offer 12 month guarantee.

So in answer to your question, yes, they are mechanical pieces and they do need servicing. Probably best not to keep leaving it until they start to play up (i'm hoping mine doesnt need anything over and above the usual service items).

Edited by cinque on Monday 19th January 13:23

[philcray]

Thanks, good feedback, I do wear mine all the time so it is probably worth having it serviced then for preventitive maintenance.

Cheers

Phil

[Stuart]

As I understand it the Rolex service includes a complete overhaul of the watch and that it will come back looking almost like new. Not sure if the D Duggan service does the same thing, but it is £180/£280 well invested twice a decade.

[huytonman]

yes, get it done, its a bit like owning a high performance car, its costly to run but if you dont look after it you will suffer an expesnive failure. Ive tried a few none Rolex people over the years but have just bitten the bullet with my Sub and send it off to Rolex, not cheap but hopefully worth the money.

[laser avant s2]

Well worth the money...when mine came back i thought they had given me a new one!

[Clarkey boy]

I saw from your profile that you live in Lancashire, if you are anywhere near Bury, Leps have a Rolex techn. who takes about 5 weeks for a service, is a lot less expensive than the main dealers and did a good job on my Ebel recently.

[paultje]

I hope it's worth it, mine's just gone in for one!! It's not the first service it's had and they do come back looking like new. It is a Rolex Oyster Date from 1986 which has been faultless so far....let's hope they don't f**k it up!!

[andy_s]

Same as above, mine went in about 6 weeks ago and haven't even heard the estimate yet - not expecting it anytime soon. I've got a Suunto to cover the gap but have tried very hard to justify a second decent watch like a Sinn. Not there yet but working on it....

[philcray]

Clarkey boy said:

I saw from your profile that you live in Lancashire, if you are anywhere near Bury, Leps have a Rolex techn. who takes about 5 weeks for a service, is a lot less expensive than the main dealers and did a good job on my Ebel recently.

Hi

Thanks, I will keep that on the radar. I actually live between Preston & Lancaster and bought the watch from Whittles so I guess I will speak to them first to see what they recommend. There is also Banks & Lyons in Lancaster who are a large Rolex dealer, I have not had any dealings with them yet but may as well give them a call.

As an aside, Banks & Lyon had almost every Rolex model in their window when I went by before Christmas, including Subs, Milgaus & Daytonas so I think waiting lists must soon be a thing of the past.

[Jer_1974]

I have seen an advert for a company called Lawson and co on ebay, a Rolex Approved Service Centre who service them for £200 and in ten days. Anyone used them?
Link
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Rolex-Submariner-Seadweller-...

[philcray]

I am certainly no expert on who the players are in the watch servicing world but have to say I would not feel very comfortable sending my watch to a company on ebay!

[Jer_1974]

philcray said:

I am certainly no expert on who the players are in the watch servicing world but have to say I would not feel very comfortable sending my watch to a company on ebay!

They have a website: http://www.lawsonandco.co.uk/content.php It has on ebay advert its a Rolex Approved Service Center. But on the site it says its not an official Rolex dealer. Anyone know if you can be one without the other? Don't think I would send mine there without a good recommendation.

[AnthonyC]

I should probably get mine done as well, having said that I've had it for 12 years and it hasn't missed a beat.

[lightweight]

Dropped mine in at harrods service desk last year they send it to bexley who send it to the factory £240 fixed price and they replaced the glass and seals as well. For a vanilla sub great job it came back as new took 12 weeks.

[huytonman]

Update on my Sub, I just had the estimate back from goldsmiths, "due to the age of the model the service cost is £395 inc VAT"...now thats a bit steep, I may check out the Duggin option to see if this is a viable alternative. Incidentally my watch is vintage 1969 its a Red Sub.

[huytonman]

Update part 3, spoke to Duggins and they guessed around the same level of cost as Rolex themselves, so looks like I'll have to bight the 400 quid bullet!

[Johnniem]

FWIW I have a 1972 Oyster Perpetual datejust which gets serviced every four to five years and I never have any trouble with it. Get it serviced, only then can one grumble when it goes wrong. Enjoy the watch!

[Sideways Tim]

Mine's just gone in today after 8 years faultless service. Missing it as it's never been off my wrist for more than a few minutes during that time. It's amazing how often you check the time

[Watch-Collector]

huytonman said:

Update on my Sub, I just had the estimate back from goldsmiths, "due to the age of the model the service cost is £395 inc VAT"...now thats a bit steep, I may check out the Duggin option to see if this is a viable alternative. Incidentally my watch is vintage 1969 its a Red Sub.

Dont forget they will charge a handling cost as well.
If you need piece of mind send the watch to Bexley yourself, thats all Goldsmiths do! , or track down a good Swiss watch Technician locally. Its not rocket science, parts can be sometimes an issue but if the watch is in just in need of TLc then a good watchsmith will be able to do the job no problem.