Vintage Rolex - A few questions...

JCDUB

Hi guys,

Some excellent information here, thanks for what I've already read and hopefully what I will read in this thread.

My story:

I inherited a Rolex oyster perpetual datejust from my Dad when he died a few years ago. IIRC he bought it in O'Reilly's auction rooms on Dame St. in the early 90's, second-hand with no paperwork AFAIK. There doesn't seem to be any paperwork floating around anyhow.

It needs a service, as it's not working at the moment and is also missing the piece that joins the bracelet to the face (sorry I don't know what this is called:o) I've been reading here that if it's in original condition (which it looks like it is) then it's important not to have any parts replaced and to keep it as original as possible.

So, I have a few questions which you may be able to answer for me if at all possible:

How much is it worth? (Huge sentimental value to me so this is only for insurance purposes.)
Where should I get it serviced?
Roughly how much should it cost to service?
Should I leave original parts in it or is it not worth enough to bother with this?
Is there anywhere I can find out about the watch's history, from serial no's etc maybe?
Roughly how old is the watch?

I dropped into Weir's to enquire and they just said it's €600 for a service, and didn't fill me with confidence tbh. I also believe they don't do it themselves anyway.
I PM'd a member here who gave me advice about a place in London (Swiss Watch Company) but they will not post it outside the UK as they're not insured, so that's a no-no unless I go over.

Here are a couple of photos just so you can have a look at it. (Sorry, taken on iphone so not great.)

http://pix.ie/jcdub/2732406/in/album/409470
http://pix.ie/jcdub/2732405/in/album/409470

I'm sorry about the silly questions, obviously I'm a complete noob, just wanna get it right as I only have one chance with this watch.

Thanks!

alantul

JCDUB wrote: »

Hi guys,

Some excellent information here, thanks for what I've already read and hopefully what I will read in this thread.

My story:

I inherited a Rolex oyster perpetual datejust from my Dad when he died a few years ago. IIRC he bought it in O'Reilly's auction rooms on Dame St. in the early 90's, second-hand with no paperwork AFAIK. There doesn't seem to be any paperwork floating around anyhow.

It needs a service, as it's not working at the moment and is also missing the piece that joins the bracelet to the face (sorry I don't know what this is called:o) I've been reading here that if it's in original condition (which it looks like it is) then it's important not to have any parts replaced and to keep it as original as possible.

So, I have a few questions which you may be able to answer for me if at all possible:

How much is it worth? (Huge sentimental value to me so this is only for insurance purposes.)
Where should I get it serviced?
Roughly how much should it cost to service?
Should I leave original parts in it or is it not worth enough to bother with this?
Is there anywhere I can find out about the watch's history, from serial no's etc maybe?
Roughly how old is the watch?

I dropped into Weir's to enquire and they just said it's €600 for a service, and didn't fill me with confidence tbh. I also believe they don't do it themselves anyway.
I PM'd a member here who gave me advice about a place in London (Swiss Watch Company) but they will not post it outside the UK as they're not insured, so that's a no-no unless I go over.

Here are a couple of photos just so you can have a look at it. (Sorry, taken on iphone so not great.)

http://pix.ie/jcdub/2732406/in/album/409470
http://pix.ie/jcdub/2732405/in/album/409470

I'm sorry about the silly questions, obviously I'm a complete noob, just wanna get it right as I only have one chance with this watch.

Thanks!

Looks like you have nice watch, will they get the bracelet "end piece" for you also?
Or is it 600 just for the service? Sounds very expensive !

Bullseye1

There is a guy in the UK who is a Rolex accredited repairer.
http://www.tz-uk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=208435&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=Rolex+service+costs

Also there is a girl here in Ireland who has a good rep. I'll See if I can locate her details

Bullseye1

Here you go.
http://watchrepairs.ie/

Cyrus

JCDUB wrote: »

Hi guys,

Some excellent information here, thanks for what I've already read and hopefully what I will read in this thread.

My story:

I inherited a Rolex oyster perpetual datejust from my Dad when he died a few years ago. IIRC he bought it in O'Reilly's auction rooms on Dame St. in the early 90's, second-hand with no paperwork AFAIK. There doesn't seem to be any paperwork floating around anyhow.

It needs a service, as it's not working at the moment and is also missing the piece that joins the bracelet to the face (sorry I don't know what this is called:o) I've been reading here that if it's in original condition (which it looks like it is) then it's important not to have any parts replaced and to keep it as original as possible.

So, I have a few questions which you may be able to answer for me if at all possible:

How much is it worth? (Huge sentimental value to me so this is only for insurance purposes.)
Where should I get it serviced?
Roughly how much should it cost to service?
Should I leave original parts in it or is it not worth enough to bother with this?
Is there anywhere I can find out about the watch's history, from serial no's etc maybe?
Roughly how old is the watch?

I dropped into Weir's to enquire and they just said it's €600 for a service, and didn't fill me with confidence tbh. I also believe they don't do it themselves anyway.
I PM'd a member here who gave me advice about a place in London (Swiss Watch Company) but they will not post it outside the UK as they're not insured, so that's a no-no unless I go over.

Here are a couple of photos just so you can have a look at it. (Sorry, taken on iphone so not great.)

http://pix.ie/jcdub/2732406/in/album/409470
http://pix.ie/jcdub/2732405/in/album/409470

I'm sorry about the silly questions, obviously I'm a complete noob, just wanna get it right as I only have one chance with this watch.

Thanks!

Nice watch

Value, im not too sure, but as its a datejust its unlikely to be massively valuable (some old subs can be worth silly money)

Im guessing, serviced and tidied up its probably worth circa £2-2.5K? maybe thats on the high side.

The 600 quote from weirs is probably them rounding up the cost of sending it back to rolex, if you want to get some paperwork and provenance its the only way to go, but you can deal with them direct. If you dont want to pay 400-500 quid then id use an independing, the end link you are missing might be trickier to source if not going back to rolex tho.

JCDUB

Thanks for the replies.

I'll look into sending it to Rolex to try to get some provenance/history etc.

Any more advice/pointers gladly accepted

CarltonBrowne

The endpiece that you are missing for the bracelet should have a 3 digit number stamped on it and that should be legible on the one that's still there. You could ring up Rolex in St James to see if they have any spare; it's a long shot but worth a go. If they have one they will not sell it to you as they absolutely insist on fitting everything themselves (even NATO straps apparently :rolleyes:). The other thing you can do once you have the endpiece serial number is check the the Vintage Rolex Market on the Vintage Rolex Forum or put a WTB up.
http://vintagerolexforum.com/

The jubilee bracelet looks like it has a little stretch on it but if you can live with it this can probably be refurbed, at least cosmetically. If you have any doubt as to whether taking this on as a little project is a good idea then please have a little look at this thread on MWR. http://www.mwrforum.net/forums/showthread.php?t=48317. Of course it is.

If you want documentation then send it straight to Rolex; if you don't then William Rice is highly thought of. The only other problem with Rolex is that they may just condemn the bracelet out of hand and the replacement they will try to sell you will make your eyes water :eek:.

JCDUB

Sorry to dig up an old thread, but thought I'd fill you in.

So on Bullseye's recommendation and going on that thread on TZ that (s)he posted above, I sent my watch to Bill Rice at the beginning of October, and got it back on Monday. Their customer service was excellent, with every one of my emails asking silly noob questions answered in minutes.
The service itself seems to have been very well done, with them replacing internal parts and the glass and sending me back the originals. The watch looks brand new, and I'm very proud of it. In fact I'm delighted with it, especially as it holds a lot of sentimental value. The financial value is significant too, with Bill Rice giving me a valuation of over £5k on it, but that's not important to me really, it is just for insurance purposes.

So, I would highly recommend Bill Rice if anybody has any service work they need done. Just look at the thread posted earlier by Bullseye to see the positive feedback they get. They are excellent, Rolex approved and significantly cheaper than Weirs too.

Thanks to Bullseye too for the info. I am delighted, hopefully this is something that I will treasure for many years.

Here's a couple of before pictures..
http://pix.ie/jcdub/2732406
http://pix.ie/jcdub/2732405

And an after..
http://pix.ie/jcdub/3085816
Apologies for quality, just phone photos!

Nonoperational

That looks really really great, thanks for updating.

Zagato

Thanks for the update. It looks great. Do you mind me asking approx what it cost, pm me if you like, appreciating that you got the new crystal and end piece. And how much was the shipping.
What sort of time is it keeping now?

JCDUB

Zagato wrote: »

Thanks for the update. It looks great. Do you mind me asking approx what it cost, pm me if you like, appreciating that you got the new crystal and end piece. And how much was the shipping.
What sort of time is it keeping now?

No, not at all. It was £395 incl. VAT plus £15 postage, so about €510 all in. Postage was superquick too. They posted it on Friday and I got it on Monday morning!

Re: the timekeeping, you're prob gonna kill me being such a noob:o, but how would I test such a thing? As in what do I measure it against etc? Apologies in advance.

I'll try to get some proper photos with a decent camera later on and post those too, the phone doesn't actually do it justice. Thanks for the compliments, I'm very happy.

blindsider

Great looking watch -congrats and "Well wear!"

Re timekeeping....do you have a radio-controlled clock in the house? If not, you could use www.time.is

Zagato

I use an android app called clock sync which gives me atomic time.

I would usually set my watch using one of the atomic sources, then wear it for a week, and recheck it against the atomic clock after a week averaging how fast/slow it is per 24hrs

Reloc8

verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry lovely watch - really turned up nice, and great that it was your dad's and that you have it working and wearable now. Well wear.

JCDUB

Hey all.

Thought I'd resurrect this old thread with an update.

I sent a vintage rolex to Bill Rice for service upon recommendations from this thread, thank you all very much! That was almost 9 years ago... Wow, where does the time go?

My watch has lasted extremely well, but has been due a service for a while.

Just recently the clasp broke too, so I emailed Heather at Bill Rice and have booked in for another service, to be sent early Feb.

Price when I last had a service was £400.
Gone up to £600 now, although she was doing it for me for £550 as I'm a repeat client. I asked could she do any better and she said £525, which I'm happy with.

I'll take a few photos now to show current condition and will report back after the service, if there is any interest.

FYI I've been wearing this watch daily since I had it serviced. I'm not a believer in special occasion watches, and it reminds me of my dad every day, so what the heck.

Thanks for all your help last time around, it was very much appreciated!

If anybody has any advice this time around please fire ahead, I'm all ears.

JCDUB

Photos here

JCDUB

And a couple more.

Fitz II

Looking at the photos you have a decision to make. Do you want to keep it original or get it refurbished. I can see pros and cons to both. Send it back to rolex (via weirs usually) and they will put it back to factory...they will be expensive. Or a independent watchmaker will be cheaper but might not have access to origional rolex parts and will not make it factory fresh.

The bracelet looks very stretched, and if its breaking might be best get it replaced or refurbished with new spring bars. On jubilee bracelets like that a refurb can be a complex job.

Its a watch of immense semental importance and an very nice watch to boot. My inclination would be to get a really good service done and replace all the bits so it can go on for many many more years.

JCDUB

Fitz II wrote: »

Looking at the photos you have a decision to make. Do you want to keep it original or get it refurbished. I can see pros and cons to both. Send it back to rolex (via weirs usually) and they will put it back to factory...they will be expensive. Or a independent watchmaker will be cheaper but might not have access to origional rolex parts and will not make it factory fresh.

The bracelet looks very stretched, and if its breaking might be best get it replaced or refurbished with new spring bars. On jubilee bracelets like that a refurb can be a complex job.

Its a watch of immense semental importance and an very nice watch to boot. My inclination would be to get a really good service done and replace all the bits so it can go on for many many more years.

Thanks for posting Fitz. Appreciate you taking the time. My wish would be to keep it as original as possible, so a refurb of the bracelet would be preferable.

Although I agree with you, it does look very stretched, even to my untrained eye.
I'll speak to Heather when I send the watch over and get their opinion on it too.

Last time they replaced the glass and some inner springs, but sent the originals back to me along with the watch.

Hopefully the bracelet is salvageable, as I would like to retain its originality. However if the watch becomes unwearable due to the risk of bracelet failure then there's not much point in having it.

Thanks again, really appreciate it.

Fitz II

Yeah no problem. Anything can be fixed. I have seen a guy online a jubilee specialist that can fix these but it looks like a very specialised job and very time consuming. Rolex would tend to replace with new. And the crystal and dial might get changed (you can ask they no be) but they will replace anything that looks worn meaning the watch should run for many many more years. I see there is metal worn off the links, not much can be done there. The newer bracelets have ceramic tubes on the pins to stop this wear. Also try not to wear the watch too loose that leads to a lot of stretch.



I would live in fear of it breaking and loosing the watch, far greater risk than any unoriginal parts taking away some of the semental value.

https://www.watchbraceletrepair.com/what-we-do

I would guess for a service, replace the needed parts and repair that bracelet is going to cost you a lot more than 500 euro....more like 1500, but IMHO a price well worth paying.

JCDUB

Fitz II wrote: »

Yeah no problem. Anything can be fixed. I have seen a guy online a jubilee specialist that can fix these but it looks like a very specialised job and very time consuming. Rolex would tend to replace with new. And the crystal and dial might get changed (you can ask they no be) but they will replace anything that looks worn meaning the watch should run for many many more years. I see there is metal worn off the links, not much can be done there. The newer bracelets have ceramic tubes on the pins to stop this wear. Also try not to wear the watch too loose that leads to a lot of stretch.



I would live in fear of it breaking and loosing the watch, far greater risk than any unoriginal parts taking away some of the semental value.

https://www.watchbraceletrepair.com/what-we-do

I would guess for a service, replace the needed parts and repair that bracelet is going to cost you a lot more than 500 euro....more like 1500, but IMHO a price well worth paying.

Ok, thanks a million for the heads up. That's an expensive pill to swallow, but as you say, the benefit far outweighs the potential loss of the watch.
For me, it is irreplaceable, no other watch would come close.

fat bloke

Cool thread. Be nice to see some pics, all the old links above are dead, for me anyway.

Whoops sorry, ignore. I see em now. Very nice. Love that it's your daily.

Wibbs

Fitz II wrote: »

I would live in fear of it breaking and loosing the watch, far greater risk than any unoriginal parts taking away some of the semental value.

This in a big way. I'd regard straps even bracelets(and crystals) as wear items especially on a "lifetime" daily worn watch. Doubly so on a vintage piece. As you note the newer bracelets have more protection from wear. I suppose you could look for a vintage bracelet, but unless it's new old stock you're going to be inheriting wear that needs sorting and vintage NOS Rolex bracelets are not going to be cheap, if you can find one.

fat bloke

Is it not fair to say that if you're not selling it, and therefore not concerned about resale value, that a strap is just a strap and you can fit any bloody one you want, and neatly sidestep the Rolex massively inflated pricing-bear-trap?

david

I’d probably send it to Rolex at this stage and suck up the cost to have it factory fresh/reverse the years of excess wear and polishing. Looking at that jubilee gives me anxiety. I’ve first hand experience of bodging an old bracelet (albeit on a far less valuable Guess fashion watch before I knew any better) and paying the price. Threw on my jacket crossing Harcourt street and ended up snagging on the sleeve and in bits on the Luas track.

You can’t put a price on the sentimental value, that’s a watch for life and deserves to be worn daily as a reminder of your dad. It deserves to be preserved for the next generation no matter the cost IMO. If it’s a replacement bracelet, Im wondering could you remove the original before sending to service otherwise you’re unlikely to see it again?

Cyclingtourist

Put it on a NATO.

Fitz II

Cyclingtourist wrote: »

Put it on a NATO.

saccades

Perlon would be better.

unkel

Stingray! :pac:

Wibbs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E06cNv55jTs

Lorddrakul

For me, I am coming round more and more to the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi.

When applied to this context, it means that rather than go for a full show room restoration, the aim is to get something working acceptably to be useful for a new generation, but preserving some of its wear and imperfection to show its veteran nature.

Why wear a vintage watch if it looks like you bought it yesterday?

I think a Rolex like this that looks like it is decades old and has been used for all those years, is immeasurably more cool than something that has been stored in a safety deposit box the whole time. One that is working as it should, is approaching penguin piss!

46 Long

fat bloke wrote: »

Is it not fair to say that if you're not selling it, and therefore not concerned about resale value, that a strap is just a strap and you can fit any bloody one you want, and neatly sidestep the Rolex massively inflated pricing-bear-trap?

That's what I would do. Black alligator looks great on vintage silver dial Datejusts.