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Is it true, that rolex service changes parts of your gen Watch?

mech500

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They didn't provide a cost breakdown up front. I had to still pay after the fact. I also had to pay 30% of the bezel insert they replaced to get it back.

All in all, it was thivery at its best and hopefully that policy has changed since then.

Oh, That’s bad.

In U.K, they give you the basic service cost before taking your watch but they tell you that they will call if you need parts that are “excluded” in the basic service (eg, insert, crystal, crown).
If you don’t respond. They send your watch back. They won’t add “excluded” cost items to your watch unless you ok it.

Anyway that’s the procedure via my AD.
 

BentoB

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I figured out you never really own your house either, after you pay off your mortgage... You still have to pay those taxes or they auction it!
 

Grapeshot

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I wonder what Rolex do with all of these ‘swapped out’ parts. There must be enough vintage components to put together quite a few ‘pseudo vintage’ Rolexes that some would pay top dollar for.

Perhaps someone could check out the trash can of the service centre. After all everyone is encouraged to recycle these days. :sneaky:
 

Nikzav

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Hello, are someone from Milan? Could you advice a good service quality/price here?

Tks
 

Mucha

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You have the example with the video of this French dealer Olivine.


He talks about the case of a comex diver who was a victim of the rolex service.
He saw his watch completely devalued cause of the replacement of the dial among other things.
Reason says to replace this old radioactive parts but for passion it is something else…
Olivine even set up an association Call "LiDAR" to act against this.
 

eBoy

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Heartbreaking to see a vintage piece destroyed by the very same company that should be preserving them. But I guess, ultimately, the whole "Rolex is a charity" sentiment comes to the hard fact of life that even though Rolex is owned by a charitable foundation, it's still a company out there to make a profit and a profit is only made if a faded bezel or a dial with patina is swapped out for a brand new part, so that the customer can be charged, not by leaving it in the state that it is.
 

Powerfluff

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A friend told me, that if you have a vintage rolex (for example a SD from 1981) you dont have to bring it to rolex for maintenance, because rolex will change individual vintage parts with new ones.
is that true?

Kind regards
Not true. You are able to request that it be kept original now a days they are so kind. Will only swap if you tell them to and if it is a MUST. like say the crystal is smashed into 100 peices. they will put a new crystal
 
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dk2852

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I wonder what Rolex do with all of these ‘swapped out’ parts. There must be enough vintage components to put together quite a few ‘pseudo vintage’ Rolexes that some would pay top dollar for.

Perhaps someone could check out the trash can of the service centre. After all everyone is encouraged to recycle these days. :sneaky:
The parts have to be sent to be Rolex in Switzerland and they are apparently destroyed.

I had a 1976 Datejust serviced recently, only part which needed to be replaced was the date disc (unfortunate since I do like the vintage font). He had the old parts with him when I picked up the watch and I when I tried to take them he told me they must be sent back to Rolex, parts are only available on an exchange basis where the original part must be sent back.
The good news is they didn't change the original dial or hands. They only replace parts that are "necessary" or if you request it, for example a luminova dial and hands.
 

maccoretti

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It’s not like that these days.

They will ask you before they swap out your tritium dial/hands etc and quote you a price before they proceed.

You can also specify your requirements before you send your watch to them. I recently had a 1580 serviced by them.


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This.

There is a lot of catastrophic comments in this thread. You have the power to ask what gets replaced - You're not going to get back service parts replacing everything lol.
 
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oleatobog

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Do they charge extra for replacing these unwanted replacement parts? Or is it included in the price for service?
 

eBoy

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yes it true. I bought rolex watch it was very awesome.
High Five Sacha Baron Cohen GIF by filmeditor
 

Winni1611

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I allways paid a generall fee which included anything. So it maybe expensive or cheap depending on what they have to do. I once gave a yachtmaster to Service which hat a really deep dong in the case.
When I got it back there Was absolutly nothing to see....
 

Patj44

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I used to send my Breitling watches to Breitling in NY for service. They always replaced the hands. They told me the old hands were unusable. Now I know that’s not true. You need to do some research on watch repair to know what can and cannot be reused.
 

Redemskis

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What makes you think it's untrue? Hands are replaced as part of the service and you don't get charged for them
 
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Patj44

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What makes you think it's untrue? Hands are replaced as part of the service and you don't get charged for them
I was charge over $150 for just the hands. Breitling, Rolex, Patek, etc. These companies don’t do stuff for nothing. If it’s out of warranty, you pay.