Hi there

I have a Rolex submariner that I brought in April 2011 I wear it most days. Just wondering when it will need a service? Also should it go back to Rolex or are there any uk south east based watch makers that forum members use?

Regards

Richard

 

How many Rolexes do you own?

 

Mine was purchased new not been in seawater etc i just wear it normally if that makes sense so do you think it wi need a service yet?

 

I will say approx 5 years interval....... other may have different view. Interestingly many independent watchmaker could service Rolex competently since its movement is ubiquitous and many parts available (at least that what happened in here) . Still you should find one nearby with good references.

 

Its just a waste of money to changed the parts of the watch .

 

Rolex says every 5 years to change gaskets, clean, oil and replace worn parts. If you don't dive or otherwise need to verify waterproofness, theN you can probably wait until the timekeeping is out of spec or push it out to about 7-8 years without too much concern IMHO.

 

One of things in ANY factory service (Rolex or other brands) is that they tend to swap out parts that don't really need it. For them it's easier to just do this on every watch, rather than take any time to do any sort of evaluation on a part to determine if it needs changing or not. It's one reason why factory service prices are higher than what you would find with an independent. If you have ever sent a Rolex to the service center, the case tube and crown was changed as a matter of course - this is whether it's needed or not.

On a modern watch this is not always a bad thing, but with vintage it can get dicey as they may remove parts that have "collector" value and change them with parts that don't, reducing the value of the watch.

Omega is no different in this regard, as they have this statement on the paperwork you sign when you send them a watch for service:

"Our workshops reserve the right to replace the hands, crown, push buttons, and crystal of your watch by original pieces or by brand components if their choice that are comparable, aesthetically similar and maintain the same functionality."

Factory service centers are very much like assembly line production. The watchmakers may service the movement, but most of the other work is done by non-watchmakers.

Cheers, Al

Edit to add something - yesterday I had an email from a client I have worked with before asking if I could get him a new case back for his Rolex. I emailed to ask the price, and was told that the only way a new case back can be fitted is to send the entire watch in for this, and a full service will be required....sometimes you have to ask yourself who really owns the watch - you or Rolex?

 

As others have said 7 years seems to be good for me too.

 

Ok so after 3 years crown is now stuck that normal or not?

 

It's never normal for the crown to be "stuck". Put your mind at rest, get it serviced.

 

I usually send a watch in for a service when it needs it. What really sucks is that I my SMP has been serviced about 5 times since I bought it new in 2006. But my Swatch Ruben watch is from 2001, never been serviced, and maintains excellent time. That agitates me!

 

How do you know when the watch "needs" service?

 

I will take it to be serviced when the timing falls out of COSC specs or if it is stops after a full wind. That happened once.

 

Certainly do what's best for you and your situation - my answer to the question "when to service" is always "it depends" so I am not advocating for predetermined service intervals on every watch out there. It depends on how complex the movement is, how expensive parts are, availability of parts if it's vintage, who you use for service, etc., etc. so in my view there is no "one size fits all" answer.

However timekeeping is a very poor indicator of the need to service a watch. So for example if your watch runs fine and then suddenly starts to lose or gain time, that can be a good indicator it requires service. However the absence of a change is not an indicator that all is fine inside.

I have seen watches come in keeping very good time, and they are a mess inside - automatic winding watches are particularly prone to have problems long before timekeeping is affected. Rolex in particular are known for "running for decades" without service, but if you say the result you would not think it's okay to wait until there is a timekeeping issue to get the service done.

Just something to keep in mind.

Cheers, Al

 

Point taken.

 

If you bought it new in 2011 you really don't have to start thinking about it until, say, 2017. By that time you can find a independent and reputable watchmaker (one who's serviced a myriad of Submariners), and avoid the high cost of sending it to a Rolex Service Center for a basic "Clean, Oil and Adjust."

 

A service after only 3 years is a bit dramatic. The problem with the stuck crown should be sorted but apart from that it doesn't need anything.
I'm surprised that the local AD hasn't offered to fix the crown problem for free as it's just out of warranty and it's pretty bad publicity for a brand known for reliability and toughness.

 

Any recommendations on where I can take it it to be looked at in the essex or London area?

 

If it's an AD in your area I can't advise, but as I wrote before I think the stuck crown should be done FOC as a favour. If you don't use an AD then the sister company of STS is swisstech which deals with non Omega brands. I've not dealt with them as I use STS for Omega but I'm sure they'd be good and are Essex.