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Embarrassing Royal Oak for sale - buyer beware

  1. Traveler Mar 25, 2018

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    I usually try not to post ‘negativity’ but I couldn’t let this go. I will also add that I have had an unsatisfactory experience with this dealer before, but that is unrelated to this post.

    For a ‘big name’ dealer that has been featured in several magazines and blogs, to offer this watch in it's current state, is just appalling laziness and borders on contempt for the consumer and other dealers that take their job seriously....

    https://thekeystone.com/collections...iguet-royal-oak-jumbo-a-series-watch-ref-5402

    How to turn an A series Royal Oak into a Hublot...

    All of the screw heads should align to form a circle with their slots. They have all been butchered and only one has been replaced correctly. That a watchmaker would do this is sad - that an ‘expert’ dealer would offer this for $55k is a lot worse than that ....

    4E51BCE6-4D03-4A5A-B2A0-1A7BCD74A0E3.jpeg
     
    Jamgantenk and VintageWatchIta like this.
  2. wsfarrell Mar 25, 2018

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    I'm curious as to how one arranges the slots in a circle. Some sort of loctite-like adhesive?
     
    marco and MikiJ like this.
  3. MaiLollo Mar 25, 2018

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    Care to share your experience with them? A friend of mine bought a 110$k watch from them & everything went well. If you had an issue, it would be best to let potential buyers know?
     
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  4. MikiJ Likes songs about Purple spices Mar 25, 2018

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    I was told only the best AP watch-makers are assigned to this task. The screws need to be started with the heads in the correct position for them to align with the curvature of the bezel when tightened down.
    Only the one screw between 6 & 7 is close to being correct.
     
  5. Traveler Mar 25, 2018

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    Should look like the below - no adhesive involved ... the ‘screws’ are cylinders that drop through the case and are secured by real screws at the back. It doesn’t take a lot of thought to put them in the correct way ... so to not even bother doing that, well let’s just say I would be dubious about what had been done to that watch ....

    7CFD47BE-4D03-4B1F-B70A-A1C565E7F85C.jpeg
     
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  6. Traveler Mar 25, 2018

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    If your friend wants to PM me I’ll share the details - suffice it to say I paid a huge ‘noob’ tax, and the seller refused to take the watch back (even at a loss to me) or do anything about it. That, plus the above example cements the reputation in my book. I’m sure others have had OK experiences (as I too had prior to my particular problem) .... but it only takes one bad transaction to do the damage.
     
  7. Larry S Color Commentator for the Hyperbole. Mar 25, 2018

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    They have some lovely inventory.
     
  8. bloomy Mar 25, 2018

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    Very interesting, I have been eyeing this dealer for a while. I almost pulled the trigger on a Tudor 76100 from them a month or so back as it had snowflake hands.
     
  9. wsfarrell Mar 25, 2018

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    That's clever, thanks!
     
  10. ICONO Mar 25, 2018

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    OMEGA STEEL CHRONOSTOP WATCH $1850………!!!

    Are they having a laugh ?
     
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  11. Archer Omega Qualified Watchmaker Mar 27, 2018

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    They are nuts, not screws - you can see that they are the same shape as the recess they fit into, so they can't turn once they engage in the bezel. The other side has the screws. This is so simple to do a child could do it.
     
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  12. Archer Omega Qualified Watchmaker Mar 27, 2018

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    Not taking the time do something this simple is a strong predictor of sloppy work done elsewhere. I see it all the time - for example on an Omega 1120/2500, all the bridge screws are pretty much the same screw. Most are flat heads that are high polish, but 2 of these screws have slightly rounded heads that have a rougher texture. Functionally they can be put anywhere the flat head polished screws can, and the reverse is also true. But there are two specific locations these should go (pallet bridge and underside of the automatic bridge) and when I see them randomly stuck where they should not be, there is a very strong correlation to a movement that wasn't serviced well.

    Details matter...
     
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  13. lwong Mar 27, 2018

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    Embarrassing is an excellent description. Shameful, might be another.
     
  14. MikiJ Likes songs about Purple spices Mar 27, 2018

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    Not taking the time do something this simple is a strong predictor of sloppy work done elsewhere. I see it all the time - for example on an Omega 1120/2500, all the bridge screws are pretty much the same screw. Most are flat heads that are high polish, but 2 of these screws have slightly rounded heads that have a rougher texture. Functionally they can be put anywhere the flat head polished screws can, and the reverse is also true. But there are two specific locations these should go (pallet bridge and underside of the automatic bridge) and when I see them randomly stuck where they should not be, there is a very strong correlation to a movement that wasn't serviced well.

    Details matter...

    At least part of what I was told is true. The screws Do need to be set correctly around the bezel. However I wasn't told that there were nuts underneath the bezel that were tightened down while the screw heads were held in place.

    Another good reason why Al's the best!
     
  15. ConElPueblo Mar 27, 2018

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    ...You've got it wrong.

    What you see on the bezel ARE the nuts. Think of them as small, slotted caps with a thread on the inside like an ordinary nut. The screws go in from the back of the watch.
     
  16. Archer Omega Qualified Watchmaker Mar 27, 2018

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    Yes - here are some grainy photos I shot at AP some time ago...first the case back:

    [​IMG]

    Then the case frame:

    [​IMG]

    And the bezel:

    [​IMG]

    There is a screw/bolt that goes from the back of the case back and through the entire case assembly, with the nut being recessed into the bezel. You can see that the recess in the bezel has a round hole, and then the hex shape. Basically you set the nut in the bezel from the front, and then tighten the screw/bolt from the back, and you are done.

    Whoever was describing this to Miki was doing a little embellishing of the complexity to say the least...this is a rare thing in the watch world but it does happen I suppose. ;)

    Cheers, Al
     
  17. watchthisway Mar 29, 2018

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    when did these become $55k? at that price point it is a no brainer to buy a new 15202 for around $22k. you can even have your initials engraved in the movement.

    i have had some experience with this dealer. the experience was that they probably are not experts at the watches they sell. maybe because they carry so many different brands. they do seem to have some nice pieces from time to time but as always, the buyer needs to do their own diligence. "buying the seller" is overrated in my book. no one will go out of their way to tell you what is wrong about a watch they want to sell you, unless they have to. that's been my experience in almost every vintage watch i've purchased from big time dealers to private transactions.
     
  18. Jfullm42 Apr 3, 2018

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    Looks like they have been viewing this thread. If you click on the link now the screws have all been put back in their right place
     
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  19. ulackfocus Apr 3, 2018

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    Miki - why don't you just hit the "REPLY" option at the bottom right of the post you want to quote, then type in your thoughts after the /QUOTE before you reply?
     
  20. Traveler Apr 3, 2018

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    Actually he posted it on IG and a couple of us called it out ...

    1077E763-1CA0-4A5A-82A8-7621F88CDC6A.jpeg

    “ a simple correction for our watchmaker “.... Hmmm

    In the mean time, a nicer B Series is at EWC for similar $$$

    B4CC846E-6018-48E1-BEC2-161D3828F6C0.jpeg