Service dials on vintage Submariners and Masters (1960-70s)

vonrozen · Jan 11, 2025

What is really the difference with the original dials ? Is there a difference at all ? Would be interesting to see examples of those collectors , who had both. Obviously the price is much lower when there is a Service dial, which can be a deal breaker but what else does not need to consider ? Thank you for your thoughts !

Dan S · Jan 11, 2025

Very often a service dial is from a different era than the watch and looks completely different than the original dial, e.g. a luminova dial on a watch that originally had a tritium dial, or a WGS gloss dial on a watch that originally had a matte dial with painted lume plots. You can easily google many photos of Rolex watches with service dials and compare them with known examples of original dials. Just takes a little research. But there can be many different service dials for the same references, because difference service dials were used in different eras. A service dial basically kills the collectible value of a vintage watch, but is perfectly authentic and a correct replacement according to the brand.

Instead of asking such a broad question, I would suggest narrowing your focus to a particular model / reference to develop your expertise. If you are serious about buying a particular sport Rolex, you need to narrow down your search and start learning specifics.

vonrozen · Jan 11, 2025

Dan S
Very often a service dial is from a different era than the watch and looks completely different than the original dial, e.g. a luminova dial on a watch that originally had a tritium dial, or a WGS gloss dial on a watch that originally had a matte dial with painted lume plots. You can easily google many photos of Rolex watches with service dials and compare them with known examples of original dials. Just takes a little research. But there can be many different service dials for the same references, because difference service dials were used in different eras. A service dial basically kills the collectible value of a vintage watch, but is perfectly authentic and a correct replacement according to the brand.

Instead of asking such a broad question, I would suggest narrowing your focus to a particular model / reference to develop your expertise. If you are serious about buying a particular sport Rolex, you need to narrow down your search and start learning specifics.

Thank you Dan, I ws lucky and my Sub had the original dial. Of course , what i mean is when the dial is really from the same ref, etc; but you did answer my question by saying that it defeats the purpose of collecting. I am attracted by the 'meter only ' subs of the 1970s , although my watch repairer thinks it is a mine field and better stay away as the provenance is so often manipulated , especially if the price is low (10 K ).

Dan S · Jan 11, 2025

vonrozen
Thank you Dan, I ws lucky and my Sub had the original dial. Of course , what i mean is when the dial is really from the same ref, etc; but you did answer my question by saying that it defeats the purpose of collecting. I am attracted by the 'meter only ' subs of the 1970s , although my watch repairer thinks it is a mine field and better stay away as the provenance is so often manipulated , especially if the price is low (10 K ).

I agree that you can't really get a decent MF for 10k these days. I found this one locally and purchased it from the original owner. It needed some TLC: before and after below. Fortunately, the dial, hands, and bezel were still good.

Dan S · Jan 11, 2025

vonrozen
Of course , what i mean is when the dial is really from the same ref, etc; but you did answer my question by saying that it defeats the purpose of collecting. I am attracted by the 'meter only ' subs of the 1970s , although my watch repairer thinks it is a mine field and better stay away as the provenance is so often manipulated , especially if the price is low (10 K ).

I'm not sure I understand what you are saying here about "when the dial is really from the same ref, etc." You have to know all the variations and how they are related to the serial numbers, and make your own judgement. Certainly for a reference that was made for as long as the 5513, there is the potential to have an incorrect "service" dial that still has a lot of value. For example, you could find a 1.6M 5513 from 1967 with a Maxi dial from the late 70s or early 80s. Obviously the dial would not be original and would make the watch less interesting to a collector, but the replacement dial could still have a lot of value for selling / trading.

Service dials on vintage Submariners and Masters (1960-70s)

vonrozen

Dan S

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