GMT / Explorer question?

[Ruprekt]

I've been researching the Rolex GMT / Explorer reps, and see there's issues with the modified 2836 movements. A 2893 is supposed to be better. But all the retailers offer nothing but modified 2836 movements in their watches. Did these this get updated and fixed or what? Hand stack to me isn't as important as a long lasting, reliable watch. Opinions, advice? By the way I used the search feature before I posted.

Edited November 26, 2010 by Ruprekt

[panerai153]

Here is the deal. Relative to the GMT. Several years ago, one of our dealers who is no longer with us offered some PAM GMT's with 2893-2 movements. They were expensive and they didn't last long (for sale). They were replaced with the 2836-2's primarily because the 2836-2's were a whole lot cheaper and could be modified to have the GMT feature. 2893-2's are pretty expensive and are not readily available today. ETA is limiting the sale of movements and will over the next two or three years cease to sell movements to outside sources. This has a lot of smaller watch makers in a tizzy, because they have been using ETA's and modified ETA's for years. Fortunately, there are a couple of other manufacturers who are gearing up to produce movements which for all practical purposes identical in function and size to their corresponding ETA movements.

At the present time, there are no dealers sellinig GMT IIC's or Explorers with the option of a 2893-2 movement.

Personally, i like the 2893-2 because it is a purpose built GMT movement, it's very robust and will hold up for many,many years if serviced properly. The 2836-2 of today however is a good movement and also will do fine for a long time, again with proper service. Several folks on the forum have tried to replace the 2836-2 movement in their GMT with a 2893-2. Of all the people who have tried, i only know of two who were sucessful, and both said it was so difficult, they would never do it again. I had my watchmaker, who I believe is the best watchmaker/modder on the forum attempt to put a 2893-2 movement in my Rolex GMTIIC. He wouldn't do it, because of the problems both with the installation, and potential for ongoing problems that could crop up later.

If you are interested in a GMTIIC read by-tor's reviews of the GMTIIC. It is a very comprehensive review. What he told me about my GMT IIC was this. The GMT IIC is a very nice watch especially in the ICHS version (Avoid the CHS version at all costs, it is well known for it's unreliability and tendency to die at a very early age)! His advice was to wear the watch as it came to you, because there were some things wrong that couldn't be fixed, and spending a lot of money modding would not be worth the expenditure. I did end up having mine relumed and the movement serviced, but that was the extent of my modding.I have no idea whether or not a genuine dial will work, finding a genuine crystal with the AR'er cyclops is next to impossible, and it would be cost prohibitive to put a genuine movement in that watch.One of the problems we are facing today is,Rolex is getting very tight with their replacement parts. A watchmaker has to have a Rolex parts account which in itself is becoming harder to get and to keep. Rolex is requiring that when a watchmaker changes out a part such as a bezel insert, they have to send the old part back to Rolex. I'm sure this is Rolexes way of controlling the used market such as Ebay. I would expect that almost all of the used parts that you see on Ebay were parts that a watchmaker exchanged for a new part and then sold the old part. With the way Rolex is cracking down, it may come a time when all you see on Ebay are aftermarket parts, no used genuine parts.

So my advice to you would be buy a GMt IIC, either new or a used one off the forum (they come up for sale all the time) wear it and enjoy it. It's not a watch that will lend itself to extensive modding, and even if you did, there are enough "tells" that it still wouldn't be an accurate watch.