A Case in Point

[freddy333]

For the past few years, I have had timing issues with my assembled-from-gen-parts TOG, the cause of which I have been unable to locate. Everything appeared copacetic.

 

So, recently, out of frustration, I decided to throw caution to the wind & let Rolex take a shot at it, even though, in spite of the numerous reports of gen owners having their gen watch rejected by an RSC because it contains an aftermarket crystal or other non-critical part, I fully expected them to detect the non-stock formation of parts & reject the watch. Almost shockingly, not only did they accept the watch for repair, but the watchmaker that performed the work on the watch phoned to let me know that repairs had been successfully completed & made a point of complimenting me on the watch's overall condition. Because this is a major RSC, I think this both compliments the watch & demonstrates that even Rolex themselves cannot always identify a vintage franken from its oem counterpart.

[Sogeha]

Or perhaps that with the vintage stuff they no longer want to notice. RSC themselves replaced lots of original parts with service parts back in the day, then dealers were well known to buy a bunch of watches and dissemble them all and put the best bits in one watch, second choice in the second and so on. My guess is that very few vintage Rolex are all original and Rolex doesn't want to rock the boat and damage the market. 

 

Either way it's the ultimate accolade for your build to be able to slide it past them. 

[freddy333]

6 hours ago, Sogeha said:

Or perhaps that with the vintage stuff they no longer want to notice. RSC themselves replaced lots of original parts with service parts back in the day

Unless things have changed recently, I believe it is still standard Rolex SA policy to replace damaged/worn or out-of-spec parts with new parts during a standard overhaul. & this is generally a requirement, not an option. They do this because it is the only way they can guarantee the watch's proper function & specs, which is a prerequisite to their accepting a watch for service in the 1st place. Rolex's policy, which for all but a few RSCs in the EU, has been carved in stone for decades & the reason why so many gen owners, especially owners of vintage watches, so often choose to take their watches to independent watchmakers, who allow them to pick & choose which parts they replace or not. Remember, unlike companies like Mercedes-Benz or Patek Philippe, who service pretty much anything they ever made, Rolex SA is not in the (vintage) watch restoring business; they are in the (new) watch selling business.

 

As for not wanting to notice, it has been Rolex SA's policy since at least the 1980s to verify each watch accepted for service by serial number & to use that serial number to verify the format of the watch. That is, they know what dial, crystal, band, crown, etc, the watch left the factory with. Certainly, in the case of vintage watches &/or those non-critical components that Rolex themselves no longer manufacture or have available, they will not reject a watch that arrives (as mine did) with, for example, an aftermarket bezel insert. Knowing that, I made a point of informing the watchmaker of the aftermarket insert in an effort to see if Rolex could replace it with the correct part (knowing they would require such a swap if the part were available). Unfortunately, as I was well aware, TOG inserts have been extinct for decades & if Rolex had any, they were reserved for clients with VIP status. So, I think, all in all, since the rest of the watch was genuine, Rolex had no reason to suspect anything. Now, had there been an aftermarket crown, crystal or caseback, I expect I would be telling a much different story (ie., the story of RSC rejection that is typical for most frankens).

[Nanuq]

That's a remarkable affirmation of your attention to detail. When I see your pieces laid out in a photo shoot I know I'm looking at royalty.

[freddy333]

For some reason, Nanuq's posts often give me a warm fuzzy feeling.