jvdesigns2002
Footballguy
Glad to help out when I can. I’ve been pulling a massive amount of hours at work so sometimes my replies are delayed. If you have a local place that has done solid quality Rolex for you in the past—you should go back to them. They have certainly not done anything to deserve losing your business and loyalty to a small business is a beautiful thing.
In regards to asking if your situation falls under warranty parameters—I would tread lightly. Watch warranties are generally issued to guarantee against defective parts or defective work. Generally speaking—user error does not fall under warranty. It was no fault of the store or their watchmaker that you dropped the watch and broke the crystal. With that said—I do think you could politely ask for consideration of a pricing concession by being brutally honest. When you go in (and have your information ready—do not make them look up records during their busiest time of the year)—just say—I had you guys service my watch on this date—and the watch was working beautifully. Unfortunately, I accidentally dropped it and broke the crystal—and was wondering if you can get me an estimate to get this repaired—and would be grateful for any price concession that you could work out for me. The idea is to support a good small business and not to expect them to suffer punitively for a mistake that really wasn’t theirs. I always give my most honest and grateful clients the best deals as my way of thanking them for always being a pleasure to deal with.
If you are going through a small business—my guess is that you will most likely be getting an OEM aftermarket sapphire crystal. For a watch that you plan on wearing/keeping—this is perfectly satisfactory as they are built to the same tolerances as the original. Rolex started slashing parts accounts a few years ago—and factory sapphire crystals on the secondary market routinely go for $400-700 each. Any decent watchmaker should always do a pressure test after a crystal install on a water resistant watch—and the results of that pressure test will let you know if the crystal is properly seated and installed.
In regards to switching out the bezel insert—I personally prefer to keep the watch “as factory” as possible when it comes to stuff like that. If you do want to change it out—just make sure ask for the original insert back even if it’s faded. Believe it or not—if yours is faded but has a nice patina—-it’s still worth keeping inside of your watch box as they can be valuable. I personally would not put a Batman aftermarket bezel insert on a watch from 1991. Batman’s did not exist on the platform that your watch was built on. Batman’s came out in 2013–and the case/bracelets were of a slightly heavier construction. Real Rolex people would instantly be able to tell that your watch is a Batman pretender. Just my two cents.
In regards to how your bezel rotates—without seeing or feeling your watch—it’s hard for me to tell you what is wrong with it. The bezel ratcheting systems on Rolexes do vary with age—so watches that were made at different times will have bezels that rotate with different ease and pressure. If you have watches with the same reference numbers where one rotates easier considerably easier than the other—there could be particulate underneath the bezel or it could need some oiling. You should have them look at that during the crystal install.
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WOW thats nice. :goals:
