Broken bezel has me thinking.....

[Neil.tf001]

Hi all, I was planning to make my only big watch purchase to be the new TT black sub. However I See again issues with broken bezels on the new models which is making me nervous. The main reason for the new sub is the new clasp but weighing that against a broken bezel and weeks of repair, warrantee or not has me second guessing.
I know I can insure the watch but still weeks or repair?
Thoughts please.
Neil

[sleddog]

Millions of ceramic bezels now out in the wild...
A handfull of broken ones.....Percentage,less than 1% I'm sure...
Try not to worry and just enjoy it!!

[WARVET]

Originally Posted by sleddog1000

Millions of ceramic bezels now out in the wild...
A handfull of broken ones.....Percentage,less than 1% I'm sure...
Try not to worry and just enjoy it!!

Sucks if you are the 1%

[sleddog]

Originally Posted by WARVET

Sucks if you are the 1%

I guess...........
Sucks if you cross the street and get hit by a car as well!!
Odds are the same....(or similar)

[tgoose1]

No one knows what the percentages are except Rolex, and they ain't saying. It's greater than 1% guaranteed.

[mborkow]

Originally Posted by tgoose1

No one knows what the percentages are except Rolex, and they ain't saying. It's greater than 1% guaranteed.

Your two statements would appear to be odds with each other unless you work at Rolex...

[Porsche]

Originally Posted by tgoose1

No one knows what the percentages are except Rolex, and they ain't saying. It's greater than 1% guaranteed.

No disrespect meant, but what kind of "guarantee" is it that you asre giving to back up "greater than 1%" ? Is it the same guarantee as Rolex give for the ceramic bezel

[The GMT Master]

Originally Posted by tgoose1

No one knows what the percentages are except Rolex, and they ain't saying. It's greater than 1% guaranteed.

If it's any help, of the ceramic bezeled watches that my place of work has sold since they were introduced in 2005, not one has had a problem with the bezel. Neither have we taken in one we haven't sold to send back to Rolex. It isn't the world's biggest AD, but we've had a very steady turnover on ceramic GMT IIs and Subs, not a problem so far.

I've already said this, but I'll reiterate it - of the thousands of ceramic bezeled watches that are in circulation, there have only been 3 or 4 confirmed cases. This is perhaps a good example of the internet blowing things out of proportion - the world seems very small through a computer screen. You also have to take into account that people are more likely to post about their watch if it has a serious problem than if it's absolutely fine - you don't get any posts on here, for example, saying that the bezel is perfect, it goes without saying.

Once again, to sum up, it's a storm in a teacup. Quite frankly, if there was a serious problem, then Rolex would have recalled them. I'm perfectly happy with the new ceramic bezels, for me, this whole business is a non-issue that's been completely blown out of proportion.

[The GMT Master]

I still think the whole ceramic bezel problem is a storm in a teacup. There have maybe been 3 or 4 confirmed cases worldwide, which, considering that Rolex has used ceramic bezels for 5 years now, shows it's not a major problem. The simple answer is that nothing is indestructible - the odds, however, are overwhelmingly in favour of it not breaking.

Get that TT Sub, and wear it with pride

[rfknauss]

It would not stop me from buying a Rolex with a ceramic bezel.

[Hooper]

Originally Posted by rfknauss

It would not stop me from buying a Rolex with a ceramic bezel.

Nor me !

[Dan Pierce]

Originally Posted by rfknauss

It would not stop me from buying a Rolex with a ceramic bezel.

Agreed! I prefer the classic aluminum bezels but this is a non issue for the overwhelming majority of ceramics.
dP

[tgoose1]

Those reporting to this forum on ceramic bezel issues represent an infinitesimally small sampling of all new watches sold.

[Porsche]

Originally Posted by sleddog1000

Millions of ceramic bezels now out in the wild...
A handfull of broken ones.....Percentage,less than 1% I'm sure...
Try not to worry and just enjoy it!!

+1

I have to agree with Rob... I would say LESS than 0.1%

Originally Posted by tgoose1

Those reporting to this forum on ceramic bezel issues represent an infinitesimally small sampling of all new watches sold.

This forum has over 50,000 members worldwide, so maybe not such a small sample

[Dr.Brian]

Originally Posted by Porsche

+1

I have to agree with Rob... I would say LESS than 0.1%



This forum has over 50,000 members worldwide, so maybe not such a small sample

Rolex makes less than 1m watches a year by all accounts, only a fraction have ceramic bezels over the last few years. There are probably less than a million out there. And of the 50k members, what % even have a Rolex let alone a newer ceramic one? We don't have a large sample size at all here.

To the warranty question above. Reports here and elsewhere indicate that they are NOT being replaced as a warranty repair.

[austinnh]

accidental double post

[steubi1]

I bought a SubC recently and I am very happy with it.

When I look at the pictures of damaged bezels, I always think: What the hell are these people doing with their watches?

I mean, in the end, you can destroy everything if you only try hard enough. And finally, a fine watch like a Rolex is robust, yes, it may also be considered a "tool watch", yes, but it is a PRECISION INSTRUMENT which deserves a certain care of the owner.

Regards
Tom

[austinnh]

Originally Posted by Porsche

+1

I have to agree with Rob... I would say LESS than 0.1%

As I said in my first reply to this thread, less than 1% are breaking because less than 1% of new Rolexes see any kind of significant abuse or impact. For more than 1% to break, they would literally have to fall apart for no reason at all! But no, these bezels are so strong that you actually have to hit them to get them to break. (sarcasm)

This is why I said to the OP (well I didn't say it explicitly, I implied it) that if he is in the 99% of Rolex owners who handle their watches with great care, then ceramic would be fine. But if he is in the 1% who lead a rough (or clumsy) lifestyle and want a Rolex that can endure that lifestyle, that may be that same 1% that wind up with broken ceramic bezels, and I would want aluminum, which is clearly much more robust.

Also, less than 1% have broken? But that's just in 5 years or so. If you keep your watch for 50 years, your lifetime probability goes up by a factor of 10...

I'm not suggesting that one should not get ceramic at all because it might break (this in response to chris russell's post). That would be silly because, yes, anything can break.

I'm just saying that the aluminum bezel is much stronger so if robustness is a concern in your watch selection, aluminum is preferable.

[all numbers in this post approximate ]

[austinnh]

Originally Posted by The GMT Master

The simple answer is that nothing is indestructible

True, nothing is indestructible, but that doesn't mean we should throw away our standards of durability.

My watch may not be indestructible, but it's a lot closer to it thanks to the aluminum bezel.

[The GMT Master]

Originally Posted by austinnh

True, nothing is indestructible, but that doesn't mean we should throw away our standards of durability.

My watch may not be indestructible, but it's a lot closer to it thanks to the aluminum bezel.

I disagree. Enough force to break a ceramic bezel will be more than enough to destroy or heavily damage an aluminium one - I can guarantee that far more aluminium bezels will have been replaced in the past year, for example, than ceramic ones. The only difference is that to replace an aluminium bezel is expected, whilst people seem to think that ceramic is infallible.

I do think that ceramic is a good step forwards, it gives the watch a truly premium look and feel, plus you won't have any loss of colour. If not unnecessarily poorly treated, then the ceramic bezeled watch you buy today will still look as new in 50 years time.

Cheers,

Chris

[austinnh]

I partially agree with and partially disagree.

Originally Posted by The GMT Master

I disagree. Enough force to break a ceramic bezel will be more than enough to destroy or heavily damage an aluminium one

On this point, I disagree. A recent cracked bezel story involved a mild (based on the owners story) impact with a vertical pole. A couple others have been a fall to a tile floor. That would never cause much damage to an aluminum bezel. Maybe a cosmetic scratch, but not "destroy or heavily damage". Compare with the ceramic bezel insert falling out of the watch - now that's destroyed.

Originally Posted by The GMT Master

- I can guarantee that far more aluminium bezels will have been replaced in the past year, for example, than ceramic ones.

I agree, but these are cases of cosmetic wear and tear - which is to be expected. The repair is optional and cheap. It's like polishing.

The ceramic bezel cases, however, are cases of complete breakage to the point that the bezel is no longer functional (when the insert falls out). It's not a cosmetic touch up - it's a broken watch. And it's expensive to repair.

The two cases are apples to oranges - routine cosmetic touch up to non functional bezel.

Originally Posted by The GMT Master

I do think that ceramic is a good step forwards, it gives the watch a truly premium look and feel, plus you won't have any loss of colour. If not unnecessarily poorly treated, then the ceramic bezeled watch you buy today will still look as new in 50 years time.

I agree, but only to the extent that the cosmetic condition of the bezel is the primary concern. If you're more concerned about the function - measuring elapsed time, or the expense of repair/insurance, or the inconvenience of watch being away for repair unexpectedly, then the aluminum bezel is more desirable.


-Austin

[Bullyterrier]

Originally Posted by The GMT Master

I disagree. Enough force to break a ceramic bezel will be more than enough to destroy or heavily damage an aluminium one

Chris

Jade is also very hard and scratch resistant, but one day, after years of wearing it, my wife's jade bangle cracked after catching it just right.

[Vlad@GKScott]

They are aluminum!!! Oh my God, for years I was convinced that they are plastic!!! It is never too late to admit your mistakes :)

As of ceramic bezels. They are too hard to put back on. Maybe I just got used to put old conventional bezels on, but when I got a chance to work on a new GMT it took me awhile to put ceramic bezel back on...
I always favored Yacht-Masters because I never liked the way aluminum bezel inserts looked on Submariners and GMTs, but now Rolex corrected it for me. And came up with something new in decades.

[DS_Obsessed]

I have yet to see one picture. I've seen threads where people claim they hit it just right, but still no pics. I have dropped and smacked my DS against door nobs and the like, no problems yet.

[austinnh]

Originally Posted by DS_Obsessed

I have yet to see one picture. I've seen threads where people claim they hit it just right, but still no pics.

Easily fixed (unlike a broken ceramic bezel - )







Thanks to sheldonsmith for pointing these out in this thread

OK, your turn, now show me some aluminum bezels that broke when the rest of the watch survived.

[Dr.Brian]

Originally Posted by austinnh

Easily fixed (unlike a broken ceramic bezel - )







Thanks to sheldonsmith for pointing these out in this thread

OK, your turn, now show me some aluminum bezels that broke when the rest of the watch survived.

Thanks Austin, I knew they were out there somewhere!

[sleddog]

Originally Posted by austinnh

Easily fixed (unlike a broken ceramic bezel - )







Thanks to sheldonsmith for pointing these out in this thread

OK, your turn, now show me some aluminum bezels that broke when the rest of the watch survived.

So as with everything,we all have a difference of opinion and that's cool.....
Here we have 3 broken ceramic bezels......Lets add 17 more for prosperity...
Now we have 20 bezels that need to be replaced..I would say thats exceptionaly good considering the amount of ceramic bezels in the wild today!!(Millions) Less than 1% infact.
If your worried about braking it,you should stay clear of one and maybe wrap all your watches in bubble wrap so as to avoid any damage at all.....
These things happen,nothing is indestructable!! Take a car window.Sometimes you'll get a tiny chip from a big rock and sometimes you'll get a complete crack from one side to the other from a small rock....It all depends how it's hit!
The OP's concern was breaking one....My advice is,your chances are slim,so don't hold back on a watch you love because of "Chance" you may break it! We all run that risk on almost everything we buy!!

[sheldonsmith]

Originally Posted by austinnh

Easily fixed (unlike a broken ceramic bezel - )







Thanks to sheldonsmith for pointing these out in this thread

OK, your turn, now show me some aluminum bezels that broke when the rest of the watch survived.

The link to these images as well as others is over at http://www.minus4plus6.com/ouch.htm

Great discussion and I too am troubled by the GMT ceramic and bracelet clasp issues, but I still wear my GMT-C every day. It is a three year old Z series without any issues, although I do check the clasp under a loupe every few weeks. I do take comfort that the percentage for breakage is low, and that without the Internet, none of use would be aware of these anomalies.

-Sheldon

[austinnh]

It seems to me the number of broken ceramic bezel instances is very small still. But this is probably because most Rolex owners take great care not to bash (or gently tap...) their watches on anything.

With my lifestyle, I need a watch that can hold up against some use, and I would worry too much about a ceramic bezel.

That's just me though.

[Zirotti]

Thanks Chris. Ceramic should be a much more robust material than aluminum and it's a trend a lot of manufacturers have been following the last few years.

I think the real issue that people have and that they don't want to say is that instead of being able to pay $150 for a aluminum bezel insert today, people are concerned that the ceramic will cost multiples more (which is probably true as it's a premium material).