Is this a sub-par Daytona dial?

[eddie_b]

Hello fellow TRF members,

I recently bought this TT Daytona and it looks great but I always loupe my watches just to see the quality.

Upon very close inspection, I noticed this dial has 3 areas that don't seem to be up to the standard of Rolex quality.

1) The tachymeter hand on the right side (the tachymeter hand on the bottom has a tiny drip compared to the others)

2) The tachymeter hand on the left side

3) The red track marker at 10 o'clock

Take a look at the pics and lemme know if you agree with that or is this normal?

Keep in mind these pics were taken with a macro lens. With the naked eye you can't really notice them unless you're specifically looking for them.

Looking forward to your responses!

Eddie

[horseco]

I would bring it to RSC & see if they will replace it... All they could say is no...

[TSW]

I normally don't use a loupe when i want to know the time on my watch.

[eddie_b]

Originally Posted by TSW

I normally don't use a loupe when i want to know the time on my watch.

I don't think anyone buys a Rolex or any other high end watch just to know the time. Its an obsession with perfection in my case...

[horseco]

Originally Posted by eddie_b

I don't think anyone buys a Rolex or any other high end watch just to know the time. Its an obsession with perfection in my case...

I agree, you payed premium money, for a premium product... Rolex should deliver...

[imono]

I'll say very nice clear shots!

[GradyPhilpott]

It's your watch and your money, so it's your call.

[ecsub44]

Originally Posted by eddie_b

I don't think anyone buys a Rolex or any other high end watch just to know the time. Its an obsession with perfection in my case...

Then you will be horribly disappointed in Rolex watches.

[boogiebot]

Originally Posted by ecsub44

Then you will be horribly disappointed in Rolex watches.

why would he be dissapointed? i think that if you spend this much money on a watch it better be perfect

[dddrees]

I've heard loupes with Rolex can be your worst enemy. I've never done it with any of mine because they all look fine when I use my naked eye.

It's your watch and you paid for it. You have the right to go in and ask to see what they will do for you. Rolex is known for providing great customer service, hopefully they will correct whatever errors you are unhappy with.

[gwalker]

Originally Posted by ecsub44

Then you will be horribly disappointed in Rolex watches.

X2 to a degree. No Rolex is perfect and if you pull out a loupe to look at any Rolex you will find issues. That said its your watch. This isn't some finished by hand 6 figure watch. Don't expect perfection at this price. That's just my feeling. I don't expect perfection from Rolex. I expect a great watch for the money. That's what Rolex gives me.

[eddie_b]

I appreciate everyone's input.

Ultimately I will be exchanging it because I would rather have one that's perfect but I guess my question was more along the lines of what you guys think about the quality.

Is this "normal" for a Rolex?

[gwalker]

Originally Posted by boogiebot

why would he be dissapointed? i think that if you spend this much money on a watch it better be perfect

Sorry but if that's how you really feel you will be dissatisfied. You are going to need a much deeper wallet to get so called perfection. Even then magnify it enough and something will be amiss.

IMO to the op the hands are fine. The missing marker needs to be fixed. That's not acceptable to me.

Edit: never mind. I think the marker is ok to me. I rhour it was missing not red. wouldn't bother me.

[dddrees]

Originally Posted by eddie_b

I appreciate everyone's input.

Ultimately I will be exchanging it because I would rather have one that's perfect but I guess my question was more along the lines of what you guys think about the quality.

Is this "normal" for a Rolex?

I couldn't tell you for certain cause I don't use a loupe.


My gut tells me yes. The small things you showed us are things I would never notice if they existed in the first place on any of my Rolex watches.

[ufboy73]

Originally Posted by boogiebot

why would he be dissapointed? i think that if you spend this much money on a watch it better be perfect

you are going to find 'issues' with EVERY rolex looking through a loupe like that. 'perfect' is not a reasonable expectation given the production method, volumes, etc.

yes, its expensive for a watch but not expensive enough to ensure 'perfect'

[eddie_b]

Nothing will be perfect, I completely understand that. However, the issues on this dial are definitely not acceptable for a Rolex, imho.

I just wanted to see what others thought and still am curious to see what more of you think.

As an example I have an IWC AMG Chronograph which is basically perfect and that costs a bit over a half of a normal SS Daytona.

[ufboy73]

honestly, i think what is acceptable to an individual vs. what is acceptable in a rolex are two different things.

personally, i returned a rolex once because it had an issue that was unacceptable to me but rolex would do nothing about. luckily, the AD i was working with took it back for the sake of our relationship, which i appreciated.

again, personally, 'i' would not accept the issues with your watch - rolex imperfection aside.

[RyanJames]

I'm normally used to seeing patchy lume most frequently but I do think that the hands on your Daytona should be changed if the paint drips are easily viewed without a loupe.

As for the dial marker I can't tell from the picture but it looks like some lint or a spec of white on the actual red?

Ryan

[Vaxe]

IMO, I would not accept three hand imperfections on a $15k watch. It doesn't take a multi-million dollar machinery to paint a strip of color, and this is just poor QC on the end of the manufacturer.

Anyone with 15/20 eyesight won't need a loupe to spot the visual defect on your watch. Take it back if you can.

[boogiebot]

Originally Posted by gwalker

Sorry but if that's how you really feel you will be dissatisfied. You are going to need a much deeper wallet to get so called perfection. Even then magnify it enough and something will be amiss.

IMO to the op the hands are fine. The missing marker needs to be fixed. That's not acceptable to me.

Edit: never mind. I think the marker is ok to me. I rhour it was missing not red. wouldn't bother me.

let me back up my statement. i understand this is not a hand made one of a kind, sure its mass made but the hands on the sub dials would bug me too. so i agree with the op that if you pay this much money for something that it should be done right. there is a reason that Rolex is the number one seller of swiss watches. and IMHO its because they do things right. these types of issues in the pictures are not right IMO

[horseco]

Originally Posted by ufboy73

Honestly, I think what is acceptable to an individual vs. what is acceptable in a Rolex are two different things.

personally, I returned a Rolex once because it had an issue that was unacceptable to me but Rolex would do nothing about. Luckily, the AD I was working with took it back for the sake of our relationship, which I appreciated.

again, personally, 'I' would not accept the issues with your watch - Rolex imperfection aside.

What issue did you have???

[Tools]

You should leave your loupe in your desk..

[gwalker]

Originally Posted by Tools

You should leave your loupe in your desk..

Bingo!

[MortgageGuy]

Have and will never use a loupe on any of my watches and I would be certain to be disappointed. For me it would be just fine as I would never have noticed it... Sorry.

As for the price factor I agree that for perfection you are going to have to open your wallet wide, MUCH wider

[eddie_b]

Originally Posted by Vaxe

IMO, I would not accept three hand imperfections on a $15k watch. It doesn't take a multi-million dollar machinery to paint a strip of color, and this is just poor QC on the end of the manufacturer.

Anyone with 15/20 eyesight won't need a loupe to spot the visual defect on your watch. Take it back if you can.

I totally agree with you. Furthermore, as I said I'm not looking for perfection for this price range, but this sort of quality is def not acceptable for this kind of price.

I think I know what's happening here, people are just getting defensive about the Rolex brand. I've seen a few other threads where people were complaining about aftermarket dials that had errors as big or smaller than this one and everyone said return it, Rolex quality is much better than that.

Now when the tables are turned, they just defend Rolex. Rolex probably offers the best bang for your buck in terms of quality for price paid. However, I still maintain that is not an acceptable error, especially when it happens 3 times.

I do appreciate everyone's input, though, regardless of your opinion

PS I need to correct myself, I referred to the red hands as the tachymeter hands, which is not correct :)

[Kevin B]

I use a Loupe on any watch I buy, the dial is very important to me.......for a lot of reasons. As for the pictures you posted I don't think anything on your watch would bother me but I would have to see it with my naked eye to be sure. I guess the bottom line is if it bothers you it wouldn't hurt to ask your ad and see what they say.

[train-time]

Originally Posted by Tools

You should leave your loupe in your desk..

X2

[GradyPhilpott]

Originally Posted by eddie_b

Now when the tables are turned, they just defend Rolex. Rolex probably offers the best bang for your buck in terms of quality for price paid. However, I still maintain that is not an acceptable error, especially when it happens 3 times.

I don't think that anyone is being overly or unfairly defensive of Rolex. It's just that if you magnify anything enough, you're going to find flaws.

They just don't build much these days at the microscopic level. We live in a macroscopic world.

Granted there are fields in which microscopic accuracy is the norm by necessity, but in a watch, not so much.

As I said earlier, it's your watch, money and your decision.

You really didn't need to post here for anyone's opinion, but you did and that's what you got.

There is little doubt in my mind that Rolex will do their best to make you happy with your purchase, because I don't think that they will have to look far to find a dial that meets your standard.

[cajerseyboy]

I'd say return it and have them produce another piece for your review. What's that saying......oh yea:

"The customer is always right"

Rolex should fix the problem and investigate how it got past QC. I would hope THEY use a loop during their inspection before shipping product. Don't get me wrong I love Rolex but I'm not going to give them a pass just because I think highly of their product.

Also, There may be a manufacturing issue with painting the hands that they don't know about. After all it happened to all 3 hands. someone should bring it to their attention

[Vaxe]

Originally Posted by GradyPhilpott

It's just that if you magnify anything enough, you're going to find flaws.

They just don't build much these days at the microscopic level.

The thing is, you don't need any magnification to see the irregular paint job on the OP's watch. This is not a speck of dust on the dial we're talking about, it's crooked red paint on all three hands - arguably the most dynamic and noticeable part of any chronograph.

It irks me a bit that the common response is "$15k is too little to ask for uniformly painted hands". This is Rolex. A Daytona. And in gold - heirloom quality stuff. We're not playing with Invictas here. How could this have slipped quality control?