“New” Rolex Sub has lug scratches - warranty issue?

[Vivo Libre]

Rolex Forums Users - happy new year everyone.

On Saturday I went to my watch dealer who sold me my Omega and is a reputable dealer in my city. I purchased a 2022 Submariner for $16K. When I asked if the watch was worn, he told me it was “new” and “unworn”.

I tried to inspect the watch while I was there, but haven’t given it a wear until today in which I noticed dings on the front of the lugs - on both the top and bottom connectors - which make me think the watch had a bracelet removal.

My coworker who owns a Sub agrees someone has changed the bracelet at least once. I flipped the watch and as you can see, the inside of the lugs are very scratched up. This tells me two things very clearly:

1. The watch has had its bracelet removed/replaced by a prior owner.
2. The watch could not be described as either “new”, nor “unworn”.

In particular, I’m concerned with the warranty as I know the warranty card says any third party attachments or accessories void the warranty. I bought this 2022 watch because of the warranty - not to mention me paying $16K for a Sub because it is new.

What do you guys think and how would you handle this situation?

(I tried to share links to pictures of my watches but I can’t until I have 10 posts…)