Pissed! Collectors Watches 1946 Experience

[EEpro]

I purchased a BNIB white dial Daytona with a September 2023 warranty card and both hang tags etc. Top dollar paid for the full kit.

Upon arrival I noticed some irregularities in the brushed bracelet pattern including what looked like a touch up attempt on a handling mark. I also noticed a flaw on the dial. At that point I reached out to the dealer.



I received a phone call from Vinnie in response assuring me the watch was genuine and Rolex had changed their brushing technique in 2021. I also own 2 other Daytonas post 2021 so I would respectfully disagree on this point.

Here is the dial flaw.





We agreed that I would send to Rolex in Dallas and that they would cover the price of any replacement watch links. The assumption at this point is the dial is a QC flaw and will be gratis (this will be found to be billable damage when the Rolex watch maker locates the missing ink scraped onto / deposited on the inside of the watch case during dial reinstall).

Here is the written feedback from RSC. I skipped Page 2 as it lists the hands they want to replace.







Some important notes:
Non-Rolex refinish
Movement contaminated
Dial damaged
Warranty void (less than 2 months into 5 year period)

Rolex wants $888 to replace the dial and hands and would charge $1900 to replace the bracelet. They offered to service the watch and polish the case and bracelet for free due to the situation.

I called RSC to get feedback from the watchmaker about the damage and refinish. At this point I'm thinking: Why on earth would someone have the dial pulled out on a 2-3 weeks-old Daytona from the AD? I ran to check my white hang tag which read 116500-001 thankfully. Not a black to white swap. Still no clue why. Watchmaker confirms the brushed elements of the bracelet have been rebrushed.

I did not pay for a used mint watch with a polished case and bracelet. It was advertised as BNIB. I called to confirm everything before paying online I was assured it was fresh from an AD. Current month warranty etc.

I followed up with a phone call to Collectors again. They confirmed receipt of the RSC email. I was told I would get a call back from Vinnie.

Not yet. I am still waiting on that call.

At this point my watch is in the safest hands at RSC so I'm not panicked unless the movement comes back fake during service. The total price for dial and bracelet is $2788.

Collectors has a chance to make it right. They should issue a partial refund on my PayPal payment to adjust for my out of pocket costs, lost warranty, and incorrectly advertised BNIB vs MINT purchase price. I still have some levels of Amex and PayPal adjudication available but I hope they just do the right thing.

I'll try to keep this thread updated but will be doing 18 hours of driving this Thanksgiving weekend.

Important note: if a reseller / dealer opens your brand new watch to authenticate the movement and contaminates the movement or leaves any trace, your warranty is void.

Happy Thanksgiving, all!