What's the longest period you've been able to go without servicing your Rolex.

[bolo]

My father's Day Date is 22 years old. it's never been serviced till
now and still keeping good time. he wore it everyday until last year. Then he bought PP 5711.
Of course the Day date belongs to me and my bro.

[Ck8]

I had a Exp II brand new to 10 years and it ran spot for the duration.

[Nomoresubs]

I bought my 5513 used in 1991 and it aint been serviced whilst I owned it!!. Going off the serial number it was 1977/78 made, so god only knows when, if ever it was serviced before I got it, and it still runs superb. The old saying if it aint broke......

[rfknauss]

Longest I have gone is 7 years.

[skywag]

Remember, stories abound about sending in your Roles to some fool watchmaker and having it come back scratched, over polished, dirty inside crystal, wrong parts, and way over estimate.

I will NEVER send my watch in unless it is broken. And I don't care if it's a few seconds off. If I wanted accuracy I certainly wouldn't buy a Rolex!! It is complete false economy to service at 5-7 year intervals.

[DSJ]

My buddy got his 16610 for his college graduation in May 1995 and has been worn probably 75%. He has not had it serviced yet, and only in February did it start losing a little time.

[sdwtchlvr]

I recently bought a 1680 that hadn't been serviced since 1984. So 26 years. It was running +7 seconds a day. I had it serviced though because I wanted it cleaned up. It was running +13 seconds after the service...lol. But I've since had it regulated and now it's running much better.

[orioner00]

my first rolex dj r series not serviced up to now:)

[Mystro]

12 years and counting.... My Serti Sub still keeps the same +3 seconds a day as it did when new.

[rad87gn]

My question is how long has someone gone without service and still had the watch fully waterproof?

[Paracentesis]

Nine years and two months for my daily-wearer 16610. It's my first and only Rolex. I was in the AD buying a couple of new watches -- Explorer I for my GF, and A.N.Other (Non-Rolex) watch for me -- and asked them to service my Sub as part of the overall "deal".

I'm still not sure whether I've done the right thing, as it has always run +1.5 sec per day, wasn't exhibiting any problems, and the turnaround time is going to be 16 weeks. I'm surprised how much I'm missing it, already, after only 11 days! It's been a reliable friend for a long time.

I asked them to please not polish the case & bracelet, and was told this was a unique request...

[DCgator]

I have a 1991 T-Bird that has not been to the shop. It's not a daily wearer but gets wrist time on a regular basis. She still keeps accurate time every time I use her, green hologram still intact, too.

[mda]

Originally Posted by rad87gn

My question is how long has someone gone without service and still had the watch fully waterproof?

My thought exactly. If it's not waterproof and some moisture can leak in, I suppose internal parts will deteriorate faster than usual. -- This is especially important for those who dive or regularly use the watch near water.

I, however, agree with the school of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". But I suppose I will have water pressure test done every other year, just in case.

[George Ab]

I have never gone more than 8 to 10 years. When you run your watch dry, it may still work, but more parts will have to be replaced increasing your overhaul cost. I have serviced performed when it actually requires it. This is a simple procedure of having your watchmaker perform a three minute inspection to determine if there is lubricant in critical areas.

I don't see anyone talking about "I went 100K in my Porsche without ever doing an oil change".

[flathead59]

Originally Posted by George Ab

I have never gone more than 8 to 10 years. When you run your watch dry, it may still work, but more parts will have to be replaced increasing your overhaul cost. I have serviced performed when it actually requires it. This is a simple procedure of having your watchmaker perform a three minute inspection to determine if there is lubricant in critical areas.

I don't see anyone talking about "I went 100K in my Porsche without ever doing an oil change".

+ 1 George. I took the newly purchased pre-owned GMT and E-II to a trusted watchmaker and had them checked out. The GMT got regulated and given a thumbs up, the E-II went in for service.

Mark

[Roxas]

Amazing. So I don't need to service my Rolex every 5 years.

[pradeep]

That depends.. :)

[Bdel]

SSSS, , the datejust was worn everyday for 3 years before I had a few others to rotate with it. Now, mine are worn approximately 1 week every 3 months. Since I generally rotate between 12 or so. I allow them to stop between wearings.

[Cap]

Bought my DJ new in early 74 at a US Military exchange overseas. I have been told it was manufactured/assembled in 68 or 69. I wear it 24/7. It stopped working twice since I bought it. In both cases I took it to a local Rolex Jeweler. Not sure what they did but it still keeps great time. So lets see, 2 times in the past 36 years so about one service each 18 years.

[slcbbrown]

probably 10 years

[toolr]

A friend of mine has a DRSD 1665 he bought in 1975 that has never been serviced. It runs fine but the crown is starting to skip when manually winding. It's an early 4 mil. serial number.

[RolexguyinSF]

Originally Posted by SSSS

Some people feel strongly that Rolexes should be serviced every five years. Some people prefer to wait until their watches lose or gain too much time or just plan stop.

For the latter group, what's the longest you've been able to go without requiring maintenance service?

I'll start off the responses by stating that I know someone who owns a DJ they we're every day that is on its eleventh year since service from the RSC. It runs twenty seconds fast per day but other than that is fine.

I've only been to a RSC once- it was with my 13 year old 16610. The bezel insert was scratched up, and the movement sounded funny when wound (but it kept great time). I took it in, they said it looked ok, but needed 4 new parts, and oils, lube, and it ran fine after that. My philosophy is don't take it in until there's a problem. RSC's aren't cheap!

[Watch Professor]

I spoke to a salesman working in a well known AD yesterday, and he said that he received his Sub Date 40 years ago for his wedding and it is still running well and never serviced.

[Puffy]

i have a GMT from 1996 that apparently has never been opened. keeps perfect time

[hhh007]

I strongly believe in over maintaining most everything I own, but the RSC prices make it somewhat difficult to justify sending in watches that appear to be working perfectly and keeping excellent time.

Case in point: I own several 17013 TT Oysterquartz models and Rolex Dallas recently quoted me the minimum new charge for a service on this model is now $900.00 and it could go significantly higher if it needs certain internal parts. So even if it needs no additional expensive parts, a service with a new sapphire crystal and return shipping is going to cost well over $1000.00 which is a hard pill to swallow for a watch that has a market value of $2000.00 - $2500.00 and runs perfectly.

[timkel]

Explorer I daily wear for 30 years. It has never stopped. Typical accuracy in +-3 seconds per day. I only had serviced when accuracy dropped to +-10 seconds per day. The longest run was 10 years. I would also have scratched crystal replaced during service. The bands take a beating. I'm on my 3rd or 4th band. The oyster bands were $90.00 back in the day(seemed expensive back then). Now the band prices are crazy. Watch service was $125.00 at first, now its $2-250.00 or so(seems fair).

[buke45]

My brother in-law's DJ, he bought it in 1985 and It still has not been serviced. That is 25 Years and it still keeps perfect time and it is still waterproof.

[jfhawk99]

20 years for my DJ. Kept perfect time till the main spring broke. Watchmaker said the movement was in excellent condition. It's back and keeping perfect time.