Genuine Sub'C or not

[padi56]

Originally Posted by desmo996

If this is a defect I wonder if it will increase the value of the watch similar to the "two sticks" GMT?

Thats another Rolex myth the so called infamous stick or mistake GMT dial it was nothing more than a simple font change.And many who paid extra for these watches because of the Internet generated hype got burnt fingers.

Originally Posted by Time2time

"Contracting out"?

Thought Rolex made every component in-house by their own employees?

Im new so could be way off the mark.

Well at one time Rolex had a few different dial manufactures and certain escapement parts like the hairsprings were and are still made by (ETA Nivarox Far SA) until Rolex can become self sufficient in there own in-house parts..And as far as I know Rolex still out sources there mainspring manufacture.But the dial manufacture and crystal manufacture are now made by companies in the Rolex SA group.And just cannot for the life of me see where this everything has got to line up stuff comes from.Perhaps its from the Rolex brochures or web where every picture is perfect winding crown etc all perfect and standing upright date set 28th and hands set at 11 minutes past 10.

[desmo996]

It comes from all the macro photos you see online of these watches. That and I think when you dish out $8K for a SS watch it should be absolutely flawless.

Additionally I think there is a lot of paranoia going around online with regard to fakes. When you notice something that's off the red flags go off.

[TopNotchChach]

for some reason i always thought mine was off centered. i have learned to deal with it.

[desmo996]

I spoke with RSC NY today and they asked me to send in photos for their in house expert to look at. He's been doing this for 30 years and a definitive answer should be had by tomorrow morning.

[RJK]

Originally Posted by desmo996

I spoke with RSC NY today and they asked me to send in photos for their in house expert to look at. He's been doing this for 30 years and a definitive answer should be had by tomorrow morning.

There have been cases where even RSC has not been aware of some minor dial changes.

IMO the definitive answer has been given a while back ago in this tread.

That is Rolex uses different dial makers and variations exist between them albeit very minor ones. IMO the reason some dials span different series is because just like anything else, they want to use up stock vs. just throwing them away, so during a the end of one series and beginning of another you might have a mixture of two dials being used.

As for authenticity, if one bought it from an AD new, than I'm not sure how anyone could doubt it's authenticity....that coupled with the fact that there are many examples of the two dial variations from watches bought from AD's proves that different dials are being used.... and also that it is a rather common practice since other models are affected in the same way.

desmo996: like your Ducati..nice bike BTW, not every part that comes from the same parts supplier are put on every 996. But if you bought it brand new from a Ducati Dealer it's legit right. Of course your bike might have a different combination of parts than a similar 996 bought from another part of the world or maybe a different year. It's the same kind of idea...not a dead-on one-for-one example, but I think you get my drift.

Speaking of bikes I'm really thinking about trading my BMW GS Adventure in for a 2011 Mulitstrada S

Cheers, Ji

[desmo996]

Thanks for the insight RJK. At this point I'm just curious to hear Rolexes explanation which will probably match yours. It's just interesting to understand how they work in any case.

As for the bike, it's become a classic for me even if the 1098 is a better bike. You just can't beat the sound of a V-Twin through those Termignoni exhausts.

[PJR]

x2

[RJK]

Originally Posted by desmo996

Thanks for the insight RJK. At this point I'm just curious to hear Rolexes explanation which will probably match yours. It's just interesting to understand how they work in any case.

As for the bike, it's become a classic for me even if the 1098 is a better bike. You just can't beat the sound of a V-Twin through those Termignoni exhausts.

Roger that

x2 on your 996 + Termignoni, a buddy of mine has the full system and it is as sweet a sound as can be heard. As for 1098 or 1198 being better...yeah maybe, but there are very few people or places where anyone is going to ride beyond the capabilities of any of them. The 996 is one sweet ride.

Oh, forgot this is a Rolex forum

I hope you post what Rolex tells you.

[desmo996]

Ya forgot about the 1198...one sexy bike as well.

I'll definitely let everyone know what Rolex lets me know as soon as I hear back from them.

[Time2time]

Originally Posted by Doctorsti

Has it been demonstrated that there are only 2 variations?
Version 1. The = sign centered over the "C" with the "ft" font being taller then the 1000 font size, the top of the f and the tail of the f extend significantly from the line the 1000 is on.
Version 2. The = sign slightly left of the "C" with the "ft" font being the same height as 1000 font. The f is much smaller and more consistent with regard to font size.

I have a January 2011 purchase date random serial number "Version 2"

Mine is version 1. Bought in August 2010 random serial.

[jimbones43]

Rolex watches will show slight variations within the dials. Enjoy the watch and don't obsess! :)

[Doctorsti]

Originally Posted by jimbones43

Rolex watches will show slight variations within the dials. Enjoy the watch and don't obsess! :)

My opinion is I spent 7000 reasons to obsess. If I only spent 150 reasons I think I would obsess 50x less. If I could afford a porches and the "Turbo" letters were off center on the back it would not disrupt my driving enjoyment nor the function of the car but I think it would be acceptable to "obsess." Why is there so much "don't worry be happy" attitude here regarding apparent flaws? Those posts annoy me far more then "can I take my DSSD in the shower"

[RJK]

Originally Posted by Doctorsti

My opinion is I spent 7000 reasons to obsess. If I only spent 150 reasons I think I would obsess 50x less. If I could afford a porches and the "Turbo" letters were off center on the back it would not disrupt my driving enjoyment nor the function of the car but I think it would be acceptable to "obsess." Why is there so much "don't worry be happy" attitude here regarding apparent flaws? Those posts annoy me far more then "can I take my DSSD in the shower"

Kevin, I get what you're saying....however the "flaws" as you see them, are not considered that in the grand world of Rolex. From everything I've learned so far, slight changes from the different series is normal.

IMO that is why so many are suggesting you just enjoy your watch...because they have accepted that it is a normal thing that Rolex does.

BTW: I didn't know you could take your DSSD in the shower...I'd think the temperature differential from room temp to 100+ degrees would cause internal case condensation leading to rust and corrosion?



Cheers, Ji

[GradyPhilpott]

I think that this kind of minutia is quite entertaining and makes this dreadful watch disease much easier to bear.

Don't we all obsess over our little machines?

Take pictures of our LECs?

Marvel at the glue that binds our cyclops to the crystal?

Break out the 600mm telephoto lens to capture a faint etching made by a Rolex tech?

Admit it. We've all got it bad.

[Lanfor]

Variations in the dial are common enough, try not to worry about it too much

[jimbones43]

Originally Posted by Doctorsti

My opinion is I spent 7000 reasons to obsess. If I only spent 150 reasons I think I would obsess 50x less. If I could afford a porches and the "Turbo" letters were off center on the back it would not disrupt my driving enjoyment nor the function of the car but I think it would be acceptable to "obsess." Why is there so much "don't worry be happy" attitude here regarding apparent flaws? Those posts annoy me far more then "can I take my DSSD in the shower"

I obsessed too early on and it took away from my enjoyment. When I stopped obsessing I enjoyed my watches immensely and still do whether it's 70 or 7000 dollars.

And they not flaws, just dial variants!

Cheers!!

[desmo996]

Well I want to put this mysterious issue to rest once and for all. I finally spoke with RSC NY and their in house expert who has been with Rolex for 30+ years. As many of you guessed, the uncentered equal sign is one of 3 dial variations currently being produced by Rolex. Aside from the centered variation there is apparently also one where the = symbol is a bit offset to the right. They went through the dial bin and pulled out an example of each.

The dials are produced in 1000 lots groups and each group may show one of the 3 printing variations at this time. This of course is specific to the current Ceramic Submariner Date.

They gave me the option to have my dial replaced with a centered = sign version at no charge if I was unhappy with my current dial. Although the expert recommended against opening up a brand new watch if not absolutely necessary as the risk of contamination after breaking the seal was always present.

I decided to keep my dial as is, thinking it would be pointless to open up the watch for such a small detail. However I did ask for approval to have the dial replaced free of charge at my fist servicing when the watch will have to be opened up to clean anyway. They agreed that this would be fine.

So if your sub-c has this off center = sign breathe a sigh of relief as there is no question about your time piece's authenticity. In fact, it confirms that you definitely have the real thing as the printing variation was no mistake but acknowledged by Rolex.

[Time2time]

Originally Posted by desmo996

Well I want to put this mysterious issue to rest once and for all. I finally spoke with RSC NY and their in house expert who has been with Rolex for 30+ years. As many of you guessed, the uncentered equal sign is one of 3 dial variations currently being produced by Rolex. Aside from the centered variation there is apparently also one where the = symbol is a bit offset to the right. They went through the dial bin and pulled out an example of each.

The dials are produced in 1000 lots groups and each group may show one of the 3 printing variations at this time. This of course is specific to the current Ceramic Submariner Date.

They gave me the option to have my dial replaced with a centered = sign version at no charge if I was unhappy with my current dial. Although the expert recommended against opening up a brand new watch if not absolutely necessary as the risk of contamination after breaking the seal was always present.

I decided to keep my dial as is, thinking it would be pointless to open up the watch for such a small detail. However I did ask for approval to have the dial replaced free of charge at my fist servicing when the watch will have to be opened up to clean anyway. They agreed that this would be fine.

So if your sub-c has this off center = sign breathe a sigh of relief as there is no question about your time piece's authenticity. In fact, it confirms that you definitely have the real thing as the printing variation was no mistake but acknowledged by Rolex.

Thanks, very informative. At least you got to the bottom of it!!

[Numismatist]

Same thing on 4,000 foot Seadwellers - and probably on every other Rolex model...

http://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=186998

[Andad]

I don't understand why Rolex would offer to change a 'correct' dial?

Was it just because you were unhappy with it?

[desmo996]

Originally Posted by directioneng

I don't understand why Rolex would offer to change a 'correct' dial?

Was it just because you were unhappy with it?

That's a good question. The answer is yes, I guess they were aware of the potential impact on the aesthetics of the dial with regard to something not being quite centered and so they offered to swap it out even though it was apparently not a manufacturing error. I suppose since it was a new watch they wanted to make sure the owner was satisfied with his purchase.