Another Rolex Quality Control Thread.

[CDNWatchNut]

Nothing less than God like perfection is acceptable, send it back !


Being serious, I don't think those would be warranty issues, however Rolex may do something under goodwill for you. The risk is, it comes back with other or worse micro flaws than you see now. Honestly, I would not bother with sweating such miniscule inconsistencies, but thats just my opinion.

[VinnieVegas]

Looks fine to me

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[strongarms]

Sir, put the loupe down and slowly back away....

[maximus1]

No, you should not be so upset. I would wear it until you have a few nice scratches on it. If it still bothers you that much, sell it and buy another. Make sure you inspect the new one before finalizing the deal.

[bdex75]

Congrats on your new explorer.

I am not OCD and that stuff would not bother me. Not sure how many watches Rolex makes a year but they are mass produced timepieces. Had it been a new Gruebel Forsey I would probably be more critical.


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[Brny11]

Cyclopse on my Sub is way less then 2.5x zoom, not sure how it left the factory like that. I like it better though! My explorer had same issue with the rehaut. However, I didn't mind as the rehaut is much more faint on the Explorer then some other sport models.

I completely respect your concern and expectation for rolex to show a high level of attention to detail. However, they make 800k watches a year or so.. some watches have character (in the form of potential imperfections).

Enjoy your watch.. if you can't enjoy it, send it in and have your concerns taken care of.

[Alex_TA]

You bought the whole package, like it or not. For absolute dial quality it should be Grand Seiko (not a joke).

[datejustrms]

I would put the loupe away and enjoy your Explorer. If you send it back to RSC, it could come back with something else you may see under a loupe. If you need a loupe to see something, don't sweat it.

[rolehex]

The crown not aligned at 12 o'clock would not bother me but the other two imperfections would. I disagree with most posters here basically implying that because Rolex mass produces these...there are bound to be imperfections in them so deal with it. If it continues to bother you I would walk it into a RSC to discuss. See if they agree with your Quality Control concers.

[GMT Aviator]

Forget it. What you're seeing through the loupe is minor. Most all watches will exhibit similar 'flaws', if you will. If you look hard enough, you'll always find minor blemishes.
To my mind, with what you've shown, the watch is great. Strap it on, wear it and enjoy it in good health. You certainly don't have a lemon if that's what you're worried about.

[TickTockChuck]

Rolex mass produces close to a million units a year and build to tight tolerances as reasonable, however variations will occur and is normal. The rehaute is laser engraved I believe, but the watch face position may be adjusted slightly during assembly for correct appearance, thus some slight misalignment. The rehaute is more of a secondary security feature for authenticity. I can't see the lettering bleed you refer to. Sure, there might a slight mark in the 2 o'clock marker (?). It's still a beautiful watch!

Let's face it, you can find fault in anything if you get close enough. I'm sure there are reasonable industry standards for visual inspection restricting magnification values otherwise nothing would pass.

In your case, I would suggest you break out the loupe BEFORE laying your money down. Otherwise you might convince your AD to have Rolex replace the watch face for your satisfaction. But don't be surprised if they say no. Good luck and enjoy your new Explorer! Cheers!

[kauffee]

From what I've seen on this site and classifieds, most rehaut crowns do not line up perfectly. Mine is also a touch off and once I started looking and realized that most are off, I stopped worrying about it and my OCD relaxed a bit.

Interestingly, check out this pic from the official Rolex site. Even they aren't worried about it.

[blue16613]

Originally Posted by kauffee

From what I've seen on this site and classifieds, most rehaut crowns do not line up perfectly. Mine is also a touch off and once I started looking and realized that most are off, I stopped worrying about it and my OCD relaxed a bit.

Interestingly, check out this pic from the official Rolex site. Even they aren't worried about it.

Wow!
Great pick-up!

[kauffee]

It's been mentioned before on other threads so I can't take credit.

[Boaters]

WOW that is all I am going to say..

[Cerachrom12]

Originally Posted by Boaters

WOW that is all I am going to say..

Wow, take 2!! LOL

[O'Shack Hennessy]

I just checked the crowns on both of my watches and they line up well. Unfortunately I really can't make out the other two flaws you found so it's hard to comment on them. The crown issue would not be an issue for me personally, the paint bleeding and imperfection at 2:00 if it bothers you take it in and see if it can be fixed. I'm not sure it would be a big deal for me unless it was obvious to the naked eye from a normal distance.

[padi56]

First the rehaute cannot move as it's part of the case,second when they secure the dial to the movement top plate, there is a very tiny bit of lateral movement either way, where the dial feet go into the top plate.So the dial might be a fraction of a mm off the Rolex branding around the case rehaute.Today high magnification with loupes can be a new Rolex owners worst enemy.Take the branding off then no one would notice any difference and it will have no effect on the running of the watch only in the person's IMHO OCD alignment point head.

[RRGHOST1]

In other words padi, throw away that loupe ! ha ha !

[Swiss_Time_Watches]

Throw away your loop.

[ROLEX MAN]

I'm OCD (not just with watches, House, car etc) it would bother me, if under warranty send it in or you won't have peace!

[VicLeChic]

Apart from the rehaut coronet misalignment, I can't make out the other two issues you describe. Under a 10x loupe I didn't notice anything wrong on my YM but I might be annoyed if I did. If it bothers you more than being separated from your watch for a couple of months, take it to the RSC although I'm not sure Rolex would consider the watch needs an intervention here. Whatever you decide, good luck.

[Singslinger]

Originally Posted by Steve36Efc

I can see the crown is not aligned but from the photos I cannot see the other 2 issues. At the end of the day if it's going to spoil your enjoyment you need to get it sorted.

Same here. I'm sure this fault at least can be fixed by the service center. If it bothers you that much, go have it realigned.

[Old Geezer]

I know they are pictures....I can see the crown mis-alignment (quite common) and finally saw the hump on the E. Never saw the defect on the 2 o'clock marker.

Enjoy your watch. Those imperfections are really not worth worrying about. If they really bug you and take away from the enjoyment of your watch, you should also consider that if you send it to an RSC, there is always a possibility it may come back with scratches, lint, etc which might even be worse.

[jmiicustomz]

That's the beauty of "hand applied." I work on so exquisitely engraved items, they all have flaws. If you want to get picky, I am 100% certain that the crown on the dial is also not centered as is the text. I noticed that before the rehault even with you pointing out the latter. I don't really see this as a qc issue but rather a "cdo" issue. BTW "cdo" is "ocd" but in alphabetical order, the way it should be.

To know the future is to be trapped by it

[1William]

I see your points on the crown and the paint on the dial. If it bothers you, send it in and have it repaired. I would also put down the loop if it causes issues that you can not live with.

[Reinhard in SA]

I can't see that any of those things would be something Rolex considers a warranty issue. In the unlikely event of the AD taking it back and giving you a replacement, I am pretty sure you will find something else that is not perfect. Don't even look at whether the Rolex crown on the crown sits correctly when screwed down

For what it is worth, I can be pretty OCD/anal about this kind of stuff and I don't think any of those "issues" would bother me. The first scratch/ding will hurt a lot more

Enjoy your explorer, it is beautiful.

P.S. I love Seikos and they have some alignment issues that will drive you nuts (not talking about GS). Granted they cost a fraction of a Rolex, but it kind of puts things in perspective with regards to what an "issue" is.

[strafer_kid]

These are probably considered luxury items but at a production rate of thousands per week, there are bound to be some little inconsistencies and minor slips in terms of quality control. In this instance, as others have suggested, I would be inclined not to worry and just get on with enjoying the watch. Chances are that any replacement even if offered, could well have some very slight 'imperfections' which could probably only be detected if checked under a loupe right at the time of purchase?

[fishingbear]

If it truly bothers you daily then get the issue remedied.
Otherwise, send your loupe off Rolex and enjoy your watch.

[m j b]

I'm pretty darn OCD (at least according to my wife) and quite frankly never would have thought to look to see if the crown lines up (it does on the sub I'm wearing today, I just looked) but I probably would have noticed the blobby E. The hour marker, probably not.

To answer your question: yes, you could send it in under warranty and probably get a new face put on. Not sure about the rehaut, but if it bothers you, give it a try.

That's my 2 cents.

For those of you who are sending harsh vibes to the OP, chill out please. We OCD types can't help it. You spend thousands of dollars on a watch, and you tend to have high expectations.

OCD is an affliction, not a lifestyle choice.