Instructions for new owner of ladies' Rolex Date

[Kitty Rivershack]

After sending my sister the watch I inherited from my mom's aunt, I thought I'd send along the following instructions, so she doesn't have the same stumbling blocks I did. When you stop to think about it, there is a lot that an unsuspecting recipient of a vintage Rolex Date might not know. Perhaps this will help others in the same situation someday.

If anyone has corrections please send them along ASAP! Don't want to send my little sister down a wrong path!
=^..^=


WHAT'S IN THE BOX

Rolex 6516, ladies' stainless steel Oyster Perpetual Date automatic
watch, smooth bezel with oyster Steelinox bracelet

Envelope containing receipt and test results from respected Rolex
repair expert Rik Dietel


HOW TO WEAR IT

The hinge on the bracelet has a release that looks like a Rolex crown,
or kind of like a shell. You need to hold the rest of the watch
bracelet, and pull on the broader end of the crown/shell in order to
disengage it. It might feel like you're breaking the watch, but
you're not. It's just that tough!

Once the hinge is open, slip the watch on your wrist and then fold the
hinge back onto your wrist and snap the crown/shell part shut. If you
have hinge parts sticking out into the air, you have some part of the
hinge pointing the opposite way of where it's supposed to go. Just
swing it back the other way and everything should fall into place.
(For some reason, I kept trying to close this the wrong way -- not
sure if it's the design, or it's just me -- you may have no trouble
with this at all.)

This is certified watertight to 100 feet (that's what the barely
legible water test results slip says). This means you are probably
fine leaving it on while washing dishes or taking a shower, but that's
probably already pushing it with a watch of this age. I wouldn't
snorkel with it.


HOW TO WIND IT

If you wear it all the time and are active every day, it will never
need winding. That is part of the design of the "automatic watch" --
it's meant to have the timing springs react to your body motion and
wind themselves as your wrist moves. Actually I'm sure it's WAY more
complicated than that, but anyway, it's genius.

The crown -- the winding part that sticks out the right side of the
watch -- is actually a part of the watertight seal. The watch is only
watertight if this is screwed down tight to the right (clockwise).
You will need to unscrew the crown, counterclockwise, to release it
from its sealed position. Once it's released (it will feel like it
pops out) you can turn it back and forth about 20 - 40 times and it
will keep the time for a day or two. Be sure to screw down the crown
afterwards! Push and turn it until it is secured back to its sealed
position.


HOW TO SET THE TIME

You'll need to unscrew it the same as in how to wind it. Then pull
the crown out. The time setting position is one farther out than the
winding position.

Turn the crown counter-clockwise (left) to advance the time clockwise
to the right -- the opposite of what you might expect!

It's fine if you reverse to fine-tune the time. You won't break anything.

This is a 12-hour watch -- but has a date on it. So you might want to
keep turning the time until the next/previous date appears, to make
sure which time you're setting, e.g., 9 a.m. vs. 9 p.m.

*Be sure to screw down the crown afterwards! Push and turn it
clockwise, until it is secured back to its sealed position.


HOW TO SET THE DATE

There is no date-specific setting on this watch. That means you have
to turn the time backward or forward until the date is right. Yeah,
that's pretty tedious if it's the 20th and your watch says it's the
2nd. Is this the annoyance, or the charm, of older technology?

*Be sure to screw down the crown after setting the date! Push and
turn it clockwise, until it is secured back to its sealed position.


HOW TO GET IT SERVICED

I think you could wear this watch indefinitely without ever getting it
serviced -- if you don't dunk it and don't mind it getting inaccurate!
If you decide to service it, I'd suggest the following three places:

Rik Dietel, Time Care Inc. http://timecareinc.com/ - this is who
worked on this watch previously.

Rolex Service Center, San Francisco - Giovanni is highly recommended
on the Rolex Forums. Also very close to you, if you would prefer
bringing the watch in person rather than shipping it.

Bob Ridley, probably the all-around highest-rated Rolex repairman there is
http://www.watchmakers.com/

To continue keeping perfect time, mechanical watches need periodic
oiling. To stay waterproof, they need the water-sealing gaskets
replaced from time to time. All this has already been included in the
service this watch got before you received it.


HOW TO FIND OUT MORE

http://www.rolexforums.com