New member with a question - Rolex wearer 12yrs+

[DavidUK]

Hi from the UK!

My wife and I have owned Bi-Metal Oyster Perpetuals with Jubilee bracelets for 12yrs+ and love them. Mine is a Datejust with Gold Tapestry dial. Hers is a non-Datejust with Blue dial.

Anyway.... we were in our favourite Jewellers where we have been buying for 15yrs+, getting valuations for various items for our insurance, when my wife spotted a 2nd hand ladies Bi-Metal DJ with pink MOP diamond dial and diamond bezel. She's now IN LOVE!

Question is.... can her non-DJ Oyster Ladies be upgraded with the same pink MOP diamond dial or is this only available with the date window? We'd want to stay with genuine Rolex parts for the upgrade. The retailer thinks he can do the upgrade with new Rolex bezel and dial for around £1300/$2150, and we'd get to keep the displaced parts. He'll find out IF the upgrade to non-DJ is possible in the process of course.

The other alternative, if this upgrade isn't possible OR my wife decides she now prefers the DJ anyhow, is to do a part exchange with the DJ model.
What would be a good price to pay for the exchange? We think it would be around £1500/$2500. Don't forget we'd be gaining the DJ as well as the pink MOP diamond dial and diamond bezel. Would that kind of upgrade price be good value do you think?

The retailer has put the watch away for us until we make a decision which way to go tomorrow. It's been serviced, is in mint condition so far as I can see. But how do we know if the previous owner upgraded it with genuine a Rolex dial and bezel? I guess we could ask the retailer for provenance OR better still, get his Rolex man to inspect it and give us the lowdown?

Although my wife chose the non-DJ way back when, as she didn't like the little bubble, she now sees that it is more instantly recognizable as a Rolex.

Excellent forum by the way. I've just spent an hour browsing! I see you guys love the DJ Oyster Perpetual, to me the classic Rolex.

Thanks for any help and suggestions.

David

[Tools]

The Ladies Oyster Perpetual was slightly smaller than the Ladies Datejust and not available with the many different dials.

If it was me I would explore trading in the Oyster Perpetual for the properly dialed Ladies Datejust, even if it cost slightly more in the end..

[rmfnla]

Originally Posted by Tools

The Ladies Oyster Perpetual was slightly smaller than the Ladies Datejust and not available with the many different dials.

If it was me I would explore trading in the Oyster Perpetual for the properly dialed Ladies Datejust, even if it cost slightly more in the end..

Assuming that the pink MOP dial is original and not aftermarket...

[rmfnla]

Originally Posted by DavidUK

Hi from the UK!

My wife and I have owned Bi-Metal Oyster Perpetuals with Jubilee bracelets for 12yrs+ and love them. Mine is a Datejust with Gold Tapestry dial. Hers is a non-Datejust with Blue dial.

Anyway.... we were in our favourite Jewellers where we have been buying for 15yrs+, getting valuations for various items for our insurance, when my wife spotted a 2nd hand ladies Bi-Metal DJ with pink MOP diamond dial and diamond bezel. She's now IN LOVE!

Question is.... can her non-DJ Oyster Ladies be upgraded with the same pink MOP diamond dial or is this only available with the date window? We'd want to stay with genuine Rolex parts for the upgrade. The retailer thinks he can do the upgrade with new Rolex bezel and dial for around £1300/$2150, and we'd get to keep the displaced parts. He'll find out IF the upgrade to non-DJ is possible in the process of course.

The other alternative, if this upgrade isn't possible OR my wife decides she now prefers the DJ anyhow, is to do a part exchange with the DJ model.
What would be a good price to pay for the exchange? We think it would be around £1500/$2500. Don't forget we'd be gaining the DJ as well as the pink MOP diamond dial and diamond bezel. Would that kind of upgrade price be good value do you think?

The retailer has put the watch away for us until we make a decision which way to go tomorrow. It's been serviced, is in mint condition so far as I can see. But how do we know if the previous owner upgraded it with genuine a Rolex dial and bezel? I guess we could ask the retailer for provenance OR better still, get his Rolex man to inspect it and give us the lowdown?

Although my wife chose the non-DJ way back when, as she didn't like the little bubble, she now sees that it is more instantly recognizable as a Rolex.

Excellent forum by the way. I've just spent an hour browsing! I see you guys love the DJ Oyster Perpetual, to me the classic Rolex.

Thanks for any help and suggestions.

David

Sounds to me that your wife likes the DJ so I would explore a trade.

BTW, many custom dials are genuine Rolex dials that have been refinished, not as desirable as an original but definitely an alternative if the dial you want was not originally offered by Rolex.

Either way, you should be sure what you are getting before you buy; if the MOP dial is not original the price you pay should reflect that.

Good luck, and welcome to TRF!

[DavidUK]

Originally Posted by Tools

The Ladies Oyster Perpetual was slightly smaller than the Ladies Datejust and not available with the many different dials.

If it was me I would explore trading in the Oyster Perpetual for the properly dialed Ladies Datejust, even if it cost slightly more in the end..

Thanks for the quick reply. Side by side today the watches and their dials looked the same size, but then the larger diameter diamond bezel may have distorted the comparison. How much smaller is the non-DJ out of interest? Do you know specifically if the non-DJ can be upgraded to pink diamond MOP dial and diamond bezel?

I think we're going to be headed the way you say, and doing an upgrade. But I'm still worried by non-Rolex "aftermarket" parts. They seem to form the vast majority of customized Rolex, particularly looking at ebay to try and find comparisons. Putting fake parts on a Rolex seems sacrilege to me!

[Tools]

Hard to say without knowing the exact models, but typically the Ladies Oyster Perpetual is a 24mm watch and the Datejust is 26mm.

[DavidUK]

Originally Posted by rmfnla

Sounds to me that your wife likes the DJ so I would explore a trade.

BTW, many custom dials are genuine Rolex dials that have been refinished, not as desirable as an original but definitely an alternative if the dial you want was not originally offered by Rolex.

Either way, you should be sure what you are getting before you buy; if the MOP dial is not original the price you pay should reflect that.

Good luck, and welcome to TRF!

We have been to our local authorised Rolex dealer this morning.
The ladies DJ does not have the option of a pink MOP diamond dial therefore the one we saw yesterday must be aftermarket. Also the Rolex diamond bezel is different so that too must be aftermarket. The dealer tells us that although the pink MOP is an option on a SS DJ, Rolex will not allow its fitment to the TT DJ and that if we found a watch repairer willing to fit a genuine Rolex pink MOP dial to a watch and then sent it to Rolex for servicing they would refuse to touch it even though all parts are Rolex. He also said if we send a watch to Rolex with a non-Rolex diamond bezel, Rolex would remove and seize the bezel and charge for fitting a genuine Rolex one!

So, the watch we saw yesterday has aftermarket dial and bezel, we could never have it serviced by Rolex, and it isn't all "genuine".

So what's with this aftermarket/afterset accessories marketplace? Why are so many Rolex watched advertised with these fitted, and how often do owners of these "customised" watches come up against Rolex seizing expensive gold/diamond "fake"parts of their watches which have been so adorned?

I take it that such parts are a complete no-no here as far as acceptability goes, rather like fitting Wolfrace wheels to your brand new Mercedes, and also that it's understood the fitting of a genuine Rolex dial or other genuine Rolex part that was never available as a Rolex original option for a complete watch renders that altered watch liable to be shunned by Rolex as unacceptable to their service department?

[padi56]

Originally Posted by Tools

The Ladies Oyster Perpetual was slightly smaller than the Ladies Datejust and not available with the many different dials.

If it was me I would explore trading in the Oyster Perpetual for the properly dialed Ladies Datejust, even if it cost slightly more in the end..

Have to agree with Larry and that would be the most cost effective route for the future.

Originally Posted by DavidUK

We have been to our local authorised Rolex dealer this morning.
The ladies DJ does not have the option of a pink MOP diamond dial therefore the one we saw yesterday must be aftermarket. Also the Rolex diamond bezel is different so that too must be aftermarket. The dealer tells us that although the pink MOP is an option on a SS DJ, Rolex will not allow its fitment to the TT DJ and that if we found a watch repairer willing to fit a genuine Rolex pink MOP dial to a watch and then sent it to Rolex for servicing they would refuse to touch it even though all parts are Rolex. He also said if we send a watch to Rolex with a non-Rolex diamond bezel, Rolex would remove and seize the bezel and charge for fitting a genuine Rolex one!

So, the watch we saw yesterday has aftermarket dial and bezel, we could never have it serviced by Rolex, and it isn't all "genuine".

So what's with this aftermarket/afterset accessories marketplace? Why are so many Rolex watched advertised with these fitted, and how often do owners of these "customised" watches come up against Rolex seizing expensive gold/diamond "fake"parts of their watches which have been so adorned?

I take it that such parts are a complete no-no here as far as acceptability goes, rather like fitting Wolfrace wheels to your brand new Mercedes, and also that it's understood the fitting of a genuine Rolex dial or other genuine Rolex part that was never available as a Rolex original option for a complete watch renders that altered watch liable to be shunned by Rolex as unacceptable to their service department?

Yes Rolex will refuse to service any watch that has aftermarket dials bezels etc,and if watch has a dial that's not for that spec of watch reference.But they cannot seize the part unless its a complete violation of the Rolex copyright, for example having a non Rolex made dial with the Rolex name on.

[Cc1966]

..."Putting fake parts on a Rolex seems sacrilege to me"...

and to Rolex service centers also.

[rmfnla]

DavidUK, you are correct about Rolex's policy about non-original parts.

I agree with them for aftermarket, but it amazes me they don't approve of putting a dial that was available only on a SS DJ onto a TT DJ, especially since the cases are the exact same part!

My TT DJ came with fluted bezel and jubilee band; as you can see I swapped those for a domed bezel and an oyster band and I love it.

Both are original Rolex parts but since my watch was not originally o0ffered that way they will not service it.

My response is screw them; there are enough talented watchmakers out there for me to not be bullied and the result is I get to wear what I want...

[GolfPunk]

You can do the dial swap from an independent watchmaker in the UK and have it overhauled serviced polished by an independent watchmaker as and when required.

I agree about strictly OEM Rolex parts but I'm all for having YOUR watch YOUR way, you aren't renting from a Rolex, it's yours to do what you want with it.

My SS Daytona is currently with an independent watchmaker in the UK getting the white dial changed for the Panda Arabic Racing dial from the white gold model