Lost / Stolen / Destroyed Rolex Stories...let's hear them!

[adamlea]

Some amazing stories - both good & bad. Glad I don't have anything to contribute.

[gjviii]

I'm guessing this has been posted elsewhere, but seems fitting in this post as well

http://www.slc.edu/magazine/lost-fou...tones-mag.html

[jem1947]

Ok I finally get the GMT Pepis I've wanted for forty years here from from a trusted seller last Sept., I cound not be happier. I wore it everyday as I planned and can find no issues other then it has no service history so I send it to RSC Dallas. I had sent my ND Sub there last year and was very impressed with the service they did.

After about a week I start to worry if it got there OK, I call Dallas and they seemed a little guarded and asked a lot of questions and say they will notify me soon. Then I get a call and a certified letter from the Rolex legal department in New York, they tell me the watch is on thier list as being reported as lost or stolen.

That starts a major saga trying to find a remedy to this issue, the seller turns me on to the seller he got it from who tells me where and how he got it.

I end up contacted two different law enforcement agencies in Florida, the resort security from where it was reported lost or stolen and the person who reported it, who happens to be 60 miles from me in Palm Springs.

Since I've been a police detective for 24 years it didn't take much to figure out the watch was never lost or stolen to begin with, I'll let you guys figure out what really happened. The two trusted sellers on this forum can still be trusted, they also had no way of knowing.


I'll cut to the chase it took five months and three weeks to get it back, Rolex is no joke the insurance agent(for the reporting party) tried to get Rolex to send the watch to him they said no way that won't happen.

If Rolex is not satisfied who the rightfull owner is they will destoy the watch, thier legal firm has to prove who owns the watch and present several signed release forms.

They also have to send Rolex and the owner a letter stating that the watches serial number is to be removed from the list of lost or stolen watches.

Bottom line if you buy a used watch it is a good idea to call Rolex first to check the serial #.

All in all this story has a happy ending it cost me an extra $1000 to get the watch released from the insurance guy(c---K) then I had RSC make a brand new U series GMT Pepis for me, It was expensive but worth every penny.

[Kobayashi]

Originally Posted by jem1947

Ok I finally get the GMT Pepis I've wanted for forty years here from from a trusted seller last Sept., I cound not be happier. I wore it everyday as I planned and can find no issues other then it has no service history so I send it to RSC Dallas. I had sent my ND Sub there last year and was very impressed with the service they did.



After about a week I start to worry if it got there OK, I call Dallas and they seemed a little guarded and asked a lot of questions and say they will notify me soon. Then I get a call and a certified letter from the Rolex legal department in New York, they tell me the watch is on thier list as being reported as lost or stolen.



That starts a major saga trying to find a remedy to this issue, the seller turns me on to the seller he got it from who tells me where and how he got it.



I end up contacted two different law enforcement agencies in Florida, the resort security from where it was reported lost or stolen and the person who reported it, who happens to be 60 miles from me in Palm Springs.



Since I've been a police detective for 24 years it didn't take much to figure out the watch was never lost or stolen to begin with, I'll let you guys figure out what really happened. The two trusted sellers on this forum can still be trusted, they also had no way of knowing.





I'll cut to the chase it took five months and three weeks to get it back, Rolex is no joke the insurance agent(for the reporting party) tried to get Rolex to send the watch to him they said no way that won't happen.



If Rolex is not satisfied who the rightfull owner is they will destoy the watch, thier legal firm has to prove who owns the watch and present several signed release forms.



They also have to send Rolex and the owner a letter stating that the watches serial number is to be removed from the list of lost or stolen watches.



Bottom line if you buy a used watch it is a good idea to call Rolex first to check the serial #.



All in all this story has a happy ending it cost me an extra $1000 to get the watch released from the insurance guy(c---K) then I had RSC make a brand new U series GMT Pepis for me, It was expensive but worth every penny.

Wow! If your suggestion is to call Rolex first to check the serial number of a watch you're considering I would think that would also be sound advice for the trusted TRF sellers. Do you know if Rolex will tell you over the phone and where specifically would you call? Any RSC? I may call and ask about my watches and would report back my findings as others may also be interested. Thanks for the tip.

[donq]

I've tried calling Dallas RSC but they refuse to give information on their list of stolen watches..

[hdrazor251]

My story has already been posted here but I'll summarize for this thread:

My Exp II was stolen from my gym locker here in Phoenix. About 5 months later I found it on ebay from a business in Albuquerque and bought it. The business was notified it was stolen and refunded my money. I refunded the money paid to me by the insurance company less the cost of a new bezel which was scratched/polished sometime after the theft. The insurance company notified Rolex it was recovered and it was removed from the stolen list.

Note: The business I bought it from gave the police the information on who they bought it from. She was already in jail on drug charges and claimed to have purchased it at a flea market from an unknown man and thought it was fake. My personal opinion is she is the girlfriend/accomplice of the guy that stole it and her story is BS. No arrests were made.

[bondtoys]

Originally Posted by Rolex33020

I never lost one but I did acquire mine 40 plus years ago because someone lost theirs. Cleaning a parking lot at a Dairy Queen when I was around 14 or so. Broken band. Sold it to my dad for $100.00. I just got it back and had it overhauled.




Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

So which actions did you take back then to return the watch to the owner who obviously has lost the watch?

[bondtoys]

No, I am asking....

[jjnd08]

I feel for those that have a story for this thread. I really hope I can never contribute my own story here.

[eightbore]

Some amazing stories here. I also heard one, that might be apocryphal, about a guy on a cruise ship...with his MUCH younger girlfriend. He allegedly looked at the girl, tossed his DD into the sea and simply said, "When I'm with you, time stands still". Can't decide if most women would find this romantic or idiotic.

[Tools]

Originally Posted by donq

I've tried calling Dallas RSC but they refuse to give information on their list of stolen watches..

That is correct. They won't give you that information over the phone and ask that you send it in for verification..

[franzy]

Originally Posted by Annan

Made me want to go try to drain the lake!

[Im Lauf der Zeit]

Originally Posted by Rolex33020

I never lost one but I did acquire mine 40 plus years ago because someone lost theirs. Cleaning a parking lot at a Dairy Queen when I was around 14 or so. Broken band. Sold it to my dad for $100.00. I just got it back and had it overhauled.

Did you make any attempt to locate the actual owner? Be a great ending to the story if he saw this post and got reunited with his watch.

[Passionata]

Originally Posted by Tools

That is correct. They won't give you that information over the phone and ask that you send it in for verification..

So it s a bit of catch 22 ,you can t verify prior to get the watch into your possesion.
I know buy the seller but still

[AK797]

Originally Posted by Passionata

So it s a bit of catch 22 ,you can t verify prior to get the watch into your possesion.
I know buy the seller but still

Always get it insured before you send off to RSC or have seller send it before payment.

[RRGHOST1]

My 1680 Sub was stolen out of my house in 1983. No story just sad !

[ejvette]

My DJ came off my wrist and went to the bottom of my swimming pool once it was the deep end and I had to dive down 7' to retrieve it..... very scary experience

[threemonkeys]

The story of the Brit above is wonderful.

[Rolex33020]

Originally Posted by bondtoys

So which actions did you take back then to return the watch to the owner who obviously has lost the watch?

Held it and waited for some one to show up to the store and asked but no one did. How much was a sub in 1973? $300.00? Meant nothing to me since at the age of 13 ones does not need a watch especially me.

[Rolex33020]

Originally Posted by Im Lauf der Zeit

Did you make any attempt to locate the actual owner? Be a great ending to the story if he saw this post and got reunited with his watch.

Watch has too many memories now since I inherited it from my dad. It's mine now and enjoy it daily.

[Muzz]

My first rolex (red letter sub) that I traded in for a TT blue (very long time ago before they were $$) was purchased by a friend of mine. He had the watch fully restored and it looked amazing. The watch was stolen from a gym looker where he has been a member for the past 12 years. Needles to say, as much as he was upset, so was I, left a bit of an uneasy feeling in my gut to know we will both never see it again:(

[harry in montreal]

James in Hollywood: good for you! As a you kid working in a DQ, the likelihood of the rightful owner getting it back was very low.

[iclick]

Originally Posted by jem1947

Bottom line if you buy a used watch it is a good idea to call Rolex first to check the serial #.

I bought an F-series Daytona last January that had been serviced by RSC only five months earlier, but the warranty card didn't indicate which service center was used. I called Dallas just to verify the SN and they wouldn't give me any info at all--against their policy, they said.

I guess I could call them back and claim the watch stopped and request a return, in which case they would have to verify it as having been serviced and was still in warranty.