18038 day date bottom gasket sticking out

[Colt_python]

Hello i recently bought a genuine 18038 day date and have an issue with it- it seems someone opened it and later closed leaving the bottom gasket out in one side. Is this a big problem? Will the gasket need replacing or does it just take to open it up once again and screw it carefully? Either way i cant do it myself since i dont have the key to open it.
Ive attached a photo of how it looks- the gasket is visible i the upper left corner

[breitlings]

honestly that caseback is either beaten to unidentifiable shape or more likely the watch is fake.

[timelord]

Originally Posted by Colt_python

Hello i recently bought a genuine 18038 day date and have an issue with it- it seems someone opened it and later closed leaving the bottom gasket out in one side. Is this a big problem? Will the gasket need replacing or does it just take to open it up once again and screw it carefully? Either way i cant do it myself since i dont have the key to open it.
Ive attached a photo of how it looks- the gasket is visible i the upper left corner

it doesn't look all that bad as most of the gasket is still under the back lid i.e the gasket has not formed a loop outside the lid. Usually the gasket stretches when they close the back without lubricating it in fomblin or silicone grease. I would not worry about it until the next service. Leave it alone and do not play around with it as gold is soft and if you screw on the case back incorrectly, your watch would be worth sending into for gold melting. Leave this to professionals!!!Better quality photos would have helped us with more information.

[breitlings]

Originally Posted by timelord

it doesn't look all that bad as most of the gasket is still under the back lid i.e the gasket has not formed a loop outside the lid. Usually the gasket stretches when they close the back without lubricating it in fomblin or silicone grease. I would not worry about it until the next service. Leave it alone and do not play around with it as gold is soft and if you screw on the case back incorrectly, your watch would be worth sending into for gold melting. Leave this to professionals!!!Better quality photos would have helped us with more information.

what do you think about the dents and straight lines in the back of that case back?

[TimeToGo]

Originally Posted by breitlings

what do you think about the dents and straight lines in the back of that case back?

It happens with soft gold, 18k.

[MitchSteel]

I would have that gasket replaced, this kind of thing can happen to gaskets, they stretch and get misaligned.
Now.....Breitlings....any good reason for you to call someone's watch a fake?I see nothing wrong with his case back.Yes, maybe a bit worn, but certainly with out indications of it being fake

[Colt_python]

As for the case back its not even worn as it may seem from the photo those lines and supposed dents are just reflections as i've run the outer circle with cape cod metal polishing cloth and it shines like a mirror, of course it has a little wear as for 1978-the inner circle no longer has that perfect brushed appearance but there are no deep scratches and dents. May also be due to poor quality of my iphone camera.
Any of you guys know the gaskets number for 18038? As i'd like to buy a genuine Rolex one.

[timelord]

Originally Posted by breitlings

what do you think about the dents and straight lines in the back of that case back?

18k gold has a tendency to be dented easier than steel. It also wears quicker than steel and in pure form, has a hardness measure in Mohs value of 2.5 to 3 in comparison to a finger nail having a Mohs value of 2 to 2.5 which is very soft. Again compare to a steel file having a Mohs value of 6.5.
The beauty of gold is it has anti-galling properties making it one of the best metal for this as opposed to platinum and Titanium that are prone to galling.

I am not sure if from the quality of the photograph provided to us by Cold Python is reflection of light or the dis figuration of the gold itself, but I would not muck around with trying to remove and replace the back just for a gasket that is slightly sticking out unless it is done with the service. With gold items, the less you play with them the better as it is soft IMHO.

[handsfull]

This appears to be a case where someone installed the caseback incorrectly (crossthreaded). It sure looks like one side of the case is higher than the other in that pic. If so, it's not going to be pretty. It's common with gold cases...soft metals.

Can you take a phot of the caseback meeting the case from the sideview?

[Colt_python]

From what i can see its just the gasket sticking out, it doesnt look uneven. Also as i posted before there are no dents and deep scratches, those were just reflections because i polished it up a bit with cape cod cloth. My previous post isnt there yet, unfortunately.

[Colt_python]

Next, sorry for the poor quality, my iphone 5 isnt the best to photograph watches

[handsfull]

Sorry, but it does appear that the caseback is higher on the left side than the right side....possibly crossthreaded. Gold casebacks, particularly vintage ones, are the most susceptible to this.

Bring it to a good watchmaker with a caseback press, as if it is crossthreaded it will be hard to remove...may require heat and chemicals/lube to get it off. Keep it away from water until you do. Let us know how it goes....

[Colt_python]

Just to make sure ive measured it right now with a caliper and thickness of the watch is 12,75mm on both sides so according to the measurement the back is not uneven...

[handsfull]

The pics speak better than your caliper. There is no logical reason to have an o-ring sticking out from under the caseback. Either the caseback is crossthreaded, the oring is too big/simply incorrect for the case....or both. Good luck.

[breitlings]

Originally Posted by MitchSteel

I would have that gasket replaced, this kind of thing can happen to gaskets, they stretch and get misaligned.
Now.....Breitlings....any good reason for you to call someone's watch a fake?I see nothing wrong with his case back.Yes, maybe a bit worn, but certainly with out indications of it being fake

I said it was likely fake or damaged but I would need more than 1 somewhat poor pictured showing unexpected angles or reflections to determine if it was real or not real. I'm surprised you're confident in the watch after the first picture.

[breitlings]

Originally Posted by Colt_python

Next, sorry for the poor quality, my iphone 5 isnt the best to photograph watches

I have a sony camera, just a camera, 20 megapixel takes amazing pictures of everything except watches

[Colt_python]

I will order a new one, just in case, does anyone know the gasket's oem number?

[MitchSteel]

Try this, not OEM, but same thing. 29-302-86