Dumbest & Stupidest ways you lost or damaged your Rolex!

[Subfiend]

Not a lost Rolex story, but this just happened to me today and I am furious.

In addition to my Rolex collection, I own three Speedies - a '65, '66 and modern Speedy. Several months ago, I took my '66 to my local vintage repair guy, who I have used for all my watches for several years, to be serviced. I own a lot of watches, few of which I wear on a regular basis, so I was in no hurry to get it back.

When it was finished, he brought it to my office, we settled up, and that was it. However, I happened to be wearing my '65 Speedy that day, and he offered to take it back to his shop with him and service it too. I said fine and, because we were in my office, no paperwork was exchanged. Everything was done on a handshake.

This has been a trying time for me, with craziness both at work and at home, plus a lot of travel thrown in. Suffice it to say that the '65 Speedy was not foremost in my mind, until I decided to wear it one day and I couldn't find it. I remembered that it was in for service, so I made a mental note to go pick it up. More time elapsed. About a month ago, I was down the street at another shop, so I stopped in to pick up my Speedy. Lo and behold, the guy said he didn't have it, and he didn't remember me giving it to him for service. "Maybe you have it at home?" he said. I wasn't sure, so I left and made a note to look for the watch again at home. Then I left on three back to back trips in three weeks and the watch slipped to the back of my mind again.

Today, I was near his shop again, so I stopped in to say hello. I was shocked to see that he was wearing my watch on his wrist! I asked him, "Where did you get that '65 Speedy?" His reply was, "Oh, it's mine." What?????

More questions: "Really, where did you get it?" His reply: "I bought it a little while ago." My response: "Really, it looks exactly like my '65 Speedy that I came in here looking for last month." His responses got more vague, and my questions became more pointed, but he would not give me back the watch. He wanted me to check at home one more time to see if I could find my '65 Speedy, and he asked me if I had written down the serial number, saying "You're usually pretty anal about that." He was right this time. I don't just write down the serial numbers, I photograph them.

Eventually, he took the back off the watch and read me the serial number, which I wrote down. As soon as I got back to my office, I checked my photographs and, sure enough, I found the photos I needed of the serial number. I called him immediately and this time he agreed to return the watch.

I am bringing the photos to his shop this afternoon, along with a check to pay for the service. I am not happy about this exchange, but I am still going to be honest and pay him for servicing the watch. The damn thing better run properly.

Ironically, I started using this guy after the local AD service center lost my '55 Rolex ref. No. 6565. They found it two months later.

[Fozzy]

Originally Posted by Subfiend

Today, I was near his shop again, so I stopped in to say hello. I was shocked to see that he was wearing my watch on his wrist! I asked him, "Where did you get that '65 Speedy?" His reply was, "Oh, it's mine." What?????

Right about then, I would have had the guy by the collar and pulled him over the counter. Your a better man than me in that regard.

Trust betrayed.....

[motoface]

if he blatantly lied to me and tried to steal my watch by claiming it was his, can't say I would have paid him. glad you got it back.

[rickyslam]

I hung my watch somewhere behind the basketball rim because I didn't want to play with it on and was scared i would damage it. That was a bad idea--the ball actually hit the watch when it bounced out and dislodged it from where it was hanging, nothing wrong with it besides some scratches on the bracelet.

[GoldenBear]

I was doing dishes in the sink and putting some in the dish washer. The floor was wet and slippery. Murphy, my yellow lab was at my feet. We got tangled up and I was off balance. I went down hard on to the open dishwasher. I threw my hands out and landed on my wrist. Put a big ding and scratch in the gold link on my TT bracelet. It could have been much worse. There were upward pointing knives at crotch level. I could have castrated myself or broken my dogs back. Luckily, it was just my watch that got dinged and it wasn't that bad.

[ocwatching]

Subfiend..you are an honorable guy to pay this "thief" for his time...
wow...can't believe it...a watchmaker would try to pull that...

[ade06]

Originally Posted by Subfiend

Not a lost Rolex story, but this just happened to me today and I am furious.

In addition to my Rolex collection, I own three Speedies - a '65, '66 and modern Speedy. Several months ago, I took my '66 to my local vintage repair guy, who I have used for all my watches for several years, to be serviced. I own a lot of watches, few of which I wear on a regular basis, so I was in no hurry to get it back.

When it was finished, he brought it to my office, we settled up, and that was it. However, I happened to be wearing my '65 Speedy that day, and he offered to take it back to his shop with him and service it too. I said fine and, because we were in my office, no paperwork was exchanged. Everything was done on a handshake.

This has been a trying time for me, with craziness both at work and at home, plus a lot of travel thrown in. Suffice it to say that the '65 Speedy was not foremost in my mind, until I decided to wear it one day and I couldn't find it. I remembered that it was in for service, so I made a mental note to go pick it up. More time elapsed. About a month ago, I was down the street at another shop, so I stopped in to pick up my Speedy. Lo and behold, the guy said he didn't have it, and he didn't remember me giving it to him for service. "Maybe you have it at home?" he said. I wasn't sure, so I left and made a note to look for the watch again at home. Then I left on three back to back trips in three weeks and the watch slipped to the back of my mind again.

Today, I was near his shop again, so I stopped in to say hello. I was shocked to see that he was wearing my watch on his wrist! I asked him, "Where did you get that '65 Speedy?" His reply was, "Oh, it's mine." What?????

More questions: "Really, where did you get it?" His reply: "I bought it a little while ago." My response: "Really, it looks exactly like my '65 Speedy that I came in here looking for last month." His responses got more vague, and my questions became more pointed, but he would not give me back the watch. He wanted me to check at home one more time to see if I could find my '65 Speedy, and he asked me if I had written down the serial number, saying "You're usually pretty anal about that." He was right this time. I don't just write down the serial numbers, I photograph them.

Eventually, he took the back off the watch and read me the serial number, which I wrote down. As soon as I got back to my office, I checked my photographs and, sure enough, I found the photos I needed of the serial number. I called him immediately and this time he agreed to return the watch.

I am bringing the photos to his shop this afternoon, along with a check to pay for the service. I am not happy about this exchange, but I am still going to be honest and pay him for servicing the watch. The damn thing better run properly.

Ironically, I started using this guy after the local AD service center lost my '55 Rolex ref. No. 6565. They found it two months later.

Dude tried to steal your watch and you are going to pay him... You are a better man then me. I think that the police would be involved if I were in your shoes.

[Subfiend]

Part 2 of my story.

When I returned for the watch, with photos of the movement and serial number in hand, the watch was returned to me. He explained that he mistook my watch for his personal '64 Speedy, which he showed to me. The problem is that his watch had no bracelet and a replacement dial. This should not have been such an easy mistake for someone to make, especially for somebody in the business.

The price for service: $250.00.

[nickriebe]

Well i believe he would have literally "eaten" that cost and i would have caused more damage than that by reporting him to the BBB for being a crook! Please let us know who this guy is so we can all avoid him and his shady business.

[djohst]

Thankfully I have not had any issues with theft, but when my uncle first got his dj back in 1992 while he was on vacation he almost lost it before he got home. After getting back to his hotel from the ad he put his old timex in the dj box and packed his things. All the paperwork, tags, and boxes were in his bags and he declared it on his customs. When he checked his bags they were all there, but when he got home the box and papers along with his good old timex were gone. He continued to wear his dj till the day my cousin got it as a birthday present I can not remember a tine he did not have it on for fear of it being taken.

[SubKing]

well,

the year the LV came out in 03 which unfortunitly at the time i had to pay over retail to get it, after a week i noticed a small scratch at the six oclock lug on the right side... it bothered me so much i tried to take a dry eraser to it and try to lift the scratch... all that did was dull it out. so then i used a fine grit sandpaper to try and lift it.. it came out uneven and did not look perfect like the factory finish... i work on it for hours. then i took it to my ad and they tried to work on that one lug to try and make it match the others... the end result it didnt look anything like the other lugs still... so i took sandpaper to it again.. after i was done, the lug looked out of shape slightly from working on it so much. i thought i was going to loose my mind. i took it back to the ad and they said the only way we can get the lug to match is if we refinish all of the lugs..

that LV is long gone.. i traded it in a few years ago for a breitling..

what i should have done in the first place was leave it alone.. or sent it back to rolex and let them take it out.

no one and i mean no one can refinish a watch like rolex.. when it comes to satin finish, the lines are perfect.

the only other company that gave me a perfect satin finish was on my project X watch.. i wonder what their seceret is because normal satin wheels do not do a very good job at making the lines perfectly straight.

[Hooper]

I think I would have gotten violent Seriously!

[Puffy]

Originally Posted by BASSETHOUNDS

Recently lost my 116520 because our now ex- dogsitter brought his "girlfriend" along when he came to feed our dogs one evening. The girl decided to go into my home's office area to use the internet. Stupidly I had left my 116520 half way visible and she went off with it . The watch was later that night used to buy recreational pharmaceuticals off some DJ in a Barcelona night club . Got reimbursed the replacement value by the parents but still waiting for my bloo.. AD to supply me with a new 116520.

Tristan, I hope you went absolutely apesh*t!!!!