Is a Rolex really for life?

[pbubsy]

Originally Posted by Andrew NYC

I can speak to Patek's willingness to service their watches regardless of age but that does come at a cost. I have my grandfather's Ref. 130 chrono. He bought it new in 1951 and wore it for 40 years. It then went to my dad and now is mine. While it was running fine my local watchmaker took a look at it and said that it needed to be serviced and lubricated. I took it to the PP NYC Service Center and they promptly sent it off to Geneva (for a $90 fee). After about 3 weeks the estimate came back. 54 weeks and $8K was the estimated cost of service. While I can appreciate that there are a very limited number of watchmakers at PP that work on these vintage pieces the cost and time seemed excessive especially since the watch was running perfectly. So while I greatly appreciate Patek's commitment to their customers and their watches, regardless of the age, the cost can be hard to swallow.

That's a lovely watch and a fantastic heirloom. You definitely have to keep up the tradition of maintaining and passing it on but wow, at such cost! Would be too much of a shame to let it fall into disrepair but the service cost could nearly buy a Sub! I know nothing of haute horology but that's what I would expect of somewhere in the realm of servicing a tourbillon. I would be surprised if they had more than 2-3 watch makers working on their vintage pieces, hence the extended lead times. I would assume the service intervals would be a bit closer together on a piece like that than what most of us are accustomed to. Do you save wearing it for special occasions? Would love to see a photo of something so treasured.

Funny, I recall when I first became passionate about watches, I stopped by a store that has long been out of business (though they had been around for at least 20 years at the time). They had a small collection of used watches for sale and had a nice spread of vintage Omegas, Rolex, a Patek, and others. I enjoyed browsing and wound up speaking at length with their watch maker. Was a great guy and thankfully, was eager to share his knowledge and love for mechanical watches with a young fella pouring over some fine watches that were quite obviously out of reach. Interestingly, he told me of the difficulty in servicing vintage watches and the futility of sourcing parts. He showed me a well loved, vintage Patek he was repairing/servicing for a customer as well as the freshly fabricated parts he'd commissioned from "his guy" in Tijuana, MX. He explained that he used this particular watch maker to fabricate parts that were beyond his skill and the guy had been a watch maker for at least 40 years. The parts he showed me were a wonder. I couldn't believe at the time that someone could do that by hand. Such skill. Not someone you'd expect to find in TJ! Apparently the owner of the watch wanted to avoid the steep servicing cost of sending off to PP! That experience only furthered my interest.

I doubt I'll ever know the pleasure of owning so fine a watch, though I enjoy hearing about them and seeing photos.

[Andad]

Originally Posted by AJMarcus

With recommended care and service, most Rolex will outlive any mortal being on our planet. If you don’t believe that take a look at the TRF vintage forum

You had me worried there AJ.

I thought you were going to list a few moderators.

[Aberdein]

Rolex GMT 16750 purchased 1982. Used as my primary everyday watch. Been serviced by Rolex four maybe five times in its life. Changed the clasp to a 'fliplock' variety from the original. Only issue I every had is it would stop after about 8 hours of not being worn. Rolex rectified the issue at the last service. Still keeps good time and looks as good as new each time it returns from a service (polished, bezel and acrylic crystal replaced).
So yes I would say a Rolex will last a lifetime and longer if you take care of it.

[F1polesitter]

Any quality automatic watch can last lifetimes, not just Rolex. As some on this thread suggested, ETA-based watches would actually be more suited for longevity, as any competent watchmaker can service them and parts are plenty and readily available.

Rolex restricts access to parts, and with the new 32xx movements, Rolex makes it virtually impossible for any independent watchmaker to service the watch by restricting parts.

Some members here can also attest that Rolex has refused to service older watches.