Toasted GMT II

[AZeng]

Greetings from Tucson!

I found this forum a few weeks back when I was looking for information regarding luminescence (or lack thereof) for the newer Rolex watches. I have a GMT II, a little less that two years old, and have found it to be a great watch in every way except night visibility.

This forum seems to have some very nice folks and I found some great info regarding photoluminescence vs. radioluminescence, Tritium SPO, and Superluminova. I also found some magnificent photos of glowing watches!

Having seen these photos, I thought I'd fully charge the Superluminova on my watch so I put it on my wife's desk under her desk lamp and set the light about 8 inches above the watch. I left intending to come back in a few minutes and then promptly forgot. Apparently the arm on the lamp was not tight and the bulb fell down on the watch after I left. The result is shown in the photos below!

So if you've done something stupid lately, don't feel bad. I think this one takes the cake!

I doubt the Rolex warranty covers acts of stupidity so I'm wondering now how to best go about getting the watch fixed. Obviously the dial is shot, the bezel insert and the crystal are pock marked and the crystal seems to have an oil-on-water light polarizing effect. I'm also concerned that the internal metal parts may have been warped from the heat.

I'd appreciate any recommendations from forum members. Would it be better to send the watch back to the factory or to let the local dealer (an authorized Rolex dealer, where I bought it) fix it!

Thanks in advance,
George

[JJ Irani]

A big welcome to this forum, George.

I have to commend you on your straight-forwardness and frankness about the "stupid" way you handled your watch, and really appreciate your coming out and telling us your problem.

Best thing to do in such a case is send the watch back to your AD for a full new dial replacement and a thorough check-out of everything else. They might even insist on a service. Tell them the truth as to actually what happened and how long you reckon the watch sat there frying under the lamp.

Good luck, pal.

JJ

[iamifun]

yikes, i feel for you, and welcome to the forum...yeah JJ is right, take it back, have them check it out and perhaps let you know what you should do next...i hope everything works out in the end!

cheers,

Ivan

[mlb]

So, Hows the lume work

Good luck with the repairs!!


Mike

[JJ Irani]

Originally Posted by mlb

So, Hows the lume work

[AZeng]

Originally Posted by mlb

So, Hows the lume work

Good luck with the repairs!!


Mike

Mike - Unfortunately, by the time I went to retrieve the watch, someone had already turned out the light and the lume had gone dark. I didn't even notice the damage until the net day!

Thanks, JJ, for the advice. I'll definately let the dealer know what happened. I'm sure it needs a full service also (at least). The lubricants and any rubber O-rings are sure to have been affected. Do you think the dealers can do the work as well as the factory?

Thanks again!

[JJ Irani]

Originally Posted by AZeng

Mike - Unfortunately, by the time I went to retrieve the watch, someone had already turned out the light and the lume had gone dark. I didn't even notice the damage until the net day!

Thanks, JJ, for the advice. I'll definately let the dealer know what happened. I'm sure it needs a full service also (at least). The lubricants and any rubber O-rings are sure to have been affected. Do you think the dealers can do the work as well as the factory?

Thanks again!

If the dealer has a good watchmaker, no reason why he can't do the job himself.

Good luck - JJ

[AZeng]

Thanks to all for the welcome and the advice!

I'll take it in tomorrow and let you now the results.
George

[Dr Rock]

Oooh! I did a similar thing 20 odd years ago with a cheap diving watch that got water in it when I went sea canoeing with it

Good luck getting it sorted!

[chris_nor_cal]

oh man thats heartbreaking. i cant even imagine how i would feel once i realized what had happened. im sorry. good luck!

[Andad]

Hi George,

Sorry to hear about your bad luck.

Contact your Insurance Company asap. Tell them exactly what happened. This is exactly why we have insurance policies and they should be able to sort this out easily.
Make sure you have your watches itemised to cover events like this.

Good luck,

Eddie

[Gedanken]

Ouch - I feel for you, George!

It looks like a full service is the way to go. The Rolex Service Centre would probably charge a bit more, but I'd say it's worth going to them. Besides, independent watchmakers may not necessarily have a Rolex parts account, so going back to the source would be the wisest thing to do. Good luck!

[Tombstone]

Welcome to the forum and remember accidents happen. This does not make you stupid it just makes you human. I once knocked my Turn-O-Graph onto the tile flooring. As many know tile will crack your crystal so as a result I paid $150.00 for a new crystal. Oh well life happens. I am told bezel inserts are around $70.00. Best of luck to you and please show some photos of your watch when you have it fixed.

[AZeng]

Gentlemen, thanks for your kind words and advice.

I took the watch in to the dealer yesterday and had a nice visit and a few laughs. They suggested sending it in to Rolex for a complete go thru and I agreed. I'll post a photo when it comes back!

Thanks again,
George

[davor]

Originally Posted by AZeng

Greetings from Tucson!

I found this forum a few weeks back when I was looking for information regarding luminescence (or lack thereof) for the newer Rolex watches. I have a GMT II, a little less that two years old, and have found it to be a great watch in every way except night visibility.

This forum seems to have some very nice folks and I found some great info regarding photoluminescence vs. radioluminescence, Tritium SPO, and Superluminova. I also found some magnificent photos of glowing watches!

Having seen these photos, I thought I'd fully charge the Superluminova on my watch so I put it on my wife's desk under her desk lamp and set the light about 8 inches above the watch. I left intending to come back in a few minutes and then promptly forgot. Apparently the arm on the lamp was not tight and the bulb fell down on the watch after I left. The result is shown in the photos below!

So if you've done something stupid lately, don't feel bad. I think this one takes the cake!

I doubt the Rolex warranty covers acts of stupidity so I'm wondering now how to best go about getting the watch fixed. Obviously the dial is shot, the bezel insert and the crystal are pock marked and the crystal seems to have an oil-on-water light polarizing effect. I'm also concerned that the internal metal parts may have been warped from the heat.

I'd appreciate any recommendations from forum members. Would it be better to send the watch back to the factory or to let the local dealer (an authorized Rolex dealer, where I bought it) fix it!

Thanks in advance,
George

what newer herd of tanning lotion....

[jac67]

Man, I feel for you, I really do, BUT I just can't stop laughing.

I'm so sorry, but I just see the funny side to it. What were you thinking?

Oh well, I guess you won't do that again in a hurry.

Don't worry, I'm sure Rolex will fix that up as good as new, but it will cost you a little bit.

Be cool, relax, and DON'T do anything to that watch until you consult us here!


John.

[AZeng]

Originally Posted by jac67

Man, I feel for you, I really do, BUT I just can't stop laughing.

I'm so sorry, but I just see the funny side to it. What were you thinking?

Oh well, I guess you won't do that again in a hurry.

Costly mistake ... but fortunately I do see the humor in it! I keep thinking maybe a Timex would have "taken the beating , and kept on ticking" ... but I know better.

Rolex makes a terrific watch and I'm sure they were never designed to withstand 400+ F for a couple of hours. I'm pretty sure it got this hot because the lamp had fallen right down on the watch and desktop and several pieces of paper on the desk were scorched (lucky the house didn't burn down). If Vonnegut was right, paper burns at 451 degrees F! The bulb does appear to be some sort of high intensity bulb (maybe Halogen).

Lesson learned ... if I ever purposly lume up a watch again, I'll leave it on my wrist. That way I'll know if it's getting too hot!

One warped pleasure I got from this was watching the expression on each person's face at the dealer as they looked at the watch and realized how screwed up it was! Most were handed the watch with a simple request to "check this out" and a very strange expression came over their face after several seconds when realization set in! Sometimes its strange what seems funny!

And yes, the watch was still running the next day! The hour hand had made a dimple in the one big bubble near 1 o'clock. I took it off immediately so the spring would run down and the hour hand has stopped, lodged up against the big bubble. I'm guessing it will probably wind itself in shipping and be running fine by the time it gets to the Rolex service center!

The watch maker at the dealer said it needed at least a new crystal, bezel insert, dial and maybe hands and possibly some internal parts plus a full service.

When I get it back from Rolex, I'll have a new GMT again! I sure like that watch!

[Spencer]

Welcome aboard George!

As an alumni of the University of Arizona, Tucson has a very special place in my heart!

[Incurable]

Wow... apparently the instructions, 'cook at 350º for 30 minutes or until golden brown', don't apply to Rolex..

I had a similar, but less destructive, experience with a watch some years ago. I had it set under a desk lamp for the same reasons but it was a good 6" or better below the lamp. Unfortunately it was a halogen or 'tensor' lamp and... when checking the watch later, it was nearly too hot to touch. I'm guessing at least 130º or better... YIKES!.

Fortunately, the watch wasn't ruined and worked fine but I learned an important lesson. That type of light puts out a good deal of heat. So much that there are many warnings and resultant fires caused because of its careless use. Halogen bulbs burn hot and in 'can' lighting, etc. install instructions must be followed religiously. As for the watch, the heat wasn't excessive by feel at the watch but, over time, it accumulated. I was lucky that time. Now if I want to torch up my lume, I use a UV source or blacklight. Works very fast and is safe to the watch (not your eyes though). My fav is my Arc AAA LED UV light. Works quickly and really gets the lume glowing.



Sorry your introduction to the forums had to be on such a sad note. I'm sure the RSC will restore your watch to perfection. If nothing else, you now have a great story to add to your watch's history. This is a fun place, enjoy...

[Rockrolex]

Let me add my welcome to TRF, George. Hell of a way to have to introduce yourself. But I'm glad you came here for advice. And glad your AD advised you to send it off to RSC.

Do keep us posted on the final result and post some pics so when you get it back so we can do a before and after comparison.

Stick around and join the fun (even if you are without that baby for a short time).

Oh, and don't expect a lot of lume out of the GMT. Mine hasn't put out a whole lot of lume since day 1. That doesn't mean that I don't love because as anyone here can tell you, I love my all black GMT-II.

[Prince]

Originally Posted by Rockrolex

...Oh, and don't expect a lot of lume out of the GMT. Mine hasn't put out a whole lot of lume since day 1. That doesn't mean that I don't love because as anyone here can tell you, I love my all black GMT-II.

Well, NONE of my four Rollies does ANYTHING much with lume, but I sure as heck love 'em all!!! I bought my Black Monster for the lume, baby!!!

Welcome to TRF, George!!!

[Kris]

Geez, that looks bad.

I'm wondering if besides a bezel, dial and maybe a crystal replacement, you may be looking at new hour, minute, and 3rd hands also. These parts are fine and may have warped/melted from the heat.

Is the watch still keeping good time? Does the watch still work?

[montecristo]

Wow... I am speechless.

I'd suppose RSC can make it look like new again granted you be out a couple hundred bucks.

Good luck.