Replacing my mother-of-pearl dial :D Phew!

[lykame]

So a while ago I posted photos of my new Rolex, a 26 mm Datejust with a fluted bezel, diamond mother-of-pearl dial and jubilee bracelet.

I LOVE the watch, beyond love it. Unfortunately by the time I got to the end of my picture post and responded to all the awesome comments I decided that I couldn't live with the dial for the rest of my life. I LOVE the mother-of-pearl, and I love the cloudy appearance of it, but I couldn't tolerate the rather lurid green and pink that I could see pretty much all the time. The pink was not so bad, but I am just not a fan of green. As beautiful as I could recognise the dial to be, it wasn't the right one. To be honest, I probably knew that from the very first day, but I hoped it would grow on me. It didn't.

I pulled up the courage to phone the authorised dealer I bought the watch from. The guy who sold it to me is this awesome guy called Paul, and he is great. He was very understanding of my dislike of the dial and very keen to make things right for me. This was, I think, early December, and I'd only had the watch for a week. The next day I went in to the shop and we discussed things in more detail.

This is where I'm going to sound unreasonable with what I want from a dial, and I don't mean to. I recognise that mother-of-pearl is a very unpredictable material, because it's natural. It's one of the reasons I love it, and also one of the reasons why it's very difficult to get the right one, especially because I'm so pinickity. But I know the kind of dial I want exists, and I don't really feel too bad pushing for it.

So, I told him my criteria in as an abbreviated a version as possible, to try and seem less problem causing. I basically asked for as white a dial as possible, i.e., a colourless dial, and for it to have the same/similar cloudy effect throughout the dial. But to explain it in more detail here:

Firstly, by colourless I mean no pink or green, etc. Paul's aware of that. I am really happy with white/cream/silver colours. Preferably silver, to be honest. I have seen a slate grey dial, and that was a bit too dark and solid looking, but a good quality silver colour is my preference.

Secondly, it MUST look like mother-of-pearl. I really don't see the point of mother-of-pearl that looks completely flat. And I really want to honour the first dial, with clouds all over, rather than some of the other things you see, like it being scalloped inwards or streaky (although I am a fan of both).

Paul explained that he was more than happy to speak to Rolex and get an exchange on the dial. He did so the next working week, and called back to tell me that Rolex didn't have any more supply until the beginning of January. Not sure why, but fair enough. He reassured me that he would be able to get dials in, and if I wasn't happy with whatever came in he would return them and get more in. But that it could potentially take quite a long time for the whole process to happen.

But it's soooo important to me that the dial is right, so I'm happy to go through that and I'm just really pleased Paul has been willing to support me through this process. I have really appreciated his effort.

I waited patiently. On my way past last week I popped in and he said as soon as Rolex opened up again he'd be on the phone to them. I was expecting a decent wait, even just to get to see a dial.

So imagine my suprise and cautious excitement when he phoned the day after I popped in and said he had a dial coming in and it would be in the shop until this Sunday. !!! I wasn't sure I could make it in, but I reorganised some things to make it possible. I didn't want to miss any opportunities to see a dial, and I also didn't want to... somehow disrespect his effort. I would have felt like more than a time-waster.

So I went to see the dial today, gearing myself up to possibly telling him it wasn't the right dial and that I would look forward to when more were available (I'm really bad at doing stuff like that, because I honestly hate to be a nuisance).

My mum and I went and we sat down at the table. He pulled the dial out, and it was in a cool vacuum sealed container. Because there were two layers of plastic between myself and the dial, it wasn't the clearest of views, but the dial was beautiful! And what's more is that it meets all of my criteria. Paul said that Rolex had described two, but one was very pink and so he hadn't bothered requesting it. Good man.

But this one, it was the perfect colour of silver, and essentially colourless. It has clouds, although they're bigger than the ones on my previous dial. I'm quite happy with that though, because they're still clouds. The pattern is many diamond shapes kind of muddled around. There is one that stands out a little bit more than the others, at the seven o'clock position, but these things aren't going to be symmetrical and I really don't think I could do better. I couldn't believe it to get so lucky with the first dial.

The other thing I love about this new dial is that the diamonds are much more crisp and clear. On the dial I've lived with for a while, I rarely noticed the diamonds for all the green and pink I could see. But I feel the diamonds should be as much a centrepoint as the mother-of-pearl, and this new dial has that. How excellent!

So I've agreed for the dials to be exchanged out. I didn't really see the point of asking to see more because this is everything I want in a dial. The only thing that'll make me a bit nervous until I get my watch back is the seven o'clock section that looks a bit more well-defined compared to the rest of the dial, but that's going to be the case with every dial in one way or another, because that is the very nature of mother-of-pearl, and at least the shape is a diamond! :D I love diamonds. Hehe.

My mum also really likes the dial. She couldn't understand why I wanted to get rid of the previous one, although she went along with my decision. But once she saw this new one she said as much as it begrudged her to say it, this new one is even more lovely and she can understand why I'm changing.

It'll take two weeks for them to send it off and get it back again. I'm happy with that timeframe (oh, for in-shop dial changes!), although I am already seriously missing my Rolex. Obviously I'm a bit nervous about it all. I really really liked this dial in the shop but can't say that I particularly trust myself or my reactions anymore, which does kinda suck. In fact, if anything it seems I can only trust myself to find fault, and I get scared that I'll find fault where there is none. So I'll stress about it for two weeks I'm sure.

And then there'll be pictures! :D With my awesome new phone, which has given me significantly less emotional grief, but is also significantly cheaper and has less emotional value. :D

Lydia.

[normandy]

Glad that it works out for you!

[franksremote]

I was trying to get a proper his/hers set for my SO and me, but alas she liked the rhodium colored diamond dial more and the MOP diamond dial I got matches well enough even though they're two separate colors; at a quick glance in person, they almost appear the same.



Sounds like Paul definitely went above and beyond and I hope that you reward him properly for his efforts. This is your first Rolex I presume? Glad they were willing and able to make the exchange to make you happy.

[hdrazor251]

Lydia,

I remember the pics of your original dial and I thought it was great. Please be sure to post pics when you get the new one.

Don't over think it ... just enoy it

[chennney]

Are they charging you for the new dial replacement? Congratulations on finding a new dial that meets your criteria -- I've come across much more resistance when requesting MOP dials that have particular characteristics. I always get the, "we never know what we'll get" response.

[lykame]

Originally Posted by normandy

Glad that it works out for you!

Thanks! :D

Originally Posted by hdrazor251

Lydia,

I remember the pics of your original dial and I thought it was great. Please be sure to post pics when you get the new one.

Don't over think it ... just enoy it

I will definitely post pics. I have a really good feeling about this dial, it's so beautiful and meets all my criteria, so yay! :D

[jcherskine]

I hope it turns out good for you Lydia.
I can understand your thought process with the dials.
If you are not warming to your original dial, then it makes sense to find one that you
really love and have it fitted to your watch.

[lykame]

Originally Posted by franksremote

I was trying to get a proper his/hers set for my SO and me, but alas she liked the rhodium colored diamond dial more and the MOP diamond dial I got matches well enough even though they're two separate colors; at a quick glance in person, they almost appear the same.



Sounds like Paul definitely went above and beyond and I hope that you reward him properly for his efforts. This is your first Rolex I presume? Glad they were willing and able to make the exchange to make you happy.

Those are beautiful, beautiful Rolexes! I love both! They are STUNNING. Wow. :D And yeah, although they're different, they do match very nicely.

Paul has been amazing. I have no idea how to reward him? I'm impressed enough that I will be doing all my watch stuff through him. Unfortunately the shop he works in has a rubbish jewellery section otherwise I would give that to him too. If I need basic chains and such I will go there. Uhm... other than giving him some sort of present or something I would have no idea. Even present wise I would have no idea. Uh!

Yes this is my first Rolex purchase. And probably my only Rolex.

Any ideas? He has been awesome and patient with me, and very understanding. It is very appreciated.

[lykame]

Originally Posted by chennney

Are they charging you for the new dial replacement? Congratulations on finding a new dial that meets your criteria -- I've come across much more resistance when requesting MOP dials that have particular characteristics. I always get the, "we never know what we'll get" response.

As far as I'm aware, no. I have never specifically asked, and I'm sure that because this situation has been going on since the beginning of December I would have been told very quickly if there was some sort of service charge for it. Certainly when I gave my watch in yesterday he didn't tell me a price.

It's been an interesting situation. When I first went through Paul to get the Rolex, he ordered in two Rolexes with that sort of response... the "we never know what we'll get". He said he could request 'white' dials. I had told him I wanted colourless at that point, and that I didn't want pink or green, not really. When they came in, one was pink and green, and one was colourless but just looked like flat steel. So I chose the pink and green one, because it was beautiful, but in the process of choosing between them I said to him a couple of times that I was somewhat stumped because it was pink and green and I hadn't actually wanted pink and green. But that I recognised that it was beautiful.

At that point he had suggested that I could have one of the watches for a week and if it didn't grow on me I could swap, but unfortunately the steel looking one I knew I was never going to want.

I told him within seven days that I had a problem with the dial, and he acknowledged on the phone without me needing to say anything that I had not initially wanted green and pink. I don't know whether that had anything to do with how he chose to handle the situation. I didn't ask for any specific solutionwhen I told him on the phone, I just said I'd come visit him the next day so that he had time to choose how he would deal with it. If he had wanted to charge me I would have negotiated something with him. But I was much more impressed when no mention of cost ever came into it.

His identification of the new dial has been amazing. He got into contact with the main Rolex in London and discussed what I want with the people there. The lady he spoke to agreed to screen all the mother-of-pearl dials for ones that met my criteria.

Honestly though, that's the kind of service that I expect. So I'm thrilled that I've received it. And certainly I wouldn't dare have agreed to a new dial if I wasn't happy with it because this is certainly my only opportunity to change it on good terms, and for free.

[lykame]

Originally Posted by jcherskine

I hope it turns out good for you Lydia.
I can understand your thought process with the dials.
If you are not warming to your original dial, then it makes sense to find one that you
really love and have it fitted to your watch.

I agree - and this new one is awesome. It meets my criteria exactly. Phew! :D I'm delighted. :D

I tried really really really hard to grow to love the old dial, and it just didn't happen. So I had to find some way to get it changed. I honoured my AD first, and if that didn't work out I would have gone directly to Rolex HQ.

[HeartRolex]

I know this is likely a closed thread but I hope you gifted Paul with 2 tickets to a concert or sporting event that he was wanting to attend, to show your thanks for his efforts.