Defect #2 on the Yacht-Master Z9.....

[teez]

Hi all,

This purchase is not going as well as I had hoped. I am quickly losing faith in the QC/QA process at Rolex.

This is one of the shots that I took while trying to explain the semi-transparent lumi issue (seperate thread). Take a look at the 12 o'clock marker, it is off-center at the top. Take a look at the 1 o'clock marker, it is off center too. What is going on here. Someone please. Don't they use a Magnifier when they add the dots to ensure centering of the dots?

Am I being too much of a perfectionist? Don't they have some sort of process in place to ensure that the dots are placed accurately in a consistant manner?

I am forced to question what the guys are doing at the Rolex factory?!! If there is a Rolex authority on this Forum, please speak out before I say something that I may regret.

The reason for this purchase was not to flash it. It was to acquire a piece of perfection that I could wear, and someday pass on to my son.

TZ.


or
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a1.../02210003b.jpg

[CPCC]

Wow, I would never have noticed these issues.

[Letsgodiving]

Never break out the loupe after the purchase. That's all I have.

[Joey_V]

Maybe it's the angle at which you're looking at it.

[mdx77]

Nah....we've all been there I think. Don't go overboard though.....remember, they are made by hand......super macro pics on any watch will show some kind of flaw....think of it as unique and this is what makes it your own!

[ratmotortom]

Perfection is something all of us together could not afford.

[cmr]

if you are that unhappy with the dial send it to rolex with a description of the problems and ask for a new dial.

[fear]

Question to the ultimate WISes. Are vintage watches (given decades of normal wear) without any fault? I assume that these are still worn in some manner or another too.

[mlb]

And you can see this with the naked-eye?

[daunwaun]

ya something is definantly wrong

[sharif]

I think you are being way too critical....life is too short to worry about something that can only be seen under 5-10X magnification. :) Especially when there are plenty of irritating things in this world to worry about....and no magnification is required. Enjoy your watch!!

For what it's worth...the marker on my GMTIIc is a little skewed to left. :)

[Trainer]

A number of years ago my wife and I were shopping for one of our first oriental rugs.
Our dealer mentoned the fact that even those rugs with the finest craftsmenship had at least one flaw.
He explained that although the weavers could produce a rug with no flaws, they felt it to be sacreligious to do so.
Only God he said is capable of perfection. To attempt to produce something flawless, would be an affront to his divinity.
Not a flaw, but rather a unique identifier.

Tempus Fugit,
Trainer

[CoopJr]

I don't blame you. A $7,000 watch should be as perfect as possible. That 1oclock lume is out, definitely. The 12oclock...borderline, but when added with these gray circles you say are visible beneath the lume, I think you are not being unreasonable to ask for a new dial.

Remember though, the watch will now be opened up, the movement removed, the hands removed and then all of it put back together again. So you might have another issue when it comes back. Most likely you won't but it is something to think about.

FWIW, I have a sub LV and there is a tiny flat spot on the 8oclock lume. I only see this when the watch is under abnormally bright light and it's up within 6 inches of my face or with a loop. In other words, I have to go out of my way to find this flaw.

If you too have to study this watch under a loop or in an abnormal way to see these flaws, you might want to give yourself a few days and see if this stops bugging you. Remember, you have a 2 year warranty and if after a few months, this is still an issue, then go for a redial.

[vh_bu98]

I found some flaws in my YM as well. The bezel doesn't line up perfectly and the dial may be slightly off. But it's not that noticeable unless I look for it. Everything is imperfect and has some kind of problems. We may spend thousands of dollars on the watch, but look how much we spend on cars, houses and etcetera and they have problems as well.

I wouldn't worry too much about it.

[GoldenBear]

Isn't it a hand-made, quality product? It isn't meant to be "perfect" like you would get with a "machined" assembly line product. Each watch is unique with it's little nuances. Consider it a beauty mark, kind of like Cindy Crawford's mole...

[SPACE-DWELLER]

Nothing's perfect in this world. You might get a new dial via your AD, but I bet you will find new faults on this one, too. My suggestion is to inspect the new dial very carefully BEFORE you have it installed to see if it meets your standards of perfection.

[frostie]

Originally Posted by sharif

I think you are being way too critical....life is too short to worry about something that can only be seen under 5-10X magnification. :) Especially when there are plenty of irritating things in this world to worry about....and no magnification is required. Enjoy your watch!!

For what it's worth...the marker on my GMTIIc is a little skewed to left. :)

Very good post

[daveathall]

I think you may be being a little too critical, does it keep perfect time +/- 0 seconds?

[Ed Rooney]

That YM is way off. I would take it back.

It might be a minimal cost to get a new dial.

[Gil F.]

Originally Posted by Trainer

A number of years ago my wife and I were shopping for one of our first oriental rugs.
Our dealer mentoned the fact that even those rugs with the finest craftsmenship had at least one flaw.
He explained that although the weavers could produce a rug with no flaws, they felt it to be sacreligious to do so.
Only God he said is capable of perfection. To attempt to produce something flawless, would be an affront to his divinity.
Not a flaw, but rather a unique identifier.

Tempus Fugit,
Trainer

Great sentiment. I think it's a choice about how much perfection one wants, but that ought to be done BEFORE the purchase, the way JJ does ... if you're going to do it, do with a loupe before you buy it. Personally, I don't want to know ... if it's nothing apparent to the naked eye, then the watch is fine to me. Only difference is if it's a diamond ... at that point, loupes and magnification is obviously important.

I tell ya, if perfection under a loupe is important, price goes up. Check out some of those Franck Muller watches. Wow.

[karmatp]

Just wait, your going to spend all this time trying to get something that most of us wouldn't even notice fixed them the next day your going to get a scratch on the bezel walking through a doorway. Your going to give yourself a ulcer and a hypertension if you go through life worrying about stuff like this. I think it is best to just enjoy it and not worry so much over the little things. I personally haven't even looked that hard at mine, it probably has minor flaws also. Just my $.02, living life stress free is worth more than any watch, no worries.....

[teez]

Originally Posted by Trainer

Not a flaw, but rather a unique identifier.

I've got the S/N for that. :)

[teez]

Originally Posted by karmatp

living life stress free is worth more than any watch, no worries.....

Believe me when I say that there is no stress. I'm being purely factual. I slept like a baby all night. However I did not particulary enjoy the extra trips in traffic to the Jewellery store.

I am sharing this with you since I feel that something advertised as so unique and meticulous (and the price is set accordingly by Rolex) is not necessarily so. Rolex should know about this and step up to the plate.

I'm sure that there are many out there dreaming about their first Rolex. This was mine.

1) you can see the shadows under the lumis easily on my watch with the naked eye once you know they are there (other thread).

2) you can see with the naked eye that the 1 o'clock dot does not line up with the five second mark easily. The 12 o'clock mark (triangle) defect is hard to see. There is no excuse as to why Rolex can not get the dot alignment better than that.

Apart from that the watch is breathtaking.
TZ.

[Courmayeur1]

You will drive youself crazy if you think that there is such a thing as perfection, especially when it comes to Rolex. I have purchased 12 in the last 10 months, including a YM last week and I have learned not to look too closely...

[joxer]

I posted the same problem with the 12 o`clock marker on my Z YM.

Don`t have the other problems you have, and i`m still thinking about it sending it out too thr RSC.

Joxer

[teez]

Originally Posted by daveathall

I think you may be being a little too critical, does it keep perfect time +/- 0 seconds?

Well within the COSC specs.
TZ.

[Mrdi]

My left toe is skewed to the left.
I tried to return it and....

[GoldenBear]

I was disappointed when I got my 1st Rolex because it wasn't as "accurate" as I expected. I was unaware of the COSC standards. I expected it to be exact, to the second, always. As time went on, I came to live with it. In 18 years, I have never looked at my watches under a loupe. If I get that picky, it will just ruin it for me.

[f16570]

I can understand your disapointment.
If it is eating at you that much send it back & inspect the replacement under a loupe before you leave the shop.

[ianmedium]

I have a new rolex and it is wonderful, I also have several other watches including a new 38 jewel timex automatic and in all honesty if the names were taken off and I knew nothing about watches I have to say I would say the timex is better built! I can't believe I am saying that but it is true, I have looked under magnification and there is not one detail that the timex is off in, it is beautifully finnished, oh and the thing loses about 10 seconds a week!!
I love the Rolex but to be honest the timex gets more wrist time and more looks from me!
I went into my AD and showed him, this store sells only high end, he was flaberghasted at what Timex had managed to pull off for the price($180 CAD) and said he had no idea how they did it for the price!
So I would say having said all that I would bloody well expect perfection for a watch costing as much as a rolex does, it is mass manufactured, not hand assembled, if Timex can get it right in China surely Rolex can with the much hiped swiss accuracy and attention to detail.