Rolex Submariner Service and Repair Costs - Herndon Watch and Clock Recommendation

[sumrtoy]

Hi,

First would like to thank the forum for helping me select a place to get my 20 year old Submariner fixed and serviced.

I have a 1997 Submariner that had never been serviced but worked great until March 2017.

I'm not comfortable with mailing something like this and really wanted someone local to me and who would not just ship the watch to Rolex.

Mr. Lam at Herndon Watch and Clock in Herndon, VA seemed to have a great reputation on this forum so I gave him a shot. As others mention, he is a CW21 watchmaker, i'm still not sure what that means, but it seemed to be a big deal to people here, and he does have an account with Rolex and gets audited by Rolex.

What a great experience. He took the time to open the watch and showed me what was going on inside. Documented all of the serial numbers. Made reasonable recommendations. He even demonstrated what was broken on mine (Main Spring) by showing the inside of a working Submariner. We agreed to have the watch serviced, fix the main spring and replace the bezel which had a deep scratch on it. I hadn't planned on that, but the price was reasonable.

It took 3.5 weeks to get the watch back as Mr. Lam promised.

He brought the watch out along with it's Rolex documentation on what was done and the accuracy measures. Mr. Lam explained how the accuracy is measured and to my amazement that he actually wears the watches in for service for a couple days to make sure they work and maintain their accuracy. He had two on his wrists when I was there.

He keeps the paperwork in a plastic sleeve and files it. Apparently a Rolex rep can show up unannounced and ask him to produce random files to spot check compliance.

Mr. Lam took the time to get my bracelet working right and tight. The watch it's self looks brand new. No scratches and very shiny bright work.

All in I paid $732 with tax for the full Rolex Service, Main Spring Replacement and New Bezel. I believe the service was something like $439 and included labor for the spring and bezel replacement obviously. The rest was the price of the parts. I'm very happy with the service and the price.

[Bob the brush]

sounds a great guy.

[AJMarcus]

Dang Lam is a terrific watchmaker and a great guy. He's been in the business for 30 years and knows Rolex. I've known him for years and I will only take my watches to him. I have personally recommended him to many friends over the years and they were all satisfied. He has an authorized Rolex parts account and is certified in all the latest Rolex -and Omega - movements. Glad you enjoyed your experience. Now let's see some pics

[mattedialdoc]

I haven't used him but comes highly recommended by my supreme guru Norman (TimetoGo). I am in VA and plan to to use him in the future


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[brandrea]

Originally Posted by Bob Kendall

sounds a great guy.

Yes he does

[Rebel]

[mjclark32]

good to hear, and what a nice little perk for him to wear the watches for a few days

[gwalker]

Thanks for sharing!!!


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[pringles mcingles]

Thanks for the info. I'm in NOVA and have been looking for a local and trusted Rolex-certified watch maker. I plan on stopping by to see him this week.

[beshannon]

He is excellent, did a great job on my Sub.

[pringles mcingles]

Originally Posted by pringles mcingles

Thanks for the info. I'm in NOVA and have been looking for a local and trusted Rolex-certified watch maker. I plan on stopping by to see him this week.

Follow up to my April post... I brought in my new-to-me EXPII the day I got it. He opened up the case back and told me I needed a service; even showed me a few things in the movement. I took him at his word as I don't think the watch had been serviced by its previous owner.

He had the watch for three weeks to complete the service. I've had it back on my wrist for about three weeks now and it is keeping spectacular time. Better even than the GMT that I bought new from an AD in 2007.

I'll probably take my GMT in to him for a service here before too long.

[gtnator]

Thanks! I live in the area and was looking for someone like this.


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[GoingCommando]

I had my Sub serviced (for the third time since 2006) in February 2016 by Mr. Lam.

Note he may have a Rolex Parts Account but he is NOT authorized by Rolex to Service the watches.

Since this last service I've had major trouble with accuracy. I returned in April 2016 to have my Sub evaluated. Mr. Lam said it was magnetized, then demagnetized the watch and returned it the same day. I thought everything was fine until I noticed massive gains the next day. I was so frustrated that I went and bought a Seiko for my "daily" watch.

Here's what is happening and I believe the Mainspring is too strong. If my watch sits still on my nightstand and spends some time on my watch winder it'll stay within spec for the most part (typically gaining +6 per day). If I wear the watch *gently* it still seems to maintain spec or slightly over. If I clap my hands or going running then forget it..... I spent 45 minutes running one day (with my Rolex timed against my iPhone) after I was done the watch was 2.5 MINUTES fast. If I manually wind my watch after it's sat for 24 hours I can feel the clutch activation (stiffer feel) because the Mainspring is fully wound!

Just yesterday I set my watch at 8am. Today at 8am I'm 90 seconds fast!

I called Rolex Watch USA, Inc in NY and they said that Herndon Clock and Watch is not authorized therefore I'll be going to an Authorized center to get my Sub back on track.