To Warranty or not?

[Car32]

Hi all, thought I would get your advice: I have a DaytonaC purchased from AD almost 3 years ago (11/2016). Recently, the rotor has been making A LOT of noise, much more than I noticed ever before.

I know the 4130 uses ball bearings for the rotor, however I strongly suspect there could be something wrong because the noises includes an (increasingly frequent) “ZZZIIIIIIIIPPPPPP!!!!” Sound, which sounds very much like zipping up a zipper very fast. I suspect its either the rotor scraping against the case back or any oil on the ball bearing having dried out? This sound is loud and I can hear it when moving my arm around, I am not just shaking the watch by my ear.

For context, I also have a black DaytonaC and I can hear some noise when shaking by my ear but it is quiet and there is no ZIIIIPPPPPP sound.

I know I can just send to RSC (I work very close to the NYC RSC) but I am super OCD and am afraid it might come back with dings/dents - which is not unheard of from others’ experience with NYC RSC on this forum. For the record, I don’t care about surface scratches, but a ding/dent on say, the corner of lug would REALLY bother me. And there could be other problems (scratched dial, hands, etc, dust introduced under the glass, etc).

My dilemma: should I send in for warranty work and take the chance on additional issues like those stated above OR wait until closer to the end of the 5 year warranty period to see if there are any time keeping issues (currently there are none), risking further potential damage to the movement but knowing it will all be fixed under warranty anyway?

Thanks for your thoughts!

[bobernet]

Take pictures of condition, and send it in. I’ve never had a negative RSC experience.

[blown5.0]

Can you possibly post a video for us? Maybe some Daytona owners can chime in and provide additional feedback.

[77T]

I’d say you have something going on inside since you notice the sound. Really doesn’t matter what we think is causing it - since you have a warranty, I say use it.

I’ve never had a fear of using the RSC for the one in a million issue we hear about here.

After all what is the alternative? Would you pay a indie watchmaker for work that’s covered by your warranty?


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[SS Oyster]

Huh? You think RSC dents and dings watches? I have never heard of that. Send it in, or drop it off in person and ask them to document (after you take pics) the watch’s condition.


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[imgook]

I'd say you're super paranoid, but since you have a 2nd one as reference, I'd definitely be sending it in.

[T.Mas]

The rotor bearing is most likely the problem. If left to get worse, it may start rubbing against the bridge and creating small metal dust which moves throughout the movement. Not a situation you want. Definitely worth sending it in for a warranty and getting it corrected.

[wytrader]

Originally Posted by 77T

I’d say you have something going on inside since you...

Bought a watch (two watches even) from a brand where you are scared of having them fix a problem because you believe their trained people cannot handle a watch properly and will send it back with visible dents. Imagine how many watches they must be scrapping at the Rolex factory.

Let us know what you decide.

[Token74]

Originally Posted by bobernet

Take pictures of condition, and send it in. I’ve never had a negative RSC experience.

This.


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[NWNL]

Definitely use your warranty

[Grnvette65]

Mine did the same and had power reserve issues. Def send it in. I’ve not had any dings but they did scratch the base back. Very minor and not a real biggie.

[Car32]

Originally Posted by 77T

I’d say you have something going on inside since you notice the sound. Really doesn’t matter what we think is causing it - since you have a warranty, I say use it.

I’ve never had a fear of using the RSC for the one in a million issue we hear about here.

After all what is the alternative? Would you pay a indie watchmaker for work that’s covered by your warranty?


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Agreed I will definitely use the warranty, Im just wondering if I should use it now and risk having it come back with other problems or wait another two years until the warranty is about to expire (assuming I don't experience issues within that time)

Originally Posted by SS Oyster

Huh? You think RSC dents and dings watches? I have never heard of that. Send it in, or drop it off in person and ask them to document (after you take pics) the watch’s condition.

Unfortunately I do, Im OCD and have read a lot of negative experiences about NYC RSC on this forum.

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Originally Posted by T.Mas

The rotor bearing is most likely the problem. If left to get worse, it may start rubbing against the bridge and creating small metal dust which moves throughout the movement. Not a situation you want. Definitely worth sending it in for a warranty and getting it corrected.

That's what Im afraid of. However, my thinking is that I can take that risk for the next 2 years and send it in closer to the warranty expire date - as everything would be covered. This would avoid having to deal with potential other issues like dings/dents (yes, I know Im paranoid and OCD but as mentioned above, this has been a result of all the negative posts on RSC over the years on this forum)

Originally Posted by wytrader

Bought a watch (two watches even) from a brand where you are scared of having them fix a problem because you believe their trained people cannot handle a watch properly and will send it back with visible dents. Imagine how many watches they must be scrapping at the Rolex factory.

Let us know what you decide.

Please see the above on the negative RSC posts on this forum, this is why Im scared, Im not saying its rational!

Originally Posted by Grnvette65

Mine did the same and had power reserve issues. Def send it in. I’ve not had any dings but they did scratch the base back. Very minor and not a real biggie.

This. My case back is pristine, I always put a divider in between. Most of you would say who cares? You don't see the case back, but I care. Unfortunately.


Thanks for all the replies and input, I appreciate it. At this point, I am likely to take it in. On one day last week it gained 12 seconds in about 10 hours. I was playing catch with that day (bare hand with a tennis ball) and could feel the "impact" each time I caught the ball barehanded with my left hand (ball was being thrown hard) so I don't know if these vibrations contribution. The watch gained its usual ~1-2 sec during the next working day and the day after that it gained around 5 seconds during the working day (no playing catch!), so it looks like time keeping is getting more erratic and warrants taking it in.

Thanks again for the comments!

[77T]

I would not wait because some small calamity might befall the watch like damage on the outside. Then the warranty might be voided due to “abuse”.

I know you didn’t abuse it but something could always happen by accident.


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[Rocket_Man]

Send it in. If you don't want to deal with NY RSC, you can ship it to Dallas.

Any dings on the outside might be minimal compared to what's going on inside the watch.

[Dr Watches]

Originally Posted by SS Oyster

Huh? You think RSC dents and dings watches? I have never heard of that.

There are stories all over the internet. Here's a mild one I found in 10 seconds:
https://forums.watchuseek.com/f23/pr...c-4673799.html

[Juantxo]

RSC NY is great. Just walk up and turn in the watch. Being there done that for decades and NEVER an issue. Once I showed up with a problem with the clasp on a GMT and it was fixed right then: something with a spring missing.

Just in case, you might want to tell them to be careful.

Serious dings and over polishing issues (and others) I’ve had with Patek Philippe in NY (Rockefeller Center).

[Car32]

Just dropped of my watch at RSC NY. They said the rotor needs oil and they would have to send it out, should take a couple weeks. All under warranty.

Fingers crossed!

[Calatrava r]

My wife's DateJust did that after 3 years when warranty was still two. Sent it in to Rolex and they fixed it. All it needed was a full overhaul on my dime.

[Calatrava r]

I would be much more concerned about an independent working on my watch than Rolex. Plus, third party work voids the warranty. If its under warranty the only thing to do is request warranty repair. Rotor noise is really nothing anyway, sometimes the oils just thin or dry out fast for no apparent reason.

[Car32]

Update: Picked up the watch from NY RSC today. They confirmed the rotor was spinning as it should but needed oil and so they added it.

I inspected the case, and did not notice anything obvious so accepted it. Upon getting back to the office, I discovered a long scratch on the 9 o’clock side on the case which was definitely not there before. You can run you finger nail across it and feel it. There are also a cluster of 3 scuffs on the same side which I know one was there before, not sure about he other two.

It also seems like the sweet hand is very slightly misaligned, to the right. When looking at it dead on you can see a bit of the ball on top of the Rolex crown logo on the left side. Before it was perfect, and you could see a bit of the ball on both sides so it was perfectly centered.

The scratch(es) I’m going to live with, although I am annoyed as there are already plenty of other scratches on the watch so I don’t want to risk any other potential damage.

I’m also going to live with the slight misalignment of the second hand which is the bigger issue for me. My black Daytona also has this and Ive seen plenty of PM Daytonas in ADs with the same issue, so I know its not a one off thing. I will deal with it the next service.

Thanks for everyone’s input.

[mrblue]

Somehow we knew it would come back with issues. If you had taken photos as suggested you would know which scratches RSC caused.

[Car32]

I did end up taking some quick photos with my cell phone but it would not have shown this particular area clearly enough. Even if it had, I probably would not have asked them to correct, I just wanted the watch back.

Its sad that this is even an issue though - and there seems to be a couple of other threads on RSC issues at the moment.

[Colin G]

Originally Posted by Rocket_Man

Send it in. If you don't want to deal with NY RSC, you can ship it to Dallas.

Any dings on the outside might be minimal compared to what's going on inside the watch.

Here is a recent complaint about RSC Dallas.

https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=669457

Not good.

[peterpl]

This is why i absolutely HATE sending anything in for warranty work or service. It mostly ALWAYS come back with issues or alignment problems etc....

Everytime I take a watch to RSC I explicitly mention to them I want the QC to be top notch and everything perfect.

[bigrustypig]

In all my years collecting, never had any bad experience with any RSC. I’d suggest you bring it to tour RSC soon.


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[enjoythemusic]

Chillax and send to RSC for service.