servicing experience by watchmaker who is not rolex trained (uh-oh!)

[taxico]

as a cautionary tale, i thought i might recount a recent experience... kinda.

some days back, i took 3 rolex watches to a local watch shop to have all their dials changed.

upon opening the first one, my watch maker commented that one of the watches looked quite dirty and something inside was loose and i might have to service it soon. later when he opened the other two, he said they were in good condition and they don't need any work.

all 3 watches had been serviced less than 12 months ago - one DD at rolex authorized SC (giovanni in SF), one DJ at top hour, and another DD at a non-rolex trained watchmaker's shop in lucky plaza (Shop H).

the movement that was dirty was serviced at Shop H. naturally, i was quite upset... because my experience at Shop H was also not an uneventful one.

at that time when i collected my watch after the service, i felt quite happy - the watch was as old as me and has never been serviced. the watchmaker had WOSTEP certifications and his neat workbench was at the back, away from customers.

only after going home did i realize that the rotor was quite noisy - it was not noisy before service. i had sent the watch in due to age, not because it was showing any sign of problems. so i had to go back to tell him about the noise - he wasn't sure what i was talking about but took it from me and had it fixed after a few tries.

then i went home and the following day after the day/date clicked over, i realized the day disc was not centered properly. at this time, i didn't want to go back to him anymore and decided i could live with the fault as it is not a big problem... at least the watch was serviced! but deep down i always had the suspicion that he was not the one who serviced the watch, due to his behavior/reaction when i described the problem to him.

now that i know the service is not up to standard, i'm very annoyed. his fee was also not cheap (very close to what top hour charges). QC was evidently sloppy. he did not clean up the hour markers and hands - i know because one of the marks was made by me. other problems, i can only wait to find out what they are when my watch comes back from top hour (i sent it in today).

for the past few days i wondered if i should go back and tell him my experience or if i should just send it somewhere else... i decided that even if i went back to him, the best he could do was to re-service my watch again. would i want that? definitely not. at worse he may say that he did a proper job and that the problems had nothing to do with him... i might become angrier if this happened.

perhaps this is my lesson for sending a rolex watch to a non-rolex trained person for servicing - it will be my first and last time.

[pegasi]

Tks for sharing the experience.

But how do one know if a shop has rolex trained technician, other than by words of mouth?

[damienloh]

i am like you tried outside technician. go one round still back to rsc.

[angsu]

Thanks for sharing.

[seiko.citizen]

thanks for the heads up.

[Rolex01]

There are reasons why RSC managed to survive and still so many folks prefer to service in RSC if cost is not an issue.

If can managed to own a Rolex, it doesn't make sense cannot afford to pay for servicing right?

[damienloh]

It is their brand if they can't do it who can? I came across a ex rollie technician with at least 20years experience, told me in his career never encounter this kind of problem my watch has before.

[damienloh]

each time when the movement stop, i wind at least 40 rounds, crown cannot pull out to adjust the time or even date, you push back turn turn another few more rounds try again, if you lucky you can pull out. from occaionally to worse, imagine crown and tube change but outside still the same, even a plate change inside the movement, don't know what plate, the tech just told me like this. i thought die lah end of the world, people telling me you bring back to rsc they will tell you the same thing. i went back again, i am already very pissed off, go in and out for this same thing for at least 5 times. each time few weeks. now out from rsc till now touch wood so far so good. don't know true or not my watch got the attention of the manager. last visit them, less than a month asked them already close to 3 years need service or not, told me don't need and regulate my watch without charging me. I got no confident with outside, i die die rather go back to rsc.

[damienloh]

Now my watch wind smooth like butter, occasionally i will bring in to do check-up at tong building.

[taxico]

There are reasons why RSC managed to survive and still so many folks prefer to service in RSC if cost is not an issue.

If can managed to own a Rolex, it doesn't make sense cannot afford to pay for servicing right?

perhaps your rolex-fu is still young... personally, i'm not sure how many people would want to pay $750 to service a rolex watch worth $1,000.

sometimes it's not about not being able to afford to pay for servicing at RSC... it also depends on how old the model is and what work you want/don't want done to the watch...

when you own 3-5 rolex watches, servicing is not a big deal... but when you have multiples of ten and with servicing cost $750 to $1k+ each, the cost can multiply very quickly... AND if you don't want to sell any... you either wear it until something bad happens or (in the case of rare models) you just have to keep it until you travel to an rolex authorized service center (independent) to get the work done to your specifications.

or suck it up and take a leap of faith, like i did - if i didn't try top hour, i wouldn't know his service is good. if i didn't try Shop H, i wouldn't know their service is terrible.

the reason why RSC manages to survive is because their margins are very high, whether on sale or for service.

[Alexlow]

Well said, I was once quoted almost 2k to service my OQ when the battery died. Bearing in mind that i could almost get another OQ at 2k, I ended up getting it fully serviced + battery changed for <$400 by a reputable watchmaker(OQ is not the easiest watch to service). Now it's working like a charm.
i agreed that when you have multiple watch, servicing can be quite a burden when service at Rsc.

perhaps your rolex-fu is still young... personally, i'm not sure how many people would want to pay $750 to service a rolex watch worth $1,000.

sometimes it's not about not being able to afford to pay for servicing at RSC... it also depends on how old the model is and what work you want/don't want done to the watch...

when you own 3-5 rolex watches, servicing is not a big deal... but when you have multiples of ten and with servicing cost $750 to $1k+ each, the cost can multiply very quickly... AND if you don't want to sell any... you either wear it until something bad happens or (in the case of rare models) you just have to keep it until you travel to an rolex authorized service center (independent) to get the work done to your specifications.

or suck it up and take a leap of faith, like i did - if i didn't try top hour, i wouldn't know his service is good. if i didn't try Shop H, i wouldn't know their service is terrible.

the reason why RSC manages to survive is because their margins are very high, whether on sale or for service.

[newbie09]

For peace of mind, always to to rolex centre
To save a few bucks, can go to other third parties
But if any incompetent tech handle your watch, then only yourself to blame

Disagreed, I dun believe it is just a few bucks different, it can be +/-50% different in pricing. And if you are able to find a reputable watch maker, you should not have any problem with your watch after service. Furthermore, there is feedback and review on the forum here, mentioning those capable watch maker.

[triton]

can share more information?

first how do you know third party use preown parts?
second how do you know third party use preown parts as replacement?

Still, i will go rolex center if a watch need repair or full service
For a few hundred more u get rolex warranty and new parts replacement
Third party shops use preown parts as replacement
If just polishing any good third party shops can do the trick

[damienloh]

i agree with relac88, i will now go back to rsc only. I don't tust any shop outside now. Imagine a outside technician told you he will try to check with a few experience friend watch tech, end up telling you if you go back to rsc they will tell you the same thing, cannot do anything. I back again, since last job they done so far so good touch wood.

[taxico]

Its like car, do u want your car serviced by the manufacturer or any third party workshop
Its your choice

if rolex switzerland can service my watch in/from singapore, i would not hesitate to do so. i would recommend it!

if fiat has their polish factory service my wife's car, i will avoid it. if fiat italy services it, i will accept.

the same for toyota thailand vs toyota japan. honda japan vs honda thailand. et al.

(i'm unsure if the same would apply to manufacturers who have taken over singapore dealerships/servicing. eg, Daimler AG + C&C = Mercedes Benz Singapore)

unfotunately, no manufacturer in singapore will service your watch because there're no watch manufacturers in singapore.

if you THINK rolex singapore pte ltd produces work of a consistent compared to rolex sa geneva, then you are sorely mistaken.

but it's true that it's a matter of choice - however in this case, we don't really have a choice as we don't live in switzerland.

sending it to ther authorized service centre is not the end all of your problems. eg, my dad has problems servicing his mercedes at the local authorized SC. after the warranty period is over, he stopped going back...