Gregineugene
622
Maybe its harder with a large manufacturer to expect them to follow your instructions...
...but can't you just ask them to return the original parts after they're done servicing. That way if you ever wanted to return the watch to "original" condition you could.
If I ask my watchmaker to give me the old parts he'll just bag 'em up and return them to me.
A lot of people do this when they're working on vintage cars.
Concerning dials…
To all purists….it seems that the replacement of hands is a commonplace on a typical servicing visit..but what about the dial? Assuming you are the original owner and you prefer to keep your watch looking new and you have a blemish (perhaps degrading lume...
Morning good sir
My guess is that it would be at the discretion of the manufacturer, but I could be wrong. It may also become a liability issue, for example, if a dial is in a condition that could damage other replaced parts or something of that nature, which could bring ...
Yes…I’m sure you are no stranger to contract law…
From a practical side I wonder what SOP is ie is it possible say on a Submariner to replace only one baton or do they need to replace the entire dial?
That’s interesting, my educational guess is that if the dial is in good order then you can leave it as is.
But I know nothing of Rolex’s servicing/restoration policy. I just did some google searching and it seems if you send your Rolex in without specifying or agreeing to not replace certain parts, Rolex will just replace old parts. Or even if you specified th...
My experience with vintage Rolex is
that when you send in your watch for a service you give them instructions on what they should, and should not do. They will then inspect the watch and confirm in case they have differing recommendations. I did this twice in recent years, with 50+ years ol...
When I had my '83 Sub serviced...
...I explicitly told them to not replace anything. Just clean the movement and do a pressure test. For the case, only non-abrassive cleaning consisting of no more than soap and water and a soft cloth...
Nomos experience
Hi I can only comment on my most recent experience of having a watch serviced by the manufacturer. It was for my Nomos Tangente - took it to a dealer & it was then sent back & I got a quote. One of the options was to replace the dial if I wanted to, just ...
From a practical point of view hands are disposable
Like the dial, hands can fade and the luminous material can fall out. Unlike a dial, the hands are pressed on with a tool and pulled or pried off with a tool. The hands adhere to the arbor (gear shaft) by friction, not by any other means like a setscrew o...
Absolutely fascinating!…
Thank you so much for this insight (why I love wps) and may I ask whether batons / markers are removable or if blemished is the entire dial usually removed?
I've never heard of markers or indexes being replaced
I have repaired a few where the markers fell off and someone bodged up the Patek I have: Lume failures Mis-matched marker Markers bleeding onto dial (especially the 9) Hands intersecting Cazalea ...
Also, as you mentioned, hands are kind of expendable materials.
So manufacturers count with the fact that they can be damaged at the maintenance - so they keep it in stock in a certain number. Of course this number is much smaller with dials, also because they usually cost much more!
Here's a changed dial / hands
The hands and markers plating was coming off, looked terrible and made me mad every time I wore the watch. When I got it (used, but almost new) Five or six years later Replacement Dial was a bit different which was a surprise but complete O/H with hands, ...
Maybe its harder with a large manufacturer to expect them to follow your instructions...
...but can't you just ask them to return the original parts after they're done servicing. That way if you ever wanted to return the watch to "original" condition you could. If I ask my watchmaker to give me the old parts he'll just bag 'em up and return t...
