Fixing a Rolex watch can be expensive. There are less expensive service options available but is truly cheap Rolex repair possible? Or even a good idea? Answering these questions requires an understanding of the complex nature of watchmaking…
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The world is moving ever toward “planned obsolescence” and disposable technology, a “throw-away” culture favoring replacement over repair. Automatic timepieces stand in stark contrast to this notion. The art of watchmaking has changed very little over the past 100 years. Many impressive advancements have been made, though these have primarily been advancements in materials, the manufacturing process, and in lubricants. The fundamental systems of an automatic timepiece (the balance, escapement, drivetrain, etc.) remain near entirely unchanged.
The movement inside a basic time-only Rolex watch is comprised of around 100 individual components. Those Rolex movements with more complications contain upwards of 300. These small, finely machined components fit together, gear to gear, layer upon layer, separated by only fractions of a millimeter, all working in unison to keep you on time day after day.
While referred to as a “movement,” make no mistake, your watch is driven by an engine, an engine no different than the one in your car. And just like the engine in your car, a Rolex movement requires routine oil changes and the replacement of common-wear, high-friction components. To accomplish this, to service a Rolex watch, its movement must first be completely dismantled. A full service, or “overhaul”, of a Rolex movement is no different than an oil change for your car… if changing the oil in your car required taking the entire engine apart and rebuilding it precisely as it had been.
When it comes to cost, you could, of course, send your to watch to Rolex. Rolex has three service centers in the United States, New York, Dallas, and Beverly Hills. The base price for service at a Rolex service center (at least at the time of this posting) starts at $700 for time-only watches, $750 models with a date function, with additional bumps in the base price for dive watches, additional complications (such as a delay function or GMT function), with older Rolex watches also incurring a bump in the base-cost of repair.
Then there’s the cost of parts. Rolex includes the cost of some common-wear parts, like the mainspring, in their base price. We’ve seen several repair estimates from Rolex where the base price is all that the person was being charged. That isn’t to say that no parts were being replaced, only that Rolex assumes these parts will need to be replaced during most routine servicings and, therefore, pre-charges you for them in the base cost of the service. We’ve also seen many repair estimates from Rolex that are hundreds of dollars more than the base price, and, in many instances, more than double (or even triple) the base price of service. There are a number of factors that can play into your individual repair cost total, but it really comes down to what Rolex feels is common wear vs. excessive wear and/or lack of service.
Additionally, unless you live close to one of these facilities, you’ll also be responsible for the cost of insured shipping of your watch to Rolex and for its return to you. This can cost around $40 to $150 each direction, depending on the value of your watch, and you’ll be responsible for these costs even if you decline Rolex’s repair estimate.
There are also Rolex-trained watchmakers that have been placed inside authorized Rolex dealer/jewelry stores, but this has presented a whole can of worms for Rolex that we’ll get into that in a later blog.
So do you have to service your watch through Rolex? Will having an independent watchmaker work on your Rolex watch destroy its value? Or is it simply the difference between having Honda change your car’s oil vs. Jiffy-Lube?
People choose independent watchmakers to work on their Rolex watches for a number of reasons. One of those reasons is definitely cost. But the saying “you get what you pay for” is very much true when it comes to Rolex repair. So, before choosing any independent watchmaker, they must meet all 3 of these requirements:
1: Proper training and credentials. There are several certifications that Rolex recognizes, including CW21 and WOSTEP. A watchmaker cannot apply for a parts account with Rolex without proper credentials.
2: Access to genuine Rolex parts. While there are currently few than 100 independent watchmakers with Rolex parts accounts in the United States, these watchmakers are out there. And just like the brake pads, fuel pump, and transmission in your car, your Rolex watch contains many components that have a built-in lifespan, so even a Rolex watch that’s running well will likely have a part or two that you would definitely want the watchmaker to replace while they have your movement completely disassembled.
3: Access to Rolex lubricants (and literature). “Oiling” a Rolex movement isn’t as simple as opening up the case and squiring in some lubricant then closing it up. After taking the entire movement apart by hand and after several rounds of cleaning, a watchmaker reassembles the movement piece by piece adding a small bead of lubricant at strategic, high-friction parts. The average Rolex movement requires the use of more than eight unique formulations of Rolex-manufactured lubricants. Rolex makes periodic updates to (a) the lubricant formulations, (b) how the surfaces of specific components should be prepped before lubricant application, and (c) the method of application.
Your Rolex isn’t a smartphone. It isn’t cutting-edge technology. It’s decades of knowledge of precision craftsmanship passed down by master watchmakers to apprentices who then take decades to become masters themselves. As tempting as it is to save a buck, and while cost should play a factor in any decision you make when it comes to your Rolex, cost should come second to doing it right. Doing the old-school way. One watchmaker, one watch. There are no shortcuts to doing it right.
At The Watch Buyers Group we charge $395 for a full Rolex overhaul + the cost of parts. We provide a free estimate prior to performing any repairs. Insured shipping is always free (even for warranty repairs and even if you decline our repair estimate). Each of our watchmakers is, at a minimum, CW21 certified and a Rolex parts account holder with access to brand-new Rolex parts, lubricants, and literature. We never pre-charge you for parts you may not need. That said, we are not cheap and don’t claim to be. We charge a fair price for servicing a Rolex watch the way they were meant to be serviced. There is always a cheaper option out there, but when it comes to servicing a Rolex watch, trying to save a buck today could cost you five a year from now.
Click here to learn more about our process and to get started with a free, no-obligation repair estimate today.
Thanks for reading.