Restoration of a 1945. Rolex Oyster watch

This family heirloom was in need of major repair and was taken to Rolex Service Centre for a quote. Unfortunately, the watch was rendered as beyond repair because allegedly, Rolex does no longer have spare parts for their vintage models.











The entire restoration project took over 4 hours where most of the time was spent on realignment of the hair spring which was badly damaged by previous repairers.

The end result was rewarding. The watch now ticks at a rate of +1 second a day and ha a healthy amplitude of over 300 degrees. Not bad for a 64 years old watch!




The features of the watch are its original "quarter hatch" dial and its early screw lock crown.

Another filthy Rolex bracelet

One would think that a watch owner who just spent $6,000 on a Rolex Submariner would at least make a modest effort to keep his valuable and fine timepiece in decent condition. Unfortunately, some watch owners could not care less.

Here are a couple of photos of a Rolex Submariner that came in for overhaul.







The amount of dirt and filth built underneath the clasp is just unbelievable. Not only that sand and dust will eat away the metal links in no time, especially when the bracelet is worn loose (embedded particles of sand act like grinding paste), but such filth (and I really don't have a better word to describe it) can cause a serious health problem.

All this can be avoided with just a bit of common sense. A stainless steel bracelet of a waterproof watch should be cleaned regularly. A toothbrush and soapy water (e.g. dishwashing detergent) will do a marvelous job.

The biker's Rolex

It always feels good to kick-start a new week on a high note, but unfortunately, June 1st was an unlucky day for one Rolex owner: his GMT Master II suffered the disastrous consequences of a motorbike accident (luckily enough, the owner got away with only a few minor bruises).




Externally, the appearance of the watch was horrifying, but that is nothing compared to the internal damage sustained by this Rolex!

Below is the list of parts required to restore this GMT Master II to its former glory:
New bracelet, middle case, rotating bezel, bezel spring, winding crown and stem, new crystal and crystal seal, new set of hands, calendar wheel and the dial. Furthermore, the following internal parts would also require replacement: the rotor, balance wheel, escape wheel and all the wheels in going train, auto rotor wheel and case clamps.








The only parts that were spared from the impact are the bridges, screws, the main spring and a few wheels underneath the dial. In terms of dollar-value, less than 10% of the watch survived and the rest is completely wrecked.

Sure, Rolex watches are tough, but there is a limit to what a mechanical watch can endure.

Nevertheless, the owner still has the original Rolex box and the instruction manual which ironically, are now worth far more than the watch itself…