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1979 Day Date - to service (with Rolex) or not?

949 views 5 replies 4 participants last post by  offrdmania 
#1 · (Edited)
Dear all,

I have read here and in other places about the pros and cons of RSC service of vintage watches, however, I wanted to validate my thought process with you in case I overlook something.

I have a 1979 day date, with a period-correct but separately purchased president bracelet. The watch case as such looks very much like original, or at least rarely if ever polished. The dial (see other thread) may or may not be original, but by its markings it is a Tritium dial, and has lost all luminescence, as have the hands. Since I purchased the watch used, I have no papers. I am not overly concerned for resale value, i want to keep this watch so I would only sell in the event of something going catastrophically wrong in my life.

Now, what I ask myself is the following: I could have the watch serviced with the oficial RSC. The upside would be that I would get the service paperwork which, if I understand correctly, is the only way to get some official recognition of the watch being genuine, Rolex not issuing replacement papers. Also, in general, I would quite like to get the lime back, as a matter of functionality. However, I understand from what I read that Rolex would keep the parts they exchange (dial, hands etc.), so I will never be able to restore the watch to "original".

As an alternative, I can go to a watchmaker (who used to be the RSC for Rolex here, so he knows what he is doing), and could ask him to service the watch, exchange dial and hands, but return the original parts. However, this would not give me the "certificate of authenticity". Also, for all the trust I have in him, it is not "the real Rolex service".

I am somewhat leaning towards going to the RSC, however, I wanted to hear what you would do in this situation. As mentioned, I am not primarily concerned with value, rather usability, but of course I do not want to deliberately destroy value either.

Would it make sense to first have the independent exchange dial and hands, so I will keep the originals, and then have Rolex do a movement only service to get the papers? Or would they reject service because somebody else will have worked on the watch?

Many thanks for any thoughts and guidance!

EDIT: I forgot to add that the seller I bought the watch from early this year said its movement had just been serviced by an independent watchmaker, and it is keeping time to + 2 - 2.5 seconds a day.
 
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#2 ·
Given the information you shared, I would recommend you not have it serviced. Since it was just serviced, you have at least ten years to go before it needs servicing. Daydate servicing is $750-$2000 or more depending on what’s needed and who does the service. When that time comes, you should have Rolex service it. The watch already doesn’t have original parts, so value would be added if Rolex replaces worn parts. A 1979 Daydate doesn’t have much collectibility. Basically you have gold value plus the Rolex brand; which is basically double gold value in total. Vintage Daydates like yours aren’t collectible, but I think they look super classy and fashionable.
 
#6 ·
Given the information you shared, I would recommend you not have it serviced. Since it was just serviced, you have at least ten years to go before it needs servicing. Daydate servicing is $750-$2000 or more depending on what's needed and who does the service. When that time comes, you should have Rolex service it. The watch already doesn't have original parts, so value would be added if Rolex replaces worn parts. A 1979 Daydate doesn't have much collectibility. Basically you have gold value plus the Rolex brand; which is basically double gold value in total. Vintage Daydates like yours aren't collectible, but I think they look super classy and fashionable.
What are you smoking?! Vintage day/dates are very collectible and there is a huge market for them. Im not sure where you are getting your info from but I see them moving very often.
 
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