What time is it? Watches and horology

Entirely legitimate use.

But who have those requirements tend to avoid decorator related analogies. And, as you have pointed out, moonphase watches are not best for meeting those requirements.

Nice full set, though it looks like you’re missing endlinks for the bracelet? Do NOT send it to Rolex for a service. They’ll swap out parts and polish the case. You’ll be left with a half-original, half service parts watch. If you’re unlucky they’ll even replace the dial and toss the old one.

Why not ask @robadob or @smackerjack to service it?

I’ve used Alsal on the strand to service and fix my rolex, good service would use again

Well, if that's the point of discussion, using a moonphase for that purpose is like telling the time with a mechanical watch when a qwartz is better.

@J0nathan cheers for the input, will stay clear of them then now I’ve had some other people recommended.

@underuser53929 – thanks, will note them down. For now I’ve emailed Robert who @Stonehedge recommended, thanks for that. Impressed by his website and credentials/ Rolex experience. Do you post the watch to him? He’s in Cornwall!

@freddo thanks for the insight! Why would they do that? I was quite taken back by their quote and it seems unnecessary to spend that much on a watch that works perfectly fine to me, though I don’t know anything at all. Having said that, due to hardly any recent use and definitely having never been serviced, someone recommissioning it seems sensible if I’m planning on getting some new plexiglass and the strap changed anyway. Not sure about missing endlinks, hopefully not, will check. If someone here can help that is a bonus :)

Found it in a 1983 brochure I think too

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Rolex will swap parts out if they need to be replaced to be able to do a satisfactory service/ repair so as to be able to give a two year warranty ( better then when new) . They won’t do willy nilly for the sake of it. And how is a part not “original” if supplied by the manufacturer? This whole Patina/ usability argument sometimes gets a bit ridiculous. If you want a watch you can happily use every day with a “ factory “ warranty then let them do it . If you want to leave it entirely original and just want to leave it in a box and look at it then don’t.

Having said that Rolex may not actually be able to do it . They guarantee supply of parts up to 30 years after cessation of production so I don’t know when they stopped that , but I had a 1983 air king in ( I think it was ) that they couldn’t do. Had to send to Stephen Hayle and it was Monstrously expensive and took 10 months. And he quoted a year!!

how is a part not “original” if supplied by the manufacturer?

Because service parts are not the original watch. And often service dials are significantly different designs from original.

This whole Patina/ usability argument sometimes gets a bit ridiculous.

Personally I wouldn’t touch a watch that had been refinished / polished or had a service dial and most other collectors are the same IME. I don’t see why some people have a problem with a significant premium being assigned to originality and condition. Owning watches, like most jewellery, is pretty ridiculous to start with.

The thing is this is a 35 year old watch. Sympathetically serviced over time it will be fine for at least another 35 years. A repolish is more akin to a restoration than a service.

But surely if you want to be able to actually use a watch for its intended purpose ie wearing regularly to be able to accurately tell the time and the only way of ensuring the timepiece can do that is by replacing anything worn beyond tolerance by the actual manufacturer then that’s ok , if that’s what you want to use it for. They are two different things I feel . I agree with you in some respects , but if for example a dial is aged / damaged and flaking and HAS to be replaced so you can use it then wether you keep it original and leave it for gazing upon or actually sort it to be able to use is a choice you have to make.

Generally dials, hands and cases don’t wear out unless they’re not looked after. Moisture ingress is the main culprit for poor condition dials and desk diving scratches cases. But I agree about parts that actually wear like (some) movement components, though others only wear as a result of the watch not being serviced. It’s perfectly possible to wear your watches regularly and not damage them ;)

I wear all my watches, I thought most people do :)

don't feed the trolls!

I think the rule of common sense is only do what is necessary for the piece to function as you want it to.
When I had my ‘71 speedmaster mk2 restored I was able to retain the original but faded dial and hands but I did have new chrono pushers as they were EXACTLY the same as the knackered ones.
But I had the case refinished. Heretic!!
And you’ve all seen the pictures on here and everybody loved it, but most importantly it’s what I wanted , a period piece as usable as a new one.

Part of it is the lack of control.

As I understand it you have no comms, right of veto, or ability to request the old parts - like dial or hands.

For such a common brand, its hard to see why you'd bother using them over an indy.

Hey, no judgment, man. But you can only refinish a case a couple of times as often quite a lot of metal is removed.

the rule of common sense is only do what is necessary for the piece to function as you want it to.

So the point of my comment to @bobble was that a service carried out by Rolex or Omega will, as a matter of course, include a case refinish whether the watch requires it or not. This is for exactly the reason you state, as well as because customers want to feel like they have a “new” watch again.

So did you send your Mk2 to Omega to service?

It was found in the back of a workshop drawer where it had languished since about 1975, so it was more of a restoration than just a service.
Movement was gummed up with dust and oil glass and tachymetre surround were heavily worn and chipped etc . It was a state.
STS resurrected it , even managing to supply the correct NOS bracelet , it hadn't been refinished before so the case was done . It came back like new , but with the gently faded dial and hands . I'm at work so can't show a picture , but there's one on here somewhere prob under my previous guise of plain Ejay.

At the time STS were Omega's unofficial "historic" dept.

I think that’s the point though, sending it to STS or Simon Freese (other Omega experts are available) as opposed to ‘Omega’ for a service means you get a degree of control on the extent of your restoration. Omega are notorious for replacing hands as a matter of course because the Tritium ceases to be luminous and the resultant mismatch between the dial plots can be quite jarring.
If the case is in that bad a shape I totally get why someone would refinish, especially on your Mk2 where it has a lot of meat and a pronounced starburst brushing but for me personally I like the scars/dents/dings.
The problem with most Rolex cases is the original lug shape is defined and proportioned and I find it pretty obvious at a glance to see the difference with a polished version.

There are so many Omega/Rolex time served watch restorers who are now independent and offer you control it seems crazy to go to the brand and devalue the watch. Not that we’re talking money but it has to be a consideration at some level.

AFAIK If you ask Rolex to keep the watch optically intact and not to replace dials / hands or do any polishing, they won't. With AP is different, they will replace hands etc. and will only give you back the original parts if you specifically ask them to!

That’s what I’d been told when I send my dad’s DJ back for quotes...
I was also given the original box and papers for christmas... receipt dates it as 1973

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I'm a bit freaked. Cycled to work through some medium - heavy rain and when I got in to office found what seemed to be fine dirt underneath crystal - actually really fine beads of condensation. It was a little worse than the picture below. I took it off and left it sitting on my desk for around two hours at which point it had almost fully disappeared. I put it back on and it started to fog back up again at which point I took the picture below.

Have read five or six different opinions as to what to do - would love if anyone here from experience could weigh in - should I get on to Hamilton?

Based on my experience, take it off, unscrew the crown to allow all the moisture to escape, and contact Hamilton. It will need to be warrantied.

Awesome photo BTW. Lovely watch.

If the moisture is on the glass, that’s a good thing as it’s not anywhere else in the watch. This often happens at this time of year, especially with the combination of a warm wrist from cycling and cold air. It doesn’t necessarily mean it’s leaking, but it is worth taking the watch for pressure testing, especially if it is under warranty.

It is funny how fashion changes with regard to services. My father has boxes of old Rolex hands and dials from his time working there. Most are the old Radium hands with the patina that everyone loves today, but back then most wanted to ‘upgrade’ the old, brown, dirty hands to shiny new tritium ones.

Luckily for us, my dad kept all these. As good watchmakers know, you never throw anything out...we now often refit these during watch restorations.