A well made watch is a thing of beauty, both mechanical and aesthetically. Swiss made watches have long set the standard for timekeeping in the world of horology and beyond. Their accuracy is, even if you’re not usually impressed by that sort of thing, truly outstanding, as is their lasting power. There are Rolexs from the year of founding – 1905, in case you’re wondering – that are still operational today. Such is Rolex’s faith in the quality of their watches that they now offer a 10 year warranty of all of their watches. Considering they reportedly produce around 1 million watches a year, that’s a considerable commitment to Rolex repairs.
The Steps Of A Rolex Repair
A good Rolex watch repair matches the level of investment in terms of both time and skill that was put into the initial production of the Rolex; it’s simply not possible to easily repair something as delicate and precise as a Rolex watch. As a result, Rolex watch repairs take a lot of time, money, and skill to undertake.
Without further ado, we shall dive into the exact steps on the typical Rolex watch service. Once you get to the end, you may begin to understand exactly why a Rolex is priced the way it is.
Starting A Rolex Repair
As mentioned previously, a Rolex repair is a complex and intricate business to undertake. Like all things, it starts with one small, simple step.
Open the case.
Once the case has been opened, a Rolex repair technician can inspect the movements and other parts to see what damage has occured. From there, it’s possible to asses the further steps required.
Once the case has been opened, the rotor can then be removed. This is followed by removing the movement from the case. The hands are taken off and the dial and date disc removed. The mainspring gets unwound and at this point the movement goes into the cleaner. The rest of the case is then dismantled, with the bezel and crystal being removed.
Buffing – A Rolex Watch Service Requirement
Rolex take great pride in the appearance of their watches, so a buff will happen during any Rolex repair. The first part to get buffed is the case with a hard wheel and a certain compound. The case is then cleaned in the ultrasonic cleaner – a device which immerses parts in a cleaner liquid then sends vibrations through the liquid to remove dirt and grime – and then buffing continues with a softer wheel. The bezel, case back, and bracelet will all be high polished, if possible. Once the case back has been cleaned in the ultrasonic cleaner, that will also be high polished. There is then one last change of polishing wheel to a softer wheel and another compound to give the high quality finished required from a Rolex watch service.
Cleaning The Movement
By this time, the movement will have finished the pre-cleaning process, and can now be checked and disassembled. Once dissasembled, the Rolex watch repairs technician will go over all the pieces checking for damage. Any damaged pieces will be sent to the main Rolex repair centre to be exchanged for fresh pieces. The remaining pieces will be thoroughly cleaned. Once the movement is clean, the watch repairer undertaking the full Rolex watch service will put on some finger cots – covers for fingers to prevent the transferral of grime and dirt – and start to enter the reversing wheels, pallet fork, and escape wheel into a special liquid lubricant. Grease is applied to the inside of the barrel wall and a new mainspring is fitted. The barrel is then closed up, with the end shake of the arbor checked to make sure it is free.
Reassembling a Rolex
The Rolex watch service then continues with the reversing wheels, escape wheel, and pallet fork being taken out of the special lubricant before being dried with hot air. The balance back can then be taken off the main plate and the reassembling of the watch can begin.
Particular care needs to be taken here. Every watch has a number of different lubricants – with the total number depending on the watch itself. Each lube has a specific role in making the Rolex run in as perfect a manner as possible. If, during the Rolex watch repair , the wrong lubricant is applied in the wrong location, or in the wrong amount, the amplitude and timing of the Rolex watch will not be as it should.
