I have the exact same watch. I don't think it's been serviced in 28 years. Having seen this video, I am suffering massively from embarrassment, I'll absolutely make the investment now in a service as I love it. The deceiving thing about this particular 16233 model is that it still looks pristine, even though it would benefit tremendously from a service. I can't get over how good it looks after your service.
My father-in-law has a Stainless Steel DateJust with Oyster bracelet that has a similar story. That bracelet is ready to fall off too, the clasp pin has worn almost all the way through the first bracelet segment! It's been serviced perhaps once since bought in the mid 80s and he's now retired with a smallish pension so I doubt it will be serviced again. Amazingly it's still accurate to +-seconds a day despite being treated as a true tool watch and never leaving the owners wrist - sleeping, showering, gardening it stays on. I've told him right up that I will not be repairing his DateJust at all - where would an enthusiastic amateur like me get spares from? Polywatching the acrylic is the most I will do to that rather impressive tool watch.
Hi Alan, a service would be a very good idea. It really is a false economy to not maintain a Rolex. The parts are so expensive that running them without oil can be very costly. In a watch which contains an ETA 7750 or 2824 it's not such a big problem, all parts are widely available and not too expensive. In a Rolex it is a different story. The parts bill on a poorly maintained watch can be several thousand pounds. A good independent watchmaker should charge around £400 for a Rolex service and you can have it done every 5 years to maintain the watch nicely. This works out at £80 per year. The annual increase in value of a well maintained Rolex will dwarf that cost.
Awesome vid! Thanks for taking the time to share with us the process and servicing techniques! I was getting a little worried when you were doing the pressure test with the movement installed!!!
Thanks for the nice comments. A pressure test when the work is complete is the only way to know that the watch is suitable for the customer to wear in water. We also test the case when it is empty so by this point we are already very confident that the watch will be water tight. Also, if the waterproofing does fail, it is far better to happen in the workshop where we can remedy it, rather than when the customer first takes it swimming. Especially if they are overseas in saltwater for example.
Great video and excellent work, but I do wonder about one thing: why do horologists put the second hand on seemingly any old way? Shouldn't all three hands coincide at some point? Why don't you put it on in the same position as the hour and minute hands, 12:00:00?
Hi Alastair, with a high beat movement the second hand sweeps meaning that it will land at all points of the dial. It also has a hack mechanism so the second hand can be stopped at any point whilst the other hands are adjusted. This means it can be put on at any point.
I’ll be looking forward to future videos as i enjoy watching this sort of thing, just 1 thing though move your mic further away or adjust it somehow because sometimes when you talk there’s a little mic noise, that’s all and keep up the good work 👍🏼
Buy a pop filter or pop shield to eliminate this problem while keeping the mic as close as previous. That way you get the same noise isolation (voice loud background noise low) and without the popping plosives of the P’s and B’s.
0:53 Could you not have given an advanced warning to those of us of a sensitive disposition ? I was eating my lunch while watching this !!!! 😳😱🤢🤮☠ On the plus side it is fantastic to see such a good result on a watch which has had a very hard life. Loved the close-up shots 😍
Very nice video though I disagree a bit with your statement regarding parts availability as this has not been an issue even for older 3000\3035 and 15XX movements. The only issue that may occur with some independents is not having a direct Rolex parts account which has become more prominent as Rolex has made it harder to retain account status. So an independent without a Rolex parts account will have to either find gen through eBay or Swiss aftermarket through watch supply houses. In actuality most independents when it is determined a main spring replacment is in order will obtain a quality Swiss made aftermarket at a lower price. I personally am a stickler for genuine Rolex parts but items such as barrel mainsprings, crown tubes, o' ring gaskets and spring bar's if quality Swiss made are of little concern to me as long as the cutomer is ok with it and the savings are passed.
Also I have the same issue with my dads watch with the pin sliding out. The same pin. RSC wants to charge me almost $200 to replace teh entore clasp. When i think i just need a pin replacement. Any advice on how i should proceed?
i sent my dads watch in to the R$C and they replaced the case, caseback, and crystal. I wish they didnt replace the case. I feel like they just wanted to rob me of my $$$. I dont think there was anything wrong with the case but R said it was corroded.
I'm always bothered by watches in this condition. Its neat that you can have a watch that will run for decades without service and I like to see watches get used, but people need to care for their things. When I see a watch like this I see a person who takes what they have for granted, not taking even the slightest bit of care with it. A person who probably never changes the oil in their car, their house is always a mess and just neglects everything until it finally falls apart.
Lots of people with these old rolexes bought them in the '70s OR '80s when they were dirt cheap. When you can get a used one for a couple grand. So they don't really have much invested in it, and if you don't keep up with the Rolex market, or the high-end watch market in general, you would never know that your watch from 40 years ago is worth $15k-20,000 if you would have kept it in good condition.
I love seeing a really nice watch with years of wear. Someone enjoyed that watch. Good for them.
I have the exact same watch. I don't think it's been serviced in 28 years. Having seen this video, I am suffering massively from embarrassment, I'll absolutely make the investment now in a service as I love it. The deceiving thing about this particular 16233 model is that it still looks pristine, even though it would benefit tremendously from a service. I can't get over how good it looks after your service.
It was a pleasure watching your work...well done and greetings from England 🇬🇧
Fascinating to watch to see what’s inside such a beautiful watch, great work
Spectacular presentation !!!
My father-in-law has a Stainless Steel DateJust with Oyster bracelet that has a similar story. That bracelet is ready to fall off too, the clasp pin has worn almost all the way through the first bracelet segment! It's been serviced perhaps once since bought in the mid 80s and he's now retired with a smallish pension so I doubt it will be serviced again. Amazingly it's still accurate to +-seconds a day despite being treated as a true tool watch and never leaving the owners wrist - sleeping, showering, gardening it stays on.
I've told him right up that I will not be repairing his DateJust at all - where would an enthusiastic amateur like me get spares from? Polywatching the acrylic is the most I will do to that rather impressive tool watch.
Hi Alan, a service would be a very good idea. It really is a false economy to not maintain a Rolex. The parts are so expensive that running them without oil can be very costly. In a watch which contains an ETA 7750 or 2824 it's not such a big problem, all parts are widely available and not too expensive. In a Rolex it is a different story. The parts bill on a poorly maintained watch can be several thousand pounds.
A good independent watchmaker should charge around £400 for a Rolex service and you can have it done every 5 years to maintain the watch nicely. This works out at £80 per year. The annual increase in value of a well maintained Rolex will dwarf that cost.
The patience this man has is unbelievable.
Extremely satisfying to see this from start to finish
More content guys! This is great!
Awesome vid! Thanks for taking the time to share with us the process and servicing techniques! I was getting a little worried when you were doing the pressure test with the movement installed!!!
Thanks for the nice comments. A pressure test when the work is complete is the only way to know that the watch is suitable for the customer to wear in water.
We also test the case when it is empty so by this point we are already very confident that the watch will be water tight. Also, if the waterproofing does fail, it is far better to happen in the workshop where we can remedy it, rather than when the customer first takes it swimming. Especially if they are overseas in saltwater for example.
Nice job! Please continue creating content.
I enjoyed watching this. It's quite relaxing.
Great video and excellent work, but I do wonder about one thing: why do horologists put the second hand on seemingly any old way? Shouldn't all three hands coincide at some point? Why don't you put it on in the same position as the hour and minute hands, 12:00:00?
Hi Alastair, with a high beat movement the second hand sweeps meaning that it will land at all points of the dial. It also has a hack mechanism so the second hand can be stopped at any point whilst the other hands are adjusted. This means it can be put on at any point.
@@andrewglover1739 Thank you for the explanation.
Love the closeups of the crystal,cyclops and crown threads!
Thanks, the microscope is a very useful tool. It only cost £40 and it makes oiling jewels and diagnosing faults so much easier.
I’ll be looking forward to future videos as i enjoy watching this sort of thing, just 1 thing though move your mic further away or adjust it somehow because sometimes when you talk there’s a little mic noise, that’s all and keep up the good work 👍🏼
Buy a pop filter or pop shield to eliminate this problem while keeping the mic as close as previous. That way you get the same noise isolation (voice loud background noise low) and without the popping plosives of the P’s and B’s.
0:53 Could you not have given an advanced warning to those of us of a sensitive disposition ? I was eating my lunch while watching this !!!! 😳😱🤢🤮☠
On the plus side it is fantastic to see such a good result on a watch which has had a very hard life.
Loved the close-up shots 😍
Are you in the USA? What do charge for this service
Very nice video though I disagree a bit with your statement regarding parts availability as this has not been an issue even for older 3000\3035 and 15XX movements. The only issue that may occur with some independents is not having a direct Rolex parts account which has become more prominent as Rolex has made it harder to retain account status. So an independent without a Rolex parts account will have to either find gen through eBay or Swiss aftermarket through watch supply houses. In actuality most independents when it is determined a main spring replacment is in order will obtain a quality Swiss made aftermarket at a lower price. I personally am a stickler for genuine Rolex parts but items such as barrel mainsprings, crown tubes, o' ring gaskets and spring bar's if quality Swiss made are of little concern to me as long as the cutomer is ok with it and the savings are passed.
Hello , can do you carry out services and repairs ?
16233 Jubilee two tone, how many complete links should it have Excluding those 2 End Links then?
how can I contact you? you did an amazing job with this! would love to see about getting mine serviced.
Excellent
Also I have the same issue with my dads watch with the pin sliding out. The same pin. RSC wants to charge me almost $200 to replace teh entore clasp. When i think i just need a pin replacement. Any advice on how i should proceed?
I owned 16233 model with diamonds point. Take care look like new with blue venegette dial. Really appreciate Rolex model
Amazing
This is a vintage rolex😮
dont they ever wipe there watch?
beats me aswell tbh, my water resistant watches just join me in the shower and get a scrub with the good ol' nailbrush
i sent my dads watch in to the R$C and they replaced the case, caseback, and crystal. I wish they didnt replace the case. I feel like they just wanted to rob me of my $$$. I dont think there was anything wrong with the case but R said it was corroded.
I'm always bothered by watches in this condition. Its neat that you can have a watch that will run for decades without service and I like to see watches get used, but people need to care for their things. When I see a watch like this I see a person who takes what they have for granted, not taking even the slightest bit of care with it. A person who probably never changes the oil in their car, their house is always a mess and just neglects everything until it finally falls apart.
Lots of people with these old rolexes bought them in the '70s OR '80s when they were dirt cheap. When you can get a used one for a couple grand. So they don't really have much invested in it, and if you don't keep up with the Rolex market, or the high-end watch market in general, you would never know that your watch from 40 years ago is worth $15k-20,000 if you would have kept it in good condition.
Rolex 72200 sell
May Rolex is same for you
I'm from Philippines
The crud on this is utterly disgusting! 🤢
hahahah yeah, sick
Talking about embarrassment my Rolex two tone date just is 35 years old and it has never been cleaned. Taking in for a cleaning this week.
Oh by the way this was a great video thank you so much.