Today, I would like to share with you some “real life” experience.
I’m not a professional, I don’t know how to build or repair watches, it’s just a hobby. I’ve been buying watches for years, and during that time, I’ve stepped in a lot of potholes and spent a lot of money, so I’d say that experience is “bought with money”.
The discontinued Rolex 116710 Oyster bracelet with blue and black ring.
Although the title is “How to check a Rolex”, in fact, some of the following experiences are common to all watches, but Rolex is the most typical.
In addition to the market situation of Rolex, many popular models are not available in boutiques and need to be bought on the secondary and folk markets, and there is a large circulation of older and discontinued models, so Rolex is the representative. Below, a few words on the key checks of the watch.
The discontinued Rolex 116610LV Green Ghost.
- Checking the watch mirror
As you all know, the mirror of a Rolex is slightly raised above the bezel, and the mirror is a cut above the bezel. The edge of the mirror is a very easy place to bump or damage.
Once the mirror shows signs of being knocked, it can only be replaced. This is a detail that is often overlooked, so that damage is not detected in the first place.
So the first thing I do when I get a Rolex (and other such watches with raised mirrors), Luxury Rolex Fake Watches UK is to check the edge of the mirror.
By walking my finger along the edge of the mirror and feeling for small pits and openings, I can spot them immediately by running my finger around.
The mirror of a Rolex is high up on the bezel.
I gained this experience because there was a time when green glass was particularly popular in the early years, and then I got one.
I was inexperienced at the time and didn’t pay attention to the glass, only to find out later that there were small openings around the edges of the glass and that it was more expensive to replace a green glass mirror. I learned this trick afterwards, and it has served me well ever since.
We can see that the green glass crystal, high out of the bezel.
2, check the bubble mirror
Many Rolex watches, have a bubble mirror. The bubble mirror protrudes from the mirror and is the most prominent place above the watch, often unknowingly, and can be damaged.
Bubble lenses are usually worn, and if they are said to be knocked and cracked, you can see it at a glance, but wear is not easy to spot.
If you get a watch, check the bubble lens, if you find that the bubble lens appears “white marks” in a certain light, wipe it, and find that there is still, then use your fingernail, gently walk on the bubble lens, if the nail feels a “lumpy” feeling, the bubble lens is not smooth, then there is bump wear.
The bubble lenses on Rolex calendars are prone to wear due to their prominence.
This is a common problem with bubble lenses. I found a “white mark” on my watch’s bubble glass that I couldn’t wipe off, so I asked a friend who taught me how to do this, and I found out right then that it was wear and tear from a bump.
We can see that the bubble mirror is higher than the watch mirror.
3, check the watch bezel
We can always hear that the ceramic ring is scratch-resistant, but in fact the ceramic ring will also leave traces due to knocks and cuts, just relatively more scratch-resistant.
Now ceramic is very common, Rolex sports models of ceramic bezel, as well as other watches with ceramic material, should focus on the ceramic part, because once the ceramic has damage, can not be repaired.
Ceramic bezels can leave a white mark after a more severe cut. If you find a white mark on the ceramic bezel, or on the ceramic case, and it does not rub off, it is the result of a cut.
Rolex Aquatimer ceramic bezel.
I have encountered this situation on a Rolex Aquatimer, and on the ceramic case of a Vanguard flying gauge (flying gauge spitfire), and found that there was a white mark that could not be wiped off, and later learned that it was a cut that hurt the ceramic. So the ceramic part of the watch should be looked at carefully.
Ceramic cases, when cut more severely, can also leave marks.
- Check the bezel numbers and scale
The ceramic bezel of Rolex refers to the uppermost ring of the bezel, which is ceramic. The numbers and scales on the ceramic bezel are “dug out” and then filled with lacquer or gold to make the numbers and scales.
The numbers and indexes on the ceramic bezel are slightly recessed. It is important to note that the numbers and indexes on the ceramic bezel can be easily smudged or scratched.
As we can see, the numbers on the Rolex ceramic ring, are slightly recessed.
One day I noticed that one of the numbers was a little “incomplete”. I thought it was something dirty at first, but I couldn’t wipe it off because the numbers were slightly sunken.
When I took it to a friend, he looked at it with a magnifying glass and saw that the gold lettering on the bezel had been “cut” and was damaged. Ceramic bezels are relatively resistant to scratches and cuts, but the numbers and indexes on the bezel must be checked with more attention.
The gold numbers and scales on the Rolex inter-gold blue bezel are easily defaced.
5、Checking the dial
There are two kinds of cases on the dial, I will start with the first one, special material dial. Some years ago, I bought a Girard-Perregaux watch with a mother-of-pearl dial.
The mother-of-pearl dial, commonly known to players as the “shell dial”, has a seven-colour effect in different light, which is very beautiful. I didn’t even notice it at first, until later, when I noticed a crack in the mother-of-pearl dial.
As mother-of-pearl dials, which shimmer in the light and change colour, are very easy to overlook small cracks in the dial, it is important to check carefully when buying a mother-of-pearl dial so that you don’t miss out on the smallest imperfections.
Mother-of-pearl discs, because of the shifting colours in the light, make it easy to overlook disc imperfections.
In the second case, regardless of the dial, it is important to check the dial and hands of the watch. This is because during the assembly, maintenance and repair of the watch, when fitting the dial and hands, it is possible to leave small marks, leaving tiny scratches, or small black or white dots, etc.
I previously bought a Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Moonphase with a fine radial pattern on the white dial. At a certain angle, I found a small dot, which was not obvious until I saw it at a certain angle, but I was twisted in my mind.
When a watch is assembled, repaired and serviced, the dial and hands, tend to leave small marks.
About the Rolex 32 series movement time problem.
Since the 32 series gradually replaced the 31 series movements, some players have reported that the 32 series movements have had trouble keeping time.
I have personally bought and come into contact with 32 series movement Rolexes that are basically accurate. The Rolex Super Chronometer standard is a daily error of +2/-2 seconds, for example, individual Rolexes exceed the standard, 3 or 5 seconds faster, but also normal.
I have only come across one Rolex with a 32 movement that was about 10 seconds slower per day, which is definitely a problem.
It was a friend’s watch, 126334 as I recall, and then I was puzzled to find out what the cause was, so I took the watch to a watch shop I knew well and had it serviced.
I was later told that it was because some of the oil had dried out. I have also bought this watch for a few years and this is the only time I have encountered a 32 movement Rolex that does not keep time.
Rolex new generation 3235 automatic movement.
Some final additions.
For some shops are always out of stock, or discontinued models, need to be purchased in the secondary market, be careful to ask the length of the bracelet, how many sections of the bracelet, is not the full length.
The full length of a Rolex Oyster bracelet, for example, is 12.5 sections, of which 12 large sections, plus a small section hidden in the clasp for fine adjustment, count as 0.5 sections.
When buying a Rolex on the secondary market, it is important to pay attention to the length of the bracelet.
Also, as you can see, I have not mentioned some of the knocks on the case and bracelet. This is because the usual signs of dings and bumps can be repaired. For example, when the watch is due for a service, the watch is tossed by the way and it looks brand new.
I was once told that Rolex had set aside a number of polishes for the watch, I can’t remember exactly how many, but there were quite a few, indicating that it could be polished and refurbished several times (as I don’t remember much, feel free to correct me).