Rolex Submariner 16613 - Opinions on Service
Hi WatchFam,
Upon my father's recent passing, one of the watches he handed down to me is a two tone sub (black). The mainspring broke on me last week, and i brought it to the Authorized Service Center, and the analysis is as attached.
Other than the complete overhaul (which i think is necessary), rotor weight, steel ring and the crown replacement (which are also necessary), they offered the following optional replacement:
Bezel replacement (it is scratched)
Crystal replacement (not sure)
Dial (i am minded not to, as it is nicely patina-ed, and is personally important to my remembrance of my dad)
Hands (not sure)
Of the optional bits, which one do you think i should replace? Happy to hear your thoughts and opinions. Thanks!
Welcome to my WatchCrunch profile.
Were I making the decision, I would for sure replace the crystal, maybe the bezel depending on how scratched and fix the bracelet, but leave the patina on the case, bracelet, dial & hands
If that is the actual watch as it looks now I wouldn't get any of the optional items replaced, but at a push definitely only the crystal.
If the crystal is not damaged I would not change a thing. You can always do that if it bothers you down the road but keeping it as is will bring memories. When you replace them there is no point of return and you may regret it
Would the new dial have that older gold text or the new version white text (like my Bluesy in profile)? Because then if you prefer retaining gold text you might want to keep it as is.
If that is the actual watch as it looks now I wouldn't get any of the optional items replaced, but at a push definitely only the crystal.
Same, I’d get it serviced with no optional, send out to have bracelet repaired
Great looking watch, leave the watch as close to how you received it
unless there are some major scratches in the crystal that the image above doesn’t show, keep it as is. Looks awesome. 👍🏾
Never replace the dial. The dial is mostly the value of vintage Rolex.
Keep it all original - those are your dad's life-marks.
Without pictures to directly assess the condition of these components, it’s incredibly difficult to contribute to the conversation. I see you’ve provided one in the comments; might I suggest adding whatever pictures you have to the original post?
Based on the photograph you placed in the comments, I would say:
Bezel - seems fine but there’s no shame in wanting it replaced (I’d recommend requesting that they send back the original part if you have them replace it).
Crystal - difficult to tell, but most people desire a crystal in good condition and it’s a sensible part to replace.
Dial - looks very good. If you like it, absolutely keep it.
Hands - also look good in the picture. If you are going to keep the dial, I would strongly recommend keeping the hands that accompany it.
If they are OK keeping tritium hands then definitely keep the hands. Keep the dial. Keep the insert, doesn't look damaged beyond careful wear. The glass I almost always change out, certainly when damaged.
Thank you for the comments and the suggestions peeps. After careful consideration, I have decided to change the crystal and the bezel inserts. The dial and hands will stay. I think the watch does require a new lease on life, so a bezel change with a polish would go well with the overhaul.
It'll take 6 weeks for the overhaul to be done. So I'll continue to keep everyone posted. Thank you again for your time!