Rolex Servicing Costs, Procedures & FAQs

Regular Rolex watch servicing is an essential part of ownership, as every watch the company produces is designed to be a lifelong companion for your wrist. Watch servicing and repairs are inevitable, particularly if you wear the watch every day, so you should think of it almost like an MOT for the case, mechanism and bracelet of your Rolex. 

We buy and sell a wide range of luxury watches with our unique private buying service, so we understand many of the questions surrounding Rolex watch servicing. If you have an unused Rolex or a watch you no longer want, you can easily sell it with us and avoid all auction fees. 

Please feel free to get in touch with us to book a no-obligation valuation today.

How Much Does it Cost to Service a Rolex in the UK?

The price of a Rolex watch repair or servicing will depend on a few things, so there is no official set cost. When you visit a certified Rolex Service Centre, the watchmaker will make a thorough appraisal to estimate the cost of servicing. Each service centre will then break down the price, which may mean that there are additional costs for spare parts or other aspects of the service.

You should avoid unauthorised third-party servicing and repairs at all costs. Not only can an unauthorised provider not follow proper Rolex servicing procedures, which can damage the watch, but you do not get a 2-Year Service Guarantee. A full service gives you the official Rolex guarantee, which is not available from a third party, who can also charge £500 and up in the UK.

How Often Should You Service Your Rolex?

Ordinarily, Rolex servicing will be recommended every 5 to 10 years. Rolex is very proud of its craft and precision, so it is often the case that 10 years is the recommendation. However, like most things, it all sort of depends on how your watch is performing – and the Rolex company only recently revised their estimate to 10 years (up from 5) in 2016.

So, if you have an older Rolex or a vintage model you will require more frequent service plans. Similarly, if you notice any changes to performance in the years between services this can be a sign that fresh servicing would be beneficial. Any major damage will require immediate watch repair as avoiding this may result in further and more costly service or repair work.

Do Rolex Watches Need Servicing?

Yes. The intricate mechanisms and parts of the Rolex watch movement will require servicing over time. Servicing is normal and is to be expected with regular use. It is not just the parts that display the date or time that might need a service, such as on the Rolex Datejust or Rolex GMT Master. There are many performance features that servicing can help to assess, fix or improve. For example, the Rolex Submariner will be pressure-tested during servicing to confirm its depth rating.

What Does a Rolex Full Service Include?

There is an Official Rolex Servicing Procedure that authorised watchmakers will use to evaluate, repair and service your watch. The features of a full service include the following:

• Initial assessment: A professional inspection is the first part of the service plan, which allows the person doing it to determine what exactly needs to be done. The initial assessment is also a key stage in determining the cost of your Rolex service.
• Removing the movement: The service provider will remove the watch movement, the ‘guts’ of the watch, from the case and remove the bracelet too. Each of these components will require different standards of care.
• Dismantling the movement parts: Every tiny part of the movement will be taken out, inspected and replaced as it was when first manufactured. Any parts that do not meet the high standards for Rolex watches will be replaced with like-for-like parts.
• Ultrasonic cleaning: All of the disassembled parts go into an ultrasonic cleaner, which will gently clean every part by using water and vibrating ultrasonic pulses. Ultrasonic cleaners are an important piece of equipment for many jewellers and watchmakers.
• Reassembling the movement: With everything clean, the person doing your servicing will reassemble each part and lubricate the now clean mechanism. They will also adjust the movement to match the accuracy criteria of the Rolex brand.
• Reassembling the case: The watchmaker will clean, polish and finish the case as per the original design before replacing the bracelet. All polishing and finishing are done to the standard demanded by the original make and model of your Rolex watch.
• Testing: Your watch will be tested for its precision, water resistance and other essential performance features. Testing includes criteria for aesthetics as well as performance, which can vary significantly between different types of watches.
• Quality control: With everything tested and reassembled, the watchmaker will make final checks to ensure that the watch works like new and has passed every check. This will depend on the results of the initial assessment when you visit the centre.

While full servicing will vary slightly depending on the watch and any specific issues found, this is the broad criteria and is what makes it possible to find and resolve any problems in the watch.

Will Rolex Service a Watch Without Papers?

Yes. Many people lose their Rolex watch papers and box, or simply never had them – such as in the case of a second-hand watch or a family heirloom where the original documentation has been lost. You can expect as good of a watch servicing from Rolex with or without papers, but they will certainly check the watch for authenticity and whether it is stolen on their database before doing so. Rolex maintains a massive database of registrations and sales records to confirm the authenticity and that the watch is legitimate, but as long as the watch passes these checks they will service it with no issue – papers or not.

How Long Does a Rolex Service Take?

There are many stages of checking and testing in Rolex servicing and the process is very complex, time-consuming and labour intensive. As a result, you can expect a Rolex servicing to take around 1 month to complete. Some Rolex Service Centres can be faster than others, but this is the average time and it will naturally be a fairly long process.

How to Find a Rolex Service Centre

The best way to find an accredited Rolex servicing centre is to use the service locator feature on the official Rolex website. This will give you access to the standards and expertise that your watch requires for effective servicing.

Rolex curates its network of service centres, which will sometimes be in the same location as an official retailer, so you can trust the watch repair, maintenance and servicing these providers will offer.