Rotary watch service/battery replacement help :)

GinaThePenguin

Firstly I just want to say am not sure if this is in the right place.
so I have bought to Rotary watches from eBay a
Rotary Mens Quartz Wrist Watch which said is was in
perfect working order but in need of a new battery .
there is also a ladies rotary watch which seems to be working fine but it not being brand new I would like to get it service but sending to back to rotary would cost £85
they are both waterproof so would need to be resealed and pressure tested.
so I guess what am asking is there any where I can get them serviced /a new battery that would cost the earth with them being waterproof I wouldn't want to change the battery myself .
I have herd nightmare from timsons and other hight steert repair shops am in the ribble valley , Clitheroe , Lancashire. hope you guys can help

hugs from gina the penguin

sarah1972

GinaThePenguin wrote: »

Firstly I just want to say am not sure if this is in the right place.
so I have bought to Rotary watches from eBay a
Rotary Mens Quartz Wrist Watch which said is was in
perfect working order but in need of a new battery .
there is also a ladies rotary watch which seems to be working fine but it not being brand new I would like to get it service but sending to back to rotary would cost £85
they are both waterproof so would need to be resealed and pressure tested.
so I guess what am asking is there any where I can get them serviced /a new battery that would cost the earth with them being waterproof I wouldn't want to change the battery myself .
I have herd nightmare from timsons and other hight steert repair shops am in the ribble valley , Clitheroe , Lancashire. hope you guys can help

hugs from gina the penguin

To keep your lifetime Rotary warranty you would have to send it back to Rotary with a copy of your guarantee, I do this every year with mine.

GinaThePenguin

am sorry if I wasnt clear am not really bother about keeping my lifetime Rotary warranty due to the fact I paid 100 all together for the two watches via eBay am not willing to spendoing £85 every three on watch every just to get it serviced to keep in it warranty.

having said that I want to keep the watches going.
so I was looking for somewhere I can get them serviced /a new battery ?

is sending them to Rotary the only way to get them serviced?

am in the ribble valley area Clitheroe I don't drive but could get the train if anyone knows of a independent watchmaker or somewhere I could get them looked at in the area it would be a big help , I have only every bought cheap £5 watches in the past this being my first nice watch I would like to start right by looking after these to watches

hugs from Gina the penguin

sarah1972

GinaThePenguin wrote: »

am sorry if I wasnt clear am not really bother about keeping my lifetime Rotary warranty due to the fact I paid 100 all together for the two watches via eBay am not willing to spendoing £85 every three on watch every just to get it serviced to keep in it warranty.

having said that I want to keep the watches going.
so I was looking for somewhere I can get them serviced /a new battery ?

is sending them to Rotary the only way to get them serviced?

am in the ribble valley area Clitheroe I don't drive but could get the train if anyone knows of a independent watchmaker or somewhere I could get them looked at in the area it would be a big help , I have only every bought cheap £5 watches in the past this being my first nice watch I would like to start right by looking after these to watches

hugs from Gina the penguin

I just asked my local jeweller and they said that it will have to go back to Rotary to be serviced and re waterproofed, you may get better luck if you call around your local jewellers.

Joe_Horner

Hi Gina.

Any good watch repairer should be able to handle these. They use (mostly) Japanese Miyota movements (workings) with Swiss ETA or Ronda in some models (which will say Swiss Made on the dial). In any case, regular "servicing" of these quartz movements is generally a bit of a con. And I say that as a watchmaker running my own business!

The reason for saying that is that to properly strip, clean, assemble, oil and test one will take several hours of skilled work and the movements can be bought and fitted brand new for less than doing that will cost at any reasonable labour rate.

As a rough guide to why that's true, I can replace most of the quartz movements Rotary use with genuine new units for around £45 - £60, taking about 30 minutes to do them, including pressure testing. So it's really not worth 2 or 3 hours of my time to "service" one if it's still running!

Incidentally, that full movement cost (which comes with a new battery) gives you an idea of how much the makers are profiting out of their £85 battery changes - of course they want you to be afraid to send them anywhere else!

Keep changing the batteries and having the seals checked until it goes wrong, then have a new movement fitted because that will still be cheaper than paying for servicing for the sake of it!

Regarding waterproofing:

If the watch is waterproof at the moment then anyone competent should be able to change a battery and still have it waterproof. The only seal that's disturbed during a battery change is a simple rubber O ring on the back. If the case and the ring are in (visually) good condition then it will seal again when put back together.

The reason for pressure testing is that there are also seals arund the glass and in the crown (winder). These (especially the crown seal) could already be leaking, or could be getting weak.

There's no way for someone changing a battery to know the condition of those seals without putting them under some stress in a pressure tester so, without testing, no-one's going to guarantee that the watch is still proof. But that doesn't mean it isn't still proof, just that you can't guarantee it without testing!

ChapelGirl

Thank-you very much for your very helpful post. :T

I have a gents' Rotary watch which I used to send to Rotary for 'servicing' but then decided that the exercise was totally uneconomic.

I then got jewellers to do it, which was about a quarter the price of Rotary, but still way over the reasonable cost of the parts and labour, and you had to endure the 'can't guarantee' speech every time.

I've just bought a watch back spanner and holder off Ebay, and having got the back off, I have ordered a new SR621SW battery.

You mention the O rings. Is it worth replacing the O ring during the battery change? I don't wear the watch in water. O rings seem to be quite cheap on Ebay etc., but if other parts of the casing could be letting moisture in as well, there may be no point.

I think the diameter of the O ring is 30mm and it feels 'flat', but that might be because it is a round ring that has been compressed.

sarah1972

ChapelGirl wrote: »

Thank-you very much for your very helpful post. :T

I have a gents' Rotary watch which I used to send to Rotary for 'servicing' but then decided that the exercise was totally uneconomic.

I then got jewellers to do it, which was about a quarter the price of Rotary, but still way over the reasonable cost of the parts and labour, and you had to endure the 'can't guarantee' speech every time.

I've just bought a watch back spanner and holder off Ebay, and having got the back off, I have ordered a new SR621SW battery.

You mention the O rings. Is it worth replacing the O ring during the battery change? I don't wear the watch in water. O rings seem to be quite cheap on Ebay etc., but if other parts of the casing could be letting moisture in as well, there may be no point.

I think the diameter of the O ring is 30mm and it feels 'flat', but that might be because it is a round ring that has been compressed.

How can sending your watch back to Rotary be uneconomic when its free?
I get my postage reimbursed when my watch is sent back?

teddysmum

A couple of years ago, I went into a Goldsmiths shop, to have a battery put in my gold Rotary watch and was quoted a ridiculous price.


The reason was that they won't risk opening gold watches, in case of damage, so send them away to the manufacturer.


I then went into the H Samuels branch, a few doors away, and they did it immediately for a couple of pounds.

Joe_Horner

ChapelGirl wrote: »

Thank-you very much for your very helpful post. :T
[...]

You mention the O rings. Is it worth replacing the O ring during the battery change? I don't wear the watch in water. O rings seem to be quite cheap on Ebay etc., but if other parts of the casing could be letting moisture in as well, there may be no point.

I think the diameter of the O ring is 30mm and it feels 'flat', but that might be because it is a round ring that has been compressed.

You're welcome, makes it worth posting when someone benefits from the advice given

It's not usually worth replacing back seals as a matter of course unless, possibly, you're using it heavily in water (regular swimming / wearing it in baths etc).

The ring is rubber and will naturally seal again as long as it's still "rubbery" and still the right size and shape. If it's gone hard or stretched or obviously distorted then it's time to change it but if it's still springy and sits neatly where it's supposed to then it'll be fine to use it again. A lot of watches use "flat section" O rings for their backs because they give a bigger sealing area so are more tolerant of dirt and damage on the sealing surfaces.

As a general rule, you're far better off using a good condition original seal (which will be an exact size) than some "nearest fit" from a selection pack. I hold about 250 sizes of generic seal in stock so can match most originals within a 1/10th of a mm or so and I still have to order in specific sizes occasionally to pass a pressure test!

If you're going to get something to help seal it again you're far better off getting a silicone pad to lubricate the existing seal with rather than a pack of maybe 20 or 30 random sizes. Something like this:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/proops-Watch-Grease-pads-Silicone-Sealing-Grease-for-O-rings-and-gaskets-Camera-/291508841714?hash=item43df47ecf2

It has two foam pads inside which are saturated with silicone grease. You open it put the O ring inside, put the lid on and give it a quick twist, ten take the seal out and refit it.

The grease won't improve the seal itself but it will help to hold it in place and (assuming you have a screw-on back on the watch) it'll stop the seal from getting stretched or distorted as the metal back twists against it.