Rolex Service Guide
What a full service covers, what it costs in the U.S., and which decisions to make before your watch reaches the bench.
What does a Rolex service cost?
A modern Datejust is listed at $660, a modern Submariner at $770, and a modern Daytona at $940. Start with the numeric part of the model reference, then find the watch family. Color suffixes such as LV or BLRO don’t count. Four-digit exceptions can change the price by thousands.
U.S. dollars · Rolex complete-service schedule · Check the manufacturer’s current prices. Family names below are examples; the written assessment is specific to your watch. Unsure of the number? Read a Rolex reference number.
Modern models
Six-digit references| Base price | Watch families or references |
|---|---|
| $660 | Datejust, Day-Date, Explorer, Air-King, Lady-Datejust, Milgauss, Land-Dweller, 1908 and other listed models. |
| $770 | Submariner (with or without date), GMT-Master II, Explorer II, Sea-Dweller, Rolex Deepsea and Yacht-Master. |
| $940 | Cosmograph Daytona, Sky-Dweller, Yacht-Master II and Deepsea Challenge are in this tier. |
Classic models
Five-digit references| Base price | Watch families or references |
|---|---|
| $990 | Datejust, Day-Date, Explorer, Lady-Datejust, Pearlmaster and other listed models. |
| $1,210 | Submariner (with or without date), GMT-Master, GMT-Master II, Explorer II, Sea-Dweller and Yacht-Master. |
| $1,430 | Cosmograph Daytona. For example, ref. 16520 falls here rather than in the six-digit Daytona tier. |
Vintage models
Four-digit references| Base price | Watch families or references |
|---|---|
| $1,650 | Many Datejust, Day-Date, Explorer, Oyster Perpetual, GMT-Master, Submariner and other listed references. Check the exceptions below. |
| $3,850 | Datejust 6305, non-Oyster 2780, Oyster Perpetual 6098 and Oysterquartz 5100. Geneva Atelier only. |
| $5,500 | Select references, including GMT-Master 6542, Cosmograph 6239 and Submariner 5517. Geneva Atelier only. |
| $8,810 | Specified chronographs, including ref. 6238, and moonphase refs. 6062 and 8171. Geneva Atelier only. |
Which other four-digit references are in the Geneva tiers?
$3,850: 6305, 2780, 6098 and 5100.
$5,500: Cosmograph 6239, 6240, 6241, 6262, 6263, 6264, 6265, 6269 and 6270; Day-Date 1831 and 6511; Explorer 6150 and 6350; GMT-Master 6542; Milgauss 6541 and 6543; Submariner 5508, 5510, 5514, 5517, 6200, 6204, 6205, 6536 and 6538; and Turn-O-Graph 6202.
$8,810: Chronographs 2508, 3335, 3346, 3525, 3666, 3835, 3997, 4048, 4113, 4500, 4537, 4767, 4768, 5036, 6034, 6036, 6232, 6234, 6236 and 6238, plus moonphases 6062 and 8171.
If a reference is ambiguous or missing, use Rolex’s service locator for a written assessment rather than assigning the closest-looking model’s price.
Refinishing and estimates: Optional polishing and satin-finishing with a complete service is $170 modern/classic or $330 vintage. Modern and classic estimates are free. Declining a vintage service estimate incurs $280; declining a separate full-restoration estimate incurs $2,200.
Rolex Service Cost Calculator
The worksheet adds only the published service and optional refinishing rates. Additional parts, repairs, taxes or transport, if applicable, are outside this calculation; your written estimate controls.
What the base fee buys
A full overhaul is work on the mechanism inside the watch. The U.S. price list separates that work from cosmetic refinishing and from certain repairs. Check the written scope before deciding that one estimate is expensive or another is a bargain.
Inside the base fee
- Servicing the movement and testing the assembled watch for water resistance.
- Specified small parts: screws, wheels and springs, along with lubricants, gaskets and tubes. Rolex also lists acrylic crystals.
- Bracelet sizing itself is complimentary; a new link or other necessary part can still cost extra.
Ask for a line item
- Case or bracelet repair labor, and parts outside the listed allowance.
- A damaged sapphire crystal, bezel or bracelet: ask what can be retained and what must be replaced.
- Polishing and satin-finishing. You can request the mechanical service without electing cosmetic work.
Vintage scope is narrower. The listed service covers the movement, available wear components, lubricants and specified seals and tubes. Work on the case, bracelet, dial or hands is outside the base service. Ask what performance and water resistance can be confirmed for your exact example.
What happens during a complete service?
- Intake and estimate. The center records your observations and preferences. A watchmaker examines the watch and prepares a scope and price. Work begins after you approve the estimate.
- Separate the exterior from the movement. The bracelet comes off, then the movement is lifted out with dial and hands. The watchmaker dismantles the movement and inspects the parts individually.
- Clean, rebuild and regulate. Movement components are ultrasonically cleaned. The watchmaker fits the necessary genuine parts, lubricates the appropriate points, reassembles the calibre and adjusts its rate.
- Reassemble the watch. The case and bracelet are handled separately; refinishing depends on the approved work. After recasing, the watchmaker measures the rate again.
- Test it as a complete watch. Rolex describes a running test of at least 24 hours after recasing, plus checks for precision, power reserve and water resistance. A final inspection precedes handover.
When should you send it in?
Use ten years as a guide
Rolex recommends servicing about every ten years, adjusted for the model and how the watch is used. A change in behavior matters more than the next anniversary. If it suddenly loses time, the crown will not secure normally, or you see persistent mist inside the crystal, arrange an assessment sooner. Keep a suspect watch dry.
A mechanical watch stopping after several days unworn can simply mean its power reserve ran out. Note the winding and wearing pattern, the size of any timing change, and when the problem began. Those details help the watchmaker reproduce it.
Allow at least four to six weeks
That is Rolex’s minimum guidance for a full overhaul, not a promised collection date. An unusual part, a vintage assessment, time spent approving a revised estimate or transport can extend the wait. Get the center’s current estimate before promising the watch for a trip or an occasion.
Between services: A soft microfiber cloth is enough for routine wiping. For a sound, water-resistant watch with the crown secured, Rolex describes gentle soapy-water cleaning and a fresh-water rinse after the sea. Keep leather dry. If the seal history is unknown, ask about a pressure test before immersion.
Before you approve a polish
Look at the transition from the brushed top of a lug to its polished flank. Refinishing changes the surface you see. If those edges, old lume or a particular bezel insert are why you bought the watch, say so at intake and photograph them beforehand.
A movement service and a restoration are different jobs
A replacement dial or pair of hands can be genuine Rolex and still differ from the pieces fitted when the watch was made. Ask which replacements are required for the work to proceed, which are optional, and whether any exchanged components can be returned. Don’t assume the answer.
For certain four-digit references only the Restoration Atelier in Geneva is authorized. Rolex can propose restoration instead of a routine overhaul after examining the watch. A full restoration is individually quoted; Rolex allows up to three months to issue that estimate. That is not the turnaround for the restoration itself.
What to take, ask and keep
Before drop-off
Note the reference and symptoms. Take private photos of the dial, case sides, clasp and bracelet; record the link count and keep your serial number off public posts. Bring prior invoices and your guarantee card if you are asking about coverage.
Before approval
Ask for required work, optional work, parts, refinishing, declined-estimate fees and expected timing in writing. If mailing the watch, request intake, packing, insurance and tracking instructions from the receiving center before shipping.
At collection
Match the watch to the receipt. Check the fit, finish and functions together and ask how water resistance was tested. Keep the itemized invoice and Rolex Service Card together; they document different things.
Where to go: An Official Rolex Jeweler or Rolex Service Center can receive a watch for authorized service. Use the official U.S. service-center locator for intake. Superlative Watch Co. publishes this guide as an independent watch retailer.
Following a full authorized service, Rolex issues a Service Card with an international two-year guarantee covering replacement parts and labor. Keep the detailed invoice as well: it records what was actually done.
