The Story…

At 78 my memory is far from perfect, but some 35 to 40 years ago I owned a Rolex Day Date Presidents version with a leather wrist band and not the solid gold band, but with a diamond hour dial. It was a personal favorite attractive without being ostentatious, sturdy, waterproof and immediately available as a source of ready cash if necessary.

And suddenly it was gone… Stolen or lost, I did not know. My memory says likely stolen by a want-to-be girlfriend. I no longer remember filing an insurance claim for loss, police report or where even I first noticed it missing. I have/had other fancy watches like a second Rolex, Audemars, etc.

Fast forward to current times. Halloween last year 2022, I had right shoulder replacement which requires 4 to 6+ months recovery. So I busy myself sorting old papers, books and photographs as I recover. Low and behold, inside a box of old photographs is a buried Rolex watch and yes it is the missing watch. Found in early 2023. I have no recollection on how it got there or when.

So what to do? First thing – see if it even works. Shake it a bit to start the automatic winder and yes it keeps great time. 2nd thing – Check the condition. The winding stem is broken so I cannot correctly set the time, day and date. But I quickly realize if I let it set at some point, the day and time align with the real world in no longer than a week, so I wait. And start it on a Sunday afternoon finding that plan works. Of course the date is off. That would take up to a year to match perfectly, plus the problem with 30 and 31 days in our calendar.

Forward on to the 3th thing to do. Determine if some insurance company has a claim to the watch and how much. No recollection of even filing a claim, much less which insurance company. Oh what to do? I do not want to sink a bunch of money into repair and find out I have to settle a claim against the company.

Remembering my father’s solution to problems – First find the dollar cost to remedy the solution and the decision becomes easier to make. Thus I decided to find out the repair costs so I could make a reasonable decision to proceed.

So off to a nearby jeweler who claimed a Rolex connection. The grifter there postulated $2500 to make it like new from the Dallas Regional Rolex Repair, but they would remove the non-standard diamond dial replacing with a plain dial. That was a non-starter. Dallas Regional Rolex Repair’s direct price to me was a bit under $1000 and said nothing about the non-standard diamond dial. And there is still the problem of outstanding $ claims on the watch. So what to do?
Finally a light turned on saying reach out to Dave Truong at Mimi’s. And so I did.
I reached Dave by email in early February 2023 and he checked sources of his to determine any claims against the watch finding no claims. And I reached out to Rolex for a history check and found no claims.

So I sent Dave the watch and he returned it fully serviced and looking great at a significantly better price than even the direct quote Rolex Regional in Dallas. It now runs great!

We did everything by email as I wanted a clear record that I went to great lengths to determine any outstanding claims against the watch and Dave was easy with that.

You cannot go wrong with Dave at Mimi’s.

I hope this story has not been boring, but typing it while standing (can’t lift my left arm to type) has been a part of my physical therapy as I am now 2 weeks out of surgery for the replacement of my new left shoulder.

This is a great story! But I kinda question the part about Rolex and keeping time...

Please post some pics, I'm sure many of us would love to see this beautiful watch.

I agree. This story is useless without pics.

Bob

I'm glad you were able to locate your treasured watch, and get it back into tip top shape.

Do you happen to remember how much you paid for it ~40 years ago? It'd be interesting to compare to current value.

glad it worked out for you!

i both wear/have worn rolex's for50+ years.

going to a jeweler who claimed a rolex connection was the only mistake i see in your story, could've been a different outcome, had you left the watch with him.

i've always dealt with rolex dealers who have inventory on display!!

PICS!!!!!!!!!

I second the "great story" sentiments. I'm also happy you found the lost watch.

Got to see a photo.

I would have no doubt about service from Mimi's.

Rolex does a good job at service, but it is tragically expensive, and they will replace non-standard parts. They will sometimes "repair" parts that aren't really broken, but which don't measure up to their standards in some way. For example, they may replace a faded dial with a new one, when the older, faded one is actually more valuable in a vintage piece. I would think twice about sending a collector's piece to Rolex.

Great story, and congratulations on finding your lost treasure. I can imagine it was a great feeling. In 2009 I "lost" a Tag Hauer Link my wife had given me for my birthday in 2005. It was truly my most prized possession and the best gift anyone has ever given me. When I realized it was missing, I searched for days, retraced all my steps, and explored all possibilities in my mind. All to no avail. The watch is still gone. I'd love to find it one day like you did yours.

I had given my daughter one of my old shaving kits as she was always fascinated with them when we were vacationing. One day my older Rolex GMT "Pepsi" is missing! We went through the couches, through any place it could have slipped down into and no joy. 3 months later the wife was going through the medicine under-sink cabinet in the master bedroom and opened the daughters shaving kit to see what she had collected. Yup! There was my watch!

Dave is, forgive the expression, a jewel. He appears to be a man who gives more than expected and is grateful for what he receives. It is gratifying to watch his karma threads.

DT is a Prince here on SF. Expect nothing less of a man with his qualities.