Even though many years have passed, I still remember one of my bad experience with Singapore Rolex Center. I used to own the Rolex 5504 Explorer as per below photos. During the early days, there are no internet and not many books available for vintage watch collector. We have to rely on words of mouth and seeing and touching to learn about watches.
After getting the Rolex 5504, I sent it to Rolex center for service. After waiting for weeks, I was told by the Singapore Rolex Center that the watch is not an original one as Rolex Explorer only has reference nos 1016! I have tried to explain that its original but the counter girls insisted that this is an Air King model modified and there is no such model for Explorer 1. I have checked with many fellow collectors who also mentioned that there is no such model.
To cut the long story short, later on I either returned the watch to the dealer or exchanged it for a Rolex 1016 Explorer 1. Many years have passed and with the watch forum and internet, everyone now acknowledged that there is such a Rolex Explorer 1 ref 5504. Lesson learnt is Do not trust what others have said as they may not be that knowledgeable. Perhaps after the incident, subconsciously, it must have affected me as I started to collect the Explorers series from Ref 6610, 1016, 5500, Explorer 2 ref 1655, 16550 to the dressed watch series 5501 and the dress watch series with date 5701 as well as the Tudor Ranger, which looked like Explorer and the Pre Explorer ref 6298. In my heart, there is always a missing hole...the Rolex 5504. One day my 5504 shall come..
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