Does Rolex Charge to Remove Links? What you Should Know
If you need to adjust your Rolex bracelet, you may want to get help from a professional. So would you have to pay for this service? That’s what we will discuss in this article.
But before we begin, it’s important that we clarify the fact that Rolex doesn’t have any own stores (with one exception). In other words, it’s not Rolex that will adjust your bracelet and remove links. It’s an official Rolex retailer which has a retailer contract with Rolex but is not owned by them.
So, does Rolex charge to remove links?
When you buy a new Rolex from an official retailer, it will come equipped with “full links”. Normally, unless you have really large wrists, you will need to remove a few links to get it to fit your wrist. Rolex has more links than what most people need because some people have larger wrists and may not need to remove any links.
When you buy a new Rolex and need to remove links, you will not be charged for this service. The retailer will of course assist you with sizing the bracelet to make sure it fits your wrist comfortably and perfectly.
However, it may be a different story if you have purchased the watch elsewhere and then enter a Rolex retailer asking them to remove links from your bracelet. In this case, you are not a customer of the store and therefore, they may charge you to remove links and adjust the bracelet. Now, with that said, it’s on a case-by-case basis and depends on who you talk to and which store you visit. Some Rolex retailers will be happy to help you remove links from your bracelet free of charge. But if you haven’t purchased the watch there, you should not expect it to be free.
You can normally expect to pay between 10 and 30 USD for the retailer to remove links from your bracelet. If you don’t want to pay, you can of course remove links yourself. But you want to make sure that you have the proper, qualitative screwdriver for the job to avoid scratching the watch or damaging the screw.
You can remove links yourself
You can refer to our guide here for choosing the right size screwdriver for your Rolex bracelet.
With the right tool, removing links from your Rolex bracelet is quite easy.
To begin, it is advised that you have a bracelet holder that keeps it in place whilst you are working. The Bergeon 6744-P Watch Bracelet Band Strap Support is a good accessory to have.
Net, make sure your screwdriver fits perfectly into the screw. Now, apply pressure down and start screwing counterclockwise. Some screws can be tough in the beginning due to the use of Loctite glue but once you have unscrewed the glue, you will notice a reduced resistance. Now, unscrew another screw that will decide how many links you are going to remove. Keep in mind that you may want to remove screws from both sides of the bracelet to ensure that the bracelet is balanced on your wrist. If you remove multiple links from one side of the bracelet, the watch may sit very unbalanced on the wrist.
Conclusion
The answer to the question is that if you buy a new Rolex from a Rolex retailer, they will not charge you to remove links. However, if you have bought the watch elsewhere and want to get help removing links, you should expect them to charge you between 10 and 30 USD for the job. Many Rolex retailers will help adjust your bracelet free of charge as it is a very easy and quick fix for them, but you should not take it for granted.
