Rolex - Part III
 

SmileWavyFor the people who wear their Rolex, can you post:

1. Model
2. # of seconds in gains or loses per day.

I just want to see the accuracy/difference of each.



A few years ago, I thought my watch gains between 5-10 seconds per day. I will post mine in a few days; I'll use tomorrow as a 'sync day.'

It varies depending on your level of activity, body temp and phase of the moon ;) If you really want to dial it in, record how much gain or loss it has for you on a typicaly wear and have your watch maker adjust it to you. Rolex usually run fast on me.

I won't go into the quality of material as I would think most would agree that craftmansship is superior.

However, the fact that you can engineer a mechanical movement that has an extremely low error factor.

I.E., I loose about 1 minute/month or 60 seconds. Or....approx: 2 seconds per day.

That means that the Rolex is NEVER really accurate. BUT...a Mechanical movement that looses 2 seconds out of 86,400 seconds per day is OK with me.

Wayne..

It is all about name recognition. Like many other products, people who can (and some who cannot) afford a "big name" item will go for it regardless.

I wonder if the Yugo had been rebadged as a BMW or a Porsche how many people would defend it as being a "great little machine"!!

Mine loses about a minute a month - and it's 22 years old and has endured all sort of torture.

I just recently took it off and have replaced it with a $50 casio ediface that has not lost a second in the past two months. I wonder how it will hold up.

For ultimate performance an atomic/radio, satellite or some kind of IP based Bluetooth/WiFi watch would be the ticket.

I have not found any that look non-geeky and are made to very high standards.

There are some very high quality quartz movements made/used by by big-name watch makers, but even quartz gives way to the above mentioned methods of timekeeping.

Best,

Kurt

Funny that you could buy a $15 Timex that is more accurate than a $15,000 Rolex. Of course, it won't be nearly as pretty.

I have a Tag. It is extremely accurate. Seconds per month, at the most. And extremeley durable.

Why wouldn't a Rolex be as good?

I have one of those I wear at work... synchronizes itself to the atomic clock radio signal every night... very cool and is accurate to a tenth (or maybe a hundredth) of a second.

But yeah, it is a Casio G-shock and looks tech-geeky... okay for work although I wear my Seiko's when I go out.

They are making some more fashionable models now, I will see if I can find one and post a picture.

Sorry for the slight thread Hi jack.

BTW I also have a Tag Heuer and like it but I'm going to sell it to fund the purchase of a Tissot.

Atomic analog watches:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1198261248.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1198261265.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1198261283.jpg
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the most important feature of a car: to not leak oil.

oh, wait...

The Rolex guy explained to me that as long as the rate of loss is consistent, like 1 minute/month it qualifies as a "Chronometer". I've been told that Rolexes are not on the Federal Railroad Administration's list of approved watches. My submariner loses about a minute a month. I don't need to be that on time for much of anything. But point taken about accuracy versus price.

+1

2 secs / month for mine. But my TAG has a quartz movement. Battery life >4 years.

Can we also get the Rolex guys to post near the wheels on their cars. Just your arm poking out with the watch on will be great.

Ok kidding aside, I think a Rolex would be cool, but with two kids under 5, I don't see it happening for a very long time. I can rationalize the 911 turbo, it gets me to work (in good weather). I wear a Fossil that has my company logo on it during the week, and a Timex triathalonly thing on the weekend.

Bill

FWIW, chronometer spec is between -4 and +6 sec/day. I've owned three Rolex that were +/- 1 sec/day; Ref. 1575 GMT, a 11660 Seadweller, and a 116520 Daytona. My 114270 Explorer is chronometer rated and was +6 sec/day the last time I checked.

Wayne, if you can show me a non-automatic watch that looks as cool as my Breitling or Sinn, I'd love to see it. I don't think any of the Seiko Kinetics or Citizen Eco-Drives or other such watches look nearly as cool. And not having a battery means you won't compromise its water resistance to change it.

Me too; I also love my Sinn.

Solar takes care of most of the battery issue then give it a radio to receive time signals or network time from WiFi hot spots. It should also have a high-grade quartz movement, use modern alloys (maybe Ti or Sinn's Tegimented steel) and look cool, but not geeky. :D

Best,

Kurt

I don't know anyone who gives a flying frack whether their watch is accurate to two - or even twenty - seconds a month. I mean who cares?

I do care that it is 200% reliable and lasts forever. I like the fact that explorers wear them (and they do), and that mountaineers and submariners swear by them etc etc. These things are indestructable - and they feel good. That's enough for me.

You want atomic accuracy? You probably also want a little calculator and a blood pressure meter. I think Casio makes a few of those.

A lot of folks do care about accuracy, even in the seconds/day range . . . that's why there is the COSC. :p

Best,

Kurt :cool:

You're wrong.

It's buying an old air cooled Porsche. ...Runs forever... but A/C is awful, leaks oil. ...And has a mystique.

An old english car doesn't even run reliably.


IMO.

Am I banned now?

+1

With all due respect, the comparison to English car is like comparing apples and oranges.

All mechanical watches are kind of like buying an air cooled rear engine/rear drive car. It's taking yesterday's technology to the next level. On the other hand, like buying an air colled Porsche, a Rolex mechanical or similar watch, carries some advatages over the more modern technology.

First, there is no battery. That means it runs as long as you use it. When do bateries fail? When you need them the most. With a mechanical watch there's no dead watch just as you need it most. Second, for not having to keep a battery updated, Rolex and some of the other top end watches offer the most accurate time possible. I don't even know how accurate my Rolex and Omega are because I inevitably let one or the other run down before I am able to do a serious test on them. For the purposes of your average person, a Rolex/Tag/Omega/ etc. is as accurate as an atomic clock. Third. Rolex and their ilk are far more rubust and waterproof than any mass market quartz. Omega makes a quartz Seamaster and it's about the same price as the mechanical version. Any Rolex Oyster is waterproof to 300 meters, some specialty models are waterproof to a thousand meters or so and have helium release valves. Just in case you find yourself in a diving bell half a mile under the surface of the ocean. Any Tag/Rolex/Omega can take being run over by a car, dropped, kicked, pretty much anything and still run. And to bring them back to new you only need a service that polishes the crystal, polishes or replaces the band and bezel.

And finally, they are mechanical. That means engineered to a degree that few things in today's world get engineered. They are works of art from the inside out. The engineering problem necessary to create a perpetual mechanical watch is stunning. It's about like creating an air cooled engine that meets today's emissions standards.

As an aside, Rolex did manufacture a quartz line from about the late 70s through about the late 80s or early 90s. They packaged them with brochures that featured the hottest Porsche of the day - the 928. Most Rolex afficianados consider that very appropriate. The 928 is to the 911 what quartz watches are to the mechanical Rolex.

Both of my Landmonsters are running quite nicely. The orange faced Landmonster is running +1 sec/day and the black face is running +4 sec/day.
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ok, i love rolex! i have one. i wear a TUDOR most of the time. it is rolex's cheaper playful cousin. i loose a bit of accuracy, but i am not syncronizing with any delta force guys, or am i setting off a bomb anywhere. i walk through a door with reasonable accuracy, and i am a happy fool. never ever, have i had an appointment, and needed to the second accuracy. a rolex is just like a 911, classic!

my other watch is the most obnoxious gold oyster president. way too much bling for me. but it has value way beyond the dollar value for me.

I got a Rolex as a gift over 20 years ago. A classic Oyster stainless. I can't ever see myself going out and buying one however I will admit to really enjoying it. It is a machine, timeless design and very rugged. I wore it for over 20 years every day and really abused it. It never gave any trouble. It went through a period of loosing a few seconds a day - maybe after a couple of months I would find it a few minutes behind. Took it in and paid hundreds (conveniently cannot remember the total but it was hundreds) to have it cleaned, crystal replaced and reset. Then it gained a couple of seconds a day - go figure.

Then one day I spotted and purchased a Casio G-Shock at a yard sale for $1. I took off the Roller and its been in the drawer ever since. I have since added two more G Shocks to my collection. They keep perfect time and are very light to wear.

Both the Rolex, when worn, and the G-Shocks get cleaned and degreased with a nail brush and spray cleaner like simple green or SD-20 then blow dried with compressed air at least once or twice a week. Very rugged watches.

What model is that G shock in the middle - haven't seen that one and I like it.

The one in the middle is a GW-9000A Multi-band 5 / Solar "Mudman". Syncs to USA, UK, GE, and both JP atomic clocks, it's my current favorite G-Shock. :D

If it's digital. It's not really a watch.


IMO.

So you only see two "watches" in my pic, what would you call the middle one then?

GMT2 +2 Seconds in the last 24 hrs.

This watch is from the mid/late 90s, I bought it used about 4 years ago it does not appear to have been serviced since new. I wear it diving, swimming, showering, wrenching...just about everything, yes even that.

The older watches needed more frequent service because of the lube that was used, newer ones with morden lube do not dry out as fast.

Mine are about the same. You can get them adjusted to be pretty accurate but how you wear them, how often they are on your arm and so on changes things.

This is with several flavours of the GMT Master, Daytona and President.

You can take them to a local Rolex dealer and they will usually send them to the factory department for work. Everyone adds their percentage.

I was lucky enough to find a local guy who used to work at Rolex and is now retired. He still has his tools and such and does all of mine now for about 40% what the factory guys do.

If you do not service it on a regular basis they usually will do fine but should be cleaned and serviced every 10 years or so. Going longer means that they will not keep their accuracy and should a seal or such get old they can get moisture inside. Longer it stays there the more damage it can do and costs more for the repair and replacement parts.

[QUOTE=87coupe;3660039]Both of my Landmonsters are running quite nicely. The orange faced Landmonster is running +1 sec/day and the black face is running +4 sec/day.QUOTE]

Are those quartz watches? I'd imagine they would be more accurate than +4 seconds. They are nice looking but I could not afford them.

Basically, they examine and correct the defects they find. If you send it a pristine watch, they don't have as much to do (and the cost would be less) than one that has been beat up pretty badly. The movement gets disassembled, cleaned, reassembled and oiled. It is then adjusted over a period of days or weeks until the watchmaker is happy with the rate results. The case and band are cleaned and refinished to as near new as they can make it. The crystal is replaced, if it is plastic. The high wear items are replaced (things like the crown tube, for example.) All gasket and seals are replaced. The watch is assembled and then pressure tested.

If there are other things that need attention, like the bezel, dial, hands, whatever, they'll suggest replacing those as well.

If you don't service a watch, sooner or later it will run so badly that it won't keep time well. It might even quit running altogether. Obvioulsy, the internal parts will wear more if the lubricant dries out, to the long term detriment of the parts. With a newer watch and modern lubricants, you can probably go longer between services than they recommend, especially if you only wear the watch every once in a while. It's analogous to changing the oil in a car.

JR

Well, cosmetics aside- these are machines. Unlike a quartz watch which moves once per second. a modern high beat mech watch like a Zenith runs at 36,000 beats per hour. 10 movements per second. 24 hours, seven days. For years. Those jewles (rubies) are bearings. Movements need cleaning and lubrication, and maybe parts replacement.

Thsat said, who knows what they do at Rolex service. It takes years to make a Rolex, you know.

Don't think it's a matter of being right or wrong. But, I liken wearing an older mechanical watch to owning an older Porsche. For me it's not the bling. It's that it is mechanical and that it was made by a person. An 82 SC is not the best technology available. I could have bought a lot more comfortable, modern, reliable and cheaper to maintain car for the $20k I've spent in purchase and fix up costs over the last few years. If my watch loses or gains 5-10 seconds per day, who really cares. My 911 leaks a little oil, has a rattle in the drivers window, the AC doesn't work..............................................

I've got a couple old Omegas, Rolex and two watches by little known manufacturers like Atlantic and Orsa. Some keep better time than others.

People either seem to love or hate Rolex. They are not perfect, but their designs have stood the test of time and I've found mine to be bullet proof. Much like the 3.0 in my 911.

On the servicing

You can send your Rolex or other high end swiss watch to the manufacturer's service center and you'll get the red carpet treatment and pay for it.

or

You can find a local watchmaker who can do the normal servicing and pay for only what you need. Like taking your Porsche to John Walker for service, which I do :D

Nope, both automatic 23 jewel movements. They also have a cool rotating inner compass bezel.
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Quartz movements oscillate roughly 32 thousand times a minute, not once a second. This is why they are so much more accurate. Even with their superior accuracy, I still love my automatics, their just cool.

I am not watch-technology-inclined, but isn't oscillation different from a mechanical movement. I think that oscillation and mechanical is like 'apple and oranges," correct?

No, mechanical watches oscillate as well.