A friend of mine asked if I would like to try servicing his 2001 Rolex datejust.
I was nervous of the idea at first because I have never taken a Rolex to pieces before and I have only started to get serious about servicing this year having spent several years doing not much more than changing batteries and adjusting bracelets.
With the exception of a Kif spring that wanted to escape several times (patience is a virtue I need to develop further)
The movement came apart, cleaned up and went back together beautifully. (the marks on the rotor weight are reflections)
My surprise came with testing the timekeeping, the beat error had to be corrected as it was at 7.2m/s but once corrected I was amazed by how good the rate was.
Dial up
Crown down
I can only hope that every movement I work on in the future works this well after a service.
Well done! I am aways impressed by folk who are willing to have a go! (with the usual provisos and cautions!!).
It's a great feeling to fix something with your own hand... when it all goes right!!
EDIT (21st May) - only just realised this was in Mods & wreckers - thought it was a complete have-a-go-amateur post in Watch Talk - d'oh! Still impressed though!
Last edited by ach5; 21st May 2015 at 18:50.
That amplitude is low. How does the oil look on the balance jewels?
Also did you replace the mainspring?
At least the lift angle's correct
Every movement you work on won't have as good positional variance as a Rolex, that's one of the plus points of them - they're so well built they're very maintenance friendly.
when the watch is wound up fully the amplitude comes up to 288 degrees in the dial up position and 252 in the crown down.Originally Posted by dom_
I took the balance jewels apart and cleaned them, re oiled them with 9010 (took a couple of goes to get a good amount in the centre)
I don't have access to Rolex parts (yet) so the spring was just checked, cleaned and reused
Impressive stuff :)
At least you didn't finish up with one screw left over!
Fancy doing something a little more complicated with lots of annoying springs and levers :P
Check cousins, they have most parts for this calibre and do generic mainsprings for all calibres. It would probably get that easily over 300degrees. Positional amplitude difference is a bit high, but if non of the normal checks sort it then you are looking at a new staff or re burnishing pivots.
what something like this ?
picture from http://watchguy.co.uk/teardown-servi...y-calibre-400/
Not sure I'm brave enough for that yet
You would be surprised! With the tech manual it really is not bad. Just make sure you have an LVMH account first as you should replace barrel and mainspring complete. Also oiling the escapement has to be good for a high beat like this.
what something like this ?
picture from http://watchguy.co.uk/teardown-servi...y-calibre-400/
Not sure I'm brave enough for that yet
How did you guess!
If you manage to access Rolex parts I`d be interested to know how!
I`ve got to admire your bravery for tackling a Rolex with limited experience and no access to parts. As Dom pointed out, Cousins will supply a fair amount of stuff, but there's plenty they can`t supply. Personally I don`t touch 'em, too much scope for expensive holes to dig myself out of if something goes wrong. It's not lack of confidence on my part, it's simply the fact that I wouldn`t enjoy it and I prefer to spend my time working on other watches. I`ll probably service my own Explorer 1 soon, because I`ve only myself to answer to!
Dom's right about the mainspring; a good mainspring and a barrel in excellent condition (ideally new) are needed to get the amplitude right up. Worn spring barrels are often a problem on an automatic watch and a new replacement is the best answer. If you put the watch on the timing machine fully wound with the caseback off and gently rotate the rotor, the amplitude will rise. This should settle by a few degrees to give a stable high figure (ideally 300°+ for the Rolex). If the barrel's worn the amplitude will slowly fall to a much lower level as the spring slips in the barrel. If it's really worn it'll not achieve a high figure.....but other faults in the watch could also be having an effect. That's why a new spring/barrel is best, you fit it and you know it should be right. If the watch still is below par you know to look elsewhere.
Good to hear that another TZ er is working on watches....may the force be with you!
Paul
Thank you for the advice and kind words
Rolex parts wise, if you need something vintage I have a great contact. Or for modern do a worldwide search on ebay for the part. Won't be cheap though!
Can't share my contact for new parts because it wouldn't help his account with Rolex if they knew!
I would never ask anyone to put themselves at risk with their account it takes to much commitment and effort to get authorized in the first place.
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