DJ41 Accuracy

[Annan]

When new a year ago my DJ41 (126333) was -2s/day out of the box with 24/7 wear. Leaving it dial up overnight helped it gain that back. Over about 6 months it drifted to -4s/day and dial up had little effect, maybe a 1 second gain.

I had it regulated by a watchmaker at an AD two months ago (quite a distance away). To my amazement it was +/- 0s/day worn 24/7. That lasted about two weeks. Now it has drifted back to -4 s/day again. Dial up overnight once again seems to have no effect. I can live with -4 if it's consistent but am monitoring to see if it gets worse.

I find it odd that after regulation it drifted so much. There have been no shocks, drops, etc. to do any damage. Could I possibly have a movement issue that needs to be checked under warranty?

[padi56]

Originally Posted by Annan

When new a year ago my DJ41 (126333) was -2s/day out of the box with 24/7 wear. Leaving it dial up overnight helped it gain that back. Over about 6 months it drifted to -4s/day and dial up had little effect, maybe a 1 second gain.

I had it regulated by a watchmaker at an AD two months ago (quite a distance away). To my amazement it was +/- 0s/day worn 24/7. That lasted about two weeks. Now it has drifted back to -4 s/day again. Dial up overnight once again seems to have no effect. I can live with -4 if it's consistent but am monitoring to see if it gets worse.

I find it odd that after regulation it drifted so much. There have been no shocks, drops, etc. to do any damage. Could I possibly have a movement issue that needs to be checked under warranty?

You are worrying over nothing a few seconds out of 86400 in a day,remember this the escapement of a mechanical watch in 24 hours pushes the gears 432,000 times. Many things affect a mechanical watch when being worn or at rest,frst the earth's gravity, metal expansion and contraction, temperature variations,mainspring power-reserve, subtle changes in lubrication and friction, shocks, and so on.The fact is that no mechanical watch made will keep 100% perfect time, very close yes but perfect no.Cannot see the point of getting the back off for such tiny drift of 2 seconds I am sure that 2 seconds is not life threatening in any way.Trouble is when you start obsessing over a second or so, it starts to take the enjoyment out of owning and wearing your watch ,life too short to obsess over a few seconds out of 86400.

[Annan]

Originally Posted by padi56

You are worrying over nothing a few seconds out of 86400 in a day,remember this the escapement of a mechanical watch in 24 hours pushes the gears 432,000 times. Many things affect a mechanical watch when being worn or at rest,frst the earth's gravity, metal expansion and contraction, temperature variations,mainspring power-reserve, subtle changes in lubrication and friction, shocks, and so on.The fact is that no mechanical watch made will keep 100% perfect time, very close yes but perfect no.

Yes.....have seen this response from you a hundred times and am as weary of seeing it as you are writing it. IMO I am asking a legitimate question. The watch ran perfectly for two weeks after regulation. The reasons you cite do not explain that fact.

[beshannon]

Originally Posted by Annan

Yes.....have seen this response from you a hundred times and am as weary of seeing it as you are writing it. IMO I am asking a legitimate question. The watch ran perfectly for two weeks after regulation. The reasons you cite do not explain that fact.

IMHO, Peter's explanation is valid, as always.

Your expectations are unrealistic.

[JacksonStone]

Originally Posted by beshannon

Your expectations are unrealistic.

I know this is a month-old comment, but it is the dumbest thing I've read today. Rolex standards are +/- 2 spd. It's not unrealistic to expect the watch to run within that, on average. I've got a 3135 that consistently runs within +1, and many other members report similar accuracy, including those with the newer movement. If a person drops four or five figures on a watch, he is entitled to expect it to perform as advertised, whether the retro grouch curmudgeons like it or not.

OP, I hope the servicing brings the watch into spec. Please keep us posted.

[Annan]

Originally Posted by JacksonStone

I know this is a month-old comment, but it is the dumbest thing I've read today. Rolex standards are +/- 2 spd. It's not unrealistic to expect the watch to run within that, on average. I've got a 3135 that consistently runs within +1, and many other members report similar accuracy, including those with the newer movement. If a person drops four or five figures on a watch, he is entitled to expect it to perform as advertised, whether the retro grouch curmudgeons like it or not.

OP, I hope the servicing brings the watch into spec. Please keep us posted.

[padi56]

Originally Posted by Annan

Yes.....have seen this response from you a hundred times and am as weary of seeing it as you are writing it. IMO I am asking a legitimate question. The watch ran perfectly for two weeks after regulation. The reasons you cite do not explain that fact.

Likewise as I am weary reading about trivialities like a drift of 4 seconds,and I gave a legitimate answer, if I was you I would sell this very inaccurate watch and buy a Seiko Grand Quartz or spring drive that should be accurate enough for you.

[Annan]

Originally Posted by padi56

Likewise as I am weary reading about trivialities like a drift of 4 seconds,and I gave a legitimate answer, if I was you I would sell this very inaccurate watch and buy a Seiko Grand Quartz or spring drive that should be accurate enough for you.

Peter, I think you and I are both getting too old and cranky. Have a good day.

[Annan]

I think both of you are missing my point and basic question. The watch went from -4 s/day to 0s/day with regulation and stayed there for two weeks. It then drifted back to -4s/day and may drop even more. I have been monitoring.

I DO NOT expect perfection and am educated enough to understand why that is impossible. I'm simply asking if it might be advisable to have the movement checked in light of such a change in accuracy.

[beshannon]

Originally Posted by Annan

I think both of you are missing my point and basic question. The watch went from -4 s/day to 0s/day with regulation and stayed there for two weeks. It then drifted back to -4s/day and may drop even more. I have been monitoring.

I DO NOT expect perfection and am educated enough to understand why that is impossible. I'm simply asking if it might be advisable to have the movement checked in light of such a change in accuracy.

Given that your watch is running within COSC daily average spec, no I would not open it up.

You are free to do as you wish.

Good luck.

[Annan]

Agree. As I said in my original post I can live with -4s/day since that's within COSC. But if it drifts further that's a different matter. I will continue to monitor.

[|404|]

Buy yourself a Grand Seiko Spring Drive (Snowflake etc) if you want perfection / close to near perfection in time keeping! It's a shame but Rolex -2 seems more fantasy / luck than anything else...

[tgenden]

Since the movement tends to drift by -2/-3 seconds, I would ask the watchmaker to re-regulate the watch to +4/+6 seconds. That way, when the movement does lose a few seconds the offset will get you close to 0 seconds lost/day.

Mechanical movements are inherently inaccurate, and there might be any number of reasons why your particular example drifts by a few seconds post regulation. I don't think your movement is defective. Like padi56 mentioned, an accuracy within 4 seconds per day is pretty impressive for anything mechanical that isn't a Spring Drive.

[Jster]

I agree with Peter. My new Datejust is a few seconds slow as well. I would much prefer it to be fast but I'm not worrying about it. Like you say if it starts getting a lot slower then I would likely send it in to Rolex.

[DoctorA]

Originally Posted by Jster

I agree with Peter. My new Datejust is a few seconds slow as well. I would much prefer it to be fast but I'm not worrying about it. Like you say if it starts getting a lot slower then I would likely send it in to Rolex.

This!

[roosvelt]

I see what your saying, i would be wondering also if it was my watch. I'm not expert why it's behaving like it is. My sub runs plus 6 every day for years now no matter the activity or resting position. I would go back explain to the watch maker let him try again to sort out the problem.

[tyler1980]

Originally Posted by Annan

When new a year ago my DJ41 (126333) was -2s/day out of the box with 24/7 wear. Leaving it dial up overnight helped it gain that back.

how did you fit into the box with your watch

In all seriousness wearing habits will affect the watch to some degree. If i wear my watch every day for 8 hours it will be slightly different then if i start wearing it for 14 hours a day. Gravity does have a small effect as well as positions. My watches on winders behave differently than when i rest them at night if i really track it which i don't really do anymore.

[Otaru1987]

Ron is correct. The watch should be consistent over a much longer period. I had same issue with my SD43. Mailed it to RSC on Thursday to be regulated. I have a cheap Mondaine auto with an ETA movement that is consistently within .5 s/d. I love my SD43 and already miss it but it definitely needed some adjustment.

[polaris72]

I agree with Peter too, environment affects watches movements in a noticeable way. I would not touch to watch until next service. Enjoy in a good health!

[superdog]

FWIW, It’s not about sides.

OP had a question. No sense ganging up on him.

If it’s a thread topic you are weary of, move along. Many other threads and OPs to demoralize with what some might term as an inane question.

Never much cared for the accuracy myself. Never once timed a watch for it. Highly doubt I ever will.

[Burlington]

Have you tried other resting positions to see what effect they may have ?

Dial down or crown up makes a big difference for me overnight.

Best (most accurate) time keeping is when it’s on my wrist.

[VicLeChic]

I keep track of all my mechanical watches and I wouldn't be pleased with a "superlative chronometer guaranteed +2/-2" consistency losing 4 seconds a day. After all we pay thousands for a Rolex and are being sold the closest thing to perfection.

Now would I send it to the RSC? The answer is no. Not thrilled but I can live with -4 s/d and I don't want my Rolex watches to be opened unless absolutely necessary. The next overhaul (10 years) will take care of that.

[Annan]

I appreciate the helpful comments. As stated, I will monitor for a while longer and if the weekly average falls below -4s then it's back to the watchmaker or on to RSC. I'll give an update later.

I had another DJ that acted similarly, actually a little worse with bigger loss swings and it ended up at RSC. I don't know what was found or done. "Check movement" was all I got back and no charge since it was under warranty. It then ran well within -2/+2 for the next year that I had it.

Our Rolexes are great watches and for me accuracy and consistency are points of pride in ownership. I like to think I'm not OCD about it but I do like to feel assured that all is well.

[misterpeanut]

Purely based on my personal, anecdotal evidence, I'd wonder whether the new 70 hr movement designs are more susceptible in some way to "drift." As an aside, I own a time grapher and one of my favorite things about mechanical watches is "listening" to their movements and tracking their performance over time.

My experiences: 2x 3186 based models and 1x 3187 experienced nearly zero drift in years of collective ownership. My 116710LN has been 0-+1/day for at least 4 years now.

But my Tudor LHD (based on the new 70 hr reserve movement design) has drifted from +2/day to -2 to -3/day in the 6 months or so since I purchased it. I'm thankful it seems to have settled at at -2 to -3/day though.

I don't own a Rolex with one of the new 70 hour movements (yet) but it would be interesting to hear other folks' observations.

[Annan]

Update: My DJ41 continued to run slower and slower, finally averaging -6 s/day at last check. I returned it to the watchmaker who did the regulation. He confirmed something is wrong that a simple regulation will not fix and is sending it to RSC for work under warranty. Even when fully wound "the power is low". I'm assuming this has something to do with amplitude?? Anyway, I had this same issue with the first DJ41 I bought. RSC did their magic and all was well for the next year I owned it.

[weksa]

Originally Posted by Annan

Update: My DJ41 continued to run slower and slower, finally averaging -6 s/day at last check. I returned it to the watchmaker who did the regulation. He confirmed something is wrong that a simple regulation will not fix and is sending it to RSC for work under warranty. Even when fully wound "the power is low". I'm assuming this has something to do with amplitude?? Anyway, I had this same issue with the first DJ41 I bought. RSC did their magic and all was well for the next year I owned it.

Glad I found this thread. Bought a new DJ41 from my local AD 8 days ago. With Rolex advertising the precision of the 3235 cal to be -2/+2 sec/day after casing, it *is* reasonable to expect that of them.

I set my watch at 19:30 last night. Currently about 2.5 hours shy of a full 24 hours, and my watch is running about -2.8s, so it'll probably be about -3s/d. I'm going to continue tracking it to see if it gets worse.

Please keep us updated with your watch.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

[Annan]

Further update: Got a call from the AD that my DJ is back from RSC. No word on what was found but all work was done under warranty. Originally the watchmaker said it appeared to have a power issue, whatever that might entail. Since the AD is 250 miles away they will ship to me and I should have it early next week. Then I will take some time to monitor before sharing more updates. I know accuracy is unimportant to many but some of you have expressed an interest in the outcome.

[watchwatcher]

Interesting. I've never seen that much of a drop in performance in any new (ish) watch I've owned, so I will be interested in what the experts had to say.

Thanks for the update, Ron.

[Andad]

Keep in mind that a small jolt or even a sharp tap on the case can affect the balance wheel enough to change it’s amplitude and this could show up as a brief change in accuracy.

This would not show as a recurring error because the escapement should return to a consistent precision.

But this may not be the same precision as before.
.

[Finfin]

Good news that you are getting your DJ41 back.

I have two 3235 based watches and one runs -2 spd and the other runs -4 spd. Both are consistent. I'd be lying if I said the -4 spd didn't originally bother me. But after watching its consistency for 5 months now I have learned to ignore it. My GMT/3186 runs +2 spd.