Should I get my Explorer I regulated?

[DaveInLA]

It's a Z-serial, purchased from AD maybe 9-10 months ago. Beautiful watch, but not as accurate as I'd like. Keep in mind, though, that I'm a stickler for accuracy even though I have a lot of mechanical watches.

When left dial up, my Explorer is +4-4 1/2 sec/24 hrs. Every other position is a little worse except with crown down, then it's 3-3 1/2 sec/24 hrs. When the watch is worn for >8 hrs, it's only +2 1/2 sec over that time. The problem is that I have a lot of watches and I tend to not wear my Rolexes unless I'm going out to some place nice or some other special event.

My question-- is this worth asking RSC to regulate? I know many will probably say they're happy with +2 1/2-4 sec/day, but I'd hope for a little better. I'm asking if RSC can make this a little more accurate, maybe to +1-2 sec/day. That's where my Sub is. Thanks guys.

[Dalton]

If you wear it for the feel and not for actual accuracy then leave it alone, but if you need to make sure you make a timely getaway in your Aston Martin, with the hot blonde wearing the black minidress, then by all means get that baby reg'ed before anything that could go wrong, goes wrong.

[DaveInLA]

Thanks, but my question was really more to find out if people here think the RSC can actually improve on this.

[Jedi]

Dave, the short answer is 'they may be able to'. This is due to the minute variations in each mechanical timepiece as a result of the manual assembly process of the final movement, and the dark art of adjustment and regulation.

They should be able to improve on the current rates of difference, but bear in mind that many environmental conditions can and will alter it. It should be noted that your Explorer is within COSC specifications.

Curiously, my Rolex's are reliably solid but they are not my most regular watches nor are they the most accurate.

[padi56]

Originally Posted by DaveInLA

It's a Z-serial, purchased from AD maybe 9-10 months ago. Beautiful watch, but not as accurate as I'd like. Keep in mind, though, that I'm a stickler for accuracy even though I have a lot of mechanical watches.

When left dial up, my Explorer is +4-4 1/2 sec/24 hrs. Every other position is a little worse except with crown down, then it's 3-3 1/2 sec/24 hrs. When the watch is worn for >8 hrs, it's only +2 1/2 sec over that time. The problem is that I have a lot of watches and I tend to not wear my Rolexes unless I'm going out to some place nice or some other special event.

My question-- is this worth asking RSC to regulate? I know many will probably say they're happy with +2 1/2-4 sec/day, but I'd hope for a little better. I'm asking if RSC can make this a little more accurate, maybe to +1-2 sec/day. That's where my Sub is. Thanks guys.

Simple answer no your watch is fine you cannot ask anymore from any Swiss mechanical watch anything between -4 to +6 seconds a day is fantastic accuracy.You guys make me smile sometimes wanting spot on accuracy from a mechanical watch.So don't worry over a few seconds in 24 hours, the escapement of a mechanical watch pushes the gears 432,000 times. Since a day has 86,400 seconds, even a watch that runs five minutes fast or slow each day has an accuracy of over 99.6 percent! A finer mechanical watch that gains or loses about six to nine seconds a day or about a minute a week has a breathtaking precision of over 99.99 per cent. This is very high precision, given the fact that the movement is constantly affected by the earth's gravity, metal expansion and contraction, temperature variations, subtle changes in lubrication and friction, shocks, and so on.The fact is that no mechanical watch made, any brand any price, will keep 100% perfect time, very close yes but perfect no.

And any modern day wristwatch chronometers are, by the almost 300 year old 18th century navigational standards imposed on John Harrison,H4 watch,quite laughably inaccurate even by todays standards.How about just 5 seconds slow after 63 days at sea,in one of the toughest environments known to man, not bad for a almost 300 year old watch.Now in those days no modern machinery no computer design no robots,just his bare hands and crude tools.Now when you look at your watch and only a few seconds out it wont feel so bad.Your watch is fine just wear it and enjoy it whats in a few seconds a day.I am 100% sure a couple of seconds a day either way will not make you late or in any danger.

[f16570]

My Exp II was regulated twice and at night sits crown up. Has not been set since October. Just checked against accurist.123: +3 seconds. So yes it can be very consistent when regulated.

[ocwatching]

I was just in RSC in BH last week to get my bracelet on my sub adjusted. I also asked about getting it regulated as it was +5 sec/day dial up. The guy at the counter put it on a timing machine and said that they don't touch anything within -1/+5.
good luck...

[padi56]

Originally Posted by ocwatchnewbie

I was just in RSC in BH last week to get my bracelet on my sub adjusted. I also asked about getting it regulated as it was +5 sec/day dial up. The guy at the counter put it on a timing machine and said that they don't touch anything within -1/+5.
good luck...

Would expect any mechanical watch to run faster dial up,thats when gravity is at its least.Rest watch vertical crown down to loose,or vertical crown up to loose even more.And even when a watch is regulated on timing machine don't necessarily mean will perform same on wrist.What will be fine on one persons wrist might be out a couple of seconds on another's owing to different wearing habits etc.

[snow_rocks]

I bought my Z-serial Explorer last Oct 2008. I have seen accuracy from 2 secs a day to 8 secs a day. Now it settle in at 4 secs a day, especially after testing it for RESERVE time. 47 HOURS after winding it 40 times. I would say it is in specs for this type of watch. You don't have a problem.

[Lion]

My question is why are you obsessed with exact time on your Rolex when you know slight variances occur with wearing habits!!! Listen to what Padi56 has said and suggested and live and enjoy your beautiful watch. Now what happens if you spend the money to get it regulated and it comes back with the same or worse???

[Jedi]

In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with striving for more accuracy out of the regulation of a watch, but when it borders on the unreasonable, then it becomes an issue

However, in all the statements here so far, it's simply the case for some people that they want better performance, and in what field such performance is in, this happens to be in terms of movement accuracy and precision.

Why else would one spend good money on a piece that purports to perform better than others? I've done so, and I'm not disappointed, and guess what? My best performing watch timekeeping wise isn't even a Rolex, but I do like my Rolex to be close.

The RSC in Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, and Hong Kong will happily help to regulate your watch.

[DaveInLA]

Well, the reason I wanted it to perform better is because I have several other watches that have better accuracy than my Explorer. It's a bit surprsing when my <$300 Hamilton is more accurate. I have 3 Seiko automatics with the 7S movement (all under $200), and they're usually <4 sec/day as well.

It's not critical to have better regulation, but it would be nice to have better than +4-5 sec/day for a watch this price. Again, my question wasn't so much whether you guys think it's a good idea, but more whether or not you think Rolex would do it. Based on one of the posts above, it seems the answer is no.

[Perdu]

Rolex may just tell you it's within COSC.

[Jedi]

Originally Posted by DaveInLA

Well, the reason I wanted it to perform better is because I have several other watches that have better accuracy than my Explorer. It's a bit surprsing when my <$300 Hamilton is more accurate. I have 3 Seiko automatics with the 7S movement (all under $200), and they're usually <4 sec/day as well.

It's not critical to have better regulation, but it would be nice to have better than +4-5 sec/day for a watch this price. Again, my question wasn't so much whether you guys think it's a good idea, but more whether or not you think Rolex would do it. Based on one of the posts above, it seems the answer is no.

Dave,

The answer is yes, and it can be regulated to a lower rate of difference. The question however, is whether your watch is consistently running +4.5 secs per day, day in day out irrespective of wearing conditions and environmental aspects. If it does so consistently, it is doing what a Rolex should do. Consistency is the key factor here, and such a piece is said to have excellent precision.

Accuracy is the measurement of deviation from actual time. I have watches that are accurate in the sense that they do not deviate greatly from the time as set, but precision is a different story. It can run +2 one day and then -2 another, so cancelling itself. It's just how such a piece is adjusted. For timekeeping, it isn't so good for tracking as one can never be too sure what the deviation is.

On a precise movement, however, one can be more certain as each day, it is consistently doing the same thing. Rolex pieces can be said to prefer precision over accuracy.

Take it in to your closest RSC or authorised AD watchmaket and see what they can do.

[C. Davidson]

I personally wouldn't regulate.