Rolex Explorer gaining 5 minutes every hour...how can I fix this?

[RichFlorida]

Hello! I recently purchased a two year old Explorer in steel and when I wear it, the watch seems to gain between 5 and 8 minutes every hour. The second hand sweeps very quickly and I end up having to re-wind the watch every few hours. I love the watch, so I really want to get this fixed!

Is there a way I can fix this myself? I've read about placing it on its side with the crown facing up, but does anyone think this will work for my situation? Also, if anyone has experienced this, what did you do to get it back on track? If I can't do this on my own, I'll take it in to get repaired, but I don't want to spend the money if I don't have to.

Thanks for your advice!

[Tools]

It sounds like your watch has become magnetized.. Any good watchmaker can de-magnetize it for you.

You can only regulate by a second or so per day by positional regulation...

As for winding it......why... as long as you wear it, it winds itself...

[Dr. Robert]

it may need to be demagnetized.

[spuds]

Originally Posted by Tools

It sounds like your watch has become magnetized.. Any good watchmaker can de-magnetize it for you...

Originally Posted by Dr. Robert

it may need to be demagnetized.

please excuse my ignorance but how does a watch become 'magnetized'???

Is it just by leaving it next to a magnet or something??

& btw i think the OP meant that he has to wind the watch manually because it's running so fast that it 'winds down' very quickly & wrist movement's not enough to keep the watch going........ maybe?

[SteveK]

The hairspring that regulates the watch is metal and a magnetic field has caused it to contract. It can be fixed by being passed through a demagnetizer block. New rolex movements and even older daytonas use parachrom hairsprings and are impervious to magnetization.

It's not likely but if you place it to close to a computer CRT monitor/tv , use a power drill or any other giant electromagnet motor, or place it close to highly amplified speakers it could magnetize it, or work in around neodymium magnets which may be in a product you dont even realize, although this is not likely. It sounds more like it's in need of a servicing, perhaps it was stored somewhere arid and all the oil has evaporated as i've seen this behaviour in dry watches, or worse has moisture damage because it was not closed properly OR the gaskets went dry and cracked. If it was dropped or knocked too hard the balance staff could be out of alignment or damaged as well, but that would likely result in a NON working watch. But who knows, the safe thing to do is send it off to RSC for a proper servicing or repair, especially if it is second hand, and ask the seller for the service records. Having it sit dial up or dial down will only attribute to a gain or loss of 1-2secs a day, not minutes.

[padi56]

Originally Posted by RichFlorida

Hello! I recently purchased a two year old Explorer in steel and when I wear it, the watch seems to gain between 5 and 8 minutes every hour. The second hand sweeps very quickly and I end up having to re-wind the watch every few hours. I love the watch, so I really want to get this fixed!

Is there a way I can fix this myself? I've read about placing it on its side with the crown facing up, but does anyone think this will work for my situation? Also, if anyone has experienced this, what did you do to get it back on track? If I can't do this on my own, I'll take it in to get repaired, but I don't want to spend the money if I don't have to.

Thanks for your advice!

Afraid your post is quite vague in your timekeeping it seems to gain between
5 and 8 minutes a hour.The correct way for timing any mechanical watch is first wind crown 40 full turns clockwise.Then set watch with reliable time source then wear as normal.Check time daily with same time setting source for about 5 days then average out the loss gain over the five days.All this talk of watches getting magnetised, in over thirty years of Rolex wearing never ever had a problem with magnetism.And thats was working in the steel industry working with and around very powerful electro magnets capable of lifting over 20 tons.While its possible your watch could become magnetised,in my experience watches that are,tend to run very very erratic or come to a complete stop and refuse to re-start.

[RichFlorida]

Thanks for the replies! I will call my watch repairman today! About how much does demagnetizing cost?

[Tools]

Originally Posted by RichFlorida

Thanks for the replies! I will call my watch repairman today! About how much does demagnetizing cost?

If you have a small compass...like those little dime sized ones that used to come in crackerjack boxes, you can move it around the watch. If the pointer points at your watch, it has picked up magnetization...

My watchmaker would probably demagnetize it for a nominal fee, or without charge... Yours may have a set price and it shouldn't be to much..

It may be something else, but at only 2 years old, I would not think that it needs a complete service..

[Alsey]

there seems to be quite a few threads lately about possibly magnetised watches....is this frequency normal? or are we seeing something new here?

[ryanr]

I had the same thing with a SS Submariner a while back...was something to do with hairspring and de-magnetizing. Was only about £150GBP.
I took it to a Rolex specialist...not an AD - very good reputation

[padi56]

Originally Posted by ryanr

I had the same thing with a SS Submariner a while back...was something to do with hairspring and de-magnetizing. Was only about £150GBP.
I took it to a Rolex specialist...not an AD - very good reputation

That was very very expensive should have cost around
£25 max its a very simple process

Originally Posted by Alsey

there seems to be quite a few threads lately about possibly magnetised watches....is this frequency normal? or are we seeing something new here?

Well myself have never experienced any form of getting a watch magnetised working with Radios and high RF very strong magnets in work BEFORE I retired IMHO magnetised is a cop out term in most cases for a bit of regulation.If you look at the modern Rolex watch not much to get magnetised case S.steel very non-magnetic. And today most Swiss watches including Rolex are made from mostly anti-magnetic materials like nickel, brass or beryllium, bronze or Glucydur balance wheels so very anti-magnetic to start with.The older type Nivourax hairspring although not 100% anti-magnetic they had to pass a strict anti-magnetic test.And to temporally magnetise any watch it must come into contact with quite a strong magnetic field.

And today most Swiss watches including Rolex have to pass the Swiss standard for anti-magnetic watches.Which is to withstand a strong magnetic field of 4800 Amps per meter,and to keeps on running with a maximum deviation of 15- 30 seconds per day.Now this test I am 100% sure that 99% of all watch wearers would never subject or come into contact with such a strong magnetic field.

[Alsey]

Originally Posted by padi56

That was very very expensive should have cost around
£25 max its a very simple process





Well myself have never experienced any form of getting a watch magnetised working with Radios and high RF very strong magnets in work BEFORE I retired IMHO magnetised is a cop out term in most cases for a bit of regulation.If you look at the modern Rolex watch not much to get magnetised case S.steel very non-magnetic. And today most Swiss watches including Rolex are made from mostly anti-magnetic materials like nickel, brass or beryllium, bronze or Glucydur balance wheels so very anti-magnetic to start with.The older type Nivourax hairspring although not 100% anti-magnetic they had to pass a strict anti-magnetic test.And to temporally magnetise any watch it must come into contact with quite a strong magnetic field.

And today most Swiss watches including Rolex have to pass the Swiss standard for anti-magnetic watches.Which is to withstand a strong magnetic field of 4800 Amps per meter,and to keeps on running with a maximum deviation of 15- 30 seconds per day.Now this test I am 100% sure that 99% of all watch wearers would never subject or come into contact with such a strong magnetic field.

good info...

[RichFlorida]

Thanks for all of your help! I took it to the dealer where I bought it and he put it on his instant demagnetizer for free. It didn't help. So I am going to take it back to him later this week to have it repaired.