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View Poll Results: Does your 32xx movement seem to be 100% ok? | |||
Yes, no issues | 1,059 | 69.72% | |
No, amplitude is low (below 200) but timekeeping is still fine | 62 | 4.08% | |
No, amplitude is low (below 200) and timekeeping is off (>5 s/d) | 398 | 26.20% | |
Voters: 1519. You may not vote on this poll |
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5 April 2023, 07:05 PM | #3811 |
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32xx movement problem poll and data thread
32xx amplitudes of 300 degrees?
I think we do NOT see 32xx amplitude values of 300 degrees because these movements are regulated to fall into -2/+2 sec/day regime, which corresponds to the 5-position average rate 'X'. With the specific 32xx isochronism behavior, as described in my post #3647 (page 122), one would need to go to higher X rate values to measure higher amplitudes in horizontal and vertical positions. I have seen exactly this effect for my 3235 watch, which was regulated by Rolex from X = +4 s/d to X = +1 s/d. After regulation all high amplitudes had decreased by about 10 degrees, which should not be the case for 'good' isochronism. I propose an interesting experiment to Bas and/or all other RSC watchmakers: Step 1: Take a serviced 32xx movement, regulate it X = +5 s/d (or a bit higher) and measure rates, beat errors, and amplitudes with your timegrapher. I expect that amplitudes will be above 290 degrees (DU, DD) and above 250 degrees (9U, 6U, 3U). Step 2: Regulate the same caliber to X = +1 s/d and compare the differences. I expect that all amplitudes will be lower. |
5 April 2023, 10:56 PM | #3812 | |
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5 April 2023, 11:16 PM | #3813 | |
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It is the result of my 5-position timegrapher measurements, which I did before/after the RSC regulation. It fits well with the isochronism data shown in post #3647. My point for 32xx movements is simple: the higher the Xrates the higher the Xampitudes; of course within certain limits. |
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6 April 2023, 01:34 AM | #3814 | |
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6 April 2023, 02:39 AM | #3815 | |
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Isochronism aside, I don't believe amplitude will continue to increase beyond its full-wind peak based on a simple regulation. Consider the Sea Dweller data you have in that graph. We drop from 245 degrees to 160 degrees and the timing drops about 5 s/d. But surely we would not expect the amplitude to go from 245 up to 330 just by regulating up 5 s/d. Or to put it another way... I think of isochronism as the movement's ability to resist rate changes as the amplitude drops from its full-wind, full-strength levels. But this does not imply rate is the primary input driving the amplitude. |
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6 April 2023, 06:16 AM | #3816 | ||
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32xx movement problem poll and data thread
Quote:
I extended the graph shown in #3647 by adding the following timegrapher data sets: (1) NEW: Before Regulation (highest amplitudes), no PR measurements (2) NEW: After Regulation (reduced amplitudes), no PR measurements (3) Before Repair (reduced vertical amplitudes), PR measurements (4) NEW: After Repair (increased all amplitudes), PR measurements The isochronism fit for (1) would probably look as I have sketched in the graph below (dotted black line). But I did not measure the PR before/after the regulation, therefore only one data point for (1) and (2). The dotted vertical (green) line at Xrate = 0 s/d indicates perfect isochronism, that means the average amplitude decreases but the average rate remains constant. Quote:
Agreed, isochronism means that the rate remains stable with changing (decreasing) amplitudes. Sure, that rate is not the primary input increasing the amplitude, but I say: if a watchmaker trims the 32xx movement to obtain highest amplitudes, without looking at the rates, then high rates will be the result. That is the aim of my proposed experiment. |
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6 April 2023, 07:00 AM | #3817 | |
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I think I better understand what you are proposing, but I'm not sure it is possible in practice. I.e. I'm not aware of an "amplitude trim" that a watchmaker has at their disposal, at least not in this environment. Maybe Bas can add some insight here. My understanding was that mass produced movements really aren't "adjusted" by hand, they are simply assembled, lubed and regulated. The adjustment (e.g. balance wheel poising, hairspring shaping, etc) is happening by some machine in the manufacturing process and is baked into the combination of parts that a particular watchmaker sits down with to assemble. So the only real "knob" the watchmaker has to turn is the regulation (again, this is in the context of a mass produced movement with readily available parts). If I have that wrong I'd love to hear more about what other tuning occurs in a service center environment. |
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6 April 2023, 07:17 AM | #3818 |
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For clarification, I do not speak about mass produced movements and their regulation by some machines.
For the regulation of my Sea-Dweller I had asked RSC to reduce from X = 4.3 s/d to X = 1 s/d or close to this value. My watch was very carefully regulated, and the watchmaker achieved X = 1.1 s/d, an excellent result, look at the numbers. I was happy but astonished that this came along with lower amplitudes, as shown above. This 3235 movement never reached again the 289-292 degrees for DU and DD. Anyhow, thanks for the interesting discussion. |
6 April 2023, 07:34 AM | #3819 | |
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The watchmaker regulates the 32xx movement to a high average rate, e.g., X = 5 or 6 s/d, and then we see what amplitudes we obtain. I think one would reach 290+ degrees in DU and/or DD. In a second step, the same watch gets regulated to a lower average rate, e.g., X = 1 s/d, and then the 32xx amplitudes would be lower. In a third step, one could regulate the caliber to a negative Xrate of -5 s/d and see if amplitudes further decrease. This experiment is worth to be done, in a quantitative way. |
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6 April 2023, 08:25 AM | #3820 | |
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Perhaps one of our esteemed watchmakers could share a bit of anecdotal evidence gained through their experience, just for expediency. |
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6 April 2023, 11:06 PM | #3821 | |
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7 April 2023, 12:24 AM | #3822 | |
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... seems to be a noteworthy observation? |
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7 April 2023, 01:44 AM | #3823 |
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ss1.jpg
Though noteworthy, I think your observation is still orthogonal to the chronic issue. If anything, it lends support to the notion that this caliber is "designed" to run at lower amplitudes than we have seen with previous generations of Rolex calibers. I.e. in order to achieve a +0 s/d rate, amplitude will come in the 255-265 range, versus, say, 285-295 of a 31xx. And the caveat of course is this is a sample size of 1, so we shouldn't get too confident. That said, if a lower-than-normal amplitude were the only oddity we'd not be having this conversation. None of us really care whether our watches achieve 255 or 285, right? The problem is when the 255 becomes 235 and the 235 becomes 195 and so on. Or to put it another way, there's no reason to believe that a watch regulated to achieve 290 amplitude would somehow be immune to the long-term decay we see, it might just take a few months longer to hit a low enough amplitude where the timekeeping is completely gone. So what I propose is that you buy 20 GMTs, regulate 10 of them to +5s/d and 10 of them to +0s/d. Let's track that over the next 2 years and THEN we'll really have some answers |
7 April 2023, 01:56 AM | #3824 |
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I see the thread in the general forum. Any update here?
For some context, my DJ was running -4sec/day about 18 months ago. I tracked it again recently and it’s well within 2spd I’m nervous about there being no fix before my warranty expires (June 2025), as the watch holds sentimental value to me
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7 April 2023, 01:04 PM | #3825 |
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First mainstream watch media mention of this issue that I recall seeing is in a worn and wound article on the new Explorer 40mm today.
https://wornandwound.com/the-rolex-e...new-40mm-case/ Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk |
7 April 2023, 02:01 PM | #3826 | |
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7 April 2023, 02:14 PM | #3827 | |
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This thread is about the issue with 32** movements slowing down with age and this movement has done exactly this. It came back from the adjustment at about 95% of its previous amplitude. I am not surprised. A few of these movements have shown this issue from new.
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7 April 2023, 02:31 PM | #3828 |
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Increasing the average rate per day is not going to have an effect on amplitude.
I'm not entirely free to do experiments at work as I please, but I'm willing to participate and do a couple of 32×× over the months and document the effect of regulation on amplitude. It won't be enough quantity to have any meaningful result for your experiment proposal. |
7 April 2023, 03:17 PM | #3829 |
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We don't see 300 degrees because it's not designed to run at those amplitudes.
The entire point of the chronergy escapement is more efficiency and less friction, very high amplitudes would be counterproductive since it's just a waste of energy. For a 0hr test DU DD amplitudes are optimal when between 260-280, and vertical position in the 230-40 range. Pretty much all 32×× that run like this will have good steady average rates both at 0hrs and 24hrs and will reach the minimum amplitude tolerance of 200 degrees easily. So I see no point in aiming for 300 degrees, there is no benefit to that. The only thing I want to see is that they keep running at ideal amplitudes for 8-10 years. Simple regulation isn't going to solve that problem. |
7 April 2023, 08:02 PM | #3830 | |
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Service when you feel the need and hopefully Rolex will be able to get on top of the issue over the long term. It's just part and parcel of your journey with it |
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7 April 2023, 10:58 PM | #3831 | |||
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8 April 2023, 01:41 AM | #3832 |
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Received my Oct 2021 DSSD back from RSC NY this morning. Of course, receipt only said "check movement". Mailed it Feb6, received today Apr7, so two months.
Gave it a wind, put it on the Weishi, and saw +2/+3, amplitude 270ish. When I sent it off, it was running 8-15 spd slow per day. Will report back in a couple day. |
9 April 2023, 02:50 AM | #3833 | |
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9 April 2023, 04:55 AM | #3834 |
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9 April 2023, 06:45 AM | #3835 |
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9 April 2023, 09:29 AM | #3836 |
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I've been trying to get a balanced view on the 32xx low-amplitude movement issues and their prevalence among Rolex owners. Here's my perspective, and I understand that many may have different opinions, which I respect:
In the poll, only 1,218 members (0.4% of the +284,000 members) participated, with 284 reporting the low amplitude issue and timekeeping >5s/d. This represents a mere 0.1% of the total forum membership. Considering that the majority of modern Rolex watches since 2015 have the 32xx movement, amounting to millions of watches worldwide, I expected more dialogue on the issue. I acknowledge that many forum members may not be active anymore, may not own watches with the 32xx movement, or may own newer watches without issues. Additionally, not all members are watch enthusiasts who closely track accuracy. Regarding comments from certified Rolex technicians, their expertise and dedication to their craft are admirable. However, it's important to remember that their experiences primarily involve working on watches with problems daily, which may not provide a complete picture of the average Rolex watch owner's experience. With millions of 32xx movements in circulation, the vast majority of which have not gone into service for amplitude issues, it's important to take this into account when considering their perspectives. Again, many people aren't checking their watches for accuracy either, but I have to assume more people would notice if their watch is running >30s/d. Considering these factors, the data suggest that the 32xx issue is not as widespread as some comments in this forum indicate. We should be cautious about overgeneralizing the experiences of a relatively small group of watch owners. That said, this doesn't mean the issue should be dismissed. Sharing our experiences and helping each other is always valuable. |
9 April 2023, 09:51 AM | #3837 | |
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9 April 2023, 10:56 AM | #3838 | |
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9 April 2023, 11:07 AM | #3839 | |
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I agree with you that if you just look at anecdotal data and attempt to do some math, this problem sure seems like it's not widespread at all. But OTOH you have a Rolex watchmaker saying there is an inherent defect with the movement. That deeply concerns me. Having said that, he also stated he was confident Rolex will eventually rectify the issue. So I can't on the one hand take what he says and say "yes these movements will all develop issues" and otoh say "I better get rid of them because Rolex will never figure it out". Hence why I'm somewhat trying to stay level headed and will keep my 32xx movement Rolexes for now (if I sell them it won't be because of the movement haha). But I also don't plan on adding any more 32xx watches either. For me personally this is the right approach. |
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9 April 2023, 11:44 AM | #3840 | |
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Remember, Rolex is a $9 billion annual sales revenue corporation and I imagine that the company employs dozens of engineers, R&D staff, designers etc... |
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