advice on new OP 41mm

[Golfbone]

3 seconds almost half a day on the wrist is fine. Fuggheddabboudit!

I have a passel of Role and other Swiss brands and if they all ran at that accuracy rate I'd be quite happy.

[Gab27]

I think it is a little early to draw any major conclusions.

[BogdanS]

The league of Rolex, AP, PP, ALS, JLC, Blancpain etc is to watchmaking what the Olympic Games are to sports.

Does is really matter for the everyday life that Usain Bolt has beaten the previous record by a 10th of a second? Of course it doesn’t but that’s not what this is about. The highest league of watchmaking is about constantly improving every element: accuracy, complications, design.

While I love and appreciate all my watches, I still do care that my 2021 8900 caliber Seamaster seems to be more precise than my 2021 3285 Explorer, that my 2018 3126 caliber AP is much more imprecise and moody than the 2500 first coaxial caliber of Omega that came out in 99 and that GrandSeiko’s Spring Drive has managed to create its own league where there’s no one to beat them.

Dismissing the importance of higher and higher accuracy is just superficial for this hobby.

Just like Padi does, I’ll make a habit of copy/pasting this POV everytime I’ll see the famous “86400” second per day” reply.


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[OP41]

That is a beautiful watch, ProfGlenn.

[Danny83]

Congrats I would leave it

[ProfGlenn]

Well I haven't been diagnosed with OCD. But I have been diagnosed with Aspergers - and I am also not a rich person and getting this for my 50th was a big deal for me - and if i spend £4700 on a watch that is certified to be +/-2s/day, i had simply assumed that this would in fact be the case and part of what I was paying for. But seems from the responses here that my expectations were too high. Thanks very much for the helpful responses.

[HiBoost]

Originally Posted by ProfGlenn

So it's running at about -4s/day now that we are at 24 hours almost since i bought it. I expected better from a Rolex. I have had three Tudors, a Seamster and several Christopher Wards that do better. I'm surprised folks on here don't seem bothered. I thought the accurate movement was one of the important things about a Rolex and this is my first Rolex.

There are a minority of users here who do have the audacity to expect precision and accuracy from their "superlative chronometers". The majority would rather repeat nonsense stats about the number of seconds in a day. My brand new Datejust (same movement family as your OP) is running +0s/d over a 70 hour window (no additional winding - just perfect timekeeping throughout its entire power reserve). You are 100% correct to expect your expensive watch to keep correct time. And as even the newest of newbs should understand, losing X seconds/day is worse than gaining X seconds/day.

I do agree, though, to give it some time. Wear it every day. And check it in a few weeks. If it is consistent (-4 s/d every day) then it's likely a simple regulation that's needed. If it's -2 one day, -6 the next, then it's likely a bigger issue.

Don't let anybody on here convince you their "logic" somehow negates what you already know to be true - other mechanical timepieces (most being far cheaper) can and do keep very accurate time, so there is simply no excuse for a new Rolex doing anything else.

[bob sims]

Originally Posted by Booth9999

This thread is worthless without a wrist shot! This is the watch I’m after but in coral red!

Here

[ProfGlenn]

Originally Posted by BogdanS

The league of Rolex, AP, PP, ALS, JLC, Blancpain etc is to watchmaking what the Olympic Games are to sports.

Does is really matter for the everyday life that Usain Bolt has beaten the previous record by a 10th of a second? Of course it doesn’t but that’s not what this is about. The highest league of watchmaking is about constantly improving every element: accuracy, complications, design.

While I love and appreciate all my watches, I still do care that my 2021 8900 caliber Seamaster seems to be more precise than my 2021 3285 Explorer, that my 2018 3126 caliber AP is much more imprecise and moody than the 2500 first coaxial caliber of Omega that came out in 99 and that GrandSeiko’s Spring Drive has managed to create its own league where there’s no one to beat them.

Dismissing the importance of higher and higher accuracy is just superficial for this hobby.

Just like Padi does, I’ll make a habit of copy/pasting this POV everytime I’ll see the famous “86400” second per day” reply.


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Thanks - good points - it's not all about accuracy - and the watch is beautiful.

[ProfGlenn]

Originally Posted by HiBoost

There are a minority of users here who do have the audacity to expect precision and accuracy from their "superlative chronometers". The majority would rather repeat nonsense stats about the number of seconds in a day. My brand new Datejust (same movement family as your OP) is running +0s/d over a 70 hour window (no additional winding - just perfect timekeeping throughout its entire power reserve). You are 100% correct to expect your expensive watch to keep correct time. And as even the newest of newbs should understand, losing X seconds/day is worse than gaining X seconds/day.

I do agree, though, to give it some time. Wear it every day. And check it in a few weeks. If it is consistent (-4 s/d every day) then it's likely a simple regulation that's needed. If it's -2 one day, -6 the next, then it's likely a bigger issue.

Don't let anybody on here convince you their "logic" somehow negates what you already know to be true - other mechanical timepieces (most being far cheaper) can and do keep very accurate time, so there is simply no excuse for a new Rolex doing anything else.

Thanks for seeing where i am coming from.

[HiBoost]

Originally Posted by bogdans

dismissing the importance of higher and higher accuracy is just superficial for this hobby.

Just like padi does, i’ll make a habit of copy/pasting this pov everytime i’ll see the famous “86400” second per day” reply.

[dannyp]

Originally Posted by HiBoost

If it's -2 one day, -6 the next, then it's likely a bigger issue.

One big exception, though: leaving the watch in different resting positions overnight. I would absolutely expect such a range of fluctuations depending on how the watch is left when not in use.

As an engineering prof, nobody has to tell ProfGlenn about sound experimental design, lol, but this is definitely a situation where one wouldn't want to alter more than one variable at a time.

[HiBoost]

Originally Posted by dannyp

One big exception, though: leaving the watch in different resting positions overnight. I would absolutely expect such a range of fluctuations depending on how the watch is left when not in use.

As an engineering prof, nobody has to tell ProfGlenn about sound experimental design, lol, but this is definitely a situation where one wouldn't want to alter more than one variable at a time.

Correct, if I were trying to really quantify the timekeeping I would use an actual timegrapher. Barring that I would use a fixed interval with the watch in a single position for, say, 12 hours, then calculate the daily rate from that. The skeptics will surely come back with "all that matters is the time it keeps on your wrist" but I've yet to see a case where a watch is keeping perfect time while wearing it, yet somehow falls apart when it's being measured.

[amanbra]

I love the Yellow, I have a OP36 that's doing +6 a day, no chance i'm having RSC touch it.

can I ask how did you leave the watch over night, try dial up if it was left on its side.

[ProfGlenn]

Originally Posted by amanbra

I love the Yellow, I have a OP36 that's doing +6 a day, no chance i'm having RSC touch it.

can I ask how did you leave the watch over night, try dial up if it was left on its side.

It was dial up overnight. I’ve just put it on an inclined winder for 50mins and it will sit at an angle overnight now and will do another 50mins at 7:30am. That should give it plenty of charge and I’ll see how it performs during the day on the wrist.

Reassuring that yours is also outside spec. Thanks a lot for sharing. I am also very wary of opening up watches- it is possible to create a self-fulfilling prophecy of a broken watch. Thanks.

[amanbra]

Originally Posted by ProfGlenn

It was dial up overnight. I’ve just put it on an inclined winder for 50mins and it will sit at an angle overnight now and will do another 50mins at 7:30am. That should give it plenty of charge and I’ll see how it performs during the day on the wrist.

Reassuring that yours is also outside spec. Thanks a lot for sharing. I am also very wary of opening up watches- it is possible to create a self-fulfilling prophecy of a broken watch. Thanks.

Yeah every time a watchmaker touches my watches, RSC included, they come back with a new scratch. Unless yours goes really slow all of a sudden don't take it in. Also a lot us have noticed that dial down is the fastest position for our 32XX watches. Try that, also my healthy watches actually run a tad faster as the PR reduces as the amplitude dips.

[ProfGlenn]

Originally Posted by amanbra

Yeah every time a watchmaker touches my watches, RSC included, they come back with a new scratch. Unless yours goes really slow all of a sudden don't take it in. Also a lot us have noticed that dial down is the fastest position for our 32XX watches. Try that, also my healthy watches actually run a tad faster as the PR reduces as the amplitude dips.

Yes thanks very much for the reminder about scratches. That would be awful. It’s lost another couple of seconds overnight whilst it’s been at an angle of 45° facing forwards with the 12 o’clock in the uppermost position. I’ll see how it performs today.

[OrangeSport]

Originally Posted by ProfGlenn

It was dial up overnight. I’ve just put it on an inclined winder for 50mins and it will sit at an angle overnight now and will do another 50mins at 7:30am. That should give it plenty of charge and I’ll see how it performs during the day on the wrist.

Reassuring that yours is also outside spec. Thanks a lot for sharing. I am also very wary of opening up watches- it is possible to create a self-fulfilling prophecy of a broken watch. Thanks.

Every Rolex I've had has not performed brilliantly at first. Some needed regulation, some settled down and one needed a weaker spring...

It is something you tend to be less concerned about over time. But I get you reasoning..

Face up generally speeds them up and crown up slows them down.

If you're using a winder then I would just use it whenever the watchb isn't being worn for any length of time. Not 50 minutes here or there...

But, as others have said, check over a few days or a week. It's all about average accuracy as it can change during use..

[Andad]

Hi Glen,

I have a few Rolex watches from ‘71 to ‘2i.

They all have various levels of accuracy but all of them have acceptable precision.

If I were so inclined I am sure that I could have them all adjusted to COSC.

Even my ‘71 DJ (if only for a short time).

Wear your new Rolex in a normal wear pattern and check and note the accuracy over a few weeks.

Don’t use any out of the ordinary resting angles or positional corrections.

Leave it in one position when not wearing it and let us know the results.

Precision is the key and I’m sure your Rolex will perform as required.

Very nice model by the way.

Once you have established the accuracy of your watch you could then Timegrapher it to find the best + or - position to correct it overnight.

I would not recommend a winder as this might affect the normal wear pattern.

If the final accuracy result over a few weeks is outside of positional correction ie. all positions are + or - then that is the time to consider adjustment by a RSC.

E

[jimcameron]

Professor, don't create a problem that may not exist. Give it a month, resting it at night in different positions, (the watch, not you) and re-evaluate, and report back. Carry on.

[JSCP]

I have never ever worried about a Rolex accuracy. It seems you might worrying to much about nothing, but it’s up to you. Take it AD of bothers you and regulate it if they have in house watch maker they can check it for you.

only time I take watches for maintenance is if they are running 5/10 mins off, but have been mechanical 1970’s Cartier watches

[BogdanS]

Originally Posted by HiBoost

Attachment 1249009

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[DaveTheWatchGuy]

Originally Posted by ProfGlenn

Hi. After a year of waiting I picked up a yellow 41mm OP yesterday - stunning watch. However, it lost 3s between 4pm yesterday and 11am this morning. It should be +/-2 tolerance. Should I be worried or should it settle down? After all the waiting and paying that amount of money, should I



- just forget about the timing tolerance

- send the watch to Rolex

- sell the watch as it isn't as perfect as it should be out of the box



I haven't had any such problems with any of my three Black Bays.



Thanks

Glenn

Did you give it a good wind to start, and move around a lot while wearing it?


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[ProfGlenn]

Originally Posted by DaveTheWatchGuy

Did you give it a good wind to start, and move around a lot while wearing it?


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I gave it about 30 winds. I was watching TV in the evening after picking it up and not much movement there. Wore it out and about yesterday but not for too long. Will wear it into the office today and while teaching. So it will get moved around a lot today. I'd say it definitely doesn't like the dial up position. I also expected the movement to feel as smooth as a Black Bay on the manual wind but it doesn't. But every movement is different I guess. Even within the same class of movement.

[ProfGlenn]

Thanks very much for all the opinions and advice here - i really appreciate it.

[padi56]

Originally Posted by ProfGlenn

Thanks very much for all the opinions and advice here - i really appreciate it.

Great looking watch the new OP colour range you could try a real test for accuracy. First give your watch full manual wind 40 full crown turns clockwise only don't worry you cannot over-wind it. Then set your watch with reliable time source for this test a quartz watch/clock will do thats accurate enough. Then wear for at least 8-12 hours a day if you have a desk job or with low wrist activity. Check time once only daily with same setting source over 5 days, write down the loss or gain daily, then average out the loss or gain over those 5 days. If then watch is running outside your expectation for a mechanical watch movement, then have it regulated good luck.

[Tanalasta]

Fully wind and then replicate your daily wear pattern for at least a week. Daily jot down the variation from the online atomic clock. Don’t let it wind down completely.

Have it regulated if at the end of the week, the average is outside spec. Don’t overthink it. Or go out or your way to self regulate by experimenting with case positions. Just do what you would normally do.


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[PrecisionMoment]

I do not think it matters, but if it bothers you, it doesn't hurt to take it back to the AD and have them check it for you
How do you like the yellow? Is it an everyday watch for you?
Thanks for sharing !

[ProfGlenn]

Originally Posted by PrecisionMoment

I do not think it matters, but if it bothers you, it doesn't hurt to take it back to the AD and have them check it for you
How do you like the yellow? Is it an everyday watch for you?
Thanks for sharing !

The yellow is the perfect shade of yellow. It’s indeed an everyday watch. A one-watch watch. Dressy and sporty and quite a unique piece. The design is really great.

[Tricolore66]

Did the watch get a full wind before you checked it? 40 winds used to be the standard, but I think this newest generation of movements take 60-80 to be fully wound.