Daytona Cal. 4130 vs. 3135 (hand alignment)

[Tempo]

Apart from the Parachron Bleu Hairspring and Chronograph mechanism, is the Cal. 4130 superior in design to other Rolex movements like the 3135?

The 4130 and 3135 all seem to have the same advanced features: balanced bridge, breguet overcoil, free-sprung balance etc.

What dismays me about my SD is that, after much effort to set it properly, the minute hand still tends to "wander," sometimes overshooting or lagging behind the markers when the second hand hits zero. Some have attributed this to "slack in the gears" or the "lack of refinement in the 3135 movement." Others say such misalignment is part and parcel of mechanical watches.

This has made me wary of acquiring another Rolex or mechanical watch.

Is the 4130 is superior to the 3135 in terms of precise hand alignment? Some Daytona owners claim that their minute/second hands are perfectly synchronised. Wondering if this is generally true, as I'm thinking to acquire one soon.

Thanks.

[Z-Sub]

I think it depends on how you align it.
For all my Rollies, I align the minute hand counterclockwise.
I find this to be much better in terms of alignment.
In the past I used to adjust it by turning the minute hand beyond where I wanted to be and then turn backward.
Same thing happens with my Concord, Tag, and Seiko and other brands. They were all quartz watches.
Remember, quartz watches have mechanical parts as well. battery powers the second hand and the rest still relies on tiny wheels and gears to move.

[walds11]

I would not say superior. They are very different movements. I am not a movement pro, so maybe others will chime in. The 3135 has a little play, which is normal.

I have both :)

[marshallr47]

I think there is a way to align the second hand(stop watch hand) if it doesn't perfectly align at the 12 o'clock position after resetting. Bo explained once in a post if I recall.

[Tempo]

Originally Posted by marshallr47

I think there is a way to align the second hand(stop watch hand) if it doesn't perfectly align at the 12 o'clock position after resetting. Bo explained once in a post if I recall.

Thanks Marshall. If the stop watch second hand does not re-set to zero seconds, it should be easy to tell.

The more insidious problem is if the minute hand is not able to perfectly synchronise with the time-of-day second hand (smaller dial at 6 o'clock) ie the minute hand does not arrive at each marker precisely each time the smaller time-of-day second hand hits zero.

It would be great if the 4130 solved this problem.

[Tempo]

Originally Posted by walds11

I would not say superior. They are very different movements. I am not a movement pro, so maybe others will chime in. The 3135 has a little play, which is normal.

I have both :)

Hello Walds11, Could I ask if you notice that your Daytona minute hand synchronises more precisely with the second hand better than in your SD or Sub? Or are both watches exhibit similar levels of "hand play"?

Thanks!

[walds11]

My SS Sub Date has a little play and my SS Daytona has no play.

Originally Posted by Tempo

Hello Walds11, Could I ask if you notice that your Daytona minute hand synchronises more precisely with the second hand better than in your SD or Sub? Or are both watches exhibit similar levels of "hand play"?

Thanks!

[Tempo]

Originally Posted by walds11

My SS Sub Date has a little play and my SS Daytona has no play.

Thanks Wald11! Hope to hear the same from other Daytona owners.

[CPTL]

This irritates me as well, as my Sub (3135), DJ (3135), and Expy (3186) all do this. I'll set the time with the second hand at 12 o'clock and the minute perfectly aligned with the proper tick mark. Within a couple complete sweeps of the second hand, the minute hand has wandered between the ticks.

I've tried setting the minute going forwards, backwards, and while dangling upside down hanging by only my left leg.

Perfection is unattainable. I'm dealing with it.

[Felly Jr.]

Originally Posted by Tempo

Thanks Wald11! Hope to hear the same from other Daytona owners.

All the Daytona's I've ever owned have been spot on with no play whatsoever in any of the hands.

[Tempo]

Originally Posted by CPTL

Perfection is unattainable. I'm dealing with it.

Apparently, the way some have dealt with it is to buy a Daytona. So far in all the posts, I've yet to read of a Daytona with hands that don't synchronize.

I feel your pain. I've tried for a long time to get the hands on my SD to synchronize, but the minute hand will always stray a bit.

What's the point of a watch with a second hand that keeps perfect time, but the minute hand is often pointing to the wrong place?