New 126710BLNR Another great 3285 mainspring test. 72 hours and 40 minutes.

[Mystro]

Just wanted to report another great mainspring/power reserve test. I do this with all my watches once a year. New watches I run them for about a month and then test the mainspring. My new 126710BLNR has tested the highest (longest) power reserve of all my new Rolex movement testing the last few years. 72 hours and 40 minutes.. Accuracy along the test was also impressive for a Rolex movement holding 0 second accuracy 48 hours into the power reserve testing. At 70 hours into the power reserve, the movement lost 5 seconds total which is pretty good for a single barrel mainspring. Amplitude had to be really falling off at that point.

As a reference of some of the other new Rolex movements I have tested.
Rolex DSSD JC 126660 movement 3235 total:h70:05
Rolex SD43 126600 movement 3235 total: h70:23
Rolex CHNR 126711CHNR movement 3285 total: h71:44

To do this simple test: Wind the watch fully and set the time to a atomic clock. Set the watch down to where you can see the time but not have to touch the watch. Keep track of the watch daily until it stops. This will give you a mainspring check-up and reference point. Notice where in the power reserve you start to see the accuracy start to fall off.
Why this matters:
Now if you drop or notice issues with your watch, you can do this test again and compare if you may have any mainspring damage. If all of a sudden you are getting 17 hours power reserve, you know your mainspring has broken. Think of it as a EKG of your watch.

Here is a example of testing notes of a CHNR:
Power Reserve Test 11/14/18. Total 71:44 power reserve
11/14/18 wound full +1.0 @ 10:33pm 3UP]
11/15/18 +1.0@ 9am. +1.0@ 9pm
11/16/18 +0.0@ 9am. -2.5@ 8pm
11/17/18 -8.0@ 9:30am. -30.0@ 9:20pm. Stopped 10:17pm
Total 71:44

[Spartacus]

Very cool. Thanks for sharing!

[subdateII]

Interesting! Thank you. Did you test Omega watches (or others) with double barrel mainsprings?

[watchmework]

Honestly, I got distracted in reading your post by the incredible photo

Thanks for sharing mystro!

[Mystro]

Originally Posted by subdateII

Interesting! Thank you. Did you test Omega watched (or others) with double barrel mainsprings?

Absolutely. I am a automatic movement fan of all brands. I have a few of the latest top movements from Omega, Panera, etc....
Without exception double mainsprings hold a stronger amplitude throughout their duration. For example my Pam 661 Carbotech with the new in-house 9010 movement with double barrel mainsprings tested to a unbelievable 80 hour and 15 minutes. It also holds its accuracy almost completely through its power reserve. This is due to a stronger amplitude and the way the power is more evenly distributed with the double barrel mainspring design. Omega’s new 9900 master chronometer movement is the most accurate automatic movement I have ever tested in a mainspring test.

[CortlandtPT]

Thanks for the informative post.




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[joli160]

Impressive results. Your pictures are always amazing

[exador]

That’s some serious watch nerdery

[Eatapp]

Awesome! Thanks for sharing.

[Chiboy]

I can't believe no one has mentioned how many seconds there are in 72 hours!

Just kidding! I like this stuff, although I've never run such a test.

[abelxo]

How do you know when it is fully wound? Cool test though


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[Seibei]

At what altitude was your watch tested?

[drmizzou]

Originally Posted by abelxo

How do you know when it is fully wound? Cool test though


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Thanks for the informative post OP! I second the quoted question. I don’t have a watch winder and wear my watches in rotation such that every time I pick up a watch to put on, I have to wind it. Usually I just wind turn the crown 15 or 20 times then set the date/time and go! Haven’t really continued to wind it until it stops but presume that’s when the mainspring is fully wound?

[EndlessEight]

Thank you Mystro.

I’ve found my SD43 is incredibly accurate.

[Mystro]

Originally Posted by abelxo

How do you know when it is fully wound? Cool test though


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First, you can’t over wind a Rolex or any quality automatics. There is a clutch system that will slip when it’s fully wound. Every watch has its own clutch slip sound when it’s slipping. I recommend winding the crown 50 times with a running watch and 70 times with a stopped watch to make sure it’s fully wound before doing the power reserve test.

Warning WIS content:: when fully wound, you will hear a slight “tick click, tick click” from a Rolex when the clutch is slipping inside the mainspring housing while you are winding. You also will feel it ever so slightly through the crown. It will feel kinda gritty at the top of a mainspring wind as the clutch slips.

Warning extra WIS content:
With the new 32 series movements, Rolex went a different way than other manufactures and modded their existing single barrel main spring with a thinner and longer mainspring to get its power reserve up to 70+ hours. Most other manufactures use a double barrel mainspring to achieve this but Rolex likes to do its own thing regardless if its not as efficient. This is Rolex being Rolex. Because of the extra long mainsprings, some Rolex owners say winding the new movements feel gritty. This is partially true if they are winding at the top end of the mainspring near the clutch slipping point. A new 32 series movement will wind smooth as glass from a stopped position 70% up though its winding. The last 30% feels a bit gritty. This is Rolex fitting a unusually long and thin mainspring in a small single housing. Rolex also used a more efficient escapement to work with the new mainspring to get a 70+ hr power reserve. Better shock absorbing system and ceramic rotor bearings were also long over due and thank goodness Rolex adopted them like every other premium movements.

[maxbelg]

Originally Posted by Mystro

........and ceramic rotor bearings....

Where did you hear/ read this? I haven‘t encountered this information anywhere.

[abelxo]

Originally Posted by Mystro

First, you can’t over wind a Rolex or any quality automatics. There is a clutch system that will slip when it’s fully wound. Every watch has its own clutch slip sound when it’s slipping. I recommend winding the crown 50 times with a running watch and 70 times with a stopped watch to make sure it’s fully wound before doing the power reserve test.

Warning WIS content:: when fully wound, you will hear a slight “tick click, tick click” from a Rolex when the clutch is slipping inside the mainspring housing while you are winding. You also will feel it ever so slightly through the crown. It will feel kinda gritty at the top of a mainspring wind as the clutch slips.

Warning extra WIS content:
With the new 32 series movements, Rolex went a different way than other manufactures and modded their existing single barrel main spring with a thinner and longer mainspring to get its power reserve up to 70+ hours. Most other manufactures use a double barrel mainspring to achieve this but Rolex likes to do its own thing regardless if its not as efficient. This is Rolex being Rolex. Because of the extra long mainsprings, some Rolex owners say winding the new movements feel gritty. This is partially true if they are winding at the top end of the mainspring near the clutch slipping point. A new 32 series movement will wind smooth as glass from a stopped position 70% up though its winding. The last 30% feels a bit gritty. This is Rolex fitting a unusually long and thin mainspring in a small single housing. Rolex also used a more efficient escapement to work with the new mainspring to get a 70+ hr power reserve. Better shock absorbing system and ceramic rotor bearings were also long over due and thank goodness Rolex adopted them like every other premium movements.

Thank you for a very detailed and interesting answer. I’m excited to try this myself on my Rolex watches and see how long they can hold. NANNANANA BATMAN


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[Rolexxus]

Thanks!

[Andad]

Originally Posted by maxbelg

Where did you hear/ read this? I haven‘t encountered this information anywhere.

This question was asked back in January and the answer was no, the rotor does not have ceramic bearings.

Has this changed since then Bas?

[padi56]

Originally Posted by Mystro

First, you can’t over wind a Rolex or any quality automatics. There is a clutch system that will slip when it’s fully wound. Every watch has its own clutch slip sound when it’s slipping. I recommend winding the crown 50 times with a running watch and 70 times with a stopped watch to make sure it’s fully wound before doing the power reserve test.

Warning WIS content:: when fully wound, you will hear a slight “tick click, tick click” from a Rolex when the clutch is slipping inside the mainspring housing while you are winding. You also will feel it ever so slightly through the crown. It will feel kinda gritty at the top of a mainspring wind as the clutch slips.

Warning extra WIS content:
With the new 32 series movements, Rolex went a different way than other manufactures and modded their existing single barrel main spring with a thinner and longer mainspring to get its power reserve up to 70+ hours. Most other manufactures use a double barrel mainspring to achieve this but Rolex likes to do its own thing regardless if its not as efficient. This is Rolex being Rolex. Because of the extra long mainsprings, some Rolex owners say winding the new movements feel gritty. This is partially true if they are winding at the top end of the mainspring near the clutch slipping point. A new 32 series movement will wind smooth as glass from a stopped position 70% up though its winding. The last 30% feels a bit gritty. This is Rolex fitting a unusually long and thin mainspring in a small single housing. Rolex also used a more efficient escapement to work with the new mainspring to get a 70+ hr power reserve. Better shock absorbing system and ceramic rotor bearings were also long over due and thank goodness Rolex adopted them like every other premium movements.

The spring-barrel is made much thinner in the 32 series over the 31 series to accommodate the longer mainspring, and there is no clutch in the spring-barrel, all that happens when fully wound it just slips in the spring-barrel.

[padi56]

Originally Posted by directioneng

This question was asked back in January and the answer was no, the rotor does not have ceramic bearings.

Has this changed since then Bas?

The rotor does use ceramic bearings they are sealed in a lubricated enclosure and according to Rolex should last a life time. And doubtful if Rotor will need changing like the old sleeve post rotor.

[mountainjogger]

Very interesting. Thanks.

[brandrea]

Originally Posted by padi56

The rotor does use ceramic bearings they are sealed in a lubricated enclosure and according to Rolex should last a life time. And doubtful if Rotor will need changing like the old sleeve post rotor.

Thank for clarifying Peter

[othertbone]

Batgirl's do have longer stamina

[Mystro]

Originally Posted by padi56

The spring-barrel is made much thinner in the 32 series over the 31 series to accommodate the longer mainspring, and there is no clutch in the spring-barrel, all that happens when fully wound it just slips in the spring-barrel.

. You are absolutely right. Thanks for clarifying this. I use the term “clutch” to simplify what it does to hit the point that no damage can occur from over winding.

[SeikoBake]

Thanks for sharing; good info

[maxbelg]

Originally Posted by padi56

The rotor does use ceramic bearings they are sealed in a lubricated enclosure and according to Rolex should last a life time. And doubtful if Rotor will need changing like the old sleeve post rotor.

Wow, that's great info, thanks! Do the Sky Dweller and Daytona also use ceramic bearings then?

[1SG MTB]

Originally Posted by Mystro

Just wanted to report another great mainspring/power reserve test. I do this with all my watches once a year. New watches I run them for about a month and then test the mainspring. My new 126710BLNR has tested the highest (longest) power reserve of all my new Rolex movement testing the last few years. 72 hours and 40 minutes.. Accuracy along the test was also impressive for a Rolex movement holding 0 second accuracy 48 hours into the power reserve testing. At 70 hours into the power reserve, the movement lost 5 seconds total which is pretty good for a single barrel mainspring. Amplitude had to be really falling off at that point.

As a reference of some of the other new Rolex movements I have tested.
Rolex DSSD JC 126660 movement 3235 total:h70:05
Rolex SD43 126600 movement 3235 total: h70:23
Rolex CHNR 126711CHNR movement 3285 total: h71:44

To do this simple test: Wind the watch fully and set the time to a atomic clock. Set the watch down to where you can see the time but not have to touch the watch. Keep track of the watch daily until it stops. This will give you a mainspring check-up and reference point. Notice where in the power reserve you start to see the accuracy start to fall off.
Why this matters:
Now if you drop or notice issues with your watch, you can do this test again and compare if you may have any mainspring damage. If all of a sudden you are getting 17 hours power reserve, you know your mainspring has broken. Think of it as a EKG of your watch.

Here is a example of testing notes of a CHNR:
Power Reserve Test 11/14/18. Total 71:44 power reserve
11/14/18 wound full +1.0 @ 10:33pm 3UP]
11/15/18 +1.0@ 9am. +1.0@ 9pm
11/16/18 +0.0@ 9am. -2.5@ 8pm
11/17/18 -8.0@ 9:30am. -30.0@ 9:20pm. Stopped 10:17pm
Total 71:44

Great info, thanks for sharing. A few years ago my 5 digit Coke had this issue, I wore the watch 24/7 minus workouts and showers but if I had a really solid night of sleep (no tossing and turning) it would die in the middle of the night. Eventually got tired of winding and resetting the watch so got it serviced and it’s been like new ever since. Now I’ll do this test with all my watches to make sure I catch it earlier!

[Boaters]

Awesome thread Mystro .. Thank you

[amh]

Originally Posted by watchmework

Honestly, I got distracted in reading your post by the incredible photo

Thanks for sharing mystro!

Same - wow! Don't know how anyone can hate on the new model, it's beautiful