Daily Rate Adjustment Rolex 3135?

[Endeavor]

Hello All;

 

Now the servicing is done, last thing I like to do is to adjust the daily rate of my 3135 movement. Currently it runs +7 seconds a day, consistently. A (CousinsUK) Mirostella tool, the "rawwrench model", is on its way.

 

 

As I understand this wrench is (also) developed for adjusting the daily rate with the movement in the case. The balance wheel has to be supported by tweezers while doing so.

 

 

In my head I'm trying to work out how the twisting (and other) forces of the microstella tool are getting distributed. A part will be taken by the tweezers, but the remaining force has to be taken by the delicate balance pivots. How big these forces are, depends on the tightness of the microstella scews and the "steadiness" of handling the microstella tool.........which are unknown, so is the force on the pivots, so are the pivots share-off points.

Since time is on my hand, wouldn't it be smarter/saver to remove the automatic works, unwind the mainspring and take the balance out?

I my mind, this would enable me to get full grip on the balance wheel with the tweezers and the balance pivots won't see any force while adjusting the screws?

Obviously a bit more work, but wouldn't it be a saver option?

My plan was to give it a -6 seconds adjustment on the tool scale (turning anti-clockwise) and if it runs anywhere between 0 s/d to + 2 s/d, I'm done.

 

Would very much like to hear your thoughts & advice.....

 

Roland.

Edited March 4, 2016 by Endeavor

[clockboy]

 I had all intensions of working own my 3135 this week but family issues have got in the way. However I will make the adjustments while the balance is secured to the watch movement because I think it will more stable & therefore be safer. 

[Endeavor]

Hi CB;

 

I was under the impression that your watch was running fine on time, but the beat error was slightly off? Correct me please if I'm wrong.

Obviously, for the adjusting the beat error, there is no point in removing the balance.

[clockboy]

It is running ok but I suspect when I adjust the beat error I will have to also adjust the daily rate error. I might be wrong however

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Endeavor]

My experience was that they (Beat-error & Daily rate), in the end, were reasonable "independent". Your daily rate may slightly change, but probably not a lot. Question is, if your daily rate changes to over your acceptable "threshold", and you have to "throw" the wrench in the balance wheel.....what will be the safest route?

Leave the balance in, or perhaps take the route I'm questioning here?

I'm not considering the less time consuming, I'm only considering the safest route..... (next to not touching it)

Edited March 4, 2016 by Endeavor

[Geo]

I'm only considering the safest route..... (next to not touching it)

If it is running consistently +7 per day, I would leave it. It is only 1second outside COSC timing. It is an old and valuable watch, is it worth the risk damaging it, especially when this is your first attempt?

[Endeavor]

Hi Geo........yes, that point crossed many times my mind too...... I'm trying to find some confident and safe way before I'll touch it. At the moment I don't feel confident with the way Rolex does it; hence my attempts to figure out a way by which I would feel (more) confident........

I'm well aware that I came this far, and I don't want to ruin it in the last moment........ However, wouldn't it be wonderful if it would run nicely on time?

Wouldn't that be the icing on the cake?

It's one of those again ! ................

Edited March 4, 2016 by Endeavor

[Endeavor]

The Microstella tool came in today.......and in my mind this thing was humongous and had to be hold at least with both hands! However I was very surprised to see how really small and light it in reality is!

This changes perspective.......... it may be far more controllable then I initially thought......  hmmmm...... have to sleep a night on this new info..... :sleep:

Edited March 4, 2016 by Endeavor

[jdm]

How big these forces are, depends on the tightness of the microstella scews and the "steadiness" of handling the microstella tool.........which are unknown, so is the force on the pivots, so are the pivots share-off points.

 

With a thread diameter well below 1mm nothing can be really tight. I have never worked with these but I'm afraid you're overthinking the matter, the limiting factor is just practical skills, that as Geo noted are better developed on something not expensive watch.

[Endeavor]

Hello JDM; I guess I was thrown off by most pictures depicting the Microstella tool, seemingly a big tool. Obviously one starts to wonder how it's done and how I would do it........whether I can do it?

Unfortunately, as far as I know, there are not many cheap balances around to try the microstella tool on, or to test the "Rolex-way" of adjusting.

You may be quite right that I'm overthinking the matter, but I don't want to, as Mark says in a video, go in with guns full blazing. I'm going through as many scenario's of what could possibly go wrong and how to avoid.........  a remaining habit from my working period, were I was paid for doing so.

 

Now the microstella tool in reality is much smaller, and much better to handle then I thought, the Rolex way of adjusting the daily rate doesn't seem that daunting any longer........I'll sleep on it........ ;)

Thanks for your advice !

Edited March 4, 2016 by Endeavor

[Endeavor]

I studied it for a while, how to position my hands (left handed), tools and tweezers and figured out (I think) how Rolex does it.  With my right hand supported on a little box for stability, I positioned the tweezers over the balance onto the main-plate, pulled the tweezers slowly backwards until they were firm against the balance-bridge and then grabbed the balance. This way the tweezers are "locked" in place and are very stable.

Operated the micro-stella tool with the left hand. My intention was to turn -6 s/d on the tools scale, but if the start-point is vertically, only a -5 s/d turn can be achieved before the tool-bracket/lever shoulders out onto the watch-casing.

My balance has 4x spokes. On one side, two of them had an indentation, the other two spokes on the opposite side had none. This helps with a clear identification of the microstella-screws.

The total correction was -6/d and now 6 hrs after the adjustment, it still runs synchronous with the atomic clock. We'll see what it does in 24/48hrs........ Time will tell :)

I guess what I feared the most was fear itself.......

[Endeavor]

One more thing I like to add, as "Another lesson learned";

 

The Microstella tool I received from CousinsUK wasn't of the highest quality. The pointer is a bit "sticky" and there is some play between the screw and the wrench. For bigger adjustments, like the first one I did of -5s/d, this isn't such a problem, but for fine tuning it is or becomes.

Because of the "play" between the screw and the wrench, that when turning the wrench slightly, you can't see, and don't know whether the screw turns with the same amount. This "error" will accumulate if more adjustments are made.

So the Microstella tool from CousinsUK I received will do the job, but it's not for regular adjustment, on the same watch.

My watch runs +1.5 s/d consistently, so I'm done :)

[Geo]

Excellent result, very well done!

[dadistic]

Excellent achievement, Endeavor. I've never heard of anyone else who has started with no prior experience with such a fine watch, and achieved such an outstanding result.

 

Bravo!

[Endeavor]

Thank you very much Geo & Dadistic......I'm flattered!

 

Of course it wasn't my aim to do some "special" achievement. Change in financials and I didn't want to be "chained" by Rolex, were two very strong promoters. Either I learned myself the capabilities to do a service, or the Rolex goes........ if you read "Self servicing Rolex Submariner 3135" you may get my drift.

 

Thanks to the forum and Mark's excellent video's, it was possible for me to even consider such a challenge; so a "BIG thank you" to all contributors and for the great help I received !!

The Rolex survived and seems healthier then before the operation.........good for the Rolex and for me ;)

 

Next service......... we'll see how strong my heart & nerves will be when that time comes....... 

 

For sure, I had my "heart stopping" moments :D

 

 

[VWatchie]

On 3/4/2016 at 4:10 PM, Endeavor said:

The Microstella tool came in today.......and in my mind this thing was humongous and had to be hold at least with both hands!

Yes, not the first time and not the last time an expensive tool was ordered and unpacking it resulted in the reaction "Did I just pay several hundred for this tiny thing!?"