Having previously serviced Iains Ebel Voyager, now came the turn for his Rolex Submariner. It houses the Rolex 3135 Calibre and is a workhorse of a movement – not that you would expect any less from Rolex. Iain has also opted for the case brighten, to give this watch a little hand with its good looks!
Once removed from the case, the first task is to align the hands prior to removal.
With the dial removed I can begin disassembly, I have removed the date indictor and maintaining plate in the picture below.
Just the keyless works remaining now.
Turning over, I remove the rotor first, and commonly with Rolex you can see some minor wear to the edges of the bridges. This is due to the worn rotor axle allowing too much play in the rotor, allowing it to contact and rub against the bridges. I will of course be replacing the axle during this service.
Automatic device removed, and the black dust created from the wear on the rotor axle is visible around the centre seconds jewel, this will of course be removed during its cycle through the cleaning machine.
Continuing on with disassembly, the barrel bridge has now been removed.
The gear train will be next, of course I will check each wheel carefully as its removed for any signs of damage or wear. Especially the pivot of the centre seconds wheel, the dust from the rotor axle can increase wear on this particular pivot, due to be being directly below where the rotor axle sits.
At this point the movement is completely stripped down and ready for cleaning, but before its put through the cleaning machine I will replace the worn rotor axle. I do this before cleaning as I want to interfere with the movement as little as possible once cleaning has taken place.
The old rotor axle after removal!
Fitting the new one using the Seitz staking set.
After cleaning, the shock settings and keyless works are first to be refitted and oiled.
Carefully I start to build and oil the train wheel side.
The watch is now assembled to the point that it begins running again, allowing me to oil the escapement.
Dial side completed, minus the date indicator.
Final checks on the movement before fitting the rotor and closing it up.
Water resistance checks performed after timing checks.
Finally some shots of the completed watch after its complete service and case brighten.
Looking a whole lot nicer and now running within Rolex tolerances!
Thanks for reading,
The Watch Professional
Leave a Reply