Its been a while since my last post, trying to balance blog posts with actually servicing the watches gets more and more difficult the busier I get. What a watch this is though, the Rolex GMT Master II with blue and black bezel, aka the Batman.
There isn’t really much difference between the Rolex 3185, which I have written about before in a previous post, and the Rolex 3186 being serviced here – the main one being the blue parachrom hairspring. The advantage to this type of hairspring is its unaffected by magnetism and is much more resistant to shocks and knocks, all In all this means it should be better at keeping time in the long run.
Dial and hands are first to be removed, revealing the date disc and date works.
Once the date disc and part of the date work is removed, the keyless and motion works is revealed.
Next I flip the movement and begin disassembling the top of the movement. The automatic weight has been removed here, the auto bridge is now the main section visible on the watch.
Disassembling the automatic device.
Next I begin dismantling the rest of the movement. Each and every part is checked individually under strong magnification as it is removed, any parts found to be worn or damaged must be replaced to ensure the watch will run to the strict tolerances it was designed for.
Gear train and train bridge now removed, barrel bridge and crown wheel bridge remain. The Rolex calibre ‘3186’, is engraved into the crown wheel bridge, visible below.
Movement completely dismantled down to its individual parts and ready for cleaning. Every part needs to be removed to ensure it is completely clean before oiling. If parts are left in place on the movement oil, grease and debris can become trapped and will result in a less than perfect result.
Re assembly and re oiling begins after cleaning, train in place below. The blue parachrom hairspring is also visible.
Movement nearly complete. When I service any watch it is oiled to the exact specification of the particular brand I am servicing. Movement technical guides make it clear exactly where to oil and what specific oil to use.
Movement completed, dial attached and waiting for the hands to be fitted.
Finally some shots of the watch after its case brighten. In my opinion it is definitely once of the best looking Rolex models, very desirable as demonstrated by the ever increasing value on the secondary market.
A lovely looking watch, especially after its case brighten. Remember, with the case brighten my aim isn’t to remove every single scratch or dent, just remove the majority of the surface scratches. This has the effect of making a massive impact to the appearance of the watch without removing excessive amounts of metal from it. When it comes to polishing, the law of diminishing returns most definitely applies.
Thanks for reading,
The Watch Professional
The Watch Professional 
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