More Rolex newbe questions

[Titan7]

After years of looking I recently purchased a 16610 sub for me and a Datejust for my wife new from an authz dealer.

Question: We did not wear the watches for about 3 days and they of course ran out of power. I pulled the crown out to the winding position and wound both 30 times. When I screw the crown back in the watch does not start up again until I shook it a little.

Now, when the watch in up and running, if I unscrew the crown to set the date or time and then screw back it, it starts right up. I am assuming that once you let it completely run out of power a little shake is needed?

Thanks

Should I be concerned? My quartz TAG starts right up once the crown is pushed back in.

[JBHII]

Titan7 said:

After years of looking I recently purchased a 16610 sub for me and a Datejust for my wife new from an authz dealer.

Question: We did not wear the watches for about 3 days and they of course ran out of power. I pulled the crown out to the winding position and wound both 30 times. When I screw the crown back in the watch does not start up again until I shook it a little.

Now, when the watch in up and running, if I unscrew the crown to set the date or time and then screw back it, it starts right up. I am assuming that once you let it completely run out of power a little shake is needed?

Thanks

Should I be concerned? My quartz TAG starts right up once the crown is pushed back in.

Well, firstly realize that a quartz and a mechanical watch will function very differently.

That said, I'm surprised that your watch didn't start up again after a few turns. It might be nothing, but I'd definitely keep an eye on it.

John

[Titan7]

Thanks John,
I will keep an eye on them. This has to be normal, I can't imagin the odds of two watches build months a part showing the same signs. The odds are too great. I am going to go but the local dealer and take a look at one of the watches in the shop.

Anyone out there about ready to wind their out of power Rolex please watch for this.

[johnnycanuck]

Hi Titan, I've had my ExpII almost two years and the one and only time in these two years that I let it run out of power, I experienced the same thing. Should be nothing.

That begs a question, how long has your Rolex been running withou running down? I'm at 20 months of continuous ticking.

BTW, if your wife has a ladies sized DJ, just a note. Ladies DJs tend to have a lower power reserve than full size Rolex. This is because the rotor is smaller and can't keep the mainspring fully wound.

This isn't a problem, mind you, but if left unwound without moving it will eat the power reserve quicker than your 16610. It alson doesn't affect accuracy either, simply that the mass of the rotor isn't enough to wind the motor fully.

Cheers and enjoy.

[Titan7]

I picked up my sub from the dealer on Oct. 9, wound it 30 half tuns. wore it Thur, Fri, Sat. It ran out of juice on Mon 10/18. I did not wear it all last week. Today I wound it 30 full turns. It started up, then I set it down on my dresser, and two hours later it stopped. I am wondering if I have it set to the wind position when I wind it? I mean I may not have it in position one? I have been winding it counter clockwise, (turning the crown toward 6 o'clock), I can hear the tick, tick, tick, as I wind it.

I will tell you this has been a little frustrating.

[johnnycanuck]

Titan, you have to unscrew the crown to the first position, then wind it clockwise toward the 12 position to wind. It should be a smooth wind on each turn.

Then screw the crown back in and it's good to go.

[clepsydra]

Your watch is behaving normally.

When you watch stopped (from lack of sufficient torque coming down from the main spring) one of the pallet stones came to rest on one of the teeth of the escape wheel...it was either locking or unlocking when it stopped.

That little 'shake' is sometimes needed to move the balance a bit so that the pallet lever can be triggered to release the escape wheel.

Sometimes it'll happen, and sometimes it won't; Depends on the position of the pallets when the watch quits.

Nothing to worry about.

[Titan7]

Thanks for the detailed explaination!!! I figured there was a reason.

Now to this winding question. I keep seeing in different places to turn the crown clockwise in position 1 to wind but the Rolex Datejust manual states to turn the crown counter clockwise in position 1 to wind both men and ladies models. Turning the crown backwards towards your body (if holding the watch in front of you with 6 o'clock closest toward your body).

My 16610 Sub manual does not say anything about the direction. I wind the sub counter CW and it clicks the same way the Datejust does while winding. I am not sure where this clockwise winding is coming from. But I will stick with what the manual states. Correct??

[MikeS]

Titan7 said:

Thanks for the detailed explaination!!! I figured there was a reason.

Now to this winding question. I keep seeing in different places to turn the crown clockwise in position 1 to wind but the Rolex Datejust manual states to turn the crown counter clockwise in position 1 to wind both men and ladies models. Turning the crown backwards towards your body (if holding the watch in front of you with 6 o'clock closest toward your body).

My 16610 Sub manual does not say anything about the direction. I wind the sub counter CW and it clicks the same way the Datejust does while winding. I am not sure where this clockwise winding is coming from. But I will stick with what the manual states. Correct??

[clepsydra]

Not aware of any modern watch that winds counterclockwise.

All modern Rolex watches wind clockwise.....40 to 50 full turns of the crown will assure a full wind.

Remember, on a properly serviced (or new) automatic you'll do no harm to the watch no matter how many times you twist the crown (within reason, of course...if your fingers blister and come up bloody, you've overdone it a bit, huh?).

[MikeS]

of no new models that rotate counterclockwise either!

[Titan7]

You are all correct, I received a msg from our dealer stating CW for winding. I must say that manual is not very clear on this topic. I was looking at the diagram of the crown with the arrow pointing CCW, I assumed that was the direction for hand winding, since the diagram for changing the date, position two shows the same crown diagram CCW, Since the date changes on the Lady Datejust turning CCW I assumed the diagrams were correct.

Maybe Rolex should state the actual direction to turn the crown during handwinding, i.e. "to handwind your watch turn the crown clockwise, after you have unscrewed the crown?

Oh well, at least no harm has been done. Sorry for the very dumb question and thanks for the help. Since I am new to automatic watches and Rolex I never had to deal with this before.

[johnnycanuck]

yeah, and lets see your watch, too.

[Titan7]

My photos can't compare to John's, so I don't even try.

[MikeS]

we want to see them anyways