1680 Red Submariner Service

[Archer]

I recently had a 1680 Red Sub in for service, and I thought you might like to see the process. I'm not normally a Rolex guy, but I admit this was a very nice watch.

Here is the watch as I received it:



First thing is to open the case:



Here is the movement, a Cal. 1570:



Right away I see a problem - the oscillating weight is broken:



I'll have to source a new one, but in any case, on with the repairs - here the movement is out:



Hands, dial, and date ring removed:



Dial side is disassembled:



Now working on the train side:









Now to disassemble the automatic module:



All apart now:



Ready for the cleaning machine:



Treating the reversing wheels and escape wheel with epilame:



After replacing the mainspring, now assembling the movement:







Pressing the drive wheel for the indirect central seconds back on:



Treating the pallet fork jewels with epilame:



Pallet fork is installed:



After letting it run for a while, I remove the balance and lubricate the pallet jewels - the oil is placed at the tip of the red arrow on the exit stone:



Dial side is assembled:





Timing checks came out okay (average rate was adjusted to be slightly positive of course):



The new oscillating weight has arrived:





Now to install the dial/hands:







New case tube and crown for this watch:



All cased up:



The final test winder is used to check the timing as well as the function of the automatic winding:



Pressure checks came out fine (the client opted not to have the high pressure wet test done):





All done - changed the bezel insert as well, and it looks great:



Hope you enjoyed it.

Cheers, Al

[gj]

Now THAT was an amazing thread

[kz1000]

Wow, that's a nice one. Very nice pictures as always. A chance to service that is a true testament to your abilities, nice work!

[Warren]

Great stuff Al.

[ac]

Hey Al,

Great thread

Dam those watches are intricate. How do you go getting Rolex parts???

Aaron

[Archer]

Thanks guys - glad you liked it. It was a fun watch to service, and the client was very happy with the end result.

Parts an be difficult depending on the model, but for this one I didn't have too much difficulty getting what was needed. I don't have a Rolex parts account, so unlike Omega and Swatch (which I have a parts account for), I have to go to 3rd party material houses for Rolex parts.

I service far more Omega watches than Rolex, so that's fine for me for now.

If you guys have any questions, let me know.

Cheers, Al

[daytona4u]

Avalon,

That was a really superb (better than just superb!) post. That MK lll meters first 'flat top F' dial is not only my favorite variation of the original 6 red dials, that one has the whitest lume I've seen on any red. It doesn't look like a re-lume to me, but what's your take on that? Shame the case had been over polished at some point, those lugs having lost their beveled edge, but still a remarkable timepiece. What would cause the oscilating weight to break like that? It would seem a force strong enough to do that kind of damage would likely hurt other components as well, but the rest of the movement service seemed otherwise to be routine. Also, what do you mean by 'indirect central seconds'?

I can't stop drooling over that dial!

Tyler

[Archer]

Thanks - the dial is all original. The rotor breaking there is due to a shock I suspect, and that is certainly a weak area on the rotor (not much material between those slots). It appears that this break happened some time ago, as there was evidence that the rotor was rubbing on the movement. It could be that other parts were replaced at an earlier time, but the rotor was left because I can tell you it was not inexpensive to replace. Rolex movements are designed with very little clearance, so any break like this or wear on the axle, and you will have problems such as wear on the plates.

Rolex movements - yes they "run forever" without servicing, but honestly I would prefer a watch that stopped when it needed servicing to one that slowly destroys itself while the owner thinks it is "something special" because it never needs servicing. In fact it needs servicing just as much as any other watch!

Anyway, indirect central second describes the design like this one, where a driving wheel is mounted off one of the train wheels, and this wheel drives the central seconds pinion. Thus it is indirectly driven, rather than being driven as part of the main wheel train like many modern watches (ETA 2824 for example).

Cheers, Al

[miner]

Al
Another great post

I really enjoy these "step by step" stories.

Cheers

[aerome]

X2. Amazes me to see all this stuff. But then again, your explanations make it seems easy!

[Archer]

Glad you guys liked the post. I don't service Rolex watches that often, but do service a lot of Omegas, so if you want to see some of that work let me know.

Cheers, Al

[daytona4u]

Ooh, oooh, yes, yess....I would love to see the service procedure for a speedy, if you have one to share. Playing with my grandfathers Speedy in early 1970's got me hooked on that style of watch and as a result in 1976 I got the daytona that has been my grail piece ever since. Man, to see the workings of that original Speedy...

Thanks...............................Tyler

[Archer]

Hi Tyler,

I'm just finishing up a Speedy now with a Cal. 861 (I have another incoming as well) so give me some time and I'll put a post up in the Omega section showing the service. I have done a few modern versions too, but the 7750 variants aren't too exciting, at least for me.

Cheers, Al

[vk4sgx]

Absolutely wonderful post. Very very interesting. Thank you so much Al.

[frogman4me]

Amazing, thank you.