Syncing the time with the date change, is it possible?

[Watch009]

Hello everyone, many thanks in advance for anyone who is able to help share their knowledge on this :)

I have a Rolex Yachtmaster that was purchased this year from an AD. I have noticed that when the date wheel changes the time reads about 9mins past midnight.

If I were to send it in, do you know if it’s possible to adjust this so that the time displays correctly at midnight when the date wheel changes?


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[Largoshark]

It probably can be adjusted by a Rolex tech, however I would strongly advise against sending your new watch in for service. It is perfectly normal for the date to change up to 10 mins after midnight. As long as the change is consistent every night, there is nothing for you to worry about.

[dcash0615]

Impossible. It’s a mechanical watch and the date change over can and will vary based on many factors that change constantly. There are many moving parts in the movement that have to line up for the date change to occur and that will not always happen right at 12 midnight. Friction on the moving parts that cause the date wheel to move is a factor that you cannot control. It will vary over time.

Enjoy your watch as it is operating just fine. You will at some point notice the date change closer to midnight and then again possibly later past midnight.

[Acidstain]

If the date always click over 9minutes after, consistently, what the watchmaker (or rsc) can do is:
1. Turn hour and minute to midnight and wait for the date to click over
2. As soon as the date clicks over, you now know that is midnight as far as the movement is concerned.
3.remove hands, and then reinstall at 12:00


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[chinaski]

I could live with that, I'm usually in bed by 9PM anyway.

[Tools]

Originally Posted by Watch009

. . .

If I were to send it in, do you know if it’s possible to adjust this so that the time displays correctly at midnight when the date wheel changes?

As you say, it's a display that you are looking at, that only closely represents what is going on behind the scenes.

A watchmaker would have to spend time fiddling with exactly when to press the hands onto the posts. It's unlikely that anybody is going to spend that kind of time doing that for you. A minute or so either way is the best that you can expect.

[Watch009]

Originally Posted by Tools

It's unlikely that anybody is going to spend that kind of time doing that for you. A minute or so either way is the best that you can expect.

I would have thought that Rolex would have some sort of quality control to check something like this. I presume there is some sort of tolerance limit, that likely it falls within. But a ~10 min difference is pretty large IMO.

Are Patel Phillip watches more accurately made as they have a higher price point? Sorry to deviate from the original topic slightly.

I still don’t think £9.5k for a watch is cheap and would have expected it to be more accurate.
The time is tested to be accurate of +/- 2 seconds. I would have thought that the hands aligning with the date change would also be more accurate, though I appreciate it may not be so easy to do.


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[schoolboy]

Originally Posted by Watch009

I would have thought that Rolex would have some sort of quality control to check something like this. I presume there is some sort of tolerance limit, that likely it falls within. But a ~10 min difference is pretty large IMO.

Are Patel Phillip watches more accurately made as they have a higher price point? Sorry to deviate from the original topic slightly.

I still don’t think £9.5k for a watch is cheap and would have expected it to be more accurate.
The time is tested to be accurate of +/- 2 seconds. I would have thought that the hands aligning with the date change would also be more accurate, though I appreciate it may not be so easy to do.


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I don’t have the answer to the Patek date change question

I just wanted to share something I recently learned

I love that Rolex watches hack (at the modern ones)

I learned a few weeks ago that some Patek watches don’t hack! Even annual calendars and all

Rolex hacks, is water resistant, has +/- 2 s/d accuracy

It has other things that make the time of the date change not as important IMO

Although I admit there was a time when I was angry that my expensive Rolex didn’t change the date exactly at midnight, now I am super okay with it

Because there are things I love about the watch!


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[Tools]

Originally Posted by Watch009

. . .
I still don’t think £9.5k for a watch is cheap and would have expected it to be more accurate.
The time is tested to be accurate of +/- 2 seconds. I would have thought that the hands aligning with the date change would also be more accurate, though I appreciate it may not be so easy to do.

I find it odd that you would correlate a date window change to accuracy, or even price-point.

Most movements engage gears at around 10 pm, then slowly change the date, finally completing at around 2 am. Would you consider this more "accurate". Many movements several times the price of a Rolex operate this way.

Rolex uniquely separates the date change from gears, and uses a cam plate that, at a single point on the cam, activates a flat spring that slaps the date to the next position, instantaneously. This allows you to manually change the date at any time you want; much more expensive watches may be damaged if you do this while the gears are meshed.

[schoolboy]

Originally Posted by Tools

I find it odd that you would correlate a date window change to accuracy, or even price-point.

Most movements engage gears at around 10 pm, then slowly change the date, finally completing at around 2 am. Would you consider this more "accurate". Many movements several times the price of a Rolex operate this way.

Rolex uniquely separates the date change from gears, and uses a cam plate that, at a single point on the cam, activates a flat spring that slaps the date to the next position, instantaneously. This allows you to manually change the date at any time you want; much more expensive watches may be damaged if you do this while the gears are meshed.

I don’t think you understood what OP was trying to say.

He is trying to say that if Rolex places so much importance on accuracy, then why don’t they do it for other things

[padi56]

Originally Posted by schoolboy

I don’t think you understood what OP was trying to say.

He is trying to say that if Rolex places so much importance on accuracy, then why don’t they do it for other things

Originally Posted by Watch009

I would have thought that Rolex would have some sort of quality control to check something like this. I presume there is some sort of tolerance limit, that likely it falls within. But a ~10 min difference is pretty large IMO.

Are Patel Phillip watches more accurately made as they have a higher price point? Sorry to deviate from the original topic slightly.

I still don’t think £9.5k for a watch is cheap and would have expected it to be more accurate.
The time is tested to be accurate of +/- 2 seconds. I would have thought that the hands aligning with the date change would also be more accurate, though I appreciate it may not be so easy to do.


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As it would be almost impossible to do it's that simple, for a start the normal hand slack in the hand gears, without this slack the hand could not operate.So when the hands are assembled on the hand stack there will always be a bit of lateral movement both ways.So as for the date change is not electronic like flicking a switch the date will only change when the hour hand has made two complete 12 hour revolutions around the dial.So the fact is some change a little before midnight some a little after midnight.It's how the hands are put on the hand stack when the watch is assembled.Much like this new -2+2 seconds purely marketing spec first the bare uncased movements are sent down to the COSC for testing.On the bare movement no winding rotor, hands or even a dial is on them,as special ones are fitted at COSC.Now because of the vast amount of movements tested each year by Rolex they have there own machine there.The movements are fed into the machine like bullets in a magazine wound up by the machine and time is checked by time lapse computer photography for the 15 day test.

After test shipped back to Rolex if passed the average COSC chronometer 4+6 seconds certification spec.After when movement is matched to a case at Rolex then they must retest hundreds at a time on machines in a controlled environment to this new marketing -2+2 spec.What does this mean at point of testing movement matched the spec much like the COSC test at time of testing.Now on the wrist wearing there are many many variables,so even when matched test on a machine this dont mean it will perform every single day to -2+2 seconds on the wrist.Much like when they test new cars for fuel consumption in a controlled environment.Its very doubtful the car owner will achieve those exact figures as there are many variables, like how heavy foot on gas pedal,stuck in traffic etc its the same with watches.

[Tools]

Originally Posted by schoolboy

I don’t think you understood what OP was trying to say.

He is trying to say that if Rolex places so much importance on accuracy, then why don’t they do it for other things

I know exactly what he is saying.

I'm saying that the date display, which is little more than a convenience, has absolutely nothing to do with a watches "accuracy" as it relates to the time.

[Yachtbuoy]

My 1603 consistently changes about 10 mins prior to midnight. All I really cared was that it's reasonably close and the date change is instantaneous.

[schoolboy]

Mine changes at 12:06 I think


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[Pongster]

None of mine change at exactly midnight. But it’s OK. Doesnt matter.

[pickettt]

Rolex can do a few things to improve their watches, but as long as folks keep buying them as they are, those little issues (probably) won't get addressed. I feel like Rolex is a damn good watch, and they rest on that. All that being said, slow date change isn't a deal breaker for me.

[envuks]

This has always been my pet peeve with the rolex date function. Certainly not a real problem, but I find it kind of annoying given there is a good amount of marketing emphasis placed on accuracy

Surely Rolex could figure out a way to consistently configure watches this way in their manufacturing process if they really wanted to.

If I want to get bit picky, I’d advocate the date change should occur within 2-4 seconds of midnight, but I’d settle for within 1 minute standardization and call that a victory. However, “with a new function that allows the date change to occur precisely at midnight” doesn’t exactly seem like a marketing statement that would sell more watches...


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[SearChart]

Hands would need to be re-applied.

[aaronch]

I've only got a no date sub (14060m) so not too sure about how Rolex date changes work, but is there a difference between when the date changes if you manually move the minute hands past midnight vs if the movement clicks over by itself?

One of the few watches with date I have is a cartier tank solo xl, and the date changes on the exact minute if I manually move the minute hands past midnight. Just wondering why rolex can't do the same?


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[Likestheshiny]

I'm saying that the date display, which is little more than a convenience, has absolutely nothing to do with a watches "accuracy" as it relates to the time.

Seems relevant to accuracy to me. For nine minutes every day, his watch is literally 24 hours off. In terms of average accuracy, that's well worse than +/- 2 seconds.

And this is definitely something that can be improved -- there's not nine minutes of slack in the moving parts. I wouldn't personally consider it worth taking off the crustal and re-setting the hand just for that, but it could certainly be done. If nothing else, if the Op asks for attention to this at the first service, it'll almost certainly come back with a flip much closer to midnight.

I do think Rolex should be aiming for a date change closer than nine minutes from midnight - that's not especially precise. I'm curious what the accepted factory variation here is.

[padi56]

Originally Posted by Likestheshiny

Seems relevant to accuracy to me. For nine minutes every day, his watch is literally 24 hours off. In terms of average accuracy, that's well worse than +/- 2 seconds.

And this is definitely something that can be improved -- there's not nine minutes of slack in the moving parts. I wouldn't personally consider it worth taking off the crustal and re-setting the hand just for that, but it could certainly be done. If nothing else, if the Op asks for attention to this at the first service, it'll almost certainly come back with a flip much closer to midnight.

I do think Rolex should be aiming for a date change closer than nine minutes from midnight - that's not especially precise. I'm curious what the accepted factory variation here is.

Its around -+ 2 minutes either way but if every one was exact to this what else would some Rolex owners have to moan about.Would expect 90% of Rolex owners would be asleep at midnight and not waiting up to see the date change.As for myself as long as its changed by morning when I wake up, and can see its changed that far more important as it proves I am still alive to battle another day.

[Brew]

Originally Posted by padi56

As for myself as long as its changed by morning when I wake up, and can see its changed that far more important as it proves I am still alive to battle another day.

Good morning, Padi, we made it! Have a good one.

[LooseCann0n]

My 2014 SD4k (116600) changes at 12:03 every night (well, the nights that I am up to see/hear it, that is!)


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[jimcameron]

Sell the Rolex, buy an Apple.

[Brew]

I aspire to knowing what time mine flip over. Someday, probably on New Year's Eve, I'll make it!

[1William]

Interesting thread and one where expectation and reality bump up against each other. My expectation is that the date changes at some point around midnight. I do not think of this as a design flaw for a variation, as long as it is close 10-15 minutes. I am not up to see it anyway. I believe that some owners have an expectation that because they pay for an expensive watch that we get into it being as close to perfect in timing and functions as possible. That would be nice but these are mechanical watches and that is not the reality. If it bothers you, then get it fixed or better yet, learn to live with it until service time and have it addressed then.

[Watch009]

Thanks for the reply everyone. Seems like a lot of people go to sleep early I’m almost always awake at midnight.

I will ask to see if they can improve it when it goes for the 1st service. How many years do you reckon before I would need the 1st service? ~4 years?


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