Study: "Regulating" a 3135

[HiloBeMagical]

I purchased a 2008 SD 1600 a few weeks ago, and it's keeping fantastic time.

Coming across an old Rolex tear-sheet on "regulating" the amount of seconds a watch will gain / lose overnight here on TRF, I thought I'd do a little study on my SD.

Two attachments, below. First, Rolex' information, (with thanks to whoever first posted it), followed by a screenshot of the Excel file I've been keeping.

A few thoughts:

1) Modern 3135's are a LOT more accurate than movements made a few decades ago. In the old sheet, Rolex tells us how to adjust by "a few" seconds either way during any given overnight time frame. Only once did the SD vary by 3 seconds during this past 2 weeks, and that could be more a function of me checking it with insufficient coffee first thing in the morning than a variance in the watch itself.

2) Even though the time variance of the newer 3135 movements is apparently much smaller than that of movements from decades ago, the general principles of which position(s) gain and lose time more quickly or slowly are still the same as they were decades ago. I don't know that there's a conclusion to be drawn from this, but I thought it was interesting. If nothing else, I think it speaks to the consistency within "The Rolex Way".

Results:

My 2008 Sea Dweller gains an average of 1.55 seconds per day. Three-Quarters of ONE minute per month. Fantastic.

Just like the old Rolex' from 30 or 40 years ago, my SD gains the least when I rest the watch in a "Crown Up" position overnight, and the most when I lay it flat with the dial up.

I know that two weeks is hardly what one would call a scientific "study", but I'll track it for another month or so and report back. For now, I'm happy that it gains 3/4 of one minute per month. :)

For what it's worth,
Hilo