Rolex Accuracy Revisited

[BristolCavendish]

There have been countless OP/threads pertaining to the everyday accuracy of a COSC certified Rolex and those concerns are often justified (to some extent) given that one is paying a premium price for a premium mechanically engineered timepiece.

That said, perhaps it is time to draw the line on unreasonable expectations and any potential disappointments.

Case in point. My 16610 is currently keeping time to within +1.5 seconds per day and that amounts to roughly +45 seconds per 30 days. On the other hand, my Seiko 6T63 chronograph is running within an amazing +1 second per month. While we are comparing apples with oranges, two additional factors need to be taken into consideration.

The COSC rating for a mechanical watch is -4/+6 seconds per day and for a COSC quartz model it's +/- .07 seconds per day. Anything above or beyond those figures is an added bonus. In the case of ordinary quartz watches, most non-COSC models are rated at about +/- 10-15 seconds per month and as far as non-COSC mechanical timepieces go, the +/- deviation can vary widely depending on movement quality, calibration and maintenance factors.

Sometimes the OCD factor can take the enjoyment out of owning a watch. One of our TRF moderators/padi has been trying to convey this point for what seems like ages and for some, it still hasn't quite sunken in.

[RossHetherington]

Mines running 1.5s a day as advertised.

[TheWatchEnthusiast]

I have a thread I just opened in the watchtech part of the forum. All my newer model Rolex watches run within 1/2 second a day but I just bought a Milgauss that runs 3.5-4.5 seconds per day fast. Is it out of spec since Rolex advertisers -2+2 ? I want to be armed with info before I take it back to the AD asking them questions.
Thanks

[Jim Smyth]

I have owned 7 Rolex's in my life (currently have only 1). Most were 3-5 seconds a day off so I always considered Rolex a good mechanical watch but not as accurate considering you can get a very cheap quartz watch that does a much better job. I always considered it Jewelry that just happens to tell time.

However with that being said I have a green hangtag BLNR that is about 2 seconds off per month off as long as I wear it every day. Totally acceptable and the best regulated Rolex I have owned to date. Its right up there with my Grand Seiko for accuracy and they both currently compare with a Quartz movement so I never need to check them any more.

[Clay]

Nothing in life has any business being perfect...!!!

[TheWatchEnthusiast]

Originally Posted by Clay

Nothing in life has any business being perfect...!!!

Ha ha ha

[TheWatchEnthusiast]

Originally Posted by Jim Smyth

I have owned 7 Rolex's in my life (currently have only 1). Most were 3-5 seconds a day off so I always considered Rolex a good mechanical watch but not as accurate considering you can get a very cheap quartz watch that does a much better job. I always considered it Jewelry that just happens to tell time.

However with that being said I have a green hangtag BLNR that is about 2 seconds off per month off as long as I wear it every day. Totally acceptable and the best regulated Rolex I have owned to date. Its right up there with my Grand Seiko for accuracy and they both currently compare with a Quartz movement so I never need to check them any more.

All my newer Green tag Rolexes are extremely accurate. The older ones I have are 3-5 seconds fast a day. So the new Milgauss doesn’t fit with my current experience.

[kneedeep]

Originally Posted by TheWatchEnthusiast

All my newer Green tag Rolexes are extremely accurate. The older ones I have are 3-5 seconds fast a day. So the new Milgauss doesn’t fit with my current experience.

I would say if the Milgauss was just sold to you and warranty card dated recently, it should qualify for +2/-2 accuracy and a 5 year warranty. However, practically speaking some Milgauss have sat in the AD cases for years and may have actually been made in the -4/+6 guarantee days. With a 5 year warranty you should be ok if the accuracy gets much worse. I'd wear it continuously for a while and see where it settles in.