Golf with a Rolex on - Does it harm the watch ?

[Sublover2166]

I was told by a reliable source that apparently the recoil from modern day titanium shaft drivers will possibly cause a broken rotor axle. He says he gets many customers who send their watches in for repair who play golf with them and he replaces many rotor axles and or jewels. Better to leave the watch aside till you are finished with your round.

[boogiebot]

I never understood the fascination of wanting to wear your watch while playing golf.

[gwalker]

Originally Posted by Sublover2166

I was told by a reliable source that apparently the recoil from modern day titanium shaft drivers will possibly cause a broken rotor axle. He says he gets many customers who send their watches in for repair who play golf with them and he replaces many rotor axles and or jewels. Better to leave the watch aside till you are finished with your round.

Paying in it isnt going to hurt it. Bubba Watson plays in a $600-700k tourbillon. He has the fastest swing on PGA tour. A rolex is much more robust than a RM Tourbillon That said I hate playing in a watch (I play 4-5x wk) especially a SS Rolex.

PS the shafts aren't TI. Most clubs have 0 TI. There are much better materials for saving weight and ball compression.

[chill]

Originally Posted by gwalker

Paying in it isnt going to hurt it. Bubba Watson plays in a $600-700k tourbillon. He has the fastest swing on PGA tour. A rolex is much more robust than a RM Tourbillon That said I hate playing in a watch (I play 4-5x wk) especially a SS Rolex.

PS the shafts aren't TI. Most clubs have 0 TI. There are much better materials for saving weight and ball compression.

I bet Bubba Watson wouldn't loose any sleep over a broken rotor axe in his Tourbillon, he's probably got a Sky Master that he puts on when he's doing yard work as a back-up! Chill

[gwalker]

Originally Posted by chill

I bet Bubba Watson wouldn't loose any sleep over a broken rotor axe in his Tourbillon, he's probably got a Sky Master that he puts on when he's doing yard work as a back-up! Chill

Well I've seen it on his wrist in every tournament, interview, and commercial this year. It's a one of a kind richard mille and I highly doubt he is wearing a broken watch around. He makes more swings in a week than most on here would in 10 years. If a tourbillon isn't breaking a Sub is fine. Btw what the h*ll is a sky master???

[floater156]

Originally Posted by gwalker

Paying in it isnt going to hurt it. Bubba Watson plays in a $600-700k tourbillon. He has the fastest swing on PGA tour. A rolex is much more robust than a RM Tourbillon That said I hate playing in a watch (I play 4-5x wk) especially a SS Rolex.

PS the shafts aren't TI. Most clubs have 0 TI. There are much better materials for saving weight and ball compression.

Bubba doesn't pay for that watch. In fact, he's paid to wear it by a sponsor. I wouldn't wear my watch mainly for comfort, but also because it has 150 moving parts and the force of a golf swing can do damage. Two summers ago I sprained my left wrist (right handed golfer) pretty bad from chunking a shot on an uphill lie. If you were in a car accident and hit your head there would be two impacts. Your head hitting first, then your brain hitting the inside of your skull second. If that makes any sense.

[gwalker]

Originally Posted by floater156

Bubba doesn't pay for that watch. In fact, he's paid to wear it by a sponsor. I wouldn't wear my watch mainly for comfort, but also because it has 150 moving parts and the force of a golf swing can do damage. Two summers ago I sprained my left wrist (right handed golfer) pretty bad from chunking a shot on an uphill lie. If you were in a car accident and hit your head there would be two impacts. Your head hitting first, then your brain hitting the inside of your skull second. If that makes any sense.

And look at every Rolex, AP, and RM sponsored players 99.% don't wear them when they play but it has nothing to due with the durability of the watch. They aren't worn because they aren't comfortable to play in. There are plenty of serious golfers on here that play multiple times a week that have no issues. They state that almost every time this comes up. . Crap like this is how rumors get started about what you cant do when wearing a Rolex. Unless you are actually using your watch to hit the ball it's going to be fine. if someone has FIRST hand experience breaking a watch golfing I'll listen to facts but everything on here saying its going to hurt the watch is nothing but hearsay. I was told there was going to be a ceramic Pepsi about 10x a day before Basel too. I watch people play in high end watches everytime I'm at the course and have heard 0 issues.

[Brenngun]

Only way you can jepordize the watch is if you make it part of an automatic watch press on the back nine and then be 2 & 1 on the 18th.

[Lmbeauleap]

Originally Posted by gwalker

Paying in it isnt going to hurt it. Bubba Watson plays in a $600-700k tourbillon. He has the fastest swing on PGA tour. A rolex is much more robust than a RM Tourbillon That said I hate playing in a watch (I play 4-5x wk) especially a SS Rolex.

PS the shafts aren't TI. Most clubs have 0 TI. There are much better materials for saving weight and ball compression.

Bubba is good but I'm pretty sure the torque I put on a golf club would all but shatter a Rolex. The first drive-able par 4 and that cyclops is plinging right off.

[bgbg13]

Originally Posted by dannynoonan

I never take mine off. Golfing, chopping wood, shooting courses, snowboarding, wake boarding, light construction, swimming, running.

I'm confident that nothing will happen to my watch. If it does I'll just get it repaired.

These watches have been to hell in back with all the r&d rolex does...at the highest elevations, lowest depths of the sea, boiled, frozen......and guess what, after all that they still work flawlessly. then we see people saying not to shower with it. Give me a break. Every rolex was made to outlast the person that bought it, to me that's part of what makes rolex stand out and the main reason i wanted it. For this $ i wanted something i could wear everywhere i go all the time and not worry about it. If you are comfortable wearing something that heavy while you play golf go for it. the watch is laughing thinking it is the one that will hurt you and your golf game not the other way around. If watches could laugh that is. You'd have to swing hard enough to tear something before it's fast enough to hurt the watch.
Trust your rolex was built for anything you can throw at it. Wear it and enjoy.

[Lmbeauleap]

I doubt Rolex R&D smashes their product against eleventy thousand trees for four straight hours. It may be safe to take them to the bottom of the ocean but I seriously doubt they've considered the horrors that follow when I climb aboard a golf cart. Oh the humanity.

(I can still play to an 8 though. )

[Glidelock]

I have never been golfing without a Sub on my wrist. Haven't been in a pool,hot tub or Sauna without a sub on my wrist since the late 90's. I pretty much feel naked without a watch on my wrist, so my swing would be off if it wasn't on. I know it's probably not recommended, but I also know that I have yet to break one with these types of activities!

[c-dub]

In my opinion - don't play golf with your Rolex. Use golf balls, just kidding. But don't wear it on the course.

[twilightround]

I play four or five times a week and wear a datejust. I don't think it puts much stress on the watch. The club head moves fast, but the actual movement of the hands is pretty rhythmic and smooth. There is even the illusion of a pause at the top. And if taking a divot (properly) or hitting through sand does not hurt the wrist, I doubt it would hurt the watch. I would like to think that the precision of the watch is an inspiration, but that might be an illusion. Anyway, I don't worry about it.

[DJJon]

Thanks guys ! I really appreciate the thoughtful responses. Going through them all it seems like it's pretty evenly split, with the added bonus of the serious golfer contingent agreeing that playing golf with a watch on - any watch - constitutes a mistake.

So in the absence of hard data that the mechanics of the golf swing (including hitting a rock, etc.) is known to harm a 3135 movement - that's what a Rolex is meant to do - take the abuses of living life while looking elegant and timeless.

So I am going to go for it ! Like Phil's 6 iron on 13 at Augusta in 2010 !

[MasterNav]

My watchmaker recommended I took it off while playing because it could potentially mess up the rotor. Not to mention the looking good with your Rolex could mess up your swing!

[floater156]

Originally Posted by gwalker

And look at every Rolex, AP, and RM sponsored players 99.% don't wear them when they play but it has nothing to due with the durability of the watch. They aren't worn because they aren't comfortable to play in. There are plenty of serious golfers on here that play multiple times a week that have no issues. They state that almost every time this comes up. . Crap like this is how rumors get started about what you cant do when wearing a Rolex. Unless you are actually using your watch to hit the ball it's going to be fine. if someone has FIRST hand experience breaking a watch golfing I'll listen to facts but everything on here saying its going to hurt the watch is nothing but hearsay. I was told there was going to be a ceramic Pepsi about 10x a day before Basel too. I watch people play in high end watches everytime I'm at the course and have heard 0 issues.

You complain that this is how rumors start. Yet you surmise that playing golf doesn't damage the inner workings based on other forum posts. Huh, that also seems to be a way for rumors to start. I'm not saying that playing golf will break a Rolex, but I wouldn't be surprised if it could add extra strain to moving parts and possible cause the watch to be serviced sooner than expected. I don't have proof and neither do you: we both have theories.

[PJS500]

I play four times a week 6 months per year since 1980 always wearing TT DJ. I golf with the new DJ super jubilee since 2009. Still wear the original DJ every few weeks. Played 27 holes this weekend with it.

[TSts]

I take mine off since the crown digs into my wrist on the downswing - bloody golf gloves are cool but get old after awhile.

[jrssv]

I know the recoil of a Weatherby .300 Mag hasn't hurt my Sub LV and I've worn it in all kinds of nasty places and weather conditions as well as in our jacuzzi. Rolex uses harsh climates and conditions in their advertisements. I didn't buy may Rolex to baby it.

[Adam K.]

Many watchmakers I've spoken with do not recommend it--particularly those mechanicals with automatic winding mechanisms. However, even with a robust handwound caliber, you still have the balance staff and other sensitive escapement components to think about.

Would the odd swing now and then hurt? Most certainly not. But years of golfing with watches can't do them any good, considering how tight the tolerances are in a mechanical movement. The torquing from golf swings can also cause considerable stretching and loosening in 18K and other precious metal bracelets too...there are a few interesting images of President bracelets from Day-Dates so affected. If that's happening to the bracelet, what might be going on inside the case?

I personally wouldn't golf with a mechanical watch, but then again, I've worked in the luxury watch business and seen plenty of watches needing to return for service due to some issue or another. I tend to favor "Murphy's Law" the older I get....and with my watches, while I do like to wear them actively, I also avoid protracted, purposeful exposure to harsh stressors. In the end, it at very least means the watchmaker servicing my watch down the road will have a lot less to deal with in terms of fixing, replacing, or correcting. This includes Rolex, which I firmly believe is the absolute most robust autowinding mechanical that can be had.

[guyrolex]

I have golfed with my Sub probably 60 times over the past 5 years and have had no problems whatsoever- I had asked the service mgr at Rolex NYC and he said no problem, these are very robust watches

[Rockrolex]

Originally Posted by boogiebot

I never understood the fascination of wanting to wear your watch while playing golf.

I feel the same way about playing golf. Never understood the fascination of playing golf.

That said, I don't anyone who harmed a Rolex while playing the game.