I’m just gonna go ahead and say it.

[Singslinger]

Originally Posted by Chadridv

I hope this doesn’t get locked, it’s more interesting than the investment, shortage and is it safe threads lol.

Ditto.

[mactruck]

Originally Posted by DJ2020

Noise?, winding feel? Who cares.

Well I care. These arguments aren’t convincing me that the 3235 is an upgrade. I still say it’s no different than having an eta movement now.

I have tons of eta watches and when i got my first Rolex i was like wow, it’s so quiet , it’s winding is so smooth, it sets time in reverse, that’s a Rolex. Now it’s like i have some crappy Rolex knock off with a chinese eta stuffed in it.

Am i running off to sell my 3235 rolexes, no but i love my 3135s way more than i did now that i know they are gone forever and the new Rolex is a noisy, rough winding watch just like all my eta microbrands.

It’s a step backwards, all in the name of one extra day of power reserve.

And to that person who brought up the car analogy, new engines suck. Turbos are lame. Naturally aspirated engines are the only way to go. Ask any Porsche 911 enthusiast what they prefer.

[djyolky]

Originally Posted by supernova

Am I missing something? The rotor in the 3235 can only be heard when spinning around your ear.

The 3235 should be the natural progress after the 3135 with improvements including the much longer PR and accuracy. The folks that think 3135 is better just like living in the past or afraid of change. Which is ok, similar to vintage car enthusiasts that only like old big gas guzzling engines rather than new efficient ones.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Oh yeah? Ask Bas.

Sent from my SM-G925V using Tapatalk

[Dirt]

Originally Posted by Rado63

while a 30 year old movement is able to keep up.

Old but certainly not obsolete
Lets not forget those ETA's you mention have been around for a long time as well with a good many variants of and nicely modified 2892's out there as well

[TswaneNguni]

Originally Posted by DJ2020

ALL are extremely precision movements. Yes some ( most) ran slow when the first got them. But all have been regulated to extreme accuracy. And I don't mean -4/+6 or even -2/+2. Most are .2 to .5 seconds per day, 2 had there's regulated to +1. And a common trait is they don't care if you wear them 24/7, active or lazy. At our last gathering we asked the question of how much can you MAKE your 3235 vary by using position to regulate. The greatest was .5 sec.

3235 was extremely accurate and consistent at -5s/day .
Rolex let me know ,they couldn't find any fault with the watch .I said fantastic ,regulate it then ! .. Its +1s now.
Agree ,positioning does not influence it to the same extent like a 3135 .Handy tool on a 3135 .Crown up ,slows down.Face up or down ,increases speed .

There are several reports on this forum from members that had issues with more than one 3235 and the same 3235 that went to RSC multiple times .
Same story ...runs great ,then few seconds slow ,then a lot more slower .
We cannot simply dismiss these reports .

The issue has been described in great detail by specialists in the field .
Lubrication issue on the ball bearing .Lubrication not a long term fix .
Wear on the second hand pinion,where it shouldn't have contact and wear.
So far ,no one has seen any design change to the 3235.
Again,it seems not all 3235s suffer in this regard ,but some do .

[Dirt]

Originally Posted by Macnavara

All i know is that im disappointed with the sound my new watches make....it does make them appear a bit cheaper....just my opinion

The silent nature of the rotor in the old movements is definately a noteworthy feature for those of us who care to notice such things.
Ditching it was a big time watershed event that has planted me and my wife into the vintage segment of the collecting world and was cause for a renewed appreciation of manual wind watches
Thanks Rolex for enabling me to appreciate the finest aspects of great watch movement designs of the past

[Dirt]

Originally Posted by TswaneNguni

3235 was extremely accurate and consistent at -5s/day .
Rolex let me know ,they couldn't find any fault with the watch .I said fantastic ,regulate it then ! .. Its +1s now.
Agree ,positioning does not influence it to the same extent like a 3135 .Handy tool on a 3135 .Crown up ,slows down.Face up or down ,increases speed .

There are several reports on this forum from members that had issues with more than one 3235 and the same 3235 that went to RSC multiple times .
Same story ...runs great ,then few seconds slow ,then a lot more slower .
We cannot simply dismiss these reports .

The issue has been described in great detail by specialists in the field .
Lubrication issue on the ball bearing .Lubrication not a long term fix .
Wear on the second hand pinion,where it shouldn't have contact and wear.
So far ,no one has seen any design change to the 3235.
Again,it seems not all 3235s suffer in this regard ,but some do .

I have barely been able to discern any significant positional variation in my 3135 movements.
This has been a phenomenon for a number of years now with Rolex watches. Probably 5-7 years as others have reported on this forum
I think Rolex had simply upped the anti on poising the Balance so they can achieve the new accuracy standard.

[FTX I]

Originally Posted by TswaneNguni

https://quillandpad.com/2019/11/19/w...ich-is-better/

Thanks for the article Doc. I'm here to educate myself constantly so an article like that makes a big difference and this part was very important to me: "If a 3135 had a mainspring grinding along the barrel wall, the fix was simple: remove the mainspring, polish the bridle, lubricate the barrel wall, and reinstall. But this is no longer the case with the 3235: it’s replace, replace, replace.
...
So the replace mentality isn’t always the best option. A barrel can outlast a mainspring by many years. That family heirloom you were leaving to your grandchildren is now at the mercy of the manufacturer. How long will parts supply be supported – 30, 40, 50 years?"

The thing is, my watchmakers have been servicing all my watches on the last 12 years. I drop a watch today and I'll wait two days so they have plenty of time to work on it and I get the watch back working perfectly. One of the benefits of being friends with them. They're the official service center for a number of brands like Omega and AP where I live but they don't have parts account with Rolex. If something is needed they can get of course but not as easy as someone with a parts account and this is one of the reasons I have trouble buying vintage Rolex albeit loving it.

I have nothing against RSC though. Quite the opposite. The problem is I don't know anyone there and I don't have any kind of relationship so they're not my go to place when I need to have my watches serviced. If the 32xx needs frequent replacement parts like the author said above my watchmaker won't be able to service my watches every 5 years so I'll simply avoid any watch with the new 32xx and look at 5 digits instead from now on. I don't remember the last time a thread here was so informative to me. Thanks OP.

[Luap1976]

Great thread I agree with op the new movement feels sounds and operates like eta
But saying that I love the eta 2824 in my black bay.

[HogwldFLTR]

The newest movement I’ve got in a watch is the 4130 in my Platona. It’s a great movement! I guess if I get a new OP I’ll finally be in the brave new world.

[Sothy]

Doesn’t the 3235 have great magnetic field resistance vs 3135? I can’t find any published details though, but isn’t that one reason why the Air King/Milgauss might be due for an update/on their way out?

I think it was Bas (European forum member who repairs Rolexes) who mentioned that the early Day Dates (3255?) needed more lubricant on either the date wheel or the day wheel. So I’m hoping that Rolex has made a few adjustments along the list way (as the OP, Sub, and Datejust suggest that they’ve gone all in).

[Jack T]

As was mentioned by the OP in a later post, all in the name of increased power reserve. I can not understand why this is such a valuable feature in a watch. I wear a watch for a week, then put it away for a month or so; resetting the time and date is no big deal.
Changes in materials, design and so called enhancements come with trade offs, but a few more hours of power are meaningless to me.

[envuks]

This thread is fantastic. Thank you to everyone who shared knowledge within it, Ive learned A TON here.

While my own personal jury is still out (not that my opinion matters on this subject), the “replace, replace, replace” parts mentality referenced in the article certainly goes against my preferences with any product. I always choose to buy products that can be repaired when I have an option.

It’s one thing that I’ve always loved about Rolex and mechanical watches in general.

However, big picture a Rolex is still most certainly a repair product. That isn’t changing. But at a small scale it sounds like more of the replace mentality is creeping it’s way into their design and that is not a positive to me on a conceptual level. I do acknowledge that it seems to make no difference to me as a consumer of Rolex product.

However, if the 3235 require more frequent and/or what I’ll call deeper servicing (replacing more parts). That doesn’t feel like a positive for the consumer.

[Max 66]

Since I bought my first Rolex in 1990 I noticed generation after generation a constant improvement in technology, in any aspect of the watches.

Movement was never a topic to be discussed in a Rolex (with the exception of Daytona Zenith vs. Daytona Rolex), we usually leave such discussions to those that compare Calatrava to Saxonia. Now that Rolex launched a watch that has more nice proportions than the predecessor, people start to open discussions on previous movement vs. newest movement. 

In terms of features I appreciate the extra power reserve of the new Sub versus the Batman. I never spent time to wind an automatic watch, in general after having adjusted timing and date I give no more that a couple of turns then I wear the watch so I didn't notice any difference between Batman and new Sub and regarding the mentioned noise of the rotor, sometimes I cannot even hear my wife when she speaks with me, just think the rotor of my new Sub.

[Xerxes77]

My Valjoux 7750 keep times perfect but that’s not a motif to compare with my SkyDweller or my BLRO..... orange vs apple.....

[TswaneNguni]

Originally Posted by Max 66

... sometimes I cannot even hear my wife when she speaks with me, just think the rotor of my new Sub.

[Dirt]

Originally Posted by Max 66

sometimes I cannot even hear my wife when she speaks with me, just think the rotor of my new Sub.

It gets like that sometimes.
Just as a crying baby or a whining dog is hard to bear for very long, a woman's voice can be hard to listen to(with very few exceptions). Which may even include Her Majesty, but the content of what is said is very compelling

Such as it is with a whining rotor i suppose
I remember my first Automatic watch which was a fairly inexpensive Seiko many decades ago.
The whine/whiring of the rotor was a genuine novelty as opposed to the silence of a Manual wind watch.
I was much younger then and more adaptable and open to new experiences.
When i aquired my first Rolex after dabbling within the realms of the quartz craze. The silence of the Rolex rotor was an eye opener and most pleasing on every level whereby, a deep appreciation of the combination of its well resolved simplicity and sophistication blossomed and matured over the ensuing years.
A theoretical longer(claimed) service interval is of no value to me what so ever, along with longer power reserve
Thus I fully understand the value of the original design and its requirement for a little more frequent servicing. Besides, there are other components throughout the movement which can benefit from fresh lube anyway

Long live the beauty, grace, sophistication, silence and elegance of the old rotor axle design in this sensory overloaded world we live in

[Brny11]

Originally Posted by Doc Savage

Although this is a generally true statement, I don't think it necessarily applies here. People dislike the 3200 series for very specific reasons, some of them noted in this thread already.

A noisy rotor doesn't convey the impression of a highly engineered movement on a luxury watch. This is a gut reaction by end users, not an engineering analysis. It is also an important consideration. We don't buy these watches because they are the most accurate. Cheap quartz watches are far more accurate. We love the history, pedigree, and related stories that go with these watches. It's an emotional connection.

When a watch that handwinds smoothly and whose rotor functions quietly in the background gets an upgraded movement that does neither of these things, it is not something easily ignored by many customers and enthusiasts.

You do make a great point. I have owned 3130, 3132 and 3135 for so long now, I forgot how satisfying the wind experience was in beginning. Haven’t tried the 32xx yet so a bit ignorant on my end as I am sure it would hit me in the worst of ways upon first wind up.

I absolutely love the 126610LV and would consider trading my 116610ln for it at retail. Thanks for ruining that for me lol.

[tbk]

This thread is pretty funny. I've got the 32xx movements in so many watches by now and this whole time I never realized how horrible it is. I guess my hearing and my sense of touch isn't quite what it used to be.

[Goldfingr64]

All I hope for is that replacement parts for the 3135 remain available until I'm dead, or perhaps a bit more if my kid wishes to wear my watch. Have no desire for a 32xx reference, and no need for extra PR, no need for gritty winding, and not sure I could get used to turning the winding crown counter clockwise to advance the hands clockwise. Guess I'm hard wired ol' school.

[Mr. Drunmond]

A new movement complaint thread is started and the usual suspects come out.

[Mystro]

If you want to get into a real area of concern with the modern Rolex movement is its lower amplitude. Rolex with the 32 series didn’t opt for the much superior double barrel mainspring that not only gives a longer power reserve but a stronger power reserve longer as it winds down. Maintaining superior accuracy after the 24 hour mark is even more impressive with watches that use a dual barrel mainspring. Check the amplitude of a 32 series Rolex movement after 24 hours of life compared to a dual barrel mainspring. The chronograph models like the Daytona and newer YMII doesn’t suffer from the 32 series lower amplitude yet they have always had a 72 hour power reserve. I compared my YMII to my newer BLNR with their power reserve test and the YMII way surpasses the newer 32 series movement in maintaining +2/-2 accuracy into its 3rd day at the end of its power reserve. All the 32 series I have tested, accuracy goes south after about 36 hours. I would love to test the Sky Dwellers movement.

[Jack T]

Who are the usual suspects ???

[southcarolina1801]

I've had my first experience with the 3235 in my new Sub41 that I picked up back in September.

It's been insanely accurate and I'm currently averaging around -3 PER WEEK. I have also experienced no rotor noise and the winding feels fine to me, like any mechanical watch.

[EEpro]

Originally Posted by southcarolina1801

I've had my first experience with the 3235 in my new Sub41 that I picked up back in September.

It's been insanely accurate and I'm currently averaging around -3 PER WEEK. I have also experienced no rotor noise and the winding feels fine to me, like any mechanical watch.

Had the same experience. Bought DJ41 in April and it kept 0.3 seconds per day. Wonderful accurate movement.

BUT, in October I didn't wear the DJ41 for a month. Upon first use the watch kept -30 seconds per day which improved to -7.5 spd after a few days on the orbita presumably getting its oils redistributed. The movement has something going on with it.

[sheldonsmith]

I’ve had 3185, 3186, 3235,and 3285 movements and had fewer issues with the 31xx movements than the 32xx movements.

The 3285 movement went to an RSC three times before I flipped it, and the 3235 has been back to an RSC once for low amplitude and running slow after six month of ownership only to come back with it adjusted to +3 in most positions. FWIW, my commentary on these issues are in the tech forum at https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=699001

That said, I have faith in that Rolex will address the second wheel / seconds wheel lubrication issue as the watch movement matures. The 30xx / 31xx movements have years of cumulative modifications that the user does not see/notice. The 3186 teething issues mentioned above with the hour hand jumper spring breaking is a good example of modifications done at service. The mileage on both the disposable mainspring barrel and the escapement efficiency is still being measured as production and distribution increases to a wider audience/settings each year.

Also, I notice no winding grinding or rotor noise on the 32xx movements. Different story on my wife’s 30 year old AirKing 3000 movement; noisy as all hades but it just keeps running.

- Sheldon

[ganiccus]

i feel the winding on my new submariner with the 3230 caliber is a bit stiffer than on my Explorer II with the 3187 movement, which feels absolutely effortless and butter smooth.

As for the rotor noise on the new movement, it's really a non issue in my opinion. only way i can hear the rotor spinning is if I stick the watch right next to my ear while giving it a good shake.

[mactruck]

Well I don’t have to worry about the movement anymore. My son turned 18 and for his birthday I let him pick from any watch I own and he picked the blue dial datejust 41.