Slight play in hour hand when watch is on the wrist-normal or not

[Aramhov]

Hi guys,

I'm a long time lurker, first time poster. I really enjoy reading through the wealth of knowledge on this forum.

I bought a BNIB Rolex SubC no date from an AD a couple weeks ago. Love the watch, it keeps great time (+1s/day), bezel alignment is spot on, no dust on dial etc.

However, a couple days after buying, I did notice that the hour hand does not align perfectly with the hour markers on the hour (when the minute hand was pointing at 12). It was a slight misalignment.

Having read previous posts on this forum, when setting the time, I turned the crown clockwise past the correct time and then turned counterclockwise to return to the correct time in order to remove the gear slack.
There is noticeable slack in both the hour hand and minute hand (perhaps equivalent to a quarter or a third of a minute marker. I thought this will resolve the "issue".

However, I noticed that at times the misaligment of the hour hand is still there depending on the position of the watch.

It may be perfectly aligned at say 9 oclock, but then when i flick my wrist sharply, the hour hand may move forward by that said quarter to a third of a minute mark and result in misalignment. This occurs while the watch is worn, not just when setting the time. Then i can flick it back and it will be perfectly aligned.

My theory is that the same gear slack that is evident when setting the time is still there when the watch is worn, and hence there is a bit of play in the hour hand even when the crown is screwed in and the watch is worn. There is a small amount of room for the hour hand to move forward when i use the counterclockwise method to set the time. This is not happening to the minute hand though.

Can anyone confirm whether this is a normal feature of the watch or not and whether my reasoning applies?

Its very slight and i love the watch overall, so not a big deal for me, but i would like to put my concern to rest.

Thank you all!

[77T]

No, misalignment isn't normal - nor is any rocking motion when the crown is screwed down. It could be an error made while pressing the hour hand at the factory. Can you post a pic to show the amount of misalignment?

If the AD has a watchmaker in-house he could pull the hand stack and reposition into he hour hand.

[Aramhov]

Thanks for the reply 77T! The issue is that when the angle of the watch is such that the hour hand has to be pushed up (lets say nine o clock when holding the watch parralel to your face, alignment is spot on. But then say you sharply flick the watch or turn it over sharply such that the dial is upside down (12 oclock pointing to ground) you can notice that now the hour hand is no longer pointing to the center of the 9 o clock marker. As invthe small amount of play/gear slack allows gravity or flicks of your risk to wobble the hour hand ever so slightly (like a quarter or third of minute marker. In these cases the hour hand apoears about 3 min fast. Would point dead on cemter of marker at 8:57 lets say.

Does this make sense.

Im thinking if this gear slack exists when the watch is being worn too and not just during time setting, then removing and replacing hour hands wont alleviate the situation.

[Aramhov]

Thanks 77T for the quick reply. When using the counterclockwise method to set the time , there is no misalignment initially when the hour hand is being pushed up. Ex at 9 oclock holding the dial parralel to your face with 12 o clock facing up. But give it a quick flick of the wrist or turn the dial rapidly such that six a clock is pointing up and the hour hand will no lobger point straight on the center of the 9 o clock marker. There is that one fourth to a third of a minute marker size play in the hour hand.

In the second scenario, the hour hand is about 3 minutes fast. Will point dead center at 9 o clock at 8:57.

But I dont think the misalignment will be alleviated by removing/replacing hands because it is spot on initially. It is the play/gear slack that causes misalignment depending on wrist position.

So the play in the hands should not be there at all? Can RSC fix the play/slack or it's just how the 3130 movement is built?

I didnt notice it in my ETA watches. Checked my longines and christopher ward for comparison.

[estorlie]

A small amount of play in the teeth of the hour wheel is normal, but not as much as you describe. I would bring it to an AD with a watchmaker and see what they think about it.

[77T]

There can be some gear lash/slack but the symptom you're describing wouldn't be a part of that. The minute hand may sometimes rock but the hour hand shouldn't. Since it was BNIB have the AD look at it - and if their answer is lacking, drive to Rodeo Dr. and let Beverly Hills RSC diagnose it.

[estorlie]

Originally Posted by 77T

There can be some gear lash/slack but the symptom you're describing wouldn't be a part of that. The minute hand may sometimes rock but the hour hand shouldn't.

Unfortunately I have to disagree with what you're saying about the hands. The minute hand is fitted to the cannon pinion, which is fitted to the great wheel, and therefore should be very rigid. The hour hand is fitted to the hour wheel which is geared with the cannon pinion through a third wheel. This means that there isn't much holding the hour wheel in place and the gear lash can cause the hour hand to move slightly relative to the minute hand. Again though, I think that what the OP is describing is well beyond what is normal and should be checked out.

[Aramhov]

Thanks guys! I found this youtube video where a similar issue is apparent.

http://youtu.be/WJzs5cmTu14

Notice from the 1:15 mark when the guy is setting the time, he moves the hands backwards a bit and the slack in the hour hand is apparent. The hour hand wiggles a bit. Mine is in the similar amount but is there even when the crown is pushed in and screwed. A flick of the wrist can wiggle the hour hand by the amount in the video. Its slight but its there.

So i guess it is not so uncommon. Would it be logical to assume that the slack is there when the crown is screwed in as well and the watch is running normally?

I dontwant to be OCD about it, but i guess us WIS notice these kind of things. Haha.

And happy new year!!