The Importance of Knowing 32XX Series Architecture
If you want to understand the cause of the amplitude issue in the Rolex 3235, you must look at how the company built this Calibre and how it is different from the older 3135. Rolex wanted to increase the power reserve to 70 hours, so it thinned the barrel walls to fit a longer mainspring and introduced the Chronergy escapement.
The company used nickel-phosphorus to make this new escapement, and the purpose was/is to ignore magnetic fields. Although it is very efficient, it relies on perfect tolerances. So, the issue is not always the design, but the oil retention.
For example, the lubricant on the pivot points, particularly in early models of this movement, dries out or migrates away too quickly. Therefore, metal touches metal when the oil is gone, and this creates dust and debris inside the gear train.
The “Dry Bearing” Phenomenon
Watchmakers say the most technical fault is wear on the second wheel pivot. In the 3235 movement, this wheel carries a lot of load. The pivot begins to grind against the jewel if the lubrication applied at the factory is not perfect or if it evaporates. Remember, this grinding creates two issues:
- It acts like a brake on the gears and steals energy.
- It creates wear particles that contaminate the rest of the movement.
When we put these watches on a timegrapher, we see the result. So, healthy Rolex watches should show an amplitude between 270 and 310 degrees. A watch with this issue usually struggles to reach 230 degrees, even when fully wound, and this is what we call “low amplitude.”
The Role of Reversing Wheels
The automatic winding module is another cause of amplitude issues in Rolex 3235 movements. The reversing wheels in the automatic system are responsible for winding the watch when you move your wrist. These wheels in the 3235 movement are prone to high friction if the lubrication fails.
Besides, the rotor can’t spin freely when these wheels get sticky or dry, which means your normal wrist movement does not wind the mainspring enough. Although the watch may say it has a 70-hour reserve, it will never reach a full charge if the winding efficiency is bad due to friction. Thus, this lack of tension in the spring leads to low energy delivery to the balance wheel, which causes the watch to lose time or stop overnight.
Also Read: Aluminum Bezels Fade: How to Preserve Them
Sensitivity to Oil Viscosity
The 3235 movement or its family series is very sensitive to the type and amount of oil used. You could be a little generous with oiling with the 3135 movement in the past. But the 3235 does not forgive this. So, if a watchmaker uses too much grease, it creates drag.
On the other hand, if the watchmaker uses too little grease, the escapement geometry wears down. Pallet stones in the Chronergy system require a precise amount of epilame coating to keep the oil in the right spot. However, the oil spreads out and leaves the contact points dry if this coating fails.
How to Spot the Issue
You don’t need to be a technician to identify that something is wrong. The signs are usually clear:
- Loss of Accuracy: The watch starts running slowly and usually loses 5 or 10 seconds a day.
- Low Reserve: You put the watch down on Friday, and it stops by Saturday morning, even though it should run until Monday.
- Timegrapher Data: If you visit a shop, such as Chrono Street, ask our expert to check the beat error and amplitude. The movement has a dry pivot issue if the line on the screen is wavy and the number is below 210 degrees in vertical position.
Rolex’s Silent Updates
Rolex is fully aware of this issue, and that’s why technicians have seen small updates in newer batches of the movement. The company has likely changed the surface treatment or the lubrication protocol for the barrel arbor and the second wheel.
A simple service is not always enough if your watch has this problem. A certified watchmaker must replace the worn parts, particularly the second wheel and sometimes the barrel bridge, and apply the correct updated lubricants, such as Moebius 9010 or HP1300, depending on the spot. So, this ensures the amplitude returns to factory specifications.
