Rolex – Submariner – Cal. 1520

I just received this Rolex Oyster Perpetual watch and it needs a good cleaning.

Let’s get started!

Here’s a couple before I do get started 🙂

Thankfully, I have all the Rolex case opener’s

And, I’m curious to see what I’m dealing with.

With the case out of the movement, it’s time to remove the hands and dial. Rolex sure does make some really nice dials 🙂

After removing the dial and hands and carefully storing them away, I move on to removing the automatic rotor and it’s accompanying bridge.

And then turn the movement over so I can remove the canon pinion, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to remove the gear train.

Again, turning the movement over to the bridge side, it’s time to remove both the barrel and gear train bridges.

Then, time to remove the barrel from the mainplate and take out the mainspring. Oy, that sure is a whole lotta oil 🙁

Followed by disassembling the automatic works.

Just a quick inventory of all the parts….before cleaning

And after………..

As always, I like to further clean the mainspring, and install it in the barrel. The technique I use, is I take a piece of watchmakers paper and dip it in some one-dip (think strong alcohol) and clean any residue oil and grease from before. Then, I take a piece of watchmaker paper again and put a couple drops of Moebius 1300 oil, fold it, and run the length of the mainspring through it a couple times. When I’m happy with that, I then take yet another piece of watchmaker paper, but this time, with no oil nor alcohol and just remove the excess oil on it. Followed by applying a thin coat of Kluber P125 breaking grease to the barrel wall. And finally, install the mainspring back in it’s barrel.

Next, I epilame (treatment) all the parts that need treating. And, in this case and in most Rolex’ for that matter, is the reversing gears, escape wheel and pallets stones. Oh, and the balance end-stones, which was suggested to me today from a fellow watchmaker….thanks Mario 🙂

Now, it’s time to start putting everything back together. I start off by installing the barrel followed by the gear train. When I’m happy that everything is seated in their jewels properly, I then place both bridges in their respective places and carefully check each pivot and wheel before I screw it down in place, and testing several times before I give it the last torque.

Then, I continue with installing the crown and ratchet wheel and click and click spring and finally the pallets and it’s bridge.

Turning the movement over, I start with reinstalling the canon pinion followed by the keyless works. But, before I do that, I oil each pivot and the capstones for the escape wheel.

Before casing the movement, I regulate the watch. Not the highest amplitude but definitely an improvement.

A last look before I install the dial and hands

Finally, it’s time to put back the automatic works bridge and oscillating weight

A few nice pictures of installing the hands.

And, here it is, cased up.

I hope you enjoyed this post. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to post them below.

Cheers

Chris