Rolex Oyster Perpetual

[vonrozen]

Hello all !

have acquired a 1940s perpetual. Problem: i have to wind the crown for it to keep time, if I rely on the automatic function it stops. Is it a major issue ? Or perhaps this model is not really automatic ?

Please let me know, I bought it as a present for my wife and need to sort the issue out asap

Thank you

Alexander ( Paris, France)

[tamiya]

Early bubbleback 2940?

When was it last serviced?

Bubblebacks were fully functional BiTD just like you'd be able to use a brandnew RollsRoyce as a daily driver back then. But 70yrs later & unknown providence of its insides, anything is possible... they can be repaired good as new but you'll need to find somebody with appropriate experience & a stash of proper parts - both sadly dying out these days.

[Gecko10]

Originally Posted by tamiya

Early bubbleback 2940?

When was it last serviced?

Bubblebacks were fully functional BiTD just like you'd be able to use a brandnew RollsRoyce as a daily driver back then. But 70yrs later & unknown providence of its insides, anything is possible... they can be repaired good as new but you'll need to find somebody with appropriate experience & a stash of proper parts - both sadly dying out these days.

In the USA that would be these folks. www.watchmakers.com/

[Tools]

A true "perpetual" is an automatic watch and would not need to be wound every day.

Since your dial has been refinished, it may not be a true indicator of the movement inside. The case-back would need to be removed to ensure that an automatic movement resides inside, or, perhaps a movement that still has the autowind mechanism in place. In early years, when the autowind became broken, some watchmakers simply removed it with the result a watch that must be wound daily.

[R.W.T.]

It's impossible to tell what is going on here without looking at the watch.

I am assuming that you are fully winding the watch by hand and THEN wearing it and it stops?

You will not be able to simply put this watch on from a near or dead stop and wear it and expect the automatic mechanism to keep up. It wasn't designed to do that.

It WILL keep the watch wound with normal wear if you wind it fully by hand to start.

It should run indefinitely with normal wear. If you stop wearing it for a day or so and then put it back on you will need to wind it fully by hand again.

10-12 hours a day of normal wear should keep the mainspring wound enough to make it through the night and enough to start with the automatic again.

Many things come into play with the automatic portion of these watches...wear from lack of service and lubrication over long periods of time, the 3 legged spring on the rotor axle having broken legs or being adjusted too tight or too loose, any portion of the "auto stack" which is a series of ratcheting wheels that connect the autowind to the main movement...being improperly lubricated or even worse assembled incorrectly (very common with watchmakers who are inexperienced with the model). At any rate someone will have to open the watch and investigate

The watch if in decent repair and worn properly should stay wound indefinitely until it is not worn for a period of time without needing to be wound by hand except to start.

[vonrozen]

Originally Posted by Tools

A true "perpetual" is an automatic watch and would not need to be wound every day.

Since your dial has been refinished, it may not be a true indicator of the movement inside. The case-back would need to be removed to ensure that an automatic movement resides inside, or, perhaps a movement that still has the autowind mechanism in place. In early years, when the autowind became broken, some watchmakers simply removed it with the result a watch that must be wound daily.

how did you guess it was re-finished. The "swiss made" is absent, it is true, but are there any other clues to it being re-done?

[Vlad]

If the dial was redone, it was redone very well. We need to see a lot better quality photos to determine is the dial is original or redone (yes, Tommy, I do remember that to most no swiss means it was redone).

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the dial is not from the 2940 - both the hands and the dial seem like they came from a later version of BB (6050? 5010?) - what is the model / serial numbers? Should be between the lugs: a 4 digit number - model; on the other side (likely) a 6 digit number - serial.

[vonrozen]

Originally Posted by Vlad

If the dial was redone, it was redone very well. We need to see a lot better quality photos to determine is the dial is original or redone (yes, Tommy, I do remember that to most no swiss means it was redone).

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the dial is not from the 2940 - both the hands and the dial seem like they came from a later version of BB (6050? 5010?) - what is the model / serial numbers? Should be between the lugs: a 4 digit number - model; on the other side (likely) a 6 digit number - serial.

Hi Vlad,

thanks for the info . The modl Nr is : 528052

[tamiya]

Originally Posted by vonrozen

The modl Nr is : 528052

think that's your unit's unique serial number

[R.W.T.]

It doesn't say SWISS or SWISS MADE. First give away.

It doesn't say chronometer, while some were not most were and that would appear below the center. Odd.

The photo is not the best but it doesn't look like the minute track is particularly spot on. The lume is VERY white for it's age and it appears that there are some markers where there are no dots in the recesses.

I agree with Vlad the dial seems a bit later than 48 but it's not impossible. Things were moving along pretty quickly and things were getting a bit more modern.

2940 went on into those years.

Are you in Paris or London?

[vonrozen]

Originally Posted by R.W.T.

It doesn't say SWISS or SWISS MADE. First give away.

It doesn't say chronometer, while some were not most were and that would appear below the center. Odd.

The photo is not the best but it doesn't look like the minute track is particularly spot on. The lume is VERY white for it's age and it appears that there are some markers where there are no dots in the recesses.

I agree with Vlad the dial seems a bit later than 48 but it's not impossible. Things were moving along pretty quickly and things were getting a bit more modern.

2940 went on into those years.

Are you in Paris or London?

I am in Paris

[R.W.T.]

I'm trying to get the name of a guy I know of there to look at it from a friend.

PM sent.