Rolex Update for Calibers 3130 3135 3155 3185 3186 3187

Damaged Setting Wheel Post Rolex Caliber 3135

It takes years for a company like Rolex to learn the weak spot(s) of every caliber release. It’s difficult to emulate this type of long term durability testing in a laboratory environment. Everyday usage under various stress environments will ultimately reveal unforeseen wear. This is normal for nearly every movement that enters the market. When this occurs, updates to the original design are released to remedy known weak spots. You will often these updates released as standard components on later calibers.

Rolex 31xx movements.

The Rolex 31xx caliber can be found on some of the most iconic Rolex model from 1987 though 2020. A 16710 GMT from 1987 will have an early version of the caliber 3186, most Datejusts will have a caliber 3135, while a 2020 model 216570 Explorer 2 will have the last release of the 31xx caliber named the caliber 3187. A common weak spot on the Rolex 31xx calibers is the post for the intermediate setting wheel. While the caliber 31xx has two intermediate setting wheels, its the one that rotates on the main plate that is problematic. We have seen 5 year old watches with early signs of wear.

Some of the most iconic models from 1987 to 2020 have a caliber 31xx movement

Rolex Service 31xx Main Plate (post for setting wheel circled)

When it comes to this update, it’s not a matter of “if” it is needed it’s a matter of “when”. Waiting too long makes this update much more difficult and more costly. There really are no disadvantages to doing this update early.

Damage done to post (Red Arrow)

Here is a photo of the damage that occurs to the post for the intermediate setting wheel. (Red arrow) As the wheel rotates it digs into the post wearing through the rhodium plating then into the brass main plate. As the diameter of this post gets smaller the setting wheel no longer rotates properly. The sloppy rotation causes damage to the main plate and components next to it. If left unchecked the post becomes too damaged to perform the Rolex update.

Our 31xx Fixture for post repair

To perform the update, the damaged post is turned down using a lathe. This reduces the diameter of the post restoring the shape to be perfectly round. We perform this update regularly so we created a jig especially for this task for repeatable, consistent, results.

The jig is affixed to a lathe. Using a cutting tool the post is turned down to the correct dimensions needed to install the copper/beryllium ring supplied by Rolex to complete this update. The new ring will restore the post to the original diameter.

This is what the post looks like prior to installing the copper/beryllium ring.

This is Rolex Part# 7250 (Copper/beryllium ring intermediate setting wheel post).

Rolex Beryllium ring installed

This is what the machined post now looks like with the copper/beryllium ring installed. In future this ring can be easily replaced without any additional machining needed.

Machined post with the new Rolex ring

Here is the restored/updated post with the intermediate setting wheel installed. The setting wheel will now rotate correctly, preventing any future damage to the main plate and neighboring components.