Dr. N.
In this article we see how the new Rolex Submariner 126610 present significant technical innovations. We have already dealt with the external appearance of this watch in this previous article. It's time to discover what innovations are hidden under the dial.
Rolex has always innovated in the pursuit of continuity. What has been done with the technical sector of Rolex Submariner 126610 but it is something more: the new 3235 movement represents a very respectable change. Let's see together why in this article.
Rolex Submariner: why change movement?
Il Rolex Submariner 116610, which remained in production until August 2020, features the 3135 movement, a true Rolex workhorse, in production since 1988.
It is an excellent self-winding movement, easy to maintain, precise and robust. On this excellent basis, the research Rolex invested a lot, going so far as to create the caliber 3235.
The caliber 3235, which already serves in Rolex Sea Dweller, in Rolex Deepsea, in Rolex Datejust 36 mm and 41 mm, as well as in the Rolex Yacht Masters 40mm and 42mm and, last on this list but first by introduction, the Rolex Pearlmaster, where this caliber was first tested in 2015.
But how does the caliber 3235 differ? Rolex Submariner 126610 from its already valid predecessor 3135? The measures adopted to improve performance are many, but two in particular are the fundamental moments of the clock's functioning on which the House of the Crown decided to intervene: the accumulation of energy and the regulation of its release.
The innovations of the Rolex 3235
The first of the innovations we are talking about today concerns the accumulation of the energy necessary for the clock to function. Rolex introduced improvements to the bidirectional winding gear, mounting the oscillating mass on ball bearings to minimize friction and increase the amount of energy available for charging the barrel spring. But it is not enough to produce more energy if it is not possible to store it: therefore Rolex he also decided to work on the barrel and mainspring. By thinning the walls of the barrel thanks to innovative manufacturing, space was freed up for a longer mainspring. Together with the improvements in the efficiency of the gears and the escapement that we will soon see, this choice has led to the gain of a remarkable autonomy of 70 hours, much more than the 48 of the previous caliber 3135.
The second aspect on which Rolex what has occurred is the regulation of the release of the power contained in the mainspring. The escapement, as we know, is the heart of the watch, because it gives the rhythm to the entire movement, keeping it in sync with the passage of time. Rolex here he gave his best. Instead of giving in to the easy temptation of resorting to silicon hairsprings, which provide excellent performance but may no longer be available as replacements in the future, Rolex chooses to develop a metal spiral - therefore reproducible in the future to be replaced - as insensitive as possible to magnetic fields. We're talking about the Parachrom spiral blue, made of zirconium and niobium alloy, subjected to a manufacturing process that makes it paramagnetic. It is not completely insensitive to magnetic fields, but the atoms do not all orient themselves as dipoles in the same direction when subjected to a magnetic field, so in fact only the few atoms already oriented in the same direction as the magnetic field hitting the watch are affected. At the current state of the art, this is the best you can ask for from a metal hairspring in terms of resistance to magnetism.
Even the exhaust of the Rolex 3235 it is revised compared to its predecessor, modifying the angle of incidence of the Swiss anchor on the teeth of the escape wheel to minimize friction. Thanks to new alloys and new designs of the escapement system, the contact surface between the blades and the teeth increases and the escape wheel is lightened. The result? Less energy is required from the barrel spring to set the escapement in motion.
Conclusions
Much more than in the aesthetic field, the new Rolex Submariner 126610 It is innovative from a technical point of view. The introduction of the new 3235 movement, already successfully tested in others Rolex watches, he definitely gave to the Rolex Submariner 126610 a step up from the previous one Rolex Submariner 116610. The increased autonomy and resistance to magnetic fields will certainly be very welcome to enthusiasts as well as normal users. We consider these innovations an undoubted step forward Rolex.
Let us know in the comments what you think about the technical aspects of the new one Rolex Submariner 126610!
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