Rolex Watchmaking – Perpetual Rotor, Best Replica Luxury Watches

The Perpetual rotor is essential to every Oyster watch and a classic Rolex design. This design celebrated its 80th anniversary in 2011 and marked an important milestone in the history of modern watchmaking. This automatic winding system, invented by Rolex in 1931, can capture energy with the slightest wrist movement to inject power into the movement, thus keeping the watch in constant motion. In addition, this device allows the wearer to establish a direct connection with the watch.

When the watchmaker opens the Oyster case, he sees the Perpetual rotor first. This half-moon-shaped automatic rotor rotates freely around the central axis wheel. This automatic winding device will be intermittently hidden or revealed as the rotor spins, giving people a glimpse of the famous automatic loop wheel, whose unique red design contrasts with other golden gears. On the automatic rotor of the chronograph movement, the watchmaker can also see the capital name of the watch model, such as the red “DAYTONA” and the blue “YACHT-MASTER II.” The shapes and colors are harmonious, and the finishing quality is impeccable. This device is an elegant and charming brand signature, even hidden inside the watch case.

A revolution in watchmaking

A close look at the clean lines of this rotor reminds me of the many milestones that Rolex has set in the history of watchmaking over the past eight decades. Invented in 1931, this famous device revolutionized watchmaking by powering the movements of self-winding watches. The astonishing impact of this innovative design, incorporated into the automatic winding mechanism of modern watches, has earned it the reputation of being both a technical model and a masterpiece of ingenuity. Best replica luxury watches.

Energy from the wearer

The ingenious operating principle of the Perpetual rotor has remained unchanged throughout its evolution and refinement. With the slightest movement of the wrist, the half-moon-shaped rotor rotates freely and quietly on an axis driven by the earth’s gravity. The kinetic energy generated by the rotor’s rotation is transmitted to the mainspring, which is continuously wound via the gears of the winding mechanism. When the watch is worn, the spring stores and “permanently” releases the energy required for the mechanical movement. To improve efficiency, the red automatic rewinding wheel can be wound in any direction of rotation, and this device, which came out in 1959, has become a distinctive feature of the Perpetual Rotor.

Once the spring reaches maximum tension, the entire chronograph clutch wheel will stop winding to prevent the spring from being damaged by overwinding. When the watch is not worn, the thoroughly wound spring can provide two days of power reserve and up to 72 hours for the Cosmograph Daytona, Sky-Dweller, and Yacht-Master II models.

Precision and comfort

The perpetual rotor benefits the wearer by eliminating needing to manually wind the watch frequently. Second, the automatic winding system continues to wind the mainspring, thus ensuring that the watch’s regulating device is more precise and regular. In addition to these two benefits, there is another more abstract and emotional advantage: owning a watch that magically keeps running around the clock, day and night, allows the wearer to establish a lasting and inseparable relationship with their timepiece.

The Oyster watch is constantly improving.

The invention of the Perpetual rotor was an unimaginable breakthrough at the time. In the space of about two decades, from the first wristwatch to be certified as a chronometer in 1910, to the first waterproof Oyster watch in 1926, and then to the modern automatic watch in 1931, Rolex and its founder Hans Wilsdorf revolutionized watchmaking three times, proving that the watch could be equally precise, robust, waterproof and “perpetual.” The Perpetual rotor improved the precision and waterproofness of the watch while making it more comfortable to wear, further perfecting the concept of the Oyster watch.

Eternal Pulse

The Perpetual rotor allowed Rolex to successfully solve a problem that had long been of concern to watchmakers. The self-winding pocket watch invented around 1770 by Abraham-Louis Perrelet or Hubert Sarton (experts disagree on who invented it) used a rotor system with an automatic weight to wind the watch using the energy generated by the wearer’s movements. However, the wearer’s movements had little effect on the operation of the pocket watch. To improve the efficiency of winding, systems using alternating movements were developed. In one system, the rotor’s path was limited by its stops when it struck and rebounded, thus enhancing the back-and-forth motion. English watchmaker John Harwood first used this system in a wristwatch in 1924. Although it could be used in pocket watches, it was not suitable for wristwatches because the winding action based on the step-stop was too crude. However, the founder of Rolex came up with an ingenious solution. He asked the technical team to add an automatic winding system to the watch. The rotor installed can rotate 360 ​​degrees freely without vibration, so he thought this design was more suitable for watch use. After years of research and development, Rolex gradually achieved results in reliability and efficiency and finally produced a perfect perpetual rotor in 1931.

A symbol of unparalleled excellence

This achievement can be said to have realized all wishes: the perpetual rotor was an unprecedented success as soon as it was launched, becoming a symbol of excellent watchmaking craftsmanship. This patented automatic winding system was still an exclusive design of Rolex until 1948, making the brand famous after being combined with the Oyster case. When the patent period expired, this design was widely used by the public, and the entire watchmaking industry adopted it and quickly spread it in the industry. The perpetual rotor allows the wearer to connect with the pulse of the Oyster watch with every move. This device has been developing exceptionally for over 80 years and is believed to continue to operate stably in the future. Fake watches for sale.

Technology and production

Whether a rotor can fully exploit its winding power depends on several factors:

1. The rotor must be as heavy as possible. To achieve this, Rolex generally uses a tungsten alloy with an exceptionally high density, which ensures that the rotor, despite its small size, still exhibits excellent dynamic performance.
2. The rotor’s center of gravity must be as close to the edge as possible, and the movement or the case must not hinder its operation.
3. The watch must be wound as quickly as possible but not too much because for active wearers such as athletes, their movements will cause the entire chronograph clutch wheel that prevents overwinding of the mainspring from moving too much.

The difference between the amount of activity of a jogger and a wearer who sits at a desk all day can be 300 times, which shows that it is essential to maintain a delicate balance of winding activity so that the winding device can operate reliably under all circumstances.

Biel: production and assembly

The Biel manufacturing site is responsible for the production and assembly of the various components of the automatic winding system. Each element is first shaped, processed, checked, monitored, and verified. Every detail counts in Biel and across the company, and a quest for perfection and meticulousness guides the workshops. For example, the two aluminum anodized automatic recirculating wheels are carefully matched to the same bright red hue. Next comes the assembly of the various components of the winding system, which are carefully monitored significantly to limit the axial play (the axial clearance between the end of the moving part and the surface of the bearing or jewel) to between 15 and 45 microns. This mechanical process is carried out under the supervision of trained operators, who can detect any deviations by eye. Experience and expertise are also indispensable when lubricating the winding mechanism. This incredibly delicate process uses tiny needles and is constantly monitored by workers next to the machine. In another workshop, technicians work together to assemble the automatic rotor and then connect it to the winding mechanism. After many operations, the rotor is officially completed. Finally, the mechanism is checked for its free rotation and flawless appearance.

Geneva: Case assembly and final control

The rotor is then transported from Biel to the Acacias Manufacture in Geneva. There, the watch undergoes the last few assembly steps. First, the rotor is fitted to the movement in the case. Next, it is checked whether the device rotates freely and the bottom cover is screwed on. After that, the hidden rotor undergoes a cyclotest, a final test dedicated to its winding energy, which tests its ability to extract and store energy from wrist movements. The watch must be placed on a stand and rotated slowly in both directions for 27 minutes. During this time, the mainspring must be fully wound to ensure the movement can function normally for at least 6 hours.