A fix for CLEAN low VS3135 datewheel

[KJ2020]

A couple years ago CLEAN switched to using the awesome VS3135 in some of their Subs. I got a 116613LB, the Bluesy.

So my DW sat a little low and I finally got around to fixing it. What I found was a little surprising so I thought I'd mention it here in case others run into this batch of VS3135s.

Here you can see the problem.

I tried swapping in another gen-spec DW - no change. I tried another dial on the movement - same low date. I tried the dial on a VR3135 - issue is gone.

So what's causing this? It could be fixed by clipping the dial feet, rotating the dial a few degrees and gluing it back onto the date plate. But then you might throw off the rehaut alignment and the cyclops/LEC alignment too.

After seeing the issue go away on a VR3135, I swapped the date plates and the issue followed the VS date plate.

So apparently there was a bad batch of these and a simple replacement will fix the issue. You could try rotating the dial on a fixer upper or a no date model so the VS movement is ofc still usable but the best fix I think is a VR3135 date plate swap.

 

[Storm.]

Yep same for vsf subs

Had a cookie monster with a crooked date wheel, even bought a gen date wheel but when we tried a different date disc we saw it was still crooked. Sold blistered gen disc and watch. Couldn't live with it.

So wasn't the disc, but the seating in those.

Domi said it's no fix for it, except DWO.

 

[KJ2020]

Yep same for vsf subs

Had a cookie monster with a crooked date wheel, even bought a gen date wheel but when we tried a different date disc we saw it was still crooked. Sold blistered gen disc and watch. Couldn't live with it.

So wasn't the disc, but the seating in those.

Domi said it's no fix for it, except DWO.

You would expect better from a DD3135. Surely they are aware and have or will correct this.

DWO is quite challenging for a true clone (31xx, 32xx). I thought about doing that too. It could be done but the DWO (a gen-spec DW donor) would have to shaved on both the inner and outer perimeters. I've shaved the teeth away on the inner perimeter to use one as a DWO for my 2824 TC, it's not too bad. The outer perimeter would have to be reduced to miss the surrounding post caps and jewel that confine the DW to the space.

 

[Storm.]

You would expect better from a DD3135. Surely they are aware and have or will correct this.

DWO is quite challenging for a true clone (31xx, 32xx). I thought about doing that too. It could be done but the DWO (a gen-spec DW donor) would have to shaved on both the inner and outer perimeters. I've shaved the teeth away on the inner perimeter to use one as a DWO for my 2824 TC, it's not too bad. The outer perimeter would have to be reduced to miss the surrounding post caps and jewel that confine the DW to the space.

Yea that's why I stopped all together and said sell the thing.

Afaik in vsf it was corrected quite quickly.

 

[dogwood]

Very interesting. Thanks for sharing. It's a good thing that the Shanghai and Dandong date plates are perfectly interchangeable. It's all too often that swapping parts between movements from these two factories reveals a subtle difference like a jewel with an ever so slightly different hole size. But I guess the date plate only has one jewel, so there odds were good that it would "just work".

 

[mclarendude]

May I add, I had one of these that the jumper spring for the date (the one that gets pulled back and back in when swapping the datewheel) had lost tension, causing the date to sit low.

I took the plate out and gently pulled it to make it more tense. GENTLY!!

That and some grease on the jumper tip fixed it for me.

 

[KJ2020]

I appreciate the comments guys, this is useful discussion. I was also surprised that the date plates swapped without issue but aside from the VS perlage and a mini KIF spring on the escape wheel jewel the movement top plates are nearly indistinguishable. And I did also check the date jumper functionality as an initial check and it's working perfectly.

Something is causing the numbers to sit lower (further clockwise) in the VS datewheel.

So I went back and examined it again and I see something that bears more checking. The VS date jumper is narrower, as is the open oval cutout surrounding it. I wonder if the VS narrower jumper is letting the DW teeth advance further clockwise before it is caught and halted?

I need to test this theory because I don't have another spare VR date plate to fix the VS movement. I should have another wide jumper spring I can swap in, also the jumper cutout might need to be filed wider open.

 

[mclarendude]

I need to test this theory because I don't have another spare VR date plate to fix the VS movement. I should have another wide jumper spring I can swap in, also the jumper cutout will need to be filed wider open.

When I get back home I'll send you a VR to try out out of my parts bin

 

[KJ2020]

OK so final analysis - I tried about 6 or 7 other date jumper springs in the VS date plate and none of them corrected the issue. Out of curiosity one I tried was a VR jumper spring from the VR date plate that does fix the issue - nope.

So there is definitely something askew in the VS date plate - like the middle section was cut out at a slightly rotated angle moving the jumper position clockwise a tad. Oh well.

The VS jumper itself is OK, I tried it in the VR date plate with success. VR3135 date plate is what's needed for the easiest fix. I might try a DWO fix at some point as I have 2 other brand new VS3135s with this same issue, arghh.

 

[dogwood]

This is most interesting and disappointing to hear. The dd3135 is otherwise such a lovely movement. It’s a real shame this production anomaly has appeared.

 

[Chroad]

Any idea if this is still a problem in the VS3135s currently being produced? That is, do all of us who have a VS3135 with the problem date plate have movements from a bad run that has all been pushed out of the factory now, or are they still making movements today with the bad date plate?

 

[KJ2020]

Any idea if this is still a problem in the VS3135s currently being produced? That is, do all of us who have a VS3135 with the problem date plate have movements from a bad run that has all been pushed out of the factory now, or are they still making movements today with the bad date plate?

No idea bro. My Bluesy was bought in December 2022. The other two standalone movements I bought about a year ago so there's about a year time interval between those purchases.

Had I known about this issue I could have checked (and returned as defective) both the movements bought from Ali Express. I did ofc test them for performance but fitting them with a dial would have revealed the low date instantly.

 

[Chroad]

No idea bro. My Bluesy was bought in December 2022. The other two standalone movements I bought about a year ago so there's about a year time interval between those purchases.

Had I known about this issue I could have checked (and returned as defective) both the movements bought from Ali Express. I did ofc test them for performance but fitting them with a dial would have revealed the low date instantly.

Same scenario here. I bought my standalone movement with the issue earlier this year and didn’t fit a dial until much later. Oh well.

I suppose at the end of the day we are still working with reps, which is both part of the fun and the headache…

 

[KJ2020]

Don't mind the temp NATO. I commandeered the bracelet for another build. A replacement is inbound.

 

[derjenigewelcher]

Funny that this issue comes up nowadays. I am not sure which year, but it mus have been around 2020 or 2021, where all my Subs from VSF (and I had some of them) hat this low-date-issue when equipped with the DD movement. I never gave a damn, but I remember it.
Few years later they seem to improve it. It would be interesting if your Bluesy Movement is from back then.

 

[KJ2020]

Funny that this issue comes up nowadays. I am not sure which year, but it mus have been around 2020 or 2021, where all my Subs from VSF (and I had some of them) hat this low-date-issue when equipped with the DD movement. I never gave a damn, but I remember it.
Few years later they seem to improve it. It would be interesting if your Bluesy Movement is from back then.

Not sure bro but the 2 standalone DD3135 engraved movements I bought in October 2023 have this exact same issue. Dates are low to an identical amount with the same dial installed.

 

[derjenigewelcher]

Not sure bro but the 2 standalone DD3135 engraved movements I bought in October 2023 have this exact same issue. Dates are low to an identical amount with the same dial installed.

Maybe Peacock dont make DW inhouse or dont print them inhouse? Supplier or batches are huuuugr and varry. We will never know. What we know is why we pay 500 and noch 10k for a watch

 

[KJ2020]

Maybe Peacock dont make DW inhouse or dont print them inhouse? Supplier or batches are huuuugr and varry. We will never know. What we know is why we pay 500 and noch 10k for a watch

It's not the DW though but the date plate. I bought one from an Ebay vendor, it was only $20. I'll post back if it works.

 

[derjenigewelcher]

It's not the DW though but the date plate. I bought one from an Ebay vendor, it was only $20. I'll post back if it works.

Ok I guess the mainplate they mill theirselves. But I am not deep into chinese movement makeing factories

 

[Chroad]

It's not the DW though but the date plate. I bought one from an Ebay vendor, it was only $20. I'll post back if it works.

Something like this one?

3135-600 Date Seating- fit for Rolex. Very high quality! Perfect compatibility | eBay

3135-600 Date Indicator Seating- fit for Rolex Caliber.

www.ebay.com