THE WORKSHOP / WATCHMAKING · STUDY 01

Anatomy of a Submariner.

Ref. 124060 · Calibre 3230

Rolex Submariner 124060. Beneath its black dial, the self-winding calibre 3230. Open the back, remove the rotor and approach the detail.

Submariner 124060 · dial sidePaused

3230 · 4 Hz · 31 JEWELS× 1

00 / 07

A real calibre. Nine details to explore.

Documented function · interpreted shape

The Submariner 124060 conceals its movement beneath a solid screw-down metal back. Opening it reveals a silver-toned self-winding calibre, largely covered by its oscillating weight. The black bezel and three-link Oyster bracelet identify the watch.

Nine components, nine functions.

Select a marker to isolate its role and examine its construction.

Remaining reserve70.0 h

Beats / hour28 8004 Hz · 8 / s

Elapsed beats000:00:00

Manipulate to understand

Controls distinguish movement functions from experiment settings.

Triplock crownTriplock crown

Position 2 stops the balance and seconds hand. Time adjustment becomes available.

Oscillating weight

Both directions contribute to winding. Energy gained is not quantified.

Reserve for the experimentReserve for the experiment 70 h

A chosen condition, independent of the rotor. Turns-to-hours conversion is unknown.

Cerachrom bezel

The bezel measures an interval. It does not drive the hands.

THE PRINCIPLE

From energy to the beat.

01Rotor
02Barrel
03Gear train
04Escapement

Fidelity, specifications and sources

Documented specifications

Reference: 124060 · no date
Calibre: 3230 · self-winding
Frequency: 4 Hz · 28,800 bph
Nominal reserve: Approximately 70 h
Jewels: 31 rubies
Case: 41 mm · screw-down back
Oscillator: Parachrom · Microstella
Winding: Bidirectional rotor

Studied reference: Submariner 124060, without a date. Calibre 3230 is self-winding with central seconds. The production watch has a solid screw-down back; the movement is shown opened. The −2/+2 s/day specification applies to the finished real watch, not this animation.

Shapes, finishes and general placement are reconstructed from Rolex views. Those references do not supply manufacturing dimensions, tooth counts or intermediate gear ratios: the cutaway train and exploded view remain diagrams. Diagram contacts are checked against its contours; forces, friction, axial play, real amplitude and winding energy are not simulated. The nominal reserve of approximately 70 h is an experiment condition here; the movement stops at zero.

The teaching sequence builds on the Visual Learning watch. Original vector drawing; no Rolex photograph is embedded in the page.

Independent reconstruction · not affiliated with Rolex

Open the back · The screw-down back protects the movement.

The rotor · Wrist movement becomes a drive.

The openworked oscillating weight pivots on a central bearing. Its heavy outer sector shifts its centre of mass; wrist movement makes it rotate. The reversing module uses both directions. Try −90° / +90° to follow the principle; no energy-per-gesture figure is invented.

The balance · Four oscillations each second.

The variable-inertia balance carries four gold Microstella nuts. The blue Parachrom hairspring is fixed at its inner end and has a raised terminal curve outside. A traversing bridge supports the staff from two anchoring points; Paraflex protects the pivot.

Chronergy · Lock. Release. Give an impulse.

The Chronergy escapement combines an openworked wheel and a nickel-phosphorus pallet fork. Two ruby pallets alternate: they lock and release the train while transmitting an impulse to the balance. The close-up shows their offset arrangement; contacts remain schematic.

The gear train · Transmission beneath the bridges.

The rotor and part of the bridges fade to reveal the path from barrel to escapement. Hours, minutes and seconds share the central axis. Intermediate wheels illustrate the principle; their teeth are not presented as 3230 manufacturing drawings.

Exploded view · Read the construction in layers.

Back, rotor, automatic module, bridges, oscillator and mainplate separate. Geometry remains an interpretation of public views, not a disassembly procedure. The mechanism and reserve consumption stop while the parts are separated.

24 hours · 70 − 24 = 46 hours.

This step advances one day in five seconds of playback from the available reserve. Starting with 70 hours leaves approximately 46 hours; 691,200 beats have occurred. Insufficient reserve stops the movement sooner. The reserve setting lets you compare both cases.

01 · Perpetual rotor

The rotor is not a wheel in the timekeeping train. It is an energy input, free to pivot around its central bearing. The heavy sector and visible cutouts distribute mass asymmetrically. Engravings and satin surfaces are drawn without photographic textures.

02 · Central bearing

The rotor turns around a ball bearing. The circle of balls, races and central attachment are drawn separately. Their represented count and dimensions are interpreted from public views; they are not a manufacturing specification or service parts list.

03 · Traversing bridge

The balance bridge spans the oscillator and anchors at both ends. Rolex describes it as height-adjustable. It replaces the generic single-sided balance cock. The drawing distinguishes the stationary bridge from the balance wheel oscillating beneath it.

04 · Parachrom hairspring

This paramagnetic metallic hairspring uses an alloy based on niobium and zirconium; it should not be confused with the silicon Syloxi hairspring. Its raised terminal curve contributes to regularity in different positions. Both the blue coil and terminal return remain visible in slow motion.

05 · Paraflex shock absorber

The shock absorber protects the balance pivots. At the bridge centre, the drawing separates the setting, stone and retaining spring. This component does not adjust frequency: that distinction avoids confusing pivot protection with the Microstella nuts.

06 · Microstella nuts

Four nuts sit inside the balance rim. Their position regulates inertia rather than changing the active hairspring length through a regulator index. All four rotate with the balance here, while the bridge and height adjustment remain stationary. No rate effect of an adjustment is simulated.

07 · Chronergy escapement

Offset geometry and a lightweight wheel distinguish Chronergy from a basic toothed wheel. The nickel-phosphorus escapement components are paramagnetic. Slow motion connects centre crossings of the balance to alternating pallet releases. The cycle distinguishes rest, unlocking recoil, impulse and drop; a gold dot follows the model’s contact. Its dimensions and efficiency are not those of a Rolex manufacturing drawing.

08 · Barrel and mainspring

The mainspring sits inside a normally closed barrel, exposed here in cutaway. Approximately 70 hours is a documented nominal autonomy, not a gain per crown turn. The Rolex guide specifies at least 25 turns for a partial wind after stopping, without equating that to a full reserve.

09 · Winding module

Automatic winding is bidirectional. The reversing module converts either rotor direction into useful mainspring winding. Small transmission components become visible with the rotor removed. Their positions and internal ratios remain a teaching reconstruction.

Anatomy of a Submariner.

A real calibre. Nine details to explore.

One beat, four phases.

Locking

Follow the energy

From energy to the beat.

Documented specifications