Rolex 1570

Movement manufacturer

Rolex

Production

1965–1977

Frequency

19,800 vph (2.75 Hz)

Jewels

26

Power reserve

48 hours

Diameter

28.5 mm

Winding

automatic

Complications

Centre seconds

Balance

Free-sprung, Microstella regulating nuts, Breguet overcoil hairspring

Regulation

Regulated by adjusting four Microstella nuts on the balance rim rather than by a regulator index — a free-sprung balance is one of the family's defining features and one of the harder things for a reproduction to imitate convincingly.

Rotor

Full rotor, bidirectional

Certification

Officially Certified Chronometer (Rolex chronometer grade)

Markings

Automatic bridge stamped with the caliber number, 'ROLEX' and the Geneva-region origin. Note that Rolex stamped the shared automatic bridge '1570' on 1575 movements as well, so the bridge marking alone does not distinguish the two.

• BalanceHigh confidence

  Free-sprung Microstella balance, not a regulator index

  A genuine 15xx-family balance is free-sprung and adjusted by four Microstella nuts on the balance rim. A regulator index arm and pointer in this position is inconsistent with the caliber. This is a strong indicator on its own, but read it as a caliber-identification check first: an incorrect movement in a Rolex case is a different finding from a counterfeit movement, and the two require different responses.

• EngravingsProbable

  The automatic bridge does not distinguish 1570 from 1575

  Rolex used a common automatic bridge across the two calibers and stamped it '1570' on both. Identify the 1575 by the presence of the calendar work under the dial, not by the bridge marking. Examiners who take the bridge stamp at face value will report a 1570 in a date watch and call it a mismatch that is not there.

1. c. 1971–1972Probable

   Hacking seconds introduced

   A lever was added to stop the balance when the crown is pulled, allowing the seconds hand to be synchronised. Non-hacking and hacking examples are both correct depending on when the movement was made, so the feature dates a movement rather than validating it.

Still serviceable, with parts availability the practical constraint rather than the design. A 15xx-family watch returned from Rolex service in later decades may carry replaced wheels, mainspring or balance staff — normal maintenance, and not an originality finding on its own.

• Related caliber

  Rolex 1575

  Date-equipped member of the same family.

• Succeeded by

  Rolex 3035

• Preceded by

  Rolex 1560

• Rolex 1601Factory

  Datejust · Whole production

• Rolex 1016Factory

  Explorer · Whole production

• Rolex 5512Factory

  Submariner · Whole production