If the watch is not worn for a day, is it normal for it to stop or slow down? Vintage SS mens datejust, oyster perpetual.

Mcdevito75 here, Yes it is normal, especially if your Rolex is an automatic watch. The motion of your Wrist / Hand keeps your watch wound thru the Counter balance on the movement, as the counter balance turns it winds the mainspring little by little, thus keeping your watch wound. Once you take off your watch, if long enough the mainspring simply un-winds and slows and will eventually stop your watch completely. You can keep your Rolex wound even when you take it off by means of a watch winder, a small machine that will keep your watch in motion, or by hand, by rocking the watch back and firth in your hand for about 30 seconds, say before you gpo to bed at night, this way there is always some wind to your watch.

If the watch is worn for 24 hours it's power reserve keeps it working about 12 hours without moving but when it stops after two or three hours it means that the watch needs a complete service because oil becomes hard and the watch needs disassembling, washing, oiling and reassembling . After five years all Rolex watches needs to be serviced in order to keep them clean and work accurately. And at last you can buy a watch winder that turns the watch for hours that you set to keep it working all the day and the other benefit of this machine is you don't need to manual winding therefore the main spring remains safe.