So admittedly I am a watch noob, but I've been lusting after a blue dial SMP for years, and finally snagged one about a year and a half ago.

I did something dumb this morning and not sure what to do about it.

I unscrewed the crown (so I could manually wind it) and while it was unscrewed I noticed the bezel would not rotate freely. "Weird" I thought, maybe something is stuck in there. I guess I better put it in the sink with dish soap and warm water and shake it around a little bit, to see if I can free it up.

Well, that is what I did, except the crown wide open, as I had it submerged in soapy water, shaking it around.

What should I do?

Thanks everyone.

 

is there obvious damage? Is it still functioning?

 

I believe there's a small amount of WR even when the crown is unscrewed.

At this point, I'm more concerned that the the bezel will no longer turn, which can happen when you soap it up

 

Leave it dial down to bring any water that may have made in away from the movement and dial. And get it to a watchmaker as soon as possible to get checked out. I'm sure some more qualified people will chime in soon, but put it dial down for the time being.

 

No, there is no obvious sign of damage and the watch seems to function fine. (I'll keep an eye on how it keeps time over the next day or two I guess.)

The bezel is fine now. There must have been a small piece of dirt or something caught up there because after I shook it underneath some water it turns freely and as intended.

I'm just freaking out about ruining the internals of the watch with water. It wasn't submerged more than 12 inches, but I was shaking it somewhat violently to free up whatever might be catching the bezel.

 

If it matters, it is a ref: 21230412003001, 2500 movement. 2500(D) (I think).

It is a coaxial model so I'm not sure I can just take it to any ole' watchmaker to have it checked out. Unless I'm mistaken, not too many people are qualified to work on these things.

 

As WVNYC says above I think there is a gasket on the stem meaning that there is some water resistance even when the crown is loose. I would not want to test it personally though and in your shoes I would probably hack the watch and put it in a bag of dry rice crown open for a few days just in case to draw out any moisture if this is not so. You may have got away with it.

 

I guess I should also add, as more of you experts and aficionados chime in, that the watch was only in the first position unscrewed. I don't recall the proper reference, but if position 1 is unscrewed to wind it, and position 2 is unscrewed, pulled out once to change the date, and position 3 is unscrewed, pulled out all the way in order to set the time, then in my case, the stupidity occurred while in position one, if that matters.

I'd rather not spend a million bucks sending it to omega if nothing is wrong with it, but I also don't want it to corrode from the inside out, costing me way more money in 3 years when I sent it to omega for routine maintenance.

It was under water for about 4 minutes, shaken while underwater for maybe 1 of those minutes, and the crown was in the closest position to "closed" that it could be...(just unscrewed was not pulled out to position 2 or 3.)

Thanks again everyone I really appreciate it.

 

So rather than worry about the watch, i shld blow dry my hair

 

The crown does have water resistance when unscrewed, so if the watch is fairly new or recently serviced and the crown was replaced, you should be fine. Keep an eye out for condensation on the inside of the crystal. If you would like to do a condensation test, warm the watch under a lamp gently for a while, then place a cooler drop of water on the crystal and leave it for a minute - then wipe away and use magnification top check for condensation where the drop was.

And yes, you don't want to take this to just anyone for service. Ideally someone who has been trained by Omega to service these, and has the proper parts and tools to service them.

Cheers, Al

 

Keep the crown unscrewed and place it under a hot light, this will heat the case up causing all moisture to evaporate. Also placing it in a bowl of rice to absorb any moving liquid. Watchmaker has done this with many many clients suffering from water damage. Hope this works! As others have stated, get it to a Omega trained, Co-axial certified, watch maker asap for his professional assessment.

Best,

Thomas

 

FIFY. That's a VERY important point.

 

A+!!! Thank you for the needed addition.

 

With the rice/hairdryer method I am assuming I should pull the crown ALL the way out, not just to the first position which is where it was when this happened?

 

Do Archers test. If you get no condensation, there is no water in there. If you do get it, put it in for repair asap.
Florian

 

IMHO, only one sure way to know if the internals have been compromised or not....have a qualified watchsmith examine it. Or you can continue to wait -and-see, hoping that no water managed to get inside. Meanwhile, the longer water is inside, the higher the risk of more expensive damage to happen. Best of luck.

 

What was the outcome of this in the end?


Sorry to comment on a years old thread

cheers

Jack

 

Seriously?

(I was going to say are you fuckin' kidding? But my manners got the better of me).

OP hasn't been seen for 3 years, 7 months, 21 days.