Insurance for water damage

[Archer]

dstfno

No I'm not and I'm surprised to see the sarcastic reactions. The point is that even with a highly reduced water resistance (that will occur between regular services) the OP's watch will be ok for basic use cases.

This thinking is why I see highly resistant watches on my bench full of water, mostly from people just washing their hands...

 

[cineaste]

Archer

This thinking is why I see highly resistant watches on my bench full of water, mostly from people just washing their hands...

I really need to stop washing my hands while wearing vintage watches, I am always careful, but freak out when a drop of water goes anywhere near the bezel...

 

[DSotW]

B bpc135798642

Hi All,
I just joined the Omega family over Christmas with a Planet Ocean Deep Black 39.5mm - loving everything about it so far, and the most accurate mechanical watch I've owned.
There's lots of posts on this forum about water damage and insurance, but I can't find one that exactly answers my questions, so I'm trying a new thread, but apologies in advance if this was covered previously.
The watch is rated to 600m, and I want to take it out on the water, but I'm concerned about damage if by some change water gets inside. Insurance does cover complete loss or "mysterious disappearance" if a pin breaks. Some questions:
- Does anyone know the approx range of costs to repair water damage?
- I've talked to a couple of Insurance companies - my homeowner's policy (where the rest of my watches and jewelry are covered) does not cover water damage. Jewelers Mutual are not clear either way, and said any water damage would be on a "case by case" basis, which likely means it would not be covered. There's nothing in their policy that says damage is covered so long as you had a pressure test in the past 12 months. Does anyone here have insurance that definitely does cover water damage?
- The watch is covered by Omega's 5 year warranty. The warranty information that came with the watch does not mention water damage. Does anyone here have experience with water damage during the warranty period and Omega's response?
Many thanks in advance!
Ben
PS PFA...!

If you want to sleep well at night and not worry about water getting into your expensive Omega, I recommend you take it back to the dealer for a refund, or put it in a safe, and buy one of these, good down to 1000m and nowhere near as expensive as your Omega:

https://www.muehle-glashuette.de/en/watch/s-a-r-rescue-timer-metal-strap/

 

[Omegafanman]

Unless you are deep sea diving I would not worry during the warranty period.
Put any money saved towards a full Omega service and then repeat every 5 - 10 years.
You could also find a good local watchmaker for pressure tests and seal changes / basic interim service.
Insurance for loss or theft or damage (dropped) looks to be your main risks in my opinion. Omega will correct most things on a main service.

Keep in mind every time the watch is shipped / worked on there is some risk which can end up in a round robin of emails and complaints. Just get a level of cover you are happy with, wear it and enjoy it. They are designed to be robust tool watches.

This reminds me of car corrosion warranty... I had a new car serviced by a main dealer for a few years. It got a rust spot. They said the 10 year paint warranty was invalid as it has not had the manufacturers yearly paint condition check. Turns out that is not part of the standard service - you need to request it and pay extra... the devil is always in the small print.The cost of the repair was still less than I would have paid for the checks... and I stopped using the main dealer for the mechanical service once the warranty expired.

Welcome to the club ;0)

 

[dstfno]

Archer

This thinking is why I see highly resistant watches on my bench full of water, mostly from people just washing their hands...

So a dive watch cannot keep enough water resistance between services to even withstand running tap water?

Personally I never had an extra service done to improve the water resistance of my watch. Once I've used it for diving when it was due for service and all went well (I had a test done then though).

 

[Archer]

dstfno

So a dive watch cannot keep enough water resistance between services to even withstand running tap water?

That depends entirely on how long it is "between services." But the problematic thinking is in this post:

dstfno

Your watch is rated for 600m, even if the seals lose 90% of their effectiveness you still have 60m left.

This is really not how seals fail...a seal that is 90% effective is letting through 10% of the water is more accurate.

 

[dstfno]

Archer

That depends entirely on how long it is "between services." But the problematic thinking is in this post:

This is really not how seals fail...a seal that is 90% effective is letting through 10% of the water is more accurate.

But there must be a point at which it starts being insufficient to keep the water out? That would be the actual resistance, which can be compared with the original one.

 

[Dan S]

dstfno

But there must be a point at which it starts being insufficient to keep the water out? That would be the actual resistance, which can be compared with the original one.

 

[dstfno]

As is, it doesn’t go from 600m to 0m overnight.

 

[Archer]

dstfno

As is, it doesn’t go from 600m to 0m overnight.

There’s a real misunderstanding about what the difference is between a 600m rated watch and a 50m rated watch. People such as yourself seem to believe that the difference is about seals, but in reality the seals used in a Speedmaster rated to 50 are also used in watches rated to 300 and 600. This misunderstanding leads people to believe that the seals have some extra life or capacity in them that they really don’t have. Seals in a 600 rated watch don’t last longer than those in a 50 rated watch.

The main difference between watches rated 50 and 600 are things like the thickness of the crystal, case back, etc. so are more structural related than seal related.

From a practical standpoint the seals will work right up until they stop working. Since I doubt that you regularly spend time at 600m depths, the water resistance that matters is much less than 50m depth. When the seals fail, it will take virtually no pressure to get past them. I see dive watches like this regularly from people who thought the depth rating gave them some extra protection. It just doesn’t work that way...

 

[Leviathan]

dstfno

As is, it doesn’t go from 600m to 0m overnight.

I think what Archer is referring to is that seals offer an “all or nothing” level of protection. The seal either works, and keeps water out, or is compromised and leaks—regardless of the WR rating.

On a different note, I was really hoping your formula (% seal effectiveness * WR rating = metres left of WR) was valid. Would have saved me countless trips (and $) to my local service center

 

[dstfno]

Thanks for clarifying!

I knew about the watch’s construction being a big part of the total water resistance but I wasn’t aware that seals are what make it work fully or completely not. To me it was a bit like car tires wearing out and losing optimal traction

 

[PandaSPUR]

It doesnt take much rubber to keep water out, the rest of the structure however has to keep that rubber in the right place while not succumbing to the pressure exerted by water.

Thats my basic understanding of why a dive watch would use the same kind of rubber seal as other kinds of watches.

Dive watches do have some features that help though, from my experience anyway. I had a Breitling Colt that had not been serviced in over 6 years and it was fine for day-to-day usage (washing hands, walking in the rain, etc). But one day I forgot to screw the crown down fully and after washing my hands, there was condensation inside the crystal So clearly the seal around the crown stem was already compromised, but the screw-down crown still gave me some protection.

 

[Evitzee]

I must be washing my hands wrong, but how do people slop so much water over their watch when washing their hands that it seeps into a water resistant case? Even wearing a dress watch with a leather strap I don't get it wet when washing my hands.

 

[Dan S]

Evitzee

I must be washing my hands wrong, but how do people slop so much water over their watch when washing their hands that it seeps into a water resistant case? Even wearing a dress watch with a leather strap I don't get it wet when washing my hands.

 

[PandaSPUR]

Evitzee

I must be washing my hands wrong, but how do people slop so much water over their watch when washing their hands that it seeps into a water resistant case? Even wearing a dress watch with a leather strap I don't get it wet when washing my hands.

Probably depends on how you wear your watch and how thoroughly you wash your hands

I like wearing my watch on the wrist closer to the hand rather than farther up. If its farther up my forearm, its gonna get loose and flop down anyway.

 

[Evitzee]

Dan S

I hope no surgeon is wearing a wrist cheese laden watch when in the operating theater.

 

[Omegafanman]

Evitzee

I hope no surgeon is wearing a wrist cheese laden watch when in the operating theater.

On some occasions just hope they wear a 34mm ultrathin........
.

 

[Archer]

dstfno

Thanks for clarifying!

I knew about the watch’s construction being a big part of the total water resistance but I wasn’t aware that seals are what make it work fully or completely not. To me it was a bit like car tires wearing out and losing optimal traction

Juist so you know what can happen to a dive watch when people assume that seals will still protect them just because of the depth rating...

Thoughts & Opinions: 232.90.42.21.03.001 Planet Ocean | Omega Forums

 

[Leviathan]

Archer

Juist so you know what can happen to a dive watch when people assume that seals will still protect them just because of the depth rating...

Thoughts & Opinions: 232.90.42.21.03.001 Planet Ocean | Omega Forums

Archer, what would you say is the best way to care for a water-compromised watch until we take it to a watchmaker?

Does the good old dry rice trick work?

Just wondering if there’s anything that can be done in the interim to minimize internal damage.