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Insurance for water damage

Archer
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Leviathan Leviathan
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.

It really depends on the amount of water. If it's only just some fogging on the inside of the crystal, I would suggest warming the watch to evaporate the moisture. Not a fan of rice personally, since it can be dusty.

If there's larger drop inside or liquid water that is more than drops, then there's not a lot you can do but get it to a watchmaker ASAP. There's a saying for when people have a stroke, that "time is brain" to emphasize the need for quick treatment. There are very few "watchmaking emergencies" but water inside the watch is one. When I get presented with a wet watch, I drop everything and start work on it immediately, because "time is parts" to awkwardly rephrase the point...
 
Leviathan
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Archer Archer
It really depends on the amount of water. If it's only just some fogging on the inside of the crystal, I would suggest warming the watch to evaporate the moisture. Not a fan of rice personally, since it can be dusty.

If there's larger drop inside or liquid water that is more than drops, then there's not a lot you can do but get it to a watchmaker ASAP. There's a saying for when people have a stroke, that "time is brain" to emphasize the need for quick treatment. There are very few "watchmaking emergencies" but water inside the watch is one. When I get presented with a wet watch, I drop everything and start work on it immediately, because "time is parts" to awkwardly rephrase the point...
Haha nicely put, and duly noted. Thanks.
 
justacpa
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Seems to me if you had insurance and then later made a claim they'd refuse to pay and accuse you of negligence for not screwing down the crown. Even if the Helium valve is left open it's not supposed to let water in as the Helium molecule is much smaller than a water molecule.
 
Leviathan
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justacpa justacpa
Even if the Helium valve is left open it's not supposed to let water in as the Helium molecule is much smaller than a water molecule.
While this is scientifically accurate, the skeptic in me feels like this isn’t the way a typical HEV works. Perhaps an independent fact-check is in due order here.
 
Dan S
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justacpa justacpa
Seems to me if you had insurance and then later made a claim they'd refuse to pay and accuse you of negligence for not screwing down the crown.

Unfortunately, this is definitely a possibility, which is probably why the OP asked for actual first-hand experience with this issue. It's one thing to have pay for an insurance policy, but another thing entirely to make a successful claim.

I may have missed it, but so far I don't think we've heard about any successful claims, although we have heard some stories about repair under warranty.
 
Owlsu
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dstfno dstfno
I wouldn't bother with insurance. Your watch is rated for 600m, even if the seals lose 90% of their effectiveness you still have 60m left. And somehow I feel you won't be diving with that ceramic watch so it should be enough to cover all your use cases.

So in a worst case scenario, you buy a Seamaster and all the seals fail...then it becomes a Speedmaster.

Not that that's a bad thing...
 
B
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Hi All, OP here again! Just to update with the additional information I've gathered and next steps:
- Called Omega and spoke to their warranty people. They stated (over the phone, not in writing) that they honor claims for water ingress within the original warranty period, without any service or pressure check needed.
- Contacted my home owners insurance (Allstate) who would not cover water ingress.
- Contacted Jewels Mutual who stated any claims would be on a case-by-case basis (I take that to mean they would likely not honor a claim...)
- Contacted Hodinkee Insurance who did not respond
- The watch had another issue with the bezel that I wanted to Omega to take a look at, so it's currently with their warranty team for inspection. I asked for price quote for a pressure test at the same time, for my own peace of mind. I'll let you all know how much the quote is for.
Thanks again!
Edited:
 
Fusion
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I wouldn't worry about water exposure with that watch. But just a word of caution, my FOIS did fog up after light water exposure. Took it to the boutique (it was well within warranty period) and they told me I was more than welcome to pay for a full service, over $1,000 plus maybe a dial replacement - there was nothing they could provide me.
 
Evitzee
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Fusion Fusion
I wouldn't worry about water exposure with that watch. But just a word of caution, my FOIS did fog up after light water exposure. Took it to the boutique (it was well within warranty period) and they told me I was more than welcome to pay for a full service, over $1,000 plus maybe a dial replacement - there was nothing they could provide me.
BS, your issue is covered under the warranty. Go back and raise hell.
 
Fusion
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Evitzee Evitzee
BS, your issue is covered under the warranty. Go back and raise hell.
I opened the crown and stuck it in rice for a while. It took the moisture away but still I'm disappointed with my experience 🙁 KOP boutique.

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Edited:
 
Archer
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Fusion Fusion
I wouldn't worry about water exposure with that watch. But just a word of caution, my FOIS did fog up after light water exposure. Took it to the boutique (it was well within warranty period) and they told me I was more than welcome to pay for a full service, over $1,000 plus maybe a dial replacement - there was nothing they could provide me.

Unless you admitted using the pushers under water, they should have fixed this for you under warranty, barring any damage from an impact or something.
 
Fusion
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Archer Archer
Unless you admitted using the pushers under water, they should have fixed this for you under warranty, barring any damage from an impact or something.
I sure didn't admit to that nor did I do it. 😕
 
Archer
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Fusion Fusion
I sure didn't admit to that nor did I do it. 😕

Right, so barring any damage to the watch from impacts, this should be covered under warranty.
 
rob#1
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B bpc135798642
I asked for price quote for a pressure test at the same time, for my own peace of mind. I'll let you all know how much the quote is for.
Thanks again!

I had my OB pressure test my Speedy last time I was in town, there’s no charge for this test 👍
 
A
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B bpc135798642
Thanks everyone for the responses! This is my first time with a nice dive watch (one I could just about afford to buy, but could not pay to replace), and the insurance companies I spoke to weren't giving me the answers I was expecting. It's also my first time dealing with Omega, and they weren't particularly helpful with the one other question I had. I will reach out to Hodinkee and get a copy of their policy though - that may be the perfect answer!

Shows the conundrum we get in when a working watch gets too expensive to wear for purpose. No criticism intended, it has just eveolved that way. There are hundreds of very capable dive watches out there where you can bang and bump them, wear them for saturation or any other thing and they will come up smiling. Cheapest option, buy one and just toss it when it finally expires and get another. Wearing any of these exclusive brands for actual work is no longer something you can do without worrying yourself into an early grave. The amount of words on this so far shows how uncertain it all is. With you being able to unscrew the crown or leave the helium escape valve open by mistake, can you imagine anyone actually offering water damage cover for thousands on an affordable premium.
 
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