Pressure testing at home... do I dare?

Could you link the pressure test device that you are considering?

This cane up in another thread, so figured I’d bump this one and see if @aakprrt can share the device they were looking at.

@Annapolis

You can pressure test at home, if you have the right equipment. I'm guessing you are looking at a cheap version of this:



These can be effective, and are typically limited to 6 bar pressure, although I used to have one that would do 10 bar:



The idea is that you pressurize the watch above the water line, let the watch sit for a while, then turn the valve to release the pressure, and then plunge the watch into the water. If the watch leaked, air would not be escaping out of the place where it entered, and when that is happening, water doesn't enter. You just have to bring the watch back up above the weather line, before the pressure gets back to atmosphere.

6 or 10 bar is certainly fine for swimming, and frankly most diving.

But these machines have some risk, since they do use water. If the leak is large, it ay never really pressurize the inside of the watch (which you wouldn't know) and then when you push the watch into the water, it could enter the case.

The other risk, which is more frequent, is that there is a leak and the machine works fine, but the crystal blows out of the case. If this happens while under water, it is very bad. Even if it happens above water, which has happened to me, the splash that the crystal makes can cause water to get on the hands and dial.

I know a few watchmakers who do a lot of quartz battery replacing whop use these, but only at the request of the customer, and only after they have informed them of the risks, and the customer has agreed to have the crystal removed and reinstalled to make sure it's solidly in place.

A dry test only takes a couple of minutes...it should be a "do it while you wait" sort of thing...