Hello all,

Yesterday my cousin received a preowned Planet Ocean 8500 with disclosure that the previous owner reported seeing fog under the crystal one time but then it disappeared. My guess is that he wanted to unload it without having to worry about getting it fixed. My cousin ended up getting a good price for it, despite my caution to stay away and buy something with no issues. He figured even after a service from Omega he would still have gotten a very good deal.

I got to see it in person yesterday and it looked great. No markings on the dial and the caseback showed no sign of any kind of rust. I was really starting to wonder if the previous owner really saw any kind of fog under the crystal. I know one test to check for moisture is to heat the watch up, place a drop of cold water on the crystal and then wipe it off to see if any condensation formed underneath.

I did this twice with a small handheld blow dryer twice (30 seconds of heat each time) and didn't see any condensation. I got the watch very warm and now I'm wondering how bad of a move this was. It was hot enough that I felt heat from the back of the watch as well and the watch stayed warm for a few minutes afterwards. As I mentioned, this was done twice, each for about 30-45 seconds where the blow dryer was used. The watch functions perfectly as before, but I'm just wondering if I accidentally contributed to any kind of damage with the heat applied. Can these watches withstand heat like this for very short periods of time?

I did some research and it seems like heat is bad for the oils and the gaskets, but aside from those, could anything have been "melted" in the movement or otherwise damaged? Initially my cousin was going to send the watch in for a service as soon as he received it but it seems to working fine with no issue of condensation. Now I'm beginning to wonder if he should still send it in due to the heat that I used to troubleshoot and if there is damage I would cover that expense.

Seeking your input here. Thanks

 

Well, this is certainly a new angle on the "is it safe to ___________" threads.

 

IMO send the piece in for COA/Overhaul and you'll both have piece of mind. No harm no foul as was originally intended

 

I would have a qualified watchmaker looked at it ASAP as you might have at least deformed the case back o-ring with that blow dryer.

 

There's clearly water inside -- it'll affect the movement without you visually seeing it from the front / caseback. Send it in for a full service (including movement overhaul / cleaning / inspection). considering the heating + the condensation it clearly needs to be looked at for both reasons.

 

No issue with heating it up. Read this
https://omegaforums.net/threads/at-screwdown-crown.9669/

@Archer said
This condensation test is done on every watch that is subjected to high pressure wet testing, where the watch is tested for more than the 10 bar that the dry testing machine is capable of. My wet testing machine is capable of testing to 125 bar, or 1250 meters depth.

You only need to place a drop of water on the crystal, so no harm should come to a watch from doing this.

I would not recommend a TV (magnetic field issues) but a lamp would be fine. I use a warming plate specifically designed for this test - it warms the watch to 47 degrees C. You don't want to make the watch too hot though...

Cheers, Al


My photos

 

I've just come to learn that there never really was a moisture issue with this watch. My cousin failed to tell me that whatever condensation showed up, disappeared seconds after...which is normal and there was absolutely no need to do the condensation test. So it seems like all this was done for a problem that was never really there and now I've created a potentially new problem -__-

Thanks for sharing. Pretty daring what you did. I don't think I got the watch as hot as you did. The crystal was very warm but I could still touch it no problem. The case was warm too... The bracelet was the only thing That was hot to the touch.

Exactly how hot did your watch get? How long did you leave it on the pan with the fire on? Makes me seems if yours is functioning ok, then maybe I spared my cousin some damage. I really hope.

 

I didn't check its temperature. Yes, I had the watch in the pan on with the gas on. it was very hot to the touch.

 

Worse case scenario... What could be damaged?

Could anything in the actual movement have melted? If we're talking gaskets then I guess that's not too bad as those will usually be replaced during a service d anyway.

 

And it's functioning perfectly fine now? How long ago was this?

Thanks for your feedback. It definitely makes me feel a bit less crappy

 

That was in Jan 2014. Yes, all fine now.

 

Omega says avoid anything over 60 degree c (140F)
https://www.omegawatches.com/fileadmin/Customer_Service/usermanual/OMEGA_User_Manual_EN.pdf

If you got it that hot, you wouldn't be able to touch it, so you should be fine.

 

Just hope there aren't any plastic parts as in 1861 movement.

 

Don't think he got to 175 C with a hair dryer


Delrin
Polyoxymethylene, also known as acetal, polyacetal and polyformaldehyde, is an engineering thermoplastic used in precision parts requiring high stiffness, low friction, and excellent dimensional stability.

Density: 1.41 g/cm³
Melting point: 175 °C
Formula: (CH2O)n
Appearance: Colorless solid

 

hair dryers give 65°C max. industrial dryer that looks like hair dryer gives 300 to 400°C.

 

I would assume the oils or perhaps the gaskets would be the first to degenerate if exposed to heat.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

99.99% chance your watch is just fine. If it continues to function properly, then don't sweat it.

Cheers, Al

 

Thanks for chiming in. I did some reading last night and stumbled across an old post of yours where you recommended NOT using a blow dryer for this kinds of things. Is the movement (8500 movement) entirely metal, or is there anything that could have melted as a result of the heat? I keep hearing of gaskets that could be damaged as a result of what was done, but aside from that, anything in the actual movement?

I guess if this was my watch I wouldn't feel as bad...I just feel bad knowing it was done to my cousin's watch even though I had the best intentions.

If there was anything damaged, it could most likely be repaired/replaced when he chooses to do a service, correct?

As of this morning he said time keeping accuracy was spot on. In 2 days it's neither gained nor lost any time (eyeballing it)

 

99.99% chance your watch is just fine. If it continues to function properly, then don't sweat it.

Cheers, Al