Hi OF, I know that it is not okay to push the speedmaster chrono buttons while it is underwater, but how about if it is dried up on the surface but still having some residual water in the crevices between the button and case? for example after you splashed with water while hand washing, or coming out of swimming and after drying it with a towel.
would pushing the buttons bring in any of the residual water to into the case just like pushing the chrono while underwater?
I’m asking in relation to the newer speedmasters, 3861s and 1861s, and assuming they are in good working or serviced conditions.
Thanks in advance

 

It's an interesting question.
I expect there would be no issues with operating the pushers out of the water.
There's no pressure behind the water to push it in as if it was submerged and it's not like it could be pushed/pumped past what seal is in there due to hydraulic forces. Unless there was a surplus of water somehow accumulated in behind the button which was literally trapped.

If in doubt, I would suggest you simply blow out the excess water from around the pushers if the watch has been exposed to water.
Just press your lips together and give it a quick sharp blow directly around the pushers to get rid the vast bulk of what's there to be on the safe side if in doubt

 

Even if water managed to get under the pusher cap, water will flow in the direction of least resistance, so if you press the pusher down with water under the cap, it would like come right back out the same gasp where it entered.

 

Hello Mr Archer!
I am sorry my english is not too good to understand perfectly what you wrote in regards with the wet chrono buttons….
So, is it safe to press the chrono buttons right away after swimming with your speedmaster pro?
And right after swimming with your Speedy as well, is it safe to wind your watch while still wet?
You know the technicality of the Speedmaster watch…
Thank you in advance!

Regards,

Emil

 

If the seals are in good condition, I wouldn't expect it to cause a problem.

 

Hello Mr Archer!
Thank you for your prompt response!

Regards,

Emil

 

I'd be curious to see the diagram of how these seals are arranged. I would assume the pushers only utilize one seal, with the stem (probably the wrong term) of the pushers going through the o-ring regardless of it's position. What exactly increases the resistance when the pushers are extended?

 

Just purchased a 69 Speedmaster 145.022 with original crown and pushers- no service marks inside case and all indicators and appearance consistent with entirely original specimen- even bezel can be dated as it is a "220" Error example dating to 1970 (with a few unfortunate paint chips). Like idea of maintaining original parts but my understanding is that pusher gaskets are difficult/impossible to replace, and crown gaskets not replaceable at all. Leaning towards replacing pushers and crown, but keeping originals for future reference/ potential resale. Make sense? Watchmakers opinion appreciated.

 

Yes, generally this is the design. Here's the pusher tube with the seal inside:



This is the post that goes inside the seal - a screw goes into this post from the inside of the case to hold the cap on:



The pusher post never leaves contact with the seals, so having the pusher depressed or extended makes no difference in it's water resistance. The only way water enters via the pushers is if water becomes trapped under the pusher cap - for it to do that on a Speedmaster, it would have to work it's way into this small gap between the pusher tube and pusher cap:



Water will take the path of least resistance, so even if there is water under the cap, it might just push back out through this gap, rather than get pushed past the seals - likely depends on the condition of the seals. But this is how theoretically anyway, a pusher would leak.

More water resistant pushers (SMP chronograph, PO chronograph) often use 2 O-rings where some other designs may only use 1, and the arrangement is slightly different:



Where the dive chronographs differ, is that the pusher cap is inside a housing, and although there's no seal between the cap and housing, it does mean that water is prevented from getting under the cap, so there's no risk in having it get pushed past the seals.

Cheers, Al

 

Omega does not sell O-rings for the pushers or crown for this watch, so Omega's intention is that the entire assemblies would be replaced at service. If you wanted to maintain the original parts, you would have to find someone who is willing to look for the correct sized O-rings and install them, and then stand behind that work with a warranty. The last part is usually the tough part...

Most people either opt to replace the parts and have water resistance, or keep the parts and not have any, but be careful with the watch. I do both regularly for customers.

 

Archer, as always, thanks for breaking this down into layman terms. This does make me a little less worried about good condition chronos in the water, as I would interpret your analysis to also mean that even in the event of a pusher being pressed, it would likely be just fine.
In this situation, I would also expect the pusher to have significantly more resistance to being pushed if it were indeed attempting to force water past the seals.

I’m kind of curious to know how many/what types of failures they saw in speedys during astronaut training, as those watches would have been through a lot of careless abuse (being just another tool that would be replaced at no cost to the user)

 

It takes two fingers to whistle well.