Real world water resistance Speedmaster

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The issue isn't whether or not you are worried about your watch, or a warranty claim. It is about posting pressure-related information that simply is not true.
 
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Al, all I can say is good luck when you take the watch back to the AD when it has leaked, and how much credence will they have when they say a guy on the internet said it would be fine, not much I'll wager.
 
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Al, all I can say is good luck when you take the watch back to the AD when it has leaked, and how much credence will they have when they say a guy on the internet said it would be fine, not much I'll wager.
It’s not that simple. If you had water ingestion on a just pressure tested watch they will.

The problem is on the speedy the pushers can get knocked and loose resistance to 50m fairly easily, hence one of the reasons for the change to the asymmetric case as it protects the pushers from being knocked or snagged.
Edited:
 
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Maybe I am wrong but if I spent all this money on a watch I should easily be able to do dishes, shower, swim with it on without an issue. Diving sure could be an issue but basic water issues should be fine.
 
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Al, all I can say is good luck when you take the watch back to the AD when it has leaked, and how much credence will they have when they say a guy on the internet said it would be fine, not much I'll wager.

Again if you choose not to, that’s fine. But the fact is if properly maintained the watch is fine up to 50 m depth. It was designed to take that much pressure, and knowing how these things are done there’s most certainly a safety factor included in that design. It’s not me that gave the watch this rating, it was Omega.

Trust me I deal with flooded watches on a regular basis, (one came in last week in fact) and the reason they leak is nearly 100% due to lack of maintenance, or some type of damage to the watch. It’s never because a fully maintained watch has been subjected to “too much” pressure.

Cheers, Al
 
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This discussion is going around and around like the proverbial latch on a back house door! I suggest the person asking about Speedmaster water resistance should ignore all advice pro and con, and just go ahead and find out who to believe by wearing the thing in water. My Speedmasters don’t go anywhere near water. Nor my Rolex Oysters. Nor any of my others.
 
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How deep is your bathtub/ kitchen sink? I can't imagine there would be more than one foot of water depth in either, and likely a watch would not be submerged more than a couple inches.

A compromised seal is a compromised seal. Moisture vapor from the air is just as likely to bypass a compromised seal as actual water drops. A bad seal will let moisture into the watch no matter what.

All that being said, I do not usually keep my Speedmaster on when I give my son a bath, and I sometimes take it off when I was dishes. But that is because I have a leather strap on it.
Agreed.
I have ruined 3 watches that were rated for 50 m water resistance just by perspiring.
 
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I never understood why anyone would shower wearing a watch. The watch will remain wet long after one has dried off. Makes no sense to me.
Or rings, for that matter. If I even leave just my wedding ring on for any length of time after getting my hands wet, I get that white macerated skin ring under it almost immediately. As for the Speedy, I've worn it reffing hockey games when the scoreboard was out and, sometimes, under my glove while practicing (alone); but I don't even expose it to rain, let alone ever submerge it under water.
 
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Again if you choose not to, that’s fine. But the fact is if properly maintained the watch is fine up to 50 m depth. It was designed to take that much pressure, and knowing how these things are done there’s most certainly a safety factor included in that design. It’s not me that gave the watch this rating, it was Omega.

Trust me I deal with flooded watches on a regular basis, (one came in last week in fact) and the reason they leak is nearly 100% due to lack of maintenance, or some type of damage to the watch. It’s never because a fully maintained watch has been subjected to “too much” pressure.

Cheers, Al

IIRC, you’ve said in the past that the main thing to worry about is the crown seal, since it’s under constant wear due to manual winding, yeah?
 
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Al, all I can say is good luck when you take the watch back to the AD when it has leaked, and how much credence will they have when they say a guy on the internet said it would be fine, not much I'll wager.

Funnily enough, the opposite is true. I've read several posts from people who had their watches repaired under warranty due to water ingress - Omega themselves rate the watch to 50m WR and that's where it is at.


...plus you are inadvertently shooting water from the shower head onto the watch head which will be of a lot higher pressure than dipping it three feet in a swimming pool. That is why it is never recommended to take a watch into a hot tub spa where there is hot water and pulsating water jets. Most likely it will be fine but I just don't chance it.

Do we have to start over from the beginning again?
 
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Do we have to start over from the beginning again?
It's not necessary in this thread. Surely, another will come shortly. 😁 🍿
 
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Funnily enough, the opposite is true. I've read several posts from people who had their watches repaired under warranty due to water ingress - Omega themselves rate the watch to 50m WR and that's where it is at.




Do we have to start over from the beginning again?

Everyone is entitled to think and believe in what they like, just don't come crying when the thing leaks like a sieve.
 
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The real catch here is that it has 50m WR when new or when properly maintained. All words are important!

If you develop the habit of not caring about water and moisture you will be fine, for a time. Most people then simply forget when they exactly bought the thing, when it was last maintained, and problems occur inevitably after some time.

My advice would be : if it is an everyday watch/tool and must approach water in any way, replace at least crown and seals at determined intervals (tbd by omega, and also probably with a warranty). If it is one watch among others, and if you don't keep tabs on what has to be done, don't touch water, treat it like another vintage piece without any WR.

FWIW: my 1959 CK2975 Seamaster has been tested up to 4atm (just checking, I don't touch water with it). New crystal, tube, crown, gasket. So having some WR in a watch like this is not rocket science when following procedures. And it is only good for a few years maybe.
 
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If you develop the habit of not caring about water and moisture you will be fine, for a time. Most people then simply forget when they exactly bought the thing, when it was last maintained, and problems occur inevitably after some time.

This is why the guy that confidently says he'll be wearing his PO to the beach, and thinks that because it's "made from the ground up" to be water resistant it doesn't need regular testing or seal replacements, is the guy most likely to have a flooded watch.

There's one O-ring in the crown of a Speedmaster, and one O-ring in the crown of a PO. If that O-ring fails, it makes no difference what the depth rating of the watch is...
 
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Or rings, for that matter. If I even leave just my wedding ring on for any length of time after getting my hands wet, I get that white macerated skin ring under it almost immediately. As for the Speedy, I've worn it reffing hockey games when the scoreboard was out and, sometimes, under my glove while practicing (alone); but I don't even expose it to rain, let alone ever submerge it under water.

Wrist cheese certainly isn't going to help with it's low WR rating.
This is why the guy that confidently says he'll be wearing his PO to the beach, and thinks that because it's "made from the ground up" to be water resistant it doesn't need regular testing or seal replacements, is the guy most likely to have a flooded watch.

There's one O-ring in the crown of a Speedmaster, and one O-ring in the crown of a PO. If that O-ring fails, it makes no difference what the depth rating of the watch is...

Any chance you can point to where I mentioned that my PO won't need regular service attention?
 
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I wonder how much time, effort, expertise and money on the part of Omega, their engineers and their craftspeople, went in to the design development and construction of these watches...
Anyway, I'm sure you're right and they are wrong.
 
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Any chance you can point to where I mentioned that my PO won't need regular service attention?

I wasn't referring to you in particular - I don't know how you treat your watches and it's no concern of mine either way. You have your mind made up, so my comments are for those who still want to understand water resistance and deal with facts.

I've mentioned this many times before, but there is a common belief out there that because it's a "dive watch" that has some fantastical depth rating, that it will somehow remain water resistant forever, or that it will fail more gradually so if it's rated for 300m even after 15 years it still should be good for 50m, or some other variation on this theme. This is of course not true at all. Seals work, right up until the time they don't, and it doesn't matter what the watch is rated to.

This is why a properly maintained Speedmaster, rated for 50m, is safer to wear in the water than a shagged out 300m or 600m or 1000m dive watch is that hasn't been pressure tested or had the seals replaced in years...and why the idea that watches fail because of too much pressure is really nonsense. None of these failed because of "too much pressure" or from someone moving their hands in water so fast they forced water past the seals...

This one failed because the pusher got caught on someone's clothes, was ripped off the watch, and the owner went in the water before he noticed:





This was failed seals from lack of maintenance:





Same here:





And here:





And here:





And I could go on...for those that want to, they should get the point by now. Again the reasons watches fail in water and get flooded have little to do with theories about additional pressure from arm movement, or from going too deep with the watch. It's damage or simple lack of maintenance.

Cheers, Al
 
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I wasn't referring to you in particular - I don't know how you treat your watches and it's no concern of mine either way. You have your mind made up, so my comments are for those who still want to understand water resistance and deal with facts.

Sorry but I call BS, take a moment to read what we have both written as shown below and let me know who "in particular" you were referring to.

Stufflers Mom said:
Seiko diver, designed from the ground up to be used in water, price £250. Omega Speedmaster priced at £3500 not designed from the ground up to be used in water.
Stufflers Mom said:
The fact remains, you are running a much great risk of damage to your watch and wallet by using a Speedy in water, but as I said a while back please use your own property as you see fit, but I will be using my Planet Ocean on my next trip to the beach.

Archer said:
This is why the guy that confidently says he'll be wearing his PO to the beach, and thinks that because it's "made from the ground up" to be water resistant it doesn't need regular testing or seal replacements, is the guy most likely to have a flooded watch.
 
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I wasn't referring to anyone "in particular" but the general notion that people have regarding dive watches - something I've stated many times before. The wording you used in your posts is indicative of that sort of mentality, but again not knowing anything about how you service your watches, it's clear I can't know that you specifically would or would not do as you have pointed out.
 
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I wasn't referring to anyone "in particular" but the general notion that people have regarding dive watches - something I've stated many times before. The wording you used in your posts is indicative of that sort of mentality, but again not knowing anything about how you service your watches, it's clear I can't know that you specifically would or would not do as you have pointed out.

I still call BS on you. Your post contained several direct references using the exact wording I used in this thread, but it appears that you don't have the good grace to admit when you are wrong.