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  1. BigGreen84 Jun 26, 2020

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    (reposted from vintage to modern)

    New poster here, new to collecting and new to basic watch maintenance.

    I have a circa 2010 sword hand SMP300 that I just finished adjusting/regulating. I have a basic wet tester (6 atm). First test after reassembly it leaked bubbles out the caseback; I removed a tiny piece of debris from the seal and tested it again. Second time, it seemed to leak bubbles out of the crystal-to-bezel area, around the 2 o'clock mark.

    Is this a major/frequent issue? How wet can I get this watch? Can I wash my hands/dishes? Take a shower? Not planning on doing any diving, but curious about the "someone pushes me into a swimming pool" situation.

    Thanks in advance; I'm happy to learn.
     
  2. Archer Omega Qualified Watchmaker Jun 26, 2020

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    Depends what the bubbles looked like. If it was a consistent stream of bubbles, you have a problem. But sometimes bubbles will form under the bezel, and will come out during the test and are no indicative of a leak.
     
    pascs likes this.
  3. BigGreen84 Jun 26, 2020

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    ahhhhh ok that makes sense, I'll test again. Thanks.
     
  4. BigGreen84 Jun 26, 2020

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    Similar result, this time in a different location on the edge of the crystal: large bubbles form slowly around the 10 o'clock area on bezel and a couple from the crown... I'm thinking you're right, and it's just trapped air.

    I tested an SMP300 chrono (Bond) that hasn't been opened since purchase from Crown and Caliber and saw similar results. I'm going to have them checked by a watchmaker to confirm the seals but I think they're ok. Thanks for the help!

    *Edit: month-old Squale that's never been opened shows the same result, so I think I'm ok. Wish I knew what a failure looked like though
     
    Edited Jun 26, 2020