I have an Omega from the early 40's, one of the RAF 6B/159 series that was Dennison re-cased. It's one of my favorite watches but I rarely wear it because it does not fare well with moisture. Especially in the hot subways when it's 90-100F and you sweat, the moisture works it's way into the case from the back. Is there anything that can be done to improve the seal in the back? There is no O-ring or anything. I can provide pictures if needed, but it's a 30T2 SC movement with a standard snap-back case. Is this something I simply have to live with and can only wear it on cold days?

Omega did a good job with their Seamasters in the mid-50's with their case-backs. You almost need the jaws of life to get them open and they do a fine job of keeping moisture out.

 

Hi,

With an old snap back case, and of course with an old snap bazel, there is not much you can do except be careful. The old 30 cal cases usually do not have o-ring or any waterproof device. This is one of the reason it is so hard to find these watches with nice dials!

Any picture?

 

Yes I will post images. I was hoping there was some material that can be applied to the case to the case back makes a better seal. Unfortunately with watches this old, moisture will also come from the outside of the crystal. I was hoping there was some secret to improving this without an antire machine shop. Can be very frustrating. These should all be threaded case backs in my opinion.

 

You may be able to source a generic case back seal thin enough not to impede the grip of the case back on to the case body. Could also be a moisture problem from the crown. If this model has a slightly extending crown pipe you may be able to also find a hermetic crown that fits more snugly. Befriend an independent watchmaker, and see what he can come up with for you without compromising the watch too much.

I doubt if there is much you can do about the crystal, but the two major ingresses for wrist perspiration and vapour is the crown and case back.

Cheers

Desmond

 

A crystal can allow moisture in when washing your hands if it's shrunk or not fitting well. Yes the crown is a possibility, but I'm almost positive it's the case back. That can make these early 40's watches very frustrating before they made waterproof watches.

I'm in NYC and surprisingly it's difficult to find a good watch maker. Most of the one's I see work out of a show repair shop or the like. In the past I've mailed them to watchmakers, although I don't really have any relationships. The last guy I used really burned me. I do most of my work but this is outside my skill. Any kind of seal I don't think the back bill be able to grip and snap on.