Community Stories

Water damaged Sub

JwRosenthal
Posts
16,307
Likes
44,994
Sorry again that this has happened but perhaps knowing it possibly wasn’t your oversight may ease some of the grief.
I hope the watchmaker who did the work understands that he has one opportunity to make this right. He can accept responsibly, apologize and pay for the repairs (which will leave you chagrined but not bitter) or he can deny responsibility and leave you holding the bag- for which you will tell everyone who asks how you got burned.
A happy customer tells 3 people, an unhappy customer tells 10 -and in our modern world of web- multiply that by 1000.
 
Marsimaxam
Posts
1,430
Likes
2,957
alam alam
that would require an itty-bitty short snorkel 😀
You can still drown in 2 inches of water, pretty sure the face mask and itty bitty snorkel gets you clear of any danger... but, funny guys very funny.
Depth rated to 50mm or 1.9 inches 😁
 
SpikiSpikester
Posts
3,184
Likes
3,856
Dan S Dan S
I'm guessing he's going to stick with the "crown open" theory. But it would still be worthwhile to send him those photos so he realizes that you understand the full situation.

totally agree with this. Ideally he should cover the repairs, or offer some sort of decent solution.

And if the original watchmaker really is Rolex accredited, the next stage of escalation is to report this to Rolex - who will probably be pretty unhappy about the whole thing.
 
Donn Chambers
Posts
2,703
Likes
3,601
My watchmaker will not offer any guarantee of water resistance of a watch if he does not replace the crown, crown tube, and any pushers. I’ve had several vintage watches serviced with him and he always came back with a quote including replacement of those items and without, along with the the statement regarding water resistance.

I assumed this was pretty standard procedure - my watchmaker in Austin did the same. I guess not, apparently.
 
Archer
Posts
29,672
Likes
76,830
Donn Chambers Donn Chambers
My watchmaker will not offer any guarantee of water resistance of a watch if he does not replace the crown, crown tube, and any pushers. I’ve had several vintage watches serviced with him and he always came back with a quote including replacement of those items and without, along with the the statement regarding water resistance.

I assumed this was pretty standard procedure - my watchmaker in Austin did the same. I guess not, apparently.

This is pretty standard practice. A pressure test is only a test, it doesn't do anything to guarantee water resistance.

Even if something passes the pressure testing, if the parts in question aren't changed, there's no way to predict how long they will last.

If people insist on keeping vintage parts in place, then all bets are off typically.
 
JwRosenthal
Posts
16,307
Likes
44,994
Donn Chambers Donn Chambers
My watchmaker will not offer any guarantee of water resistance of a watch if he does not replace the crown, crown tube, and any pushers. I’ve had several vintage watches serviced with him and he always came back with a quote including replacement of those items and without, along with the the statement regarding water resistance.

I assumed this was pretty standard procedure - my watchmaker in Austin did the same. I guess not, apparently.
My watchmaker does the same thing. If he can’t get parts like crowns or tubes for some vintage pieces I have (or if I tell him to keep the original crown), he will substitute gaskets or modify what he can and make do. But he will tell me every time when I pick it up- I cannot guarantee water resistance on this watch.
 
Dan S
Posts
24,257
Likes
54,023
Donn Chambers Donn Chambers
I assumed this was pretty standard procedure -

Unless, maybe, the watchmaker doesn't actually have access to authentic replacement parts. Many watchmakers are using aftermarket Rolex crown tubes, and I wonder how often they're making that clear to their customers.
 
fergusm
Posts
251
Likes
671
I'm writing a (lengthy) email to the original watchmaker and while doing so I found a video in my WhatsApp messages that I'd missed. It's my watch, submerged, in a pressure testing machine. This test took place when I returned my watch after water had gotten inside the case.

I know literally nothing about how these machines work but I'm a little surprised that a watch which has already allowed water to enter the case, would be fully submerged in water!

Would one of the more knowledgable forum members (@Archer perhaps) like to comment on what they see in the video?


thanks!
 
Archer
Posts
29,672
Likes
76,830
If the test is done properly, there's not a huge risk. For whatever reason, Rolex likes this type of machine and the model they usually specify is the Roxer Diabolic. The one in the video you were sent appears to be made for or by Glycine. Here's a video showing the more modern version of the Roxer:


The one in your video, I'm not exactly sure how the watch is submerged - maybe manually pushed down into the water perhaps. But the idea is that the watch only goes into the water when there is a vacuum (gauge) in the chamber, so if the watch leaks, air is sucked out, and no water goes in. This assumes that the leak is not a large one.

Personally I do not use this type of machine. I use a dry testing machines that uses both vacuum and pressure, and it measures the deflection of the case over time to determine if air is exchanging in and out of the case or not. It is safer than anything involving water...in particular with a watch that has a suspected leak. If a watch came back to me that was suspected of having a leak, it would not go near water, but that's me.

Cheers, Al
 
fergusm
Posts
251
Likes
671
Happy to report that this story had a happy (if rather expensive for me) ending...

I’m delighted to be reunited with my 16800 which now feels as good as new!
 
633EBAC3-20CF-4CAA-9B7B-EC06FCAA65A9.jpeg
Archer
Posts
29,672
Likes
76,830
Glad it's fixed - can I ask what parts were replaced, and if the original watchmaker covered any of the repairs?
 
JwRosenthal
Posts
16,307
Likes
44,994
Congrats Ferg- glad it has a happy ending. May I suggest for your next purchase....
DB770B05-E2B9-4D6A-A659-BD66AC3AEC58.jpeg
 
jaguar11
Posts
2,710
Likes
17,411
Great outcome and it looks fantastic! Wear it in the best of health.
 
JimInOz
Posts
17,941
Likes
37,516
RolexBook RolexBook
Open the case back and put your sub in there with some rice.

Great second post 🙄.

Did you read the rest of the thread at all?
 
fergusm
Posts
251
Likes
671
Archer Archer
Glad it's fixed - can I ask what parts were replaced, and if the original watchmaker covered any of the repairs?
Hi - I wasn’t sent a list but quite a few parts were returned to me (see photo).

Unfortunately the original watchmaker refused to take any responsibility at all and I paid for the repair in full. This was disappointing given that it was discovered that the crown gasket hadn’t been replaced during the original service. It had started to disintegrate and this is how water probably entered the case.

Lesson learned to be very careful when choosing a watchmaker in future!
 
118CAA94-9D03-4025-A954-CD35A4AD477D.jpeg
Archer
Posts
29,672
Likes
76,830
fergusm fergusm
Hi - I wasn’t sent a list but quite a few parts were returned to me (see photo).

Unfortunately the original watchmaker refused to take any responsibility at all and I paid for the repair in full. This was disappointing given that it was discovered that the crown gasket hadn’t been replaced during the original service. It had started to disintegrate and this is how water probably entered the case.

Lesson learned to be very careful when choosing a watchmaker in future!

It's unfortunate that the original watchmaker would not take any responsibility. Looks like water made it quite a ways into the movement, but the good thing is the balance was okay - that's often the big ticket item when there's water in a watch, at least in terms of the movement.

Also good that the dial and hands came through it okay!
 
Fabrice M
Posts
168
Likes
114
I am surprised your watchmaker didn’t check the waterproofing with a pressure test before handing it back to you. Having the crown open will not do much either.
 
athom
Posts
295
Likes
148
fergusm fergusm
I hadn't been wearing my beloved 16800 much so decided to have it serviced last month and bring it on holiday.

First day at the beach and after a little bit of splashing about with the kids, this happened...

I called the watchmaker who told me to unscrew the crown, pull it all the way out, and leave if somewhere warm for 24 hours. I followed his instructions and now the watch has stopped working completely. It's stopped running and if I try to wind it, the crown spins with no resistance at all.

I've put the watch away and will bring it back to the watchmaker on Monday as I'm still away from home. Can anyone give me any idea of what has happened and should I trust the watchmaker to work on the watch for a second time. First time, they replaced the gaskets and pressure tested the watch so I'm not sure how it could have failed just a few days after being serviced. Or should I bite the bullet and find someone else to carry out the repairs?

That's what happen when we do not use the right plexi 😉
 
Rado63
Posts
328
Likes
244
From the photos you posted with the case open the watch looks like it has been sufferings from moisture entering the case due to long overdue service. Too bad the first watchmaker wasn't more upfront about just how much would be required to make the watch as best as it could be. What you got back was not really a full service. Another issue is Swatch group and Rolex and others makers, won't sell parts anymore to independents. I hope you got things sorted now. It is too nice a watch to give up on.
 
2 More Posts...
Sign up or log in to reply...

Similar threads

sufiwatch

Water damaged rare omega

sufiwatch Vintage Omega Watches Help, Discussion and Advice
sufiwatch
sufiwatch
Posts
5
Views
948
FD75

Need advice on my Omega Medicus 2220/5 - Water damage and repair feasibility

FD75 Vintage Omega Watches Help, Discussion and Advice
sathomasga
sathomasga
Posts
3
Views
651
L

Speedmaster Racing - repeated moisture issues for 5 Years, now Omega says crown tube damaged

Linas Modern Omega Watches
L
Linas
Posts
34
Views
816
Roadwarrior

Water damage - repair advice for 1973 Omega Speedmaster Mark 4.5 with severe corrosion and rust

Roadwarrior Vintage Omega Watches Help, Discussion and Advice
bazelot
bazelot
Posts
17
Views
2K
ErichKeane

550 Second pinion friction spring damage?

ErichKeane Watchmaking
ErichKeane
ErichKeane
Posts
6
Views
91
M

Family Heirloom Damaged by ASC

MMK Open Discussion
pdxleaf
pdxleaf
Posts
36
Views
2K