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gbesq
·The short answer:
What actually happens when you do get water in your Speedmaster?
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Canuck
·As said I don't go in the water with the watch...
Did you ever get caught out of doors in a violent rainstorm? Do you live where you’ll encounter snow? Have you ever slipped and fallen in snow of any depth? I have nothing vested in whether you have your watch tested, or not. But you don’t need to immerse your watch in water for moisture to find its way into it. You asked, and if you choose to ignore what you are told, good luck!
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Archer
··Omega Qualified WatchmakerOn a watch rated 150 meter water resistant, protected from steam and water except for an occasional wash-- is it really necessary to have it checked according to Omega's recommendation once every year? Perhaps once every three or four years is realistic?
I can tell you that the vast majority of watches that I get in that have water in them, didn’t get that way from going swimming or getting the watch wet intentionally. That includes the two I’ve shown here. Almost all of them are from hand washing, doing dishes, etc.
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JwRosenthal
·MY GOD PEOPLE!!!
Listen to the fυcking watchmakers!
This is like theorizing the value of a dozen, it’s not an argument- it’s 12.
Rubber seals fail. All watches that are rated with any water resistance from the factory will meet that standard when new. Once it ages, it is up to you to make sure it will still meet that standard by regularly replacing those seals and having it tested by a watchmaker. Otherwise you roll the dice.
Any moisture in a watch is bad news.
Period- end stop.
Listen to the fυcking watchmakers!
This is like theorizing the value of a dozen, it’s not an argument- it’s 12.
Rubber seals fail. All watches that are rated with any water resistance from the factory will meet that standard when new. Once it ages, it is up to you to make sure it will still meet that standard by regularly replacing those seals and having it tested by a watchmaker. Otherwise you roll the dice.
Any moisture in a watch is bad news.
Period- end stop.
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NGO1
·Great thread.
Here’s a follow up question to you experts:
What’s the best thing to do to minimize damage if/when water is present?
What’s the immediate action?
Do I try to open the case back and air dry movement?
Put the watch in a bowl of rice?
Put watch in oven, 120*, flip every 5 mins? Add garlic and butter to taste?
Lets assume I can’t get to a watchmaker for a few days (travel/vacation/wife lock under pool)
Here’s a follow up question to you experts:
What’s the best thing to do to minimize damage if/when water is present?
What’s the immediate action?
Do I try to open the case back and air dry movement?
Put the watch in a bowl of rice?
Put watch in oven, 120*, flip every 5 mins? Add garlic and butter to taste?
Lets assume I can’t get to a watchmaker for a few days (travel/vacation/wife lock under pool)
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Canuck
·Great thread.
Here’s a follow up question to you experts:
What’s the best thing to do to minimize damage if/when water is present?
What’s the immediate action?
Do I try to open the case back and air dry movement?
Put the watch in a bowl of rice?
Put watch in oven, 120*, flip every 5 mins? Add garlic and butter to taste?
Lets assume I can’t get to a watchmaker for a few days (travel/vacation/wife lock under pool)
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JwRosenthal
·Great thread.
Here’s a follow up question to you experts:
What’s the best thing to do to minimize damage if/when water is present?
What’s the immediate action?
Do I try to open the case back and air dry movement?
Put the watch in a bowl of rice?
Put watch in oven, 120*, flip every 5 mins? Add garlic and butter to taste?
Lets assume I can’t get to a watchmaker for a few days (travel/vacation/wife lock under pool)
I got a fog under the crystal a lovely vintage Elgin of mine (it was water resistant at one time)- I didn’t go in the pool, I didn’t do dishes, I wasn’t cave jumping with it. It was a summer day, it rained and even though I was wearing long sleeves, the humidity from my shirt and my skin was enough to get in.
I put it in a ziplock of rice with crown in set position when I got home and it cleared the fog by evening. I brought it to my watchmaker a few days later and luckily there was no damage done- but it was indeed a bad crown seal (what I get for keeping original crown). I replaced the crown and put the original in a baby ziplock labeled for the watch. Now that it has fresh rear and crown seal, and was pressure tested by my watchmaker (which he didn’t charge me anything extra for) I can now wear it whenever I want.
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NGO1
·Check the seals,!
When you say “check seals”, can you please be specific?
I bring my watches to a watchmaker to pressure test?
Mind you, a leak can develop the day after you have it tested! Accidents!
so if water is present, should one try to open case back immediately to air out movement?
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NGO1
·Amen!!
Thank you for this. Easy enough for me to follow.
I’ll pack a cup of rice with me to Asia.
You r in California aren’t you J?
Mind sharing your awesome watchmaker?
Thank you for this. Easy enough for me to follow.
I’ll pack a cup of rice with me to Asia.
You r in California aren’t you J?
Mind sharing your awesome watchmaker?
I prefer coconut oil as it has a higher flash point than butter- you can get a really good sear on it, then dress with butter right before serving to give that rich patina.
I got a fog under the crystal a lovely vintage Elgin of mine (it was water resistant at one time)- I didn’t go in the pool, I didn’t do dishes, I wasn’t cave jumping with it. It was a summer day, it rained and even though I was wearing long sleeves, the humidity from my shirt and my skin was enough to get in.
I put it in a ziplock of rice with crown in set position when I got home and it cleared the fog by evening. I brought it to my watchmaker a few days later and luckily there was no damage done- but it was indeed a bad crown seal (what I get for keeping original crown). I replaced the crown and put the original in a baby ziplock labeled for the watch. Now that it has fresh rear and crown seal, and was pressure tested by my watchmaker (which he didn’t charge me anything extra for) I can now wear it whenever I want.
Edited:
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JwRosenthal
·Amen!!
Thank you for this. Easy enough for me to follow.
I’ll pack a cup of rice with me to Asia.
You r in California aren’t you J?
Mind sharing your awesome watchmaker?
And I was once from CA, now on east coast.
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JwRosenthal
·Was only joking about a water-filled Speedy approximating the oil filled ressence type 5 - the latter solving for only one minor thing (cool though):
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Archer
··Omega Qualified WatchmakerWas only joking about a water-filled Speedy approximating the oil filled ressence type 5 - the latter solving for only one minor thing (cool though):
Cool, just asking because there are people out there who think the movements in these run in oil, and they do not. There are quartz oil filled watches, but no mechanical movements I know of running in oil...the balance amplitude would be pretty bad.
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Archer
··Omega Qualified WatchmakerGreat thread.
Here’s a follow up question to you experts:
What’s the best thing to do to minimize damage if/when water is present?
What’s the immediate action?
Do I try to open the case back and air dry movement?
Put the watch in a bowl of rice?
Put watch in oven, 120*, flip every 5 mins? Add garlic and butter to taste?
Lets assume I can’t get to a watchmaker for a few days (travel/vacation/wife lock under pool)
If it’s something like heavy fogging of the crystal, but with no visible liquid water, then opening it up, covering the movement with a lint free paper (like watchmakers paper), and gently heating it could help. Heating it to say 50 C would be safe, but not much higher.
If there’s actually liquid water inside, then there’s not much you can do. In that case, time is the thing...get it to a watchmaker as soon as possible.
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NGO1
·Thank you Al.
Now I know exactly what to do, instead of guessing.
Im pretty sure it will happen some day.
A cup of rice and a hairdryer hopefully buy me a few days before seeing a watchmaker.
Now I know exactly what to do, instead of guessing.
Im pretty sure it will happen some day.
A cup of rice and a hairdryer hopefully buy me a few days before seeing a watchmaker.
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cvalue13
·Cool, just asking because there are people out there who think the movements in these run in oil, and they do not. There are quartz oil filled watches, but no mechanical movements I know of running in oil...the balance amplitude would be pretty bad.
Yeah, magnets are the magic in this watch as I understand it (the oil filled compartment components being moved by magnets from the underside), which use of magnets has always seemed curious, in my ignorance, given the usual voodoo of magnets and movements.
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Canuck
·Yeah, magnets are the magic in this watch as I understand it (the oil filled compartment components being moved by magnets from the underside), which use of magnets has always seemed curious, in my ignorance, given the usual voodoo of magnets and movements.
I recently asked our son if he ever checks the oil in the 4-speed standard transmission in his Jeep. “The transmission needs oil?” He asked! Well, DUH!
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PandaSPUR
·Thank you Al.
Now I know exactly what to do, instead of guessing.
Im pretty sure it will happen some day.
A cup of rice and a hairdryer hopefully buy me a few days before seeing a watchmaker.
Just to add a personal anecdote, I had some moisture in a Breitling Colt after I washed my hand with the crown unscrewed (dumb mistake, I set the time on it in a rush before heading out to work). Bought the watch used in 2016, never had it serviced, this incident was in 2019. There was no visible water inside, but the dial would fog when I moved from high to low temps (it was summer time). I left the crown unscrewed, used a hairdryer a few times. Didn't try leaving it in rice.
Sadly, the fogging never went away, so I sent it in for service (a few days later, had to wait till the weekend to drop it off).
Luckily there was no serious damage and I was just charged the usual overhaul fee by Breitling.
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Om3ga321
·Brand new 60th anniversary Speedy.
Dived in the pool by accident with the watch on my wrist.
Took the watch off immediately but had fogged up the glass.
Never put a Speedy into the soup.
Dived in the pool by accident with the watch on my wrist.
Took the watch off immediately but had fogged up the glass.
Never put a Speedy into the soup.
