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What actually happens when you do get water in your Speedmaster?

Yehoshua
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Archer Archer
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.
I imagine that these were all watches that had their checkups ignored for years, no?
 
marco
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JwRosenthal JwRosenthal
We had a member here who got water in his Sub, he knew it right after he got out of the water, and it took a few days to get it to the watchmaker- we saw the pics- man does rust happen fast! Not to mention lume is like a sponge and that lovely dial will lose its lacquer faster than you can blink.
I know we have some serious dare-devils here who like to drink milk a day or two after the expiration, who pass on the right, and some who will even bicycle without a helmet!
But water is what Seiko’s were made for- just keep the speedy on dry land- some risks are just not worth it.
A couple of years ago I had someone on here telling me it was ok to wear my vgc all original 1972 Rolex DRSD swimming because that was what it was made for !!!
Edited:
 
Evitzee
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Yehoshua Yehoshua
I imagine that these were all watches that had their checkups ignored for years, no?
There have been a number of new (<6 months old) watches here on OF that suffered moisture ingress. Defective from the factory.
Edited:
 
STANDY
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Om3ga321 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.

Pretty sure this range had some issues….

1861 new in 2013 swam with it for a few years every now and then no issue.
Recently serviced in 2020 and passed pressure test so have had a swim or two since.
Don’t go out of my way to wear it swimming but if I forget about what watch I’m wearing and jump in the pool… As Doug Marcaida says “it will swim”
 
kkt
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Personal anecdote. I have an early 1960s Constellation that got water in it during a downpour while I was on vacation. It was two weeks before I got home and got it to a watchmaker. Watchmaker charged the same as a normal flat rate service.
 
Thrasher36
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These questions about swimming with a watch are silly, If you can afford a Speedmaster You can afford a Seiko Diver to swim with. When I saw this question I thought of the dial on my 1990 Speedmaster, Once water hits the lume the dial is ruined.....Why would you even take the chance...If I go near a pool or the Ocean I wear a Diver.
 
Archer
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Om3ga321 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.

Should be a warranty repair, because a brand new watch shouldn’t leak just from going into a pool...
 
Archer
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Yehoshua Yehoshua
I imagine that these were all watches that had their checkups ignored for years, no?

Yes
 
marcn
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Archer Archer
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.

Al, would it be as simple as bringing your watch(es) in for a pressure test, and if so, should that be an annual thing? Or is something more involved required?
 
Archer
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marcn marcn
Al, would it be as simple as bringing your watch(es) in for a pressure test, and if so, should that be an annual thing? Or is something more involved required?

Omega recommends annual pressure testing. But that isn’t the end of it, as that will only give you a snapshot in time. Regular replacement of the seals is required to ensure water resistance. The service intervals that these companies recommend aren’t just about the movement.
 
Om3ga321
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Archer Archer
Should be a warranty repair, because a brand new watch shouldn’t leak just from going into a pool...
No problems
Omega fixed the watch under warranty.
Sometimes these slip through quality control.
Always take my PO on holidays now.
 
D
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Canuck Canuck
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!

That's it in a nutshell.
I've had 4 watches that had moisture get into them in my time.
One was a 200m divers watch which was recently serviced by an independent and I can't explain how the moisture got into it, other than whilst I was giving it a quick clean up under the kitchen tap.
The other 3 were rated to be able to swim with but 2 of them were only ever subjected to perspiration(it can be extremely humid where I live), whilst the other one may have been dunked into the pool one too many times. They were replaced under warranty with the last one going in the bin when it died from the moisture getting into it.

Assuming the watch assembly is mechanically sound I go by the old school watch industry recommendations.
30m is ok limited exposure to splashes from handwashing and occassionally getting caught in a rain shower.
50m is ok for swimming.
100m is ok for water sports like surfing or water skiing.
200m is ok for scuba diving.
300m is conclusively suitable for scuba.
It should be noted that these industry standards were established when service intervals were recommended to be between 3-5 years with a pressure test every year between services if a watch was routinely exposed to water.
Naturally these standards don't take into account of accidental damage from a hard knock to a crystal, etc which may negate the results of the last pressure test.
 
D
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Canuck Canuck
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!

It's as the old saying goes.
RTFM.
For the most part, the schedule in the service booklet is as easy to follow as the owners manual. Unless it's a Mercedes👍
 
fc3861
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@Archer91

Hi Archer,

I'm curious what exactly happens in a pressure/water leak test of a watch? Do they put the watch in some kind of pressure tank full of water? What happens if it fails? Does water go into the watch? What exactly is the procedure and how do you know if it passed or failed?

How often would you recommend actually replacing the seals assuming it passes a test once a year?

Thanks
 
Archer
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fc3861 fc3861
@Archer91

Hi Archer,

I'm curious what exactly happens in a pressure/water leak test of a watch? Do they put the watch in some kind of pressure tank full of water? What happens if it fails? Does water go into the watch? What exactly is the procedure and how do you know if it passed or failed?

How often would you recommend actually replacing the seals assuming it passes a test once a year?

Thanks

Have a look at this...

https://omegaforums.net/threads/pressure-testing-a-watchco-sm300.45375/
 
fc3861
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@Archer

So, what does the METAS pressure/depth test do differently and why is it better? (Just kidding LOL.)

Thank you so much, very enlightening!
 
E
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This happened to my sub, $2.5k in repairs. Nothing inside the watch worked, it ran for like 4 seconds and stopped. They had to swap out EVERYTHING inside, dial, lumes, hands, the entire movement, sapphire crystal, even the crown. Rust damaged it fast but as long as you have your paperwork they will just engrave your old SN into the new movement and make it seem like nothing ever happened.
 
gbesq
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Interesting that this thread has generated so many responses. My view of the issue is pretty simple. The Speedmaster Pro is not a diver. It works just fine in outer space. In water, not so much. So, knowing that, why risk exposing a $6,000+ timepiece to an element that it's not really designed for? Would you wear a JLC Reverso for mountain biking? If the forecast is for pouring rain, don't wear your Speedy. If you're going to the beach or to the pool, don't wear it. If you're going into the sauna, don't wear it. If you're going to wash the dishes, your car, your dog, your kids or yourself, take it off. That's what I do with my two speedies, a '71 and a '96. Seems to work fine for both of them. Water is the enemy. I understand that accidents happen, but most of the circumstances that cause those accidents can be avoided.
 
Archer
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gbesq gbesq
why risk exposing a $6,000+ timepiece to an element that it's not really designed for?

It is absolutely designed for being in water. It's not a dive watch, but watches that are not dive watches are also designed to be used in water, just not for diving.
 
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