Texas Boy Posted September 29, 2009 Report Share Posted September 29, 2009 I have a simple "noob" question. Why aren't replicas truely water resistant? You pay $200 - $400 for a nice replica, yet it isn't water resistant. You can buy a cheap $30 watch at Wal Mart and it is totally water resistant. This just doesn't seem right. I know the replica websites say they are water resistant, but I also know you should never get them wet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
watchlover1 Posted September 29, 2009 Report Share Posted September 29, 2009 Because of Quality Control. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Carl Posted September 29, 2009 Report Share Posted September 29, 2009 Why aren't replicas truely water resistant? Well, some are and some aren't. You could start with the dealer. If you are working with a "trusted dealer" you should stand a chance of getting a straight answer. Some will honestly tell not to even go out into the rain with it. If you are attempting to buy an actual dive watch, I would recommend that you get this up front with your dealer and buy a rep that has a return option. There are several good posts here about testing the resistance just this side of destruction. Your other option is modding for water resistance and you can learn to do this yourself here or find a modder to advise you if you have a chance, and who can mod it for you. You can buy a cheap $30 watch at Wal Mart and it is totally water resistant. My son tried that and it blew apart at about three feet in a hotel swimming pool. Very off-putting for him as he had met a promising girl. Carl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jkay Posted September 29, 2009 Report Share Posted September 29, 2009 There is no quality control in replica factories. Things are assembled carelessly. Even if a replica is supposed to be waterproof, the assemblers can mess everything up and no one will check it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted September 29, 2009 Report Share Posted September 29, 2009 Because rep watches are contraband (illegal) & they are not manufactured in clean rooms with quality control inspectors overseeing things. In many cases, rep watches are assembled in someone's home, often over their lunch & with as little attention to detail as they can get away with. If you want your rep to be waterproof, take it to a rep-friendly watchmaker & have him replace the seals & crystal & have him water pressure test it to 3 atmospheres. Having passed, you should be good for about a year, after which you should get the watch re-tested on (at least) a yearly basis if you plan to swim with your rep (same goes for gens that you plan to swim with). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
omegaunit Posted September 29, 2009 Report Share Posted September 29, 2009 The potential is there for water resistance. Some of the reps have decent gaskets and seals. As stated previously the quality control determines if it is water resistant or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxman Posted September 29, 2009 Report Share Posted September 29, 2009 Because rep watches are contraband (illegal) & they are not manufactured in clean rooms with quality control inspectors overseeing things. In many cases, rep watches are assembled in someone's home, often over their lunch & with as little attention to detail as they can get away with. If you want your rep to be waterproof, take it to a rep-friendly watchmaker & have him replace the seals & crystal & have him water pressure test it to 3 atmospheres. Having passed, you should be good for about a year, after which you should get the watch re-tested on (at least) a yearly basis if you plan to swim with your rep (same goes for gens that you plan to swim with). I thought I saw a piece of Linguini under my Pam 111 crystal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotty Posted September 29, 2009 Report Share Posted September 29, 2009 Add to this the lower control of component tolerances. Parts are made to look close to gens, not to fit together exactly like a gen with the same stack of tolerances. If a gen is made to withstand say 200m, then the parts are manufactured against tolerances that, when added up, will assure water resistance. I doubt the rep factories are making parts to gen tolerance levels (on dimensions and the like). Then couple this with QC issues in assembly.....you can guess the rest..... My watchsmith tested a watch for me once. It was a good PAM rep, suposedly already tested to 3ATm. The crystal flew off at less than 2......no damage and was re-fitted. But there you go.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
offshore Posted September 29, 2009 Report Share Posted September 29, 2009 I thought I saw a piece of Linguini under my Pam 111 crystal. Thats not as bad as the member who found a "short & curly" galloping around inside his movement, a few years back. (And it was photographed in situ!) What were they doing on the kitchen table? Offshore Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted September 29, 2009 Report Share Posted September 29, 2009 I can't say I've ever found it a problem... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EuroTimez Posted September 29, 2009 Report Share Posted September 29, 2009 (edited) Hi TexasBoy, welcome to the forums... I'm chris eurotimez, a official dealer on this forum and been in the repworld for over 6 years so I might be able to help you out. Read below... @All....Hi guys, I know I've been long gone for a long time and not being on the forum to help and contribute, but that is what I'm about to change and hope to post what I know just like in the good-ole-days. To answer your question It really depends on the watch you are ordering, some watches are "made" to be water-resistant, like the Noobmariners, some panerai's, some other Rolex watches... the Omega Planet Ocean, they are def water-resistant. When I say "made" to be water-resistant means that they have all the specs (rubbers / gaskets) in place to be water-resistant (for swimming) and often are... however each watch/rep needs to get tested individually. The reason behind it is, as some have stated above is the QC. The factories (who sell them mass) don't really care, they just want to sell, and neither the low-paid people who assemble them care, so if they misplace a gaskets (as it's all handwork assembly) then water-will-seep in. That is why there is dust in the dial at times or other problems when your watch arrives, or sometimes days, weeks, or months after. Some are really hard to QC as no-dealer (unless they become manufacturer) is involved in the process of assembly line, so that is why we movement and water-resistance etc you got to test on individual basis. I personally don't want to take responsiblity with people swimming with their watches so they have to test it themselves if they wish to swim with it. (as I can never know what they do when they swim with it -e.g forget to screw the crown in). We can test it if swimable but the risk lies ultimately with you. If you want to know more which ones are "made" for swimming then you can e-mail us, or otherwise ask the forums. There are also ALOT of watches which are Known Not to be swimmable, too many ways of water to enter in and costly to keep it out. Besides there some GEN watches costing over 10k usd that are only 30m water-resistant (meaning you can get it splashed but it's not made for swimming)... as they're for wear not a diving tool. The reason why it's not swimable is the same reason why the Rep DSSD cannot dive like it says on the dial xxxx feet, (the gen of course "can"), the reason is REPMARKERS DON'T CARE! It's not going to get them more or less profit if it can dive 100meter or 1000meters, so for people like you and me it may seem important but to the one creating them it's just a bonus. Besides of the % of their buyers (not just forum members) how many actually do swim with their reps? I personally swim and dive with my UPO (till like 10-20 meters) and it's great. Some watches you can modify to have it extra sealed. It of course also helps to have it silicon greased etc, which we do offer as a service. Edited September 29, 2009 by EuroTimez Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxman Posted September 29, 2009 Report Share Posted September 29, 2009 Thats not as bad as the member who found a "short & curly" galloping around inside his movement, a few years back. (And it was photographed in situ!) What were they doing on the kitchen table? Offshore I now feel somehow violated. This could be a pubelic health Issue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted September 29, 2009 Report Share Posted September 29, 2009 It really depends on the watch you are ordering, some watches are "made" to be water-resistant, like the Noobmariners, some panerai's, some other Rolex watches... the Omega Planet Ocean, they are def water-resistant. When I say "made" to be water-resistant means that they have all the specs (rubbers / gaskets) in place to be water-resistant (for swimming) and often are... however each watch/rep needs to get tested individually. The reason behind it is, as some have stated above is the QC. The factories (who sell them mass) don't really care, they just want to sell, and neither the low-paid people who assemble them care, so if they misplace a gaskets (as it's all handwork assembly) then water-will-seep in. That is why there is dust in the dial at times or other problems when your watch arrives, or sometimes days, weeks, or months after. Some are really hard to QC as no-dealer (unless they become manufacturer) is involved in the process of assembly line, so that is why we movement and water-resistance etc you got to test on individual basis. I personally don't want to take responsiblity with people swimming with their watches so they have to test it themselves if they wish to swim with it. (as I can never know what they do when they swim with it -e.g forget to screw the crown in). We can test it if swimable but the risk lies ultimately with you. If you want to know more which ones are "made" for swimming then you can e-mail us, or otherwise ask the forums. There are also ALOT of watches which are Known Not to be swimmable, too many ways of water to enter in and costly to keep it out. Besides there some GEN watches costing over 10k usd that are only 30m water-resistant (meaning you can get it splashed but it's not made for swimming)... as they're for wear not a diving tool. The reason why it's not swimable is the same reason why the Rep DSSD cannot dive like it says on the dial xxxx feet, (the gen of course "can"), the reason is REPMARKERS DON'T CARE! It's not going to get them more or less profit if it can dive 100meter or 1000meters, so for people like you and me it may seem important but to the one creating them it's just a bonus. Besides of the % of their buyers (not just forum members) how many actually do swim with their reps? I personally swim and dive with my UPO (till like 10-20 meters) and it's great. Some watches you can modify to have it extra sealed. It of course also helps to have it silicon greased etc, which we do offer as a service. Thanks for the contribution I'd be very interested to see if a DSSD rep could be made to withstand the pressures which the gen is rated to, as much as an academic exercise as anything else. As you say, it's all down to the way the watch is built at the factory, or, if it then gets additionally QCd. As my above post showed, the majority of the reps I have bought (bar one) were water-resistant out of the box. The one which wasn't, was swapped for an identical replacement, which was water resistant. Some of my watches would not get wet often (such as PAMs on leather straps) and I don't like getting my Tudor project sub wet, as the NATO strap takes two hours to dry at room temperature, but I know that the watch itself is water-resistant, as it has been both submerged and held under a faucet on full flow, and I know that the PAMs I had were water-resistant. Not sure what the pressure would be from such a flow, but I'm guessing considerably more than a simple submersion in a bathtub Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EuroTimez Posted September 29, 2009 Report Share Posted September 29, 2009 Also something to note is btw... When it says 100meter or 300feet on the dial - water-resistance... it doesn't mean that it can ACTUALLY in reality go 100meters deep in the water... It basically means it been tested in an Water-pressure machine which simmulates that depht... but the watch doesn't move and neither does the water... So it is not 100% based on reality. Because when you swim and dive, you obviously move, so does the water... etc. So 30meter if it says on the water-resistance level >>> means it can get splashed and you can walk in the rain... YOU CANNOT SWIM/DIVE till 30meters DEEP THO! if it's above 50METER on the dial (rating, water-resistance) rating then you can swim with it lightly (not too deep)... 100meter you can dive etc... There is some exact reference if you google for it... Just wanted to let you know because... you mentioned your 30usd watch (cheapo) wall-mart, which is TOTALLY water-resistant (there is no watch that is totally water-resistant, that is also why they are not allowed to use WATER-PROOF (anymore) )... Hope this info helps.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted September 29, 2009 Report Share Posted September 29, 2009 Absolutely, it's all about 'static pressures' and the actual pressure on the watch from the movement of the watch through the water Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted September 29, 2009 Report Share Posted September 29, 2009 I felt inspired to take these pics The only condensation, was external, not internal. No leaks at all, and that's a Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EuroTimez Posted September 29, 2009 Report Share Posted September 29, 2009 Holy F, that is a nice Beautiful Artwork! Wow Nice Pics TeeJAY!!! I love the 3rd pic, it's cool... how did you do that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted September 29, 2009 Report Share Posted September 29, 2009 Holy F, that is a nice Beautiful Artwork! Wow Nice Pics TeeJAY!!! I love the 3rd pic, it's cool... how did you do that? Thanks, that's much appreciated Nothing special involved, just a Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P4GTR Posted September 29, 2009 Report Share Posted September 29, 2009 They are water resistant. I swim with just about all of mine if I wish. I've done my due dilligence checking and greasing the seals prior. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fakemaster Posted October 1, 2009 Report Share Posted October 1, 2009 The parts are made with no general controls. Then thrown together. Ther can be gaps and distortions. So even if they have all the gaskets it still won't matter if the parts are misfit. The only way to get around is to hand select the parts and make sure they go together right. TJ. That pool water looks kinda scary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted October 1, 2009 Report Share Posted October 1, 2009 The parts are made with no general controls. Then thrown together. Ther can be gaps and distortions. So even if they have all the gaskets it still won't matter if the parts are misfit. The only way to get around is to hand select the parts and make sure they go together right. TJ. That pool water looks kinda scary. In which pic do you mean? The one with the vintage sub where it's a bit murky, the filter hadn't been running a few days, but the weather was too hot for me to care If you mean the photo with the PAM, that was coastal waters of the Mediterranean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stukov Posted October 1, 2009 Report Share Posted October 1, 2009 Has anyone tested the jacksontse pam homage? Results? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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