kicks Posted March 5, 2013 Report Share Posted March 5, 2013 Hey guys, Any experience with wearing reps in high humidity countries? Thinking of visiting Dubai very soon but I am worried whether this will obliterate my replicas (I avoid gold reps because they stain easily, to give you an idea of how far ahead I think lol)? Will the humidity seep in and kill the watch? or is it within the "waterproof" boundaries of reps? Keep in mind that Dubai is so humid that car windows have a lot of condensation on them at night. You literally sweat like a pig. kicks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanuq Posted March 5, 2013 Report Share Posted March 5, 2013 That's a good question. A water vapor molecule is much smaller than a water droplet (which is why Gore Tex exists) so yes, if the watch isn't well sealed you could have trouble. I once had a cheap Sea Dweller rep and it was impossible to seal it. So when I went for high exertion activities (mtn biking, hockey, hard climbing) it would condense moisture beneath the crystal. I would dutifully open it and dry it out, then attempt to reseal it. And the next time it would fog up again after an hour of sweating. I smashed it with an axe. In that humid environment, if your watch doesn't fog up, then leave it sealed. Don't open the crown unnecessarily, and let moisture in. And show us some pics when you get back! Edit to add: I wear a very nice Franken Tudor Snowflake to the gym almost every day. I haven't had it deeper than 100' diving, but I know it is quite water proof. I commonly take it into the steam room at the gym with its incredibly high temperatures and 100% humidity. The water from swimming doesn't leak in, neither does the steam from the steam room. And I never open the crown at the gym. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kicks Posted March 5, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2013 Quite a good piece (Tudor). Do you think the higher end stuff that Trusty Time sells is well sealed (like your Tudor)? He's asking for $508 on an AP ROO Panda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1680 Posted March 5, 2013 Report Share Posted March 5, 2013 Get your watch pressure tested somewhere (costs something between $0-$15) then you know. And in my opinion it has nothing to do with the watch being gen or rep, even the gen you should test regularly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panerai153 Posted March 5, 2013 Report Share Posted March 5, 2013 I live in the deep south, normal summer humidity here is 70-90%. I have never had any problems with my reps that i wear outside and use when I'm working. I promise yoy when you're working outside here in mid summer, the temperature is in the mid to high 90's and the humidity is 85%, you are sweating like a hog, just walking around, much less doing anything physical. If A rep was going to get moisture inside, it would in those conditions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankt Posted March 10, 2013 Report Share Posted March 10, 2013 I live in SW Florida(That's as humid as it gets!!!)......I own @ 30 replica watches.....I have over the past 7 years had literally hundreds of various watches, the vast majority of them the cheaper Asian movement type, pass through my collection...I have NEVER had a "humidity related" failure that I can recall.... IMNSFHO, paying a premium price to avoid such a problem would be a colossal waste of money.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lloyd Posted March 10, 2013 Report Share Posted March 10, 2013 I live on the Texas coast and frequently go to countries such as Vietnam and central America. I know what hot and very humid is. If your watch is water tight, a rep is just as good as a gen. I have both rep and gen Rolex and Omega watches. A good rep is just as water tight as the gen. Of course I have had gens flood will diving. It just depends on how well the individual watch is sealed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panerai153 Posted March 10, 2013 Report Share Posted March 10, 2013 I live on the Texas coast and frequently go to countries such as Vietnam and central America. I know what hot and very humid is. If your watch is water tight, a rep is just as good as a gen. I have both rep and gen Rolex and Omega watches. A good rep is just as water tight as the gen. Of course I have had gens flood will diving. It just depends on how well the individual watch is sealed. You hit the nail on the head!! If you watch is leaking air around the crystal, pushers, crown, etc. It is going to draw moisture in, especially if you go from extremes of temperature like from air conditioned environment and a cold watch, you take it into a really warm area, you could get condensation inside, BUT only if it's not sealed. While many reps are water resistant, some are not. I pressure tested several reps a couple of years ago, here is a link to the old post http://www.rwgforum.net/topic/123307-waterproof-testing-my-experiences/?hl=%2Bpressure+%2Btest+%2Bresults As you can see from the thread, I tested 9 watches, 5 failed!!, so don't assume they are water resistant until demonstrated that they are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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