danielv2000 Posted August 1, 2014 Report Share Posted August 1, 2014 I headed out this morning on a 5 day beach and snorkeling adventure. I have access to nothing! I have limited access to internet. Very slow. This morning, as I jumped in, I noticed my crown was not screwed all the way in. And now, there's some fog in there. What can I do? As I said, I'm in the middle of nowhere for 5 days! For now, I've left it unscrewed and put it with my socks. I would do a search but internet out here is Middle Ages! Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verbal Posted August 1, 2014 Report Share Posted August 1, 2014 Perhaps best thing to do with limited resources you have is put it in a bag filled with white rice for the remainder of your trip, leave the crown unscrewed so the rice can absorb the moist Verstuurd vanaf mijn Nexus 5 met Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpz5142 Posted August 1, 2014 Report Share Posted August 1, 2014 Have you any dry rice? Could leave it in the package with the crown unscrewed, just be mindful that the crown is turned in a fashion to limit any dust getting in it. When you get back to land get the caseback opened up and give it a look to see if there is any moisture still inside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike on a bike Posted August 1, 2014 Report Share Posted August 1, 2014 Rice ,yup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ezio Posted August 1, 2014 Report Share Posted August 1, 2014 Like the others Said Rice is your friend Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milsub5517 Posted August 1, 2014 Report Share Posted August 1, 2014 (edited) yes, bury it in the bag of rice. or any other absorbent you can find there. i guess kitty litter might work as well, just put your watch into a nylon sock or something similar to protect from getting small pieces of absorbent inside the watch or scratching. otherwise the absorbent will suck the moisture out. Edited August 1, 2014 by milsub5517 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danielv2000 Posted August 1, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2014 Thanks. Will try to find rice!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanuq Posted August 1, 2014 Report Share Posted August 1, 2014 See if you can unscrew the caseback with your thumbs. If not, unscrew the crown and pull it completely out to the time setting position, then set it in the hot sun so the dial faces the sun. It will get VERY hot, and that increases the pressure inside the case (Boyle's Law) forcing pressure and moisture out the crown tube. Put it back in the shade (same dry outside air) and let it cool. Repeat. Every time you heat and cool it, the excess humidity inside the case will escape out the crown tube until the humidity outside matches the humidity inside. I flooded my Big Crown in Hawaii and did this... a few hot/cool cycles dried it out. PS: you are in a hot climate on vacation, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bomber22 Posted August 1, 2014 Report Share Posted August 1, 2014 Always have a dry bag wih you those zip lock bags that suck moisture out of Phones watches everything never leave on a vacation because of that your not at home field so your [censored] if disaster happens Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgtguk Posted August 1, 2014 Report Share Posted August 1, 2014 Nanuq has it mate, had this happen to me too.......it works Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prdubis Posted August 1, 2014 Report Share Posted August 1, 2014 And have it serviced when back home... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SSTEEL Posted August 2, 2014 Report Share Posted August 2, 2014 The water you were snorkelling in, was if fresh water, or salt water? If the latter, then you will need to get the watch serviced, if fresh water, you maybe lucky with the uncooked rice, or silica packs option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danielv2000 Posted August 2, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 2, 2014 Thanks Nanuq for the extra advice! I did this today and let it bake in the sun. Put it away again. Will repeat tomorrow. Luckily, it was not salt water as I took a dip in the pool before jumping in the ocean and that's when I noticed it. Never swimming with a gen again! It's not worth the headaches. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GenTLe Posted August 2, 2014 Report Share Posted August 2, 2014 (edited) See if you can unscrew the caseback with your thumbs. If not, unscrew the crown and pull it completely out to the time setting position, then set it in the hot sun so the dial faces the sun. It will get VERY hot, and that increases the pressure inside the case (Boyle's Law) forcing pressure and moisture out the crown tube. Put it back in the shade (same dry outside air) and let it cool. Repeat. Every time you heat and cool it, the excess humidity inside the case will escape out the crown tube until the humidity outside matches the humidity inside. I flooded my Big Crown in Hawaii and did this... a few hot/cool cycles dried it out. PS: you are in a hot climate on vacation, right? Uhm, I'm not fully agreeing with you this time. I know from my other hobby that one of the reason for which an engine oil get degraded is because it absorbs humidity from the air while it cools down. This happens because while the cavities of the engine goes down in temperature, air from outside gets in from the various "breathing holes" the engine has (Boyle laws again). This air has a good amount of water inside and this water then get deposited inside the engine. I believe the same is for a watch, so I'd change a bit your procedure: open it and let it get hot at sun, but ten make it cool down inside a box of rice or similar material, so that the air that gets in is dried. My 2c. Edited August 2, 2014 by GenTLe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legend Posted August 2, 2014 Report Share Posted August 2, 2014 Like the others Said Rice is your friend you know S, that sounds really funny.. lol But to the OP, I had a similar experience last year, and I just unscrewed the crown totally and left it in the sun for a few hours. (I had no access to RICE lol) Everything was good thereafter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbane883 Posted August 2, 2014 Report Share Posted August 2, 2014 You could always heat the watch by placing it beside a light bulb or using your hotel hair dryer. Also, if you are staying in a villa and your unit has a Refrigerator (frost-free), you can place it in there overnight and it will "de humidify". But more efficient if you can get the Caseback open. If you can find rice or ideally, silica gel packs, you can alternate all of the above methods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panerai153 Posted August 2, 2014 Report Share Posted August 2, 2014 If you aren't sure about the water resistance, best to leave it on dry land, but if you insist, try it out in a fresh water pool first. Better to have a flood from fresh water than salt water. Salt water will do way more damage than fresh. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
importr Posted August 3, 2014 Report Share Posted August 3, 2014 I'm the opposite of some of you guys; I never take a rep on holiday! I only choose one gen and it meets all my needs. Never had waterproofing issues but I have scratched the gens while swimming, climbing and fooling around, as you do. I once went away with a rep that I thought was super reliable, only for it to stop working on the 2nd day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swdivad Posted August 3, 2014 Report Share Posted August 3, 2014 Got pool water (with chlorine) in one of my gens and it was an arm and a leg to get the repairs done... the pool chlorine was the real killer in my case, ate the [censored] out of the dial & hands lume and worked its way into the movement quite well too :-( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prdubis Posted August 3, 2014 Report Share Posted August 3, 2014 Got pool water (with chlorine) in one of my gens and it was an arm and a leg to get the repairs done... the pool chlorine was the real killer in my case, ate the [censored] out of the dial & hands lume and worked its way into the movement quite well too :-( +1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike on a bike Posted August 3, 2014 Report Share Posted August 3, 2014 Only gens for water period I look into water proofing my reps just to wash hands,dishes at home not for swiming or boating on my lake and no watch should be worn in the shower. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bc1221 Posted August 5, 2014 Report Share Posted August 5, 2014 Like others have said. Rice. If you can't find rice, raid the pantry for anything with a pack of those silicon gel things in it. Practically everything comes with a pack of those. Cut a few open, dump in to a small bowl. Put watch in with it and cover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panerai153 Posted August 5, 2014 Report Share Posted August 5, 2014 Like others have said. Rice. If you can't find rice, raid the pantry for anything with a pack of those silicon gel things in it. Practically everything comes with a pack of those. Cut a few open, dump in to a small bowl. Put watch in with it and cover. Problem is when you are on vacation, you usually don't have access to your tools, rice, containers, etc, unless you make a trip to a local grocery, get a bag of rice and a cheap plastic container. Like MOB, I don't wear my reps swimming, snorkeling or diving. When we go on a beach vacation or cruise, I usually take a rep or two for evenings and non water related activities, plus a gen diver for the water stuff. Last December we went to Atlantis in the Bahamas for a meeting/ vacation. I took my AP ROO Diver FC for everyday wear, my franken 16613 for evenings and my Ocean7 LM7 Ploprof homage for beach and diving. Worked out great, no worries. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danielv2000 Posted August 5, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 5, 2014 I took 1 gen and 1 franken 5514 (which will never get close to water!). Somehow, the crown got loose on my GMT. I always check unfortunately, this time, I checked after I hit the water. I was in maybe 5 minutes tops but that's 5 minutes too long! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.