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Submariner Water Resistance


Pablo

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Just bought a Rolex Submariner from Eddie Lee and I'm not sure of it's water resistance. Has anyone bought one of these and gone swimming, showered, etc. with it and your experience?

This is my typical rant about WR. Remember, this is a replica designed to give the appearance of a Rolex but as far as performance....it's an unwaranteed watch assembled in an uncontrolled enviornment with NO QC so expect nothing as far as WR. Now, these can be had pre serviced for WR to 50M which in the real world of WR means you can wash your hands with them on but, if even these serviced watches fail WR....where are you gonna go??? They are almost certainly trash if this happens.

Best advice I can give you is to buy a Seiko Diver for your water adventures and save the fake Rollie for the dry confines of the local bar where it can perform at its' optimal best...attracting chicks.

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I disagree, with respect. There's nothing that makes a Rolex scream "fake!" to everyone around you than the guy who has to take off his "diver's watch", to jump in the pool. Unless you got a rare, poorly made fluke, they're waterproof enough for light swimming & showering.

I had a $500 Swiss Bergeon pressure tester, and not a sub I've purchased--from EL, Andrew, or Josh--have ever failed a test. Every single one of them withstood 5-6 bars/atms. I've had them swimming in a chlorine water pool at the house, and as far as 10-15 ft in salt-water. Mind you, look at the crystal to make sure it's level & set properly, make sure the crown is screwed all the way in and the case-back on tight before it hits the water. The crown-tube rings, the one inside the end of the crown, and the case-back gasket need to be touched up with some silicon grease too. If you can't do it yourself, have a smith do it properly. It's only $20 or $30.

Note: By light swimming, I mean just that. Not snorkeling, or scuba. No heavy impact (i.e fast lap swimming, or diving boards).

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Make sure that the gaskets are lubed properly and that the caseback is sealed tightly (but not over tight). Once those items are addressed, have a watchmaker run a test to check it's water resistance. Should be good to go, as the cases are machined to tolerances that are quite precise.

Of course, no dealer will guarantee a rep to be water resistant out of the box; at least, not without having their own watchmaker go over the watch at an added cost. Most factories do not do much in the way of QC, so the quality control is usually handled by a 3rd party after the fact (either the dealer's watch guy, your own watch guy, or yourself if you have the equipment necessary to perform such tasks).

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I disagree, with respect. There's nothing that makes a Rolex scream "fake!" to everyone around you than the guy who has to take off his "diver's watch", to jump in the pool.

I'm just an old wuss. Yes, I take off my expensive genuine diver's watch and put on an infinately disposable and replaceable Seiko diver when I go swimming. There's no way my $5000 genuine gets anywhere near water even if it is 1000M tested. Just too much of a risk. Do I think this screams fake??? No, it screams paranoid genuine owner without enough insurance.

Your statement is full of disclaimers about the vigorousness of swimming, depth of diving etc....I have had 150M guaranteed genuines fog playing in the surf and fog on my sweaty wrist. There is no way I subject an uncontrolled QC replica near water, greased and checked or not. Do it at your own risk and more power to you if they survive. Just not worth it IMHO.

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There's no way my $5000 genuine gets anywhere near water even if it is 1000M tested. Just too much of a risk. Do I think this screams fake??? No, it screams paranoid genuine owner without enough insurance.

Must agree- A genuine watch is only as water resistant as it's last check up. For a watch to really maintain water resistance, one would have to have their watch checked periodically; say annually for good measure to ensure that their case is staying air tight. after all, seals dry, need replacing, need re-lubing, etc. Especially if they are subjected to harsh conditions often.

Personally, I would do the same with my gens. As a matter of fact, if I go swimming, I typically wear no watch at all.

...But I do think that a properly tested, sealed and lubed rep can be just as reliable in wet conditions...

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Just bought a Rolex Submariner from Eddie Lee and I'm not sure of it's water resistance. Has anyone bought one of these and gone swimming, showered, etc. with it and your experience?

As I have written many times before, complete with pictures:

I have bought them, and tested them in a waterproof tester made for watches

I have verified that each and every one of them (see past posts with pics of collection) are waterproof to 5ATM

I routinely wear my reps fishing, swiming and, in fact, scuba diving. Please, no more BS from the peanut gallery about that being unduly risky, divers have not relied upon wrist watches for twenty years. Risky is wearing a $5000 watch underwater where things that get lost, stay lost.

I have never, ever, ever , ever had a failure in watertight integrity.

Bill

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I don't know gentlemen; to me that's like saying, I'll never drive my car, because it might break down one day. The first hour that gen Sea Pro chrono was on my wrist last week, it was in the hot tub & then the pool until 2am. At my AD, a two-year warranty is a two-year warranty, regardless. My gen '96 sub also went scuba-doo weekly, for almost 10 years, without a single re-testing.

A sports watch--real or not--isn't just about style, it should also be substance; form and function. There's not much point in wearing a sports model over a dress model for the look of one, if it's not capable of being involved in those sort of activities.

To me it's as pointless as those fat chicks you see who always wear track-suits everywhere they go, but obviously not for exercise. :)

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To me it's as pointless as those fat chicks you see who always wear track-suits everywhere they go, but obviously not for exercise. :)

Gio, I like fat chicks in running suits . . . but I am in southern Florida.

Trust me when I tell you that a fat woman in a running suit is true bliss to gaze upon compared to the same fat chick walking down South Beach in a thong.

BTW -- has anyone seen that "[censored] in the Box" video. That damn thing is hilarious!!!!!!!

Bill

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I'm just an old wuss. Yes, I take off my expensive genuine diver's watch and put on an infinately disposable and replaceable Seiko diver when I go swimming. There's no way my $5000 genuine gets anywhere near water even if it is 1000M tested. Just too much of a risk. Do I think this screams fake??? No, it screams paranoid genuine owner without enough insurance.

Your statement is full of disclaimers about the vigorousness of swimming, depth of diving etc....I have had 150M guaranteed genuines fog playing in the surf and fog on my sweaty wrist. There is no way I subject an uncontrolled QC replica near water, greased and checked or not. Do it at your own risk and more power to you if they survive. Just not worth it IMHO.

I cannot agree more with that -- every time I see a guy wearing expensive-looking watch in the pool I think it's gota be fake. The other day I say a guy swimming with a golden AP on a gator strap, now, what moron would risk that with a $20k watch? I mean AP's are not exactly as waterproof as Seiko divers, swimming pools have hard edges and one can easily break or damage the wach by kicking it accidentaly, plus what's the deal of wearing $500 straps in water -- bit by bit will be gone. Immediate conclusion, beyond any doubt, that watch must have been the cheapest crap $20 fake

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I dunno... Maybe it's just me. Personally, I like to get my gens checked over every year (or maybe even every other year at most), to ensure that my cases are sealed and water tight rather than finding out the hard way with a fogged crystal, or flooded case.

Of course, YMMV... But to me, a quick $20 check up once a year is a heck of a lot cheaper than having a movement replaced because it's rusted. Just my opinion...

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I have a Nympho I have taken into my jacuzzi a few times. sill works fine.

Thom

That's fine, all I'm saying is that I don't like risking my investments by taking them into battle...that's all. If I owned a 1963 Vette, it wouldnt get much road time either and I certainly wouldn't take it out in the rain or drag race it down on Delaware Avenue.

Some people wear their fine watches daily, some wear them only on special occasions.

If it's a rainy day in watchland, I go out in my Seiko or Casio.

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If I owned a 1963 Vette, it wouldnt get much road time either and I certainly wouldn't take it out in the rain or drag race it down on Delaware Avenue.

a vette was probably a bad comparison ... they're pretty reliable GM cars and rust isn't the biggest problem for them ( their bodies are fiber glass after all) ... for non- sports models fine don't go swimming with them ... but as far as sports models go... they should be doing what they say on the box ... its kind of like getting a land rover and not getting it dirty. My rep 5517 has gone up to 15 feet under and works fine . Hell My gen MOP datejust worth over $7k has taken 10 feet plunges in the pacific .. Rollies were built to be abused they are the work-horses of the horological community and are built to be robust (with the exception of the very confusing Cellini range) . That said , with reps you should make sure that they have the gaskets in the right places and have been tested b4 you go splashing about with them... but once WR has been confirmed i think you should get them as wet as possible.... after all -thats what subs were built for .

Edited by rag9fx
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a vette was probably a bad comparison ... they're pretty reliable GM cars and rust isn't the biggest problem for them ( their bodies are fiber glass after all) ... for non- sports models fine don't go swimming with them ... but as far as sports models go... they should be doing what they say on the box ... its kind of like getting a land rover and not getting it dirty. My rep 5517 has gone up to 15 feet under and works fine . Hell My gen MOP datejust worth over $7k has taken 10 feet plunges in the pacific .. Rollies were built to be abused they are the work-horses of the horological community and are built to be robust (with the exception of the very confusing Cellini range) . That said , with reps you should make sure that they have the gaskets in the right places and have been tested b4 you go splashing about with them... but once WR has been confirmed i think you should get them as wet as possible.... after all -thats what subs were built for .

When you decide to re-sell your Rollies, I'll be sure to put in a low bid!!! :)

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if i was into modern subs id take them into the water without much thought, but id also get them in once a year for a water test too.

my love of the vintage models means that im a little more respectful and so keep them away from anything more than a damp cloth to wipe them clean.

my 5512 hasnt got the tightest caseback in the world for starters :)

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