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Fiddy waterproofing advice please


dieselpower

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Greetings to all in Pannyland,

 

I bought a lovely well modded 'fiddy' some time ago in our sales section and have now had the watch tested for waterproofing. A watchmaker put it in his pressure tester and said it was pretty good - much better than he expected but did 'leak' a tiny air bubble from the edge of the glass where it meets the case at about 4 o'clock position. That was at 50 atmospheres. So my question is this - do you reckon it's ok to swim with? If not does anybody know of, or is it indeed possible to have the glass 'sealed' where it meets the case?

 

Thanks chaps.

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I’d send it to Natas. No matter what mods are done though I would not do more than casual swim with it. He did pressure test and seal and all that on my Bronzo and I’ve taken it in the ocean for casual swims. I’m sure others will have their opinions, but I’d never dive to depth with a rep watch. Try Natas. He’s the Man!


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  • 2 weeks later...
On 24 July 2019 at 6:05 AM, dieselpower said:

Greetings to all in Pannyland,

 

I bought a lovely well modded 'fiddy' some time ago in our sales section and have now had the watch tested for waterproofing. A watchmaker put it in his pressure tester and said it was pretty good - much better than he expected but did 'leak' a tiny air bubble from the edge of the glass where it meets the case at about 4 o'clock position. That was at 50 atmospheres. So my question is this - do you reckon it's ok to swim with? If not does anybody know of, or is it indeed possible to have the glass 'sealed' where it meets the case?

 

Thanks chaps.

 

As with any timepiece regardless of if it is a replica or licensed brand, the water resistant properties become as intense as the technicalities of the whole timepiece itself.

 

If it has passed the pressure test according to your watchmaker, then any air bubbles which may  arise may not necessarily be a leak as the pressure exerted  by the tester attempts to pump air into the watch itself, so if there is a leak, the flow of bubbles would be continuous until it gets filled with water. If there was one or two bubbles  arising, it may be an air lock somewhere between the crystal gasket and the case .  The old story is that if a watch passes the pressure test today may not necessarily imply that it will pass the test in a few weeks  time especially if there is a change in temperature in weather ( for example winter to spring) as the coefficient of expansion in the metal is not directly proportional to that of the crystal.

 

i personally would not even trust my genuine timepieces in deep water even if it passed the pressure test long before swimming and was stored  away directly after , simply because the seals do deteriorate over time and changes in environment may not be homogeneous.  If you imust use your timepiece in deep water, I would  suggest you have it re- tested closer to the period of when you intend to swim and at the change of each season.  Whenever I am in doubt about crystals, I use the following product around the crystal and gasket as an extra security 

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/10ml-Uv-Resin-Glue-21-LED-UV-Torch-Crystal-Watch-Glass-Metal-Furniture/263367610652?_trkparms=aid%3D1110001%26algo%3DSPLICE.SIM%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20190711095549%26meid%3Dbb00c345372d4902ab1cfdd925b316c7%26pid%3D100047%26rk%3D5%26rkt%3D12%26sd%3D253296207519%26itm%3D263367610652%26pg%3D2047675&_trksid=p2047675.c100047.m2108

 

( disclaimer I am in no way recommending this as bullet proof, nor do I have any direct or indirect vested interests in this product apart for personal use and educational purposes only )

BTW was your timepiece dry tested or wet tested?  

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To see air bubbles it has to be wet testing.

 

There are 2 types of wet testing, pressure & vacuum.

 

Vacuum: watch is submerged in water and the air in the tank is sucked out, any leaks and you will see a stream of bubbles from the case.

 

Pressure: watch is suspended above the water, pressure is applied to the tank, watch is submerged & then the air is gradually released. If the watch leaks air bubble will stream from the watch as the air in the chamber is gradually released.

 

A single air bubble at 50 atmospheres could have been an air bubble trapped between the bezel/case and crystal? A certified 'leak' will produced a stream of bubbles (slow or fast) not a single bubble.

 

If it was me, I wouldn't worry. Dive in and enjoy yourself!

 

 

 

 

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You should be fine swimming with it. Scuba diving - i'd never rely with my life on a rep watch. There are proper diving watches / computers for that purpose.

 

Water Resistance Chart

3 ATM, 30m, 100ft

Suitable for everyday use. Will withstand accidental splashes but not suitable for swimming.

5 ATM, 50m, 165ft

Suitable for everyday use and bathing but not suitable for swimming.

10 ATM, 100m, 330ft

Suitable for everyday use and swimming and snorkelling but NOT suitable for high board diving or sub-aqua diving.

20 ATM, 200m, 660ft

Suitable for all high impact water sports and scuba diving at depths not requiring helium gas. At these depths it is recommended to purchase a professional watch

20 - 50 ATM, 200 - 500m

Suitable for all high impact water sports, scuba diving and saturation diving.

100 ATM, 1000m

Suitable for deep sea diving and intergalactic travels.

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