jiainsmith Posted March 4, 2008 Report Share Posted March 4, 2008 Are there any rep models out there that are truly waterproof from the factory. Also is it worth having them waterproofed or pressure tested by the guy selling it to you, e.g. Josh. Secondly do any of the Helium valves work on the reps or are they purely cosmetic. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugwash Posted March 4, 2008 Report Share Posted March 4, 2008 Proven myth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest carlsbadrolex Posted March 4, 2008 Report Share Posted March 4, 2008 If you consider o-rings and gaskets in their proper place "waterproofing" then YES it is fact. If you consider these same o-rings and gaskets being "proper;y installed and lubed" as "waterproofing" then it is Myth. Its a crap shoot, but DONT pay extra for this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted March 4, 2008 Report Share Posted March 4, 2008 A few rep watches contain working Helium valves which are correct in their construction, but there is no guarantee that they would work in execution. And no offense intended to Josh or any of our other esteemed collectors, but, as the previous members stated, I would not rely on anything a seller tells you regarding waterproofness or servicing. If you need a waterproof watch, you will need to pay for the services of a real watchmaker (or buy a water pressure tester (about $500+) & learn to repair watches yourself). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jiainsmith Posted March 4, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 4, 2008 I guess asking another way, are there any watches that can be worn in the shower, go swimming etc. I see the Super Sea Dweller and the Steelfish Super Ocean are described as being waterproof. Any comments on that?? Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FxrAndy Posted March 4, 2008 Report Share Posted March 4, 2008 @ Jiannsmith why not make a poll out of this and see how people vote? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jiainsmith Posted March 4, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 4, 2008 @ Jiannsmith why not make a poll out of this and see how people vote? Sounds like a good idea, but don't know how to set up a poll. Can anyone tell me?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted March 4, 2008 Report Share Posted March 4, 2008 I would never take a rep into any water, including showers or washing hands, until/unless it had been properly pressure tested. Alot of people do it without any problems, but there are also alot of posts that begin with something like 'My watch is supposed to be waterproof, but it filled with water when I showered'. Unless you can afford to replace it, I would play it safe & remove your watch whenever you are near moisture. Better safe than sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onzenuub Posted March 4, 2008 Report Share Posted March 4, 2008 If a watch could be in the water we could learn it to swim, so keep it dry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nightstroker Posted March 4, 2008 Report Share Posted March 4, 2008 Never swim or shower with your rep unless it has been waterproofed by a watchsmith.... The HE valves in some of the reps are functional....but they wont do you any good unless you are a commercial diver and you spend some time in a decompression tank.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jiainsmith Posted March 4, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 4, 2008 I would never take a rep into any water, including showers or washing hands, until/unless it had been properly pressure tested. Alot of people do it without any problems, but there are also alot of posts that begin with something like 'My watch is supposed to be waterproof, but it filled with water when I showered'. Unless you can afford to replace it, I would play it safe & remove your watch whenever you are near moisture. Better safe than sorry. is there any reason why reps can't be waterproofed. Can The Zigmeister waterproof for example. Anyone know how much that might be - PM me if preferred with that info. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FxrAndy Posted March 4, 2008 Report Share Posted March 4, 2008 Yes they can be and some are of for swimming direct from the source but who knows which ones, with a little experience and a couple of tools you could assure your self that it is fine for may be showering, light swimming, but it is a lottery, if you like to gamble then fine. I do! I have swam with all my reps except my porto chrono and speedmaster and only had one problem with an Ingy, but i am lucky! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted March 4, 2008 Report Share Posted March 4, 2008 (edited) Hmm... Let me think... Putting a rep near water... Probably not the best idea... Joking aside, I've never really had a problem with putting a decent rep in water. I admit, I haven't gone diving in one, but, thus far, they've all stood up to everyday immersion, all the way up to swimming hard against a wave machine. A decently constructed rep, of something like a PAM or Submariner, is likey to be just as waterproof as it's genuine counterpart, afterall, both include a solid case, gasgets, screw/lock down crown etc, so should, by nature of the design, be reasonably waterproof. If a dealer sells a watch as waterproof, I'd test it tentatively before going for a swim, but, I'd certainly never pay extra to have a watch which was 'guaranteed' as being waterproofed prior to shipping. Given the track record for folks who have done so, it's pretty obvious that this is just an extra way for the dealer to skim a few extra bucks from people, but providing absolutely nothing. If the watch doesn't leaked, hey, it was waterproofed ( ) If it leaks, oh, sorry, they must've made a mistake doing it... Culpable deniability. I say wear them in water, and to hell with the consequences, if it floods, just buy a new watch. Besides, nothing's going to scream 'FAKE!!!' to associates at a pool party more than someone nervously removing an SS watch prior to getting in. Leather, sure, that's excuseable, no one wants to get a leather strap wet and ruin the strap, but SS or rubber, why the hesitation? Edited March 4, 2008 by TeeJay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugwash Posted March 4, 2008 Report Share Posted March 4, 2008 You can't make a watch waterproof, but you can test a watch for water resistance. If it tests well, you can shower in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chubbchubb Posted March 4, 2008 Report Share Posted March 4, 2008 The problem with waterproof is not so much the rep itself - which in most cases is contructed very similar to it's gen counterpart, but the non-existent QC of the Rep-Factories / drop-shipping Dealers. Unless you have a few tools and feel comfortable taking your watch apart, I would not take any freshly delivered rep (maybe with the exception of my TTK noobmariners ;-) for a swim. In most cases, casebacks are not tightened, o-rings are not lubed or even there and sometimes case, crown and crystal are not perfect specimens of their race.... In my early days of rep-collecting I paid an extra 50$ waterproofing fee for a PO 007 from one of our "seasoned" dealers and that watch arrived with a loose caseback... now I own a Bergeon 555, silicon grease and many tools... and I don't believe in "ultimate" or "waterproof" anymore. If you don't want to get into that watch-improvement thing... take your candidate to a local, small watchsmith (not an AD). To have a watch tested costs less than a cheap plastic strap... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corgi Posted March 5, 2008 Report Share Posted March 5, 2008 (edited) I had my watch waterproofed by a local mega dealer and it came looking like this: ...needless to say I have never even been close to having it touch even a drop of water. Edited March 5, 2008 by Corgi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Victoria Posted March 5, 2008 Report Share Posted March 5, 2008 I guess asking another way, are there any watches that can be worn in the shower, go swimming etc. I see the Super Sea Dweller and the Steelfish Super Ocean are described as being waterproof. Any comments on that?? You probably read Mr. Jon Fort's recent post about this: http://www.rwg.cc/members/index.php?showtopic=68494&hl= He compared his SFSO and SSD in a deep dive. The SFSO didn't survive, the SSD did. Both are "guaranteed" to certain depths, by the respective collectors. If that's what you mean, by the thread question, then yes, some rep watches are indeed water resistant (not waterproof, since that nomenclature is obsolete IIRC). But if you mean that $50 +- service offered by some dealers, as an add-on, I have to tell you very frankly that even when I was the NEWBIEST newbie here, and was buying my first rep watch...I never believed that. Instinctively, I knew it was a myth (so as not to say lie). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiker01 Posted March 5, 2008 Report Share Posted March 5, 2008 I guess I've been lucky, all the Rolexes I have from Joshua (Subs/GMT/YM/ExplorerII), SFSO Asian, Non Chrono PAMS and Ferrari 08, and Chopard GTXL Asian have all been in water (shower/swimming/jacuzzi/turkish bath) and made it with no problems! I have since opened all of them and greased the caseback and crown/tube o-rings. I have two Radiomirs from TTK that I did the same and so far have been fine in water. Look here: http://www.rwg.cc/members/index.php?showto...hl=torture+test On the other hand, I learned not to trust the Chrono models! I made the mistake of wearing my Navitimer TT and PAM 253 in the shower and regeretted doing it.....they've been serviced since, so they're ok, but that's the last time I'll wear a Chrono in water, except the Ferrari 08....that thing is build like a tank! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdavis Posted March 5, 2008 Report Share Posted March 5, 2008 I had my watch waterproofed by a local mega dealer and it came looking like this: ...needless to say I have never even been close to having it touch even a drop of water. I have a gold TT also that shows discoloration from time to time. However, it isn't as bad as yours. I am told that it is caused by hand oils that were not cleaned prior to the application of the gold. I have been able to remove it with Flitz metal polish. It is non abrasive polish and has not harmed the gold plating/layering on the band. The "rust" will return but, a light buff by hand will take care of the problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rolexman Posted March 6, 2008 Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 Simple test. Remove the movement. Grease the seals. Screw the case back and crown back on (without the movement). Let it lie in your bathtub for a couple of hours. Take it out and lay it crystal up on your radiator. If the crystal doesn't fog up it's WP. But the watch back together and you can swim with it. Done it with ALL my reps and it didn't ever fail! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doc savage Posted March 6, 2008 Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 (edited) What about heating the watch and putting it in a beaker of cold water, then watching for escaping bubbles. Would the higher pressure inside the watch keep the water from seeping in? Edited March 6, 2008 by doc savage Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jawo Posted March 6, 2008 Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 All I can say is that if a dealer offers the waterproofing service, they should back up the service with a certificate or guarantee. There is no way to know whether the watch has been touched at all. I had a UPO waterproofed for free from Joshua. He had stated the only thing that is done is that the HE valve is glued shut with Crazy glue and silicone. I have taken the watch diving at 30 meters. Not terribly deep but still remained intact nevertheless. I frankly would never pay for the service unless I got pics of the watch hooked up to a pressure tester and a certificate of guarantee of water resistance to the depth and pressure stated in the service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USMC8404 Posted March 6, 2008 Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 (edited) @ Corgi. If you take a pencil erasor to the band you can get the discoloration off easy. Had the same problem. It is not water that did it. It is the Nitric acid they used to TEST the gold on your band... Edited March 6, 2008 by USMC8404 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.