Waterproofing, I need it (maybe)!

[spikey]

Hi, I'm a noob. These boards have been great and I thank you all for participating.

About me, I just bought my 1st rep, a quartz Planet Ocean. The reason for the quartz was the low cost and law maintenance. I also have a PAM 111h on order, also from Andrew. The second order was done the same day my 1st rep arrived...I was so excited!

However, I can't live with knowing that one day I may need to take my rep off before going into the pool or into the ocean (So. FL).

So, I took my PO to a local jeweler, of course the guy didn't know it was a rep until I told him... he also sells Rolex and Tissot and was hard for me to figure out why would he not be up to speed with the rep phenomenon.... Anyway, I told my jeweler I want him to waterproof the PO (which may be missing a gasket under the He valve) and he's obviously not interested in working on it, he says that he can't do it because it will use different parts than the orig, bla bla, he can't take the responsibility... anyway he's not rep friendly.

My question is, is there anybody on this board that had his rep waterproofed and tested by a watch smith and would he put me in contact with said watch smith so I could send my reps for the same service. I'm looking at 30FT at most.... also, I'm interested in the price.

Thanks,

Spikey

Edited May 24, 2008 by spikey_ap@yahoo.com

[fotoman]

here is the easy answer - a Rep is a rep, if you want to swim, get a cheap gen like a nice citizen.

if your concerned about $$ enough to buy a quartz PO (any watchmaker worth thier salt would know that omega doesn't make quartz PO) instead of getting one for $125 bucks from silix, i wouldn't even THINK of trying to pay someone to "water proof" it, they will take your money, tighten your case and walk away. and most likley charge you close to or more than whatever you paid for that rep.

Bienvenidos A Miami

[archibald]

Hi and welcome to RWG. Let me save you a lot of time, money and headaches: Head down to Sam's club or it's equivalent near you. Whip out the debit card and buy a Seiko Orange Monster, which is a fine orange dive watch you can buy for a little more than you paid for the PO rep. Wear it to the beach instead of your planet ocean. Why? #1 Nobody who knows what a planet ocean is is going to believe your quartz planet ocean is real. #2 Even people who don't know much about omegas will know your planet ocean is a rep since the general population thinks a fake watch "ticks instead of sweeps." #3 Moreover, everyone will wonder why you're taking off your dive watch before swimming, which you should do because there is no way to waterproof your rep or very many other $50 watches.

One of the first things you'll learn if you hang around here (a lesson I and many of our RWG pals have learned the hard way) is that most reps, especially low cost reps, are made to fool people and in no way are designed or built to be function like their gen counterparts. These second thing is, sadly, that the cheapest version of reps rarely are worth even their low cost because they rarely serve either purpose--fooling people or functioning something like the gen.

[spikey]

Ok... to better explain my decision to buy a rep is to have a cheap, working, nice looking watch.

So the idea was that the quartz is cheap. The rep is not that bad (it fooled the jeweler and the watch smith - who should anyway know more than the average Joe) and if someone calls it, I'll admit to it. The only problem is that I want it to be just as useful as my $200 Sector Chrono.

So let's assume I get a nice Aquaracer Chrono DayDate ...which is a diver watch, could that be water proofed? How expensive would that be?

Thanks,

Spikey

@phoband: Gracias!

@archibald: I remember reading a thread here and there were some people here that had water proof reps, either done by the dealer or by some watch smith or just by the factory. I thought that the case is identical to the more expensive watch with a better automatic or manual movt. (swiss, etc

[fotoman]

"waterproofing" is a scam dont believe it. thats what we are trying to tell you. many watches survive water. some dont. you wont know till you try. again dont wear it when you think your going swimming. wear the sector.

regarding the jewler most are reluctant to call you out because 1 they are trying to make sales and 2 they are idiots who dont know jack about watches.

we ask that you dont try the jewler test because that will bring more attention to us. try searing under ad or authorized dealer and se this lmessage being sent over and over and over.

moral is enjoy the watch but dont expect it to stand up to the wear and tear of a gen. maybe yours wont leak. is it worth the 50 bucks to buy a new one to tey it out?

[spooky driver]

my uPO is waterproof cos it says so on the dial....yeah 600m

ok i'll get my coat

[Seadweller4000]

my uPO is waterproof cos it says so on the dial....yeah 600m

ok i'll get my coat

:lol:

[spikey]

"waterproofing" is a scam dont believe it. thats what we are trying to tell you. many watches survive water. some dont. you wont know till you try. again dont wear it when you think your going swimming. wear the sector.

regarding the jewler most are reluctant to call you out because 1 they are trying to make sales and 2 they are idiots who dont know jack about watches.

we ask that you dont try the jewler test because that will bring more attention to us. try searing under ad or authorized dealer and se this lmessage being sent over and over and over.

moral is enjoy the watch but dont expect it to stand up to the wear and tear of a gen. maybe yours wont leak. is it worth the 50 bucks to buy a new one to tey it out?

50 yes, but I paid 140 including shipping from Andrew... so, I don't know. I'll tighten the He valve and give it a try. I'm leaving today on vacation - Captiva Island and I'll report when I get back. Thanks!

[Spy]

Andrew (Trustytime) and Chris (EuroTimez) both say they can waterproof and test non-chrono watches to 50m depth.

Based on this thread, it suggests their claims should be taken with "a pinch of salt"

Is this true ?

[Chronus]

Andrew (Trustytime) and Chris (EuroTimez) both say they can waterproof and test non-chrono watches to 50m depth.

Based on this thread, it suggests their claims should be taken with "a pinch of salt"

Is this true ?

Don't know about ET as he inspects watches himself... Andrew is a dropshipper so he wont even see if it's done... collusion or not to make some extra I have no idea...but to be safe, better to get it tested yourself.

[P4GTR]

Most of these guys here couldn't care less about waterproofing, yes?

That being said, to some it matters. Summer is here in Florida! I want my rep dive watches to have good movements, good seals, and be able to take a d@mned dip with me! We all have our desires, and our reasons.

Your best chances in my opinion, are to go with a SFSO ( breitling steelfish superocean), or a SSD (Rolex super sea-dweller) both of these reps are designed to be, and stated to be waterproof from the collectors.

Casebacks are notorious for being loose upon arrival. If it is, unscrew it, check to make sure they put a gasket in your caseback, see if theres any grease (there should be). then tighten it down correctly.

Never take your rep to an AD, but you can go to a jewlery fix-it place in the mall or whatever and have your watches waterproof tested, so you will know if they are (and to what degree) or arent without ruining the watch.

Do some reading around here. My submariner and SFSO have come swimming with me more then once! I paid for waterproofing on my sub, but it failed a waterproofing test upon arrival, so it required some work to get where I wanted it to be. (collector more then made it up to me)

Good luck!

My SFSO

My Sub

[fotoman]

Andrew (Trustytime) and Chris (EuroTimez) both say they can waterproof and test non-chrono watches to 50m depth.

Based on this thread, it suggests their claims should be taken with "a pinch of salt"

Is this true ?

bunch of bs

[P4GTR]

bunch of bs

Chris too, you think?

[DeepSeaMaster]

I used to wear my seamaster chrono in the shower every day, and it never ever ever got any moisture in it.

water resistance is the calling card of a quality watch, why spend $60 on a rep, and $150 to get it waterproofed, just buy a better rep.

If you bought a UPO and had it all lubricated, and screwed down hard (incidentally a top tip for making a rep waterproof is to screw on the case back, it isn't screwed on properly at the moment!!) then you will have a water resistant watch!

however if you want to do more than dive and swim in shallow waters then buy a dive watch!!!!

the noob factory watches are used all the time for swimming, and seem to have amazing QC, and like I say my rep seamaster never let me down!

[iceberg1459]

just check if the caseback is tight with rubber ring inside and the crown is screwed also tight, it should be no problem with swimming, snorkeling...trust me

[yim156]

My reps pass hand-washing and watch-cleaning tests. Other than that I don't know.

BTW, even I send my GST to serviced, it did NOT even pass the deep watch-cleaning test.

Only one crown watches survive from leakage.

[crystalcranium]

Water resistance treating a cheap rep is a TOTAL waste of money and time. I own about $4000 in genuine diving watches. Know what I wear in the surf? An 11 year old Seiko diver. Why?...I wore my $2000 Omega SMP Chrono into the waves one afternoon and after riding one in, I noticed the bezel had poped off. $400 later my "trailer queen" went back on my wrist for dry land duty only. The moral is you can tell anyone who gives you grief as to why you are not wearing your macho diving watch into the drink that wearing something rock solid, inexpersive and reliable is what smart people do.

[andreww]

I remember a member who not that long ago ordered an UPO and paid $50 extra to have it waterproofed. When the watch arrived it had zero threads in the crown tube and would not come close to screwing down. So explain to me how the dealer's watchsmith managed to waterproof it and how he got it to pass a 50m pressure test?

[andreww]

Water resistance treating a cheap rep is a TOTAL waste of money and time. I own about $4000 in genuine diving watches. Know what I wear in the surf? An 11 year old Seiko diver. Why?...I wore my $2000 Omega SMP Chrono into the waves one afternoon and after riding one in, I noticed the bezel had poped off. $400 later my "trailer queen" went back on my wrist for dry land duty only. The moral is you can tell anyone who gives you grief as to why you are not wearing your macho diving watch into the drink that wearing something rock solid, inexpersive and reliable is what smart people do.

I agree, I've got an Asian SFSO and an UPO Lite that I use for swimming. I've got no interest in getting any of my other more valuable watches anywhere near the pool.