Puzzling Condensation Problem

[gregers]

The first time that I wore my quartz Porsche Flat Six, condensation developed on the crystal. Odd, because it had never been near water. The moisture disappeared fairly quickly but continually reappeared after it had been on my wrist for a while.

Assuming that somehow there must have been some ingress of moisture, I took the back off, removed the movement and left it exposed for a week. However, on resuming wearing it the same pattern established itself.

The type of condensation that appears is not the usual 'misting' type, but is more like distinct, micro- droplets of water. These always disappears overnight when taken off the wrist, only to eventually return after various periods of use.

I have had the back off several times but cannot eliminate the problem, far less come up with some credible rationale for its cause.

Has anybody else ever experienced anything similar and is there a solution for this annoying problem, which is effectively making the watch unwearable?

[Toadtorrent]

The first time that I wore my quartz Porsche Flat Six, condensation developed on the crystal. Odd, because it had never been near water. The moisture disappeared fairly quickly but continually reappeared after it had been on my wrist for a while.

Assuming that somehow there must have been some ingress of moisture, I took the back off, removed the movement and left it exposed for a week. However, on resuming wearing it the same pattern established itself.

The type of condensation that appears is not the usual 'misting' type, but is more like distinct, micro- droplets of water. These always disappears overnight when taken off the wrist, only to eventually return after various periods of use.

I have had the back off several times but cannot eliminate the problem, far less come up with some credible rationale for its cause.

Has anybody else ever experienced anything similar and is there a solution for this annoying problem, which is effectively making the watch unwearable?

You might be living in a fairly humid climate to begin with which doesn't help if you leave the case back off. Bottom line is...there's still moisture in there when you are putting the caseback on I would guess. Try removing the caseback and sticking it in a ziplock bag with some silica gel (the "DO NOT EAT" stuff you get in vitamins, electronics, etc when bought new) for a day or so...then put on the caseback. That might help.

[gregers]

You might be living in a fairly humid climate to begin with which doesn't help if you leave the case back off. Bottom line is...there's still moisture in there when you are putting the caseback on I would guess. Try removing the caseback and sticking it in a ziplock bag with some silica gel (the "DO NOT EAT" stuff you get in vitamins, electronics, etc when bought new) for a day or so...then put on the caseback. That might help.

I thought initially that the problem might be related to some combination of humidity/body heat. However, I think that it is fair to say that here in the UK high humidity is one of our least problematic climatic features.

Your idea of silica is a sensible one and might work. It is still a puzzle as to how the moisture keeps building up, as I have been making doubly sure that the watch never goes near any water source. The amount of condensation that appears on the crystal is really quite substantial-to the point that it looks like it has been under water.