scrog10 Posted February 11, 2009 Report Share Posted February 11, 2009 Hi Newbie here I've been looking for a Rolex and or GMT with a usuable water resistance. Ideal would be in excess of 100m so I can go swimming of even dive without worry. The only reps of any brand I have found is WM9 with a stated resistance of 300m. I have read that these are good watches. Are there any others out there ? I'm also a Breitling Skyland and Planet ocean fan. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllergyDoc Posted February 11, 2009 Report Share Posted February 11, 2009 (edited) Chrono watches are much more difficult to make water resistant than non-chrono watches. PO has the helium value, another weak spot. IMO, best our-of-the-box for water use are the Breitling Superocean Steelfish watches. I've also taken my SlyTech (a chrono watch) and noob Sub into the water. Best advice is to grease the seals yourself or have a watchman do it for you. Then have it tested to see how deep it will go. Doesn't cost much and can usually be done locally. To do anything else is to guess. I guessed with the 3 watches I mentioned above and did okay. Also, it's not uncommon for reps to arrive with a loose caseback. Edit to add: keep this in mind: There is actually a European standard for the descriptions used to indicate water resistance on watches. It goes something like this: '30m' or '3 ATM' : Splash proof but should not be submerged. Not suitable for swimming. '50m' or '5 ATM' : Suitable for swimming but not poolside diving. '100m' or '10 ATM' : Suitable for swimming, poolside diving and watersports. '200m' or '20 ATM' Suitable for diving. (Always check manufacturers guide as not all '200m' watches are designed for diving.) Watches with the lowest level of water resistance are labeled simply "water-resistant." They can withstand splashes of water but should not be submerged. Above that (or below it, literally speaking), the most common designations are -50 meters (1 meter is about 3.3 feet), which means the watch is suitable for swimming; -100 meters; indicating it can be worn snorkeling; -200 meters, suitable for recreational scuba diving and, believe it or not, -1,000 meters (roughly three-fifths of a mile). Watches in this last category can endure deep-sea diving. Their gaskets are made of materials that can withstand the helium used in decompression chambers. Some have valves that let the wearer release the helium that has seeped into the watch so the case won't explode as the watch and diver adjust to normal atmospheric conditions, says Peter Purtschert, technical director at Breitling USA. Keep in mind that the depth specified on the watch dial represents the results of tests done in the lab, not in the ocean. Edited February 11, 2009 by AllergyDoc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted February 11, 2009 Report Share Posted February 11, 2009 Rule of thumb - The only way to know (& be sure) your watch is water resistant is to have a trusted watchmaker test it. And if you plan to spend alot of time in the water, you should have your watch retested at least yearly. If you trust the advertising hyperbole of sellers, you are just throwing dice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alligoat Posted February 11, 2009 Report Share Posted February 11, 2009 When it comes to WR Rolex Sub reps, the noobmariner comes to mind. Mine was for awhile, until I took it apart recently for other reasons. Others have also had good results with the noob. As Allergy Doc and Freddy say, it's best to grease seals and test first. A WM9V2 would also probably be good- it's the same design as the actual Rolex sub, but once again, test first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fakemaster Posted February 11, 2009 Report Share Posted February 11, 2009 The only reps of any brand I have found is WM9 with a stated resistance of 300m. I have read that these are good watches. 300 m = 984.251 ft Do you really beleve that you are going to get 1000 ft of water resistance on a rep out of the box? It doesn't matter if it is a WM9 or not they're all made in the same place. You'll be lucky to get 10. Now all we have to do is sit back and wait for the 'I dived the Titanic in my SD' post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shundi Posted February 12, 2009 Report Share Posted February 12, 2009 300 m = 984.251 ft Do you really beleve that you are going to get 1000 ft of water resistance on a rep out of the box? It doesn't matter if it is a WM9 or not they're all made in the same place. You'll be lucky to get 10. Now all we have to do is sit back and wait for the 'I dived the Titanic in my SD' post. Remember that resistance isn't necessarily how far you'll dive/ your depth underwater (static pressure)...it's also a measure of what the watch can handle at any given instance (ie- diving into the water- for a second, the pressure is higher than the "depth" of the water...TJ Gladerider did a thing on this a while back if I recall) I seem to recall that in a comparison test on a true dive, the Superocean failed before the Sea Dweller did... I've never had a problem with my SD...it tested down to 150-200m which is what that particular watchmaker's equipment could test to... I'd say get the WM9 SD and have someone epoxy seal the He valve if you're worried about it. Done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted February 12, 2009 Report Share Posted February 12, 2009 300 m = 984.251 ft Do you really beleve that you are going to get 1000 ft of water resistance on a rep out of the box? It doesn't matter if it is a WM9 or not they're all made in the same place. You'll be lucky to get 10. Now all we have to do is sit back and wait for the 'I dived the Titanic in my SD' post. Did you see the SD review which someone posted not so long back? The watch survived deep sea conditions without flooding or exploding during decompression, infact, the only damage that I recall, was case corrosion, which was also attributed to other conditions of the water... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
im2 Posted February 13, 2009 Report Share Posted February 13, 2009 Get the SSD... @DeeTay: That review was by far the most impressive review of RWG ever imo.... A deep dive real test of the ssd... I am going to pressure test my WM9 V2 Sub , so watch out for my releveant (future) post Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted February 13, 2009 Report Share Posted February 13, 2009 Get the SSD... @DeeTay: That review was by far the most impressive review of RWG ever imo.... A deep dive real test of the ssd... I am going to pressure test my WM9 V2 Sub , so watch out for my releveant (future) post It was indeed I think the fact that it was carried out by actual diving industry professionals, rather than simply a watch enthusiast, made it all the more interesting, and impartial. From their point of view, they wouldn't have cared if it passed or imploded, but, the attention to detail and procedure (like taping it between two pillows in case of explosion) was fantastic. Interesting also to hear that even gens can 'simply stop' in those environments as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FxrAndy Posted February 13, 2009 Report Share Posted February 13, 2009 The main problem with rep watches and water resitance is not construction but quality control, the parts of the noob, super ocean, ssd are very good you just need to know that they are put together properly and all gaskets are in place and greased if that is the case then they are fine for swimming, but you have to be sure or run the risk. some people like fakemaster dont want that risk, personaly i welcome it. get it checked and then get it wet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted February 13, 2009 Report Share Posted February 13, 2009 The main problem with rep watches and water resitance is not construction but quality control, the parts of the noob, super ocean, ssd are very good you just need to know that they are put together properly and all gaskets are in place and greased if that is the case then they are fine for swimming, but you have to be sure or run the risk. some people like fakemaster dont want that risk, personaly i welcome it. get it checked and then get it wet. Couldn't've put it better myself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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