Water resistance and swimming with reps

[Adrian8741]

Hi all,

I've been wondering lately about water resistance, and in particular what sort of water proofing our reps typically have.

From checking TD sites and a quick search it seems like most reps are water resistant to a point (50m seems the norm) however many TDs also point out damage to the watch due to water ingress is completely outside of their responsibility (fair enough as there's no way to tell how deep the watch went). In addition to the basic 50m rule I've found other sources that caveat the 50m by saying that the watch isn't suitable for swimming. Makes me wonder how else you'd find yourself 50m underwater, but I digress!

Anyway, I'd be really interested to hear what people's thoughts are on taking reps for a dip. I feel a bit silly sometimes wearing something like a SuperOcean but hiding from heavy rain in case it gets wet.

Is swimming (at any depth) advisable?

If not, what sort of protection can be gained by having a watch modified? Seen quite a few watches in the M2M area that have had a waterproofing mod, but wasn't sure if they allow the wearer to make like Aquaman and dazzle unsuspecting sea creatures with their awesome lume...or maybe just make it okay to shower with your fave (time) piece.
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Sorry for the rambling, any experiences / links / info gratefully received!

 

[mkratchet72]

I’ve read that you should check and grease the gasket then have it pressure tested. This involves a simple tool that looks like a clear tube with the bottom section filled with water. The watch is put in the top half then a pump is used to inflate air into the chamber to raise the pressure. The watch is then lowered into the water and the pressure released. If air bubbles come out of the watch it means the watch has a leak. Sounds complicated but it’s not.

Also, there are a lot of articles on what WR even means and what watches, even gens, should be taken in the water and which should not.