Water Resistance on Sub Reps?

[fakemaster]

Tru dat. Most of the time when I go into Sears the stuff in their cases isn't even running. It's like everything is on autopilot.

 

[ispytonyv]

No, hadn't seen that pose before but it's a great one debating all the little "white lies," thanks hk!

This aspect bothers me about reps... or more accurately, dealers. Even the "trusted" dealers get away with lies, but it seems OK since it's understood to be universal. They say they do QC but (mostly) just drop ship. They say gen ETA but use asian clone. They say waterproof but you can't get them wet.

I get it, this is just a part of a business that by nature is shady, but this seems to throw a lot of people off since they're told to use "trusted" dealers but then it's the same people who later get told "oh you should never trust them when they say X, Y, Z."

you obviously haven't read this have you.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=14975&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=little+white+lies

if you get your sub all nice and sealed up don't get too cocky with it because if you try some real diving the crystal gasket will give up and flood your watch. it just isn't the same as a gen and there is no way to make it that way. :wink:

hope this helps,

hk

 

[swiss728]

The safest course of action is this one: don't get your watch wet if *you* have not had it pressure tested - period. I think we all know that the reps we buy are *not* pressure tested at all. It's just not done.

I purchased a pressure tester from a local watch dealer who went under. I searched around before I found that one and almost all of the testers can only do about 99 feet. I called the top watch parts websites (Otto Frei, etc.) and they only sell this kind. The testers which can test to greater pressures are extremely expensive so the mall watch shops most likely can't test more than 99 feet either. So don't let them tell you differently! I did call my local fine jeweller (not an AD) and asked how deep they could test and they told me 100 feet.

When I get a sub I take the back off (I bought one of those expensive tools made for that purpose) and remove the o-ring to grease it up, then run a very small bead of grease on the case back threads and then close it back up. Next I pull out the crown and grease up that o-ring on that shaft and then screw it in tight. Then I do my presure test. I've yet to experience a failure of the test and I shower and swim with my subs and they have all held up to the water.

A friend of mine bought a sub rep and went swimming with it and it leaked water inside - he never had it water-proofed and tested.

 

[donaldejose]

Fakemaster builds all his subs to the same standard. They should all do fine swimming.

 

[daytona4me]

I just took my UN Maxi Marine Blue Surf diving off the Keys west of Key West. I was snorkeling,, max depth for me today was about 20 feet..

Only thing I did was apply silicone grease to the caseback gasket, that's all.. air tight.. I'm confident I could have went 50 - 100 and been just fine.

I'm still down here,, will go diving once again , tomorrow, off the Dry Tortugas 80 miles west of Key West. Putting my UN to the salt water test again and feel very confident

 

[gioarmani7428]

Contrary to popular belief, these rep watches are more waterproof than they're given credit for--the sports models, mind you--not the more refined "banker's" watches like Vacheron Constantin, Patek, etc. It's worth the extra $15, or whatever your area watch repair shops currently charge to have it pressure tested (if you're state-side, google the stores Fast Fix, Precision Time, etc.--they test any watch on site, for cheap--Precision Time even uses the good 6-10 ATM vacuum tester, not the Bergeon water one).

I've yet to have one of my own pieces (or one I've tested for somebody else) that failed waterproofing, and living on the water in Florida, I swim & shower in all of mine, constantly. There's nothing I can think of more horologically absurd looking than the guys with the multi-thousand dollar sports watches who take them off before stepping into the pool. Genuine or not, nothing screams "fake" faster than a diving watch that can't get wet...

Keep in mind--as stated earlier--these have all been treated with silicon grease and sealed up tighter than a crab's ass. I would NEVER take a rep straight from the box into the water.Never. I don't care if you actually paid extra for your dealer to supposedly "waterproof" the piece for you; I can guarantee you through personal experience it didn't happen. QC is simply non-existent for reps when it comes to water-damage--loose case-backs, incorrectly seated crystal gaskets, no grease on the O-rings, etc.

That being said, metal on metal is impossible to water-proof; it's all about the O-rings & gaskets. And the more points of entry you have to a watch--HEVs, chrono-pushers, crystals, casebacks, etc.--the more possibilities you have for leakage.

In a swimming pool or spa, you're in contact with chlorine, which shrinks gaskets and could lead to leaking (rare, and usually if it's been a while since the gaskets were greased); but chlorine water won't rust or completely destroy the movement like salt-water will. But with swimming in the ocean there's obviously no chlorine, so the salt-water is fine on the gaskets, but salt-water completely destroys movements. So your piece might be water-tight from the box, but please grease it first, because if it leaks, it's damned if you do & damned if you don't.


Please read: viewtopic.php?f=54&t=56499

 

[fakemaster]

Totally in agreeance. I went into detail on this as well on the torture test thread.

viewtopic.php?f=206&t=55285&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=10#p492623

 

[RolexAddict]

Contrary to popular belief, these rep watches are more waterproof than they're given credit for--the sports models, mind you--not the more refined "banker's" watches like Vacheron Constantin, Patek, etc. It's worth the extra $15, or whatever your area watch repair shops currently charge to have it pressure tested (if you're state-side, google the stores Fast Fix, Precision Time, etc.--they test any watch on site, for cheap--Precision Time even uses the good 6-10 ATM vacuum tester, not the Bergeon water one).

I've yet to have one of my own pieces (or one I've tested for somebody else) that failed waterproofing, and living on the water in Florida, I swim & shower in all of mine, constantly. There's nothing I can think of more horologically absurd looking than the guys with the multi-thousand dollar sports watches who take them off before stepping into the pool. Genuine or not, nothing screams "fake" faster than a diving watch that can't get wet...

Keep in mind--as stated earlier--these have all been treated with silicon grease and sealed up tighter than a crab's ass. I would NEVER take a rep straight from the box into the water.Never. I don't care if you actually paid extra for your dealer to supposedly "waterproof" the piece for you; I can guarantee you through personal experience it didn't happen. QC is simply non-existent for reps when it comes to water-damage--loose case-backs, incorrectly seated crystal gaskets, no grease on the O-rings, etc.

That being said, metal on metal is impossible to water-proof; it's all about the O-rings & gaskets. And the more points of entry you have to a watch--HEVs, chrono-pushers, crystals, casebacks, etc.--the more possibilities you have for leakage.

In a swimming pool or spa, you're in contact with chlorine, which shrinks gaskets and could lead to leaking (rare, and usually if it's been a while since the gaskets were greased); but chlorine water won't rust or completely destroy the movement like salt-water will. But with swimming in the ocean there's obviously no chlorine, so the salt-water is fine on the gaskets, but salt-water completely destroys movements. So your piece might be water-tight from the box, but please grease it first, because if it leaks, it's damned if you do & damned if you don't.


Please read: http://forum.replica-watch.info/phpBB3/vi ... 54&t=56499

Totally in agreeance too.

I prepared my personnal rep Sub LV and it has been tested by a friend who works as a diver on off shore oil rigs. He put it in a pressure tank for divers, the watch is good for 300 meters as the genuine.

I would add, for the pool, depending countries the risk is low, as water treatment using chlore is forbiden now.

Beware of some cheap reps, many Subs under $100 are not made from genuine SS but poor low carbon molded metal. Cases are coated with a kind of nickel plating.Same for bracelets and clasps. It means if you swimm in salt water the entire watch WILL RUST VERY FAST, starting to turn in a ugly flat yellow

On good reps, change the spring bars for gen Rolex or good after market as those on reps are not in SS and will rust in salt water. This means when rusted they can collapse and you can loose the watch in water or it will fall on the ground

 

[gioarmani7428]

Interesting. Wish it as banned here too. Which countries is that taking place in? What are they shocking & maintaining them with instead?

 

[hk45ca]

i had an in ground pool and hot tub at my last house and always used chlorine. never had one single problem in 20 years. to this day everybody i know that uses something other than chlorine has nothing but problems. they all spend between 3,000.00 to 5,000.00 per years in crap that never works and their pools and hot tubs look like something i would never get in.

in my 20 years of experience nothing works as good as chlorine. why would it be banned? that makes no since to me.

edit to add,

my automatic chlorinator had a rubber o-ring seal on the lid and i changed it when it was 15 years old. i put silicone grease on it once per summer and it was sealing up a container of pure chlorine. it isn't as bad on them as you might think, especially when it is diluted down to normal levels for swimming.

 

[gioarmani7428]

. it isn't as bad on them as you might think, especially when it is diluted down to normal levels for swimming.

Drinking it straight however...holy lord, lemmie tell ya...

 

[Dr.Verylong]

Isn't there also a small o-ring between the crystal and the gasket?

Dr.verylong

 

[gioarmani7428]

The only thing between the crystal and case in any watch is just the crystal gasket.

 

[trailboss99]

The only thing between the crystal and case in any watch is just the crystal gasket.

Or glue!

Col.