Could we get a HOW-TO specific to waterproofing?

[Got20Mate]

Don't know where to ask so posting here.

I tested water resistance on my freshly received VSF DJ (gorgeous watch by the way) in a wet tank, following my usual protocol :

- grease caseback and crown seals
- test in a water tank in 5 steps : 3 ATM - 6 ATM - 3 ATM - 6 ATM - 3 ATM, with 3 minutes of pressure charge between each dip.

Not a single bubble, every test passed with success. But something odd happened : the cyclop got foggy wearing the watch hours after the tests, and only by wearing it. I then took shower without any problem, did the test in water tank again, nothing. It's as if the ambient moist was the reason for it.

Is it possible the cyclop has a problem where it's fixed to the crystal ?
@KJ2020 ? @dogwood ?

I love the idea of you sitting in that paddling pool testing the water resistance of your new rep

 

[KJ2020]

Seems like some moisture had to get inside the watch bro.

There are some interesting comments in the thread below. I store all my watches in watchboxes or winders with copious amounts of dessicant bags. Whatever tiny amount is in there would be eliminated quickly if you opened the crown and stored it with several bags for a few days.

Rolex condensation issues - Help

I serviced this Rolex for my dad (its a frakenwatch) He received it back after 2 weeks testing it and on the second day it fogged up. I didnt see any issues when testing it so it has shocked me that it has. This being said though this did happen to my girlfriends once. My flat does have fairly hi...

www.watchrepairtalk.com

 

[easy_beaching]

Seems like some moisture had to get inside the watch bro.

There are some interesting comments in the thread below. I store all my watches in watchboxes or winders with copious amounts of dessicant bags. Whatever tiny amount is in there would be eliminated quickly if you opened the crown and stored it with several bags for a few days.

Rolex condensation issues - Help

I serviced this Rolex for my dad (its a frakenwatch) He received it back after 2 weeks testing it and on the second day it fogged up. I didnt see any issues when testing it so it has shocked me that it has. This being said though this did happen to my girlfriends once. My flat does have fairly hi...

www.watchrepairtalk.com

But why do you think it is only clouding the cyclops? Seems like if this was moisture related you would see traces elsewhere on the crystal.

Do you think it may have something to do with the cyclops adhesive failing. Could be a result of the pressure testing or maybe just dumb luck.

 

[ToxicManChowder]

Sure looks like it’s just moisture under the cyclops. It would be odd for the fogging to congregate just under that area of the crystal; or it is congregating there because it’s the warmest zone. Don’t’ really know, but gut says its under the cyclops only. Perhaps you can have it pulled off and reset.

 

[dogwood]

Agreed. It seems very strange that the fogging only happens under the cyclops. There seem to be two possibilities: 1) water is done getting into the case but is only fogging up under the area inside the crystal that’s under the cyclops; or 2) that water is somehow getting between the cyclops and the top of the crystal and is fogging up in between the two. Given your test protocol and the fact that there’s nothing special about the inside of the crystal under the cyclops, I feel like option 1 is out. And if it’s not option 1 it has to be option 2. Maybe the cyclops wasn’t adhered to the crystal properly using UV glue? Maybe there’s a gap that moisture is wicking into.

 

[mrsullivan]

Do you think it may have something to do with the cyclops adhesive failing. Could be a result of the pressure testing or maybe just dumb luck.

That was my 1rst thought but it may only be moisture in the end. When putting the watch on my wrist this morning, the fogging came back right away. I opened the caseback and there're some wet drops in the case around the caseback thread area.
So even though the watch passed my tests, it seems that the high moist level we have in the air these days in hot summer may have condensed humidity inside the case.
I follow @KJ2020 's advice, keep the watch open in air con room and I'll see how it goes once dried up.
Thanks to all for your inputs

 

[Karbon74]

That was my 1rst thought but it may only be moisture in the end. When putting the watch on my wrist this morning, the fogging came back right away. I opened the caseback and there're some wet drops in the case around the caseback thread area.
So even though the watch passed my tests, it seems that the high moist level we have in the air these days in hot summer may have condensed humidity inside the case.
I follow @KJ2020 's advice, keep the watch open in air con room and I'll see how it goes once dried up.
Thanks to all for your inputs

Do try the dessicant bags trick. Put 2-3 in a tupperware, put the watch crown open inside and close

Let it in there a few days

 

[KJ2020]

That was my 1rst thought but it may only be moisture in the end. When putting the watch on my wrist this morning, the fogging came back right away. I opened the caseback and there're some wet drops in the case around the caseback thread area.
So even though the watch passed my tests, it seems that the high moist level we have in the air these days in hot summer may have condensed humidity inside the case.
I follow @KJ2020 's advice, keep the watch open in air con room and I'll see how it goes once dried up.
Thanks to all for your inputs

Is your foggy area uniform? In your pic there is some irregularity.

If that is a reflection and the foggy area is uniform, I'd say that points toward it being inside the watch. If the cyclops glue was applied unevenly or improperly, it seems like parts of it would still be adhered completely preventing any water intrusion in those places. So the fogging would be irregular with none present where the glue is intact. Maybe that's what you have if that irregularity is not a reflection.

If the fogging is uniform, its proximity to the crown could indicate a tiny leak there. Small enough to prevent visible moisture, but enough to allow more humid air in that condenses on the crystal near the area of entry. Maybe try replacing all the tube and crown O rings as a precaution.

Air conditioning alone isn't enough to rid a watch from moisture. I have 4 humidity sensors in my house - right now it's 78% outside and 54% inside with cooling on. A dozen dessicant packs in a closed case really do the trick.

Personally I wouldn't try resetting or replacing a cyclops. I've removed 5 or 6 without issue but replacing one requires some advanced skill that can easily go wrong. Check this out, heh (not my work, fortunately).

And I'm not just talking about the glue border smears.

 

[Giammy]

I waterproofed mine one, a Daytona, putting idrophobic silicon grease on the gadget of the caseback and adding rings inside the screws pusher and inside the crown tube fixing them with a very little o ring, everything bought on AliExpress. Nothing professionali but tried myself on low quality rep and worked, it passed 6 ATM

 

[mrsullivan]

@KJ2020 the picture of the cyclop was reflection yes, the fog was even under it.
Although it passed the water tests, I think there probably was residual moist which condensed by wearing the watch on the very hot wet day yesterday.
I dried the watch open today in a room with dehumidifier, closed it tight and wore it for the last 2 hours, no more fog anymore.
So it seems all good now, but I'll keep the dessicant bags + tupperware in mind in case it happens again

 

[eiwood]

@KJ2020 the picture of the cyclop was reflection yes, the fog was even under it.
Although it passed the water tests, I think there probably was residual moist which condensed by wearing the watch on the very hot wet day yesterday.
I dried the watch open today in a room with dehumidifier, closed it tight and wore it for the last 2 hours, no more fog anymore.
So it seems all good now, but I'll keep the dessicant bags + tupperware in mind in case it happens again

I had a similar thing happen to my super-franken GMT that was tested to 5bar. It has a gen tube and crown and all gen bezel assembly/crystal. I swam with it in a pool one day and everything was fine so I did the same the next day and within an hour my crystal was foggy looking. I say looking because it almost looked like swirls, as if it were dirty. I was able to wipe it off (on the outside) until it was cleared up, but when I put it back on it would "fog" up again. After I washed it with some dish soap and a toothbrush it totally cleared up for good. I have no idea what happened.

 

[ToxicManChowder]

It would be a great aftermarket service for a watchmaker to just do full waterproofing service for the rep market. It can't be that hard, and the focused specialty would be welcomed.

When I started the thread, I was interested in a how-to that could have steps, pics, and a nice guide. I'm thinking I'll have to take on this project at some point, but just too buried with work to dedicate time to create it. I've got to build a small tool kit as well. I guess have a project for later this year!

 

[JohnMB]

I have a very sophisticated method of testing my watches. Luckily I have a swimming pool so I tie the case (no movement) to a length of fishing line and drop it in the deep end (about six feet) and leave them there for half an hour. The downside is if they do leak it's hard to determine from where.
But never had one leak from the case back. One leaked at the crystal another from a loose crown tube. The other thing to be aware of is the o ring in the crown tube, make sure it's securely fitted and has some silicon grease. I wear all of them swimming and in the shower none have had any problem.

 

[ceciltheman]

I waterproofed mine one, a Daytona, putting idrophobic silicon grease on the gadget of the caseback and adding rings inside the screws pusher and inside the crown tube fixing them with a very little o ring, everything bought on AliExpress. Nothing professionali but tried myself on low quality rep and worked, it passed 6 ATM

What kind of o rings did you get? I'm about to try the same thing on my daytona that got here yesterday

 

[pani]

This is all immensely fascinating, I didn't even realise some of the reps straight from factory are waterproof to an extent. Wouldn't dream of washing up with mine on!

I have swimmed with every rep i ever bought, from factory.

Never once had a problem.

Sound like in lucky, or people just is to afraid to try.

 

[Rx4Time]

Here's a video I made years ago pushing one to 5 ATM for reference (yes, it's in there upside down). I recommend starting lower, like 1-2 ATM in case there is a leak, otherwise you can blow out the crystal. After success then you can push it higher. I typically don't bother above 3 ATM because under normal circumstances if you can pass 3, all gaskets are seated correctly and you are good for everything besides deep sea diving..

Vimeo

vimeo.com

 

[Giammy]

What kind of o rings did you get? I'm about to try the same thing on my daytona that got here yesterday

Waterproof kit from Ali Express

 

[Rx4Time]

What kind of o rings did you get? I'm about to try the same thing on my daytona that got here yesterday

What maker of Daytona? Most of the high-end makers will pass straight from the factory. My noob Daytona passed without issue. There's always the possibility of a misaligned gasket or malformation in the machining of the case, but those are far and few in between. No need to waste any money on anything unless you actually have a leak confirmed. All silicone does is ensure that the gasket doesn't bind when screwing a piece like the case back closed tight

 

[Giammy]

What maker of Daytona? Most of the high-end makers will pass straight from the factory. My noob Daytona passed without issue. There's always the possibility of a misaligned gasket or malformation in the machining of the case, but those are far and few in between. No need to waste any money on anything unless you actually have a leak confirmed. All silicone does is ensure that the gasket doesn't bind when screwing a piece like the case back closed tight

I bought a gasket kit of all size, for crown, pushers and caseback, then I greased those gaskets with idrophobic grease and fit into the watch
Passed 5 atm and used sometime even swimming in the sea, no problem at all

 

[Rx4Time]

Yes, I understand what you did. Replaced gaskets and lubed then with silicone grease. You miss my point, which was test it first. You probably could have saved yourself the time and cost of the gaskets. Even if it failed, it would be unlikely to have more than one gasket fail.