DarthAlex tested my Sean case YM back in the day to 20 bar. That well over 600 feet.
This is very true. I find most of the time you need to replace rep caseback gaskets in submariners with stock size gaskets which are thicker. The rep ones are too skinny and probably aren’t going to seal properly. The deciding factor of the watch being even water resistant is the tolerence to which it’s made. A cheap rep will be very hard to make waterproof while a good rep like an ARF will prob pass basic waterproofing tests as long as the watch is assembled correctly. Greasing seals helps a bit in keeping the water out but if it’s a poorly build watch then all the grease in the world won’t keep the water out. For my vintage Rolex I use Gen crown and tube and that’s waterproof. Then I use Rolex thickness caseback gaskets and make sure the crystal presses on tightly and then I’ve never had a problem swimming with them.
DarthAlex tested my Sean case YM back in the day to 20 bar. That well over 600 feet.