I do hower are going to try the soaking in different substances, the watch is waterproof so this shouldnt be a problem
1. Stated as water proof does not guarantee actual water proof. I read a thread this morning about a member who is on his first week of wearing his new tudor BB from PureTime that was waterproofed and has already displayed a lot of condensation inside the crystal after a simple fishing trip. Not only was it not water proof, but it seems to have been very minimally water resistant to be so effected by such an incident.
2. In regards to No. 1, you may not have a water pressure setup. I don't, and I do work on watches (Its on the list). For the time being, I assume that with the proper treatment, I can simply improve my chances of successful water resistance. Each watch i get, I make sure to oil the less pressured gaskets; these include the gaskets around the crown and crown tube and the gasket for the back of the case. This treatment needs
n watch experience. The tools required are: take, small screw driver, silicon grease. If you don't have a small screw driver, go to CVS and grab a cheap little eyeglasses kit, it'll do. Unscrew the CG with the screw driver, wad up the tape and unsure the case back (yes, its usually that easy), and then locate the small screw near the stem and unscrew it only until the stem comes free. As long as you don't spill coffee in the watch, sneeze a bunch of gunk into the case, each a bag of cheetos over the open movement, or cook a pound of bacon next to it, the risk here is extremely minimal. I don't think there is any risk actually. Just be seated and mindful when the watch is open and you won't have a problem. A spec of atmospheric dust is not going to ruin the integrity, however if you're still concerned, once you get the back open, place a cup over the open watch upside down (DIY movement cover). Now rub some silicon grease on the gaskets, put them back in to place, screw everything down, use a lot of tape to get a good grip and shut that case up. Now you
know for a fact that the watch is sealed. Since the build of these watches are now quite precisely machined, i usually view any lack of water resistance due to a loose access point or a weak seal. You've just confirmed both are good to go.
3. No heat when you soak that watch, the thermal expansion may compromise the seal and allow water in. (Hmmm, would I be willing to take my rep into a hot tub? I'm not sure.)
4. "Different substances" are definitely not water. I can not say how "different substance" proof your watch is (inside and out). You should heavily consider solvent interactions and health precautions.
Example. Acetone has very good solvent properties. It will easily remove marker and paint. Expect the black to be removed from the bezel immediately and the integrity of the epoxy resin pearl to be in danger when soaking for period of an hour or longer. The paint would be extremely extremely easy to fix, you just toss in some hobby paint. Lots of threads about it on lots of forums. The pearl would be a bit trickier.
You could always put the watch in a bowl and carefully fill until the bezel is soaking, but not submerged. There should be a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for each oil, or at least some list of ingredients. If you want some advice on the effects of the ingredients, you could post here and I will give you some things to consider.
5. I am not trying to peer pressure you into breaking open that watch, but if you ultimately decide heat is the way to go, the materials you need to accomplish removing the stem and movement are:
- Work space: any desk or table will do, just clear it and give it a little wipe down
- Movement cover: just use an upside down clean glass
- Screw driver: we are just removing the stem, no assortment needed, an eye glasses screwdriver will do ($3)
- Smudge/speck cleaner: order a stick of rodeo, its only $5
- Duster: Can duster or even a turkey baster (yes, real DIY here, should be like max $2)
- Movement pad: DVD case will do
- Parts container: a small bowl will do.
- Total: about $10
Procedure:
[*=2]Remove the two CG screws and remove the CG, place the three parts in the parts container.
[*=2]Flip the watch face down.
[*=2]Make a sticky tape ball (yes many members do this).
[*=2]Use the ball to untwist the case back, and put the case back in the parts container.
[*=2]Remove the crown by loosening the screw near the stem, and put crown in parts container.
This is as far as you need to go to grease the gaskets. But a little further and the movement will be out.
[*=2]If there are any movement tabs, remove them. They would be two tabs holding the movement to the case. Real easy to spot and real easy to remove. Place those in the parts bin.
[*=2]Put the DVD case on top of the open watch and flip the DVD case and watch over. The movement, dial, and hands will all remain assembled and should be resting on the DVD case.
[*=2]Toss the glass on top of the DVD case with movement and there you go. Case is on its own and the movement is protected from dust.
Re-assembling the watch is just as simple.
[*=2]Remove the glass.
[*=2]Look at dial and case. If there are any specks, use the duster and then dab any specs with the Rodico.
[*=2]Place the watch case on top of the movement that is resting on the DVD case.
[*=2]Flip the DVD case and watch. Now the movement is back inside the watch.
[*=2]Toss the crown back in (just rotate the movement gently using the screw driver until the stem lines up with the hole, no harm done by doing that. And tighten the screw holding in the stem.
[*=2]Toss the movement tabs back on if there were any.
[*=2]Screw the case back on.
[*=2]Flip the watch over.
[*=2]Screw the crown guard back in.
The reason I am going to such lengths of explaining this in such detail is in case you change your mind, or if the soaking does not work, as well as if any members encounter this problem in the future. While hand setting, date wheel overlays, and movement repairs are not something I would instruct so casually, you'd be surprised at how simple it is to safely remove and insert the innards of the watch to perform case mods.
Let me know of you have any questions :thumbup:
