Reply With QuoteAnything is possible with enough time, effort and money. Probably be a lot easier and cheaper to buy a GShock or Seiko to go swimming in though. Or just take it off?
This might be a stupid question but can the WR of a watch be increased somehow.
Where can water get in - case back, crown, pushers, crystal
Can you put better quality/chunkier seals in the crown/crown tube, case back, tighter fitting crystal
One of the reasons is I've got a PRS53 and for me it's almost a perfect do it all watch but I daren't take it swimming.
Thanks,
James
Anything is possible with enough time, effort and money. Probably be a lot easier and cheaper to buy a GShock or Seiko to go swimming in though. Or just take it off?
It is an interesting question James.I've looked at a couple of my divers 200m rated, and the caseback gaskets in particular are fairly flimsy, fitting thicker better quality I'm sure could beef up the WR.As for GShocks,having needed to change a couple of batteries in the last months,the case back gaskets are really cheap and nasty,but Casio seem happy to give them a good WR.Originally Posted by oldandgrumpy
Many watch cases are under rated anyway. You may be surprised how far it could go on a test
It's rated to 50m, you must have a very deep pool?
Mastic?
Andy
Wanted - Damasko DC57
Or a couple of these http://www.costco.co.uk/view/product...s_2.7.5/921389Mastic?
:o)
I think the crown is probably going to be your weakest point as it's not a screw down. You could get it replaced I suppose but it isn't a particularly easy thing to do. Also, if it's the hand wind version like mine then I'd find it a pain to have to unscrew the crown in order to wind it up.
From here http://www.prestigetime.com/page.php?water-resistance
"Screw-Down Crowns are threaded & screw shut to a matching threaded tube in the case. The crown has a gasket that is compressed & seals the opening when the crown is tightened - thus ensuring water resistance. A screw-down crown is an essential feature for any watch you intend on swimming with. We do not recommend swimming with a watch that does not have a screw-down crown."
My Fortis B42 Cosmonaut rates 200m WR without a screw-down crown.
Interesting. I hope you didn't try this at home...
http://forums.watchuseek.com/f74/for...on-299538.html
Wonder what design they used for it?
My Enebbi Fondale has a 1000M without a screw down crown !
Cheers..
Jase
When you go to deeper depths the seals are a concern, but the case and crystal are too. I tested a Seiko 7549-7010 in my hydrostatic tester to 60bar at the request of the owner (the watch is rated at 30bar). The watch didn't leak but the caseback was nicely dished when it came out!
Interesting article with information from Alessandro Bettarini of Ennebi about the crown design...My Enebbi Fondale has a 1000M without a screw down crown !
http://www.malaysiawatchforum.com/in...p?topic=1883.0
Not sure how it would work but a 1000m PRS53 would be fun!
I too have a Fortis and read somewhere that the deeper underwater you go, the pressure increases making it less likely for the crown to actually move. The majority if not all of Fortis' B42 models don't have a screw down crown including its dive watch the Marine Master.
I am sure there is a watch totally filled with oil that exhibits good WR. I also seem to remember reading about somebody trying this as a DIY mod?
http://www.thewatchsite.com/34-watch...io-f-91-a.html
this is the oil mod. An amusing read!
And this, among others:
http://www.christopherwardforum.com/...lit=liquid&sid
In the past I have taken a number of 30m and 50m rated watches (not dive watches) to their respective depths. Afterwards, a friend who is an amateur watch repairer popped them open and checked for any signs of distress and/or ingress and they were all absolutely fine.
The watches tested have included several cheapie digital, Suunto Vector (weirdly rated to 30m but works just fine to 50m+) and a Speedy Pro. Said watch repairing friend wouldn't let me try his X33 but I guess that's fair enough.
This summer I shall be testing a few to around 75m; I shall report back on the results.
Jason
You just proved my thoughts on the speedmaster! I'd happily swim with one :-)
Thats my project for the weekend!!
The crown seal is usually the weakest spot. Hand-winding will cause the seal to wear eventually and that's why I`d be cautious about swimming in a Speedmaster moonwatch unless I knew the seal and pendant tube were good. A pressure test will confirm this.
Having said that, I don`t advocate swimming in decent watches owing to the risk of getting them bashed around.
Paul
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