Reply With QuoteTry Paul at Tempus Watch Mods - if there's something amiss he'll also be able to sort it, given he specialises in Seikos.
Hi All, What should i expect to pay for a water pressure test on a seiko skx ?
just bought it used and would like peace of mind before i even get it wet - was quoted £85 today, seems alot.
Try Paul at Tempus Watch Mods - if there's something amiss he'll also be able to sort it, given he specialises in Seikos.
Thanks will do.
Wow. You could almost buy your own 5 bar water pressure tester for that.Originally Posted by ...buffering...
Yeah....but what would the OP do when he’d filled his watch with water!
Water pressure testers are OK, but need using with extreme care and are not ideal for a novice. I own one, I use it, but I use it very carefully.
If the OP sent his watch to me I’d remove the movement, refit the caseback and crown, then test the case in the pressure tester.
Frankly, I’d never advise anyone to test their own watch this way, give it to someone who knows what he’s doing.
webwatchmaker will do gasket and reseal for £45
I’ve always questioned that method Paul. Having passed the test, you then have to open it up again to replace the movement. Once you’ve done that, it’s impossible to know that you’ve re sealed it properly.
Am I missing something?
Yes, Dave, you’re missing something: it’s called professional competence and trusting yourself to assemble the thing correctly.
To clarify, a pressure test is looking for faults. If I receive a watch, I’ve no idea whether the watch is waterproof and I certainly don’t want to risk getting water in the thing if it's got a catastrophic leak. Taking the movement out then testing the case will highlight problems which can then be addressed.
After all the problems have been sorted, and the watch has been reassembled, it may be prudent to test the watch again before sending it out. The only question of doubt is the caseback seal and the remote possibility that it hadn’t seated correctly when the caseback was refitted. It’s a bit like pregnancy, it’s either one or the other, it’s either seated correctly or it’s going to leak catastrophically; the trick is to pressurise the watch in the airspace to around 1 bar, drop the pressure slightly, then quickly dip it in the water and lift it out. Escaping air will be obvious but the risk of getting water in will be avoided.
Sometimes it isn’t so simple. I recall fitting an armoured tensioned acrylic crystal to a steel case, no evidence of corrosion or pitting, crystal was a tight fit, all seemed good......but the crystal wasn’t sealing in one spot. Turned out that the case was slightly distorted. After careful heating and cooling using a hot air gun to heat the case, I repeated the test and the crystal now sealed. The heat had enabled the crystal to flex slightly and mould to the case, restoring the water resistance to 3 bar.
None of this is rocket science, a bit of careful thought will solve most problems and avoid embarrassing failures. Wet testers need using with care, but the test is a genuine test; seeing a watch immersed at 6 bar does focus the mind somewhat!
So you do a retest, albeit at a lower pressure, once it’s been reassembled?
That’s not usually mentioned and what I was missing.
It makes sense now.
Cheers Paul
That's true. And I can pressure test to 10atm. However in line with most major watch houses a waterproof guarantee comes with conditions, because leaks can be due to customer mistakes too. Many will not guarantee water protection on watches over 5 years old because the cases can corrode, gaskets fail or crowns are left not tightly screwed down.
If the worst should happen the major houses have the resources to replace the entire watch. The independent may not.
Remember, an independent is used as a cheaper option to sending the watch to the appropriate repair centre and cannot be expected to cover any substantial damage unless purely caused by his/her negligence.
This is why I recommend that watches used for professional reasons should be pressure tested by the manufacturer. They have expensive non invasive equipment which does not risk any moisture penetration whilst testing. Most independents don't have such machines.
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I have a speedmaster 57 it’s about 5 years old it has no screw down crown etc. I have never had it in water would a service fix any issue I had with this or would a water test be a better option.
It runs ok atm I am losing 2 secs a day so don’t really want to service it
-2 seconds isn't bad. A waterproof test would potentially show weakness either at the glass fitting, case back gasket or crown tube. All or some may need replacement to offer a waterproof guarantee.
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If the seals are in good condition, which they usually are in a modern watch, the glass has been fitted correctly, and the caseback hasn’t been disturbed a watch shouldn’t leak.........but sometimes they do, and there has to be a reason why. That reason has to be related to the owner, it can’t be divine intervention or the tooth fairy, I don’t know the answer but I can speculate.
Anecdotes concerning leaking watches often involve holidays. I guess that’s predictable because folks are more likely to swim in a watch on holiday or expose it to water. However, they’re likely to reset the time to correct for time differences and there’s clearly a risk of not reseating or screwing down the crown afterwards. How about resetting the time whilst the watch is wet following a swim etc? Depending on the design this could allow water to find its way in because water gets caught up in the crown and takes a while to dry out, so opening the crown will introduce a risk. Same logic applies to chronograph pushers.
Battery changes on quartz watches by cack- handed individuals can lead to water ingress. On watches with a snap- fit back it’s possible to nick the seal whilst using a case knife to open the back. The damage is only visible under a magnifier, most people wouldn’t see it or think to check, but checking the condition of the seal should be carried out as a matter of course. It’s also prudent to look for degradation of the seal, which is visible as cracks in the surface if the seal is removed and stretched slightly. I saw this on one of my own watches, a 2001 Rolex! Most repairers have a good stock if seals so fitting a new O ring is always sensible if there’s any doubts.
As Brendan’s pointed out, guaranteeing that a watch won’t leak is a tricky one. I can only test to 6 bar using a wet tester, if I test a watch I state that it’s been tested to a given pressure and with vintage watches rated to 3 bar I will always advise against deliberate immersion.
If a watch owner wants to know whether his watch will pass a pressure test a repairer with a test kit can answer that; if an owner wants complete assurance that his watch won’t leak within the next 12 months he’s asking a different question.
Absolutely. If manufacturers want to stick their necks out that far at least they have the resources to cover any serious ingress. I doubt many independents would.
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I get WR test every year for free :) it’s good to have friendly watchmaker.
But 85£ seems excessive. Test takes less than 5 minutes to run.
Thanks for all replies and advice guys, im getting it tested by tempus following some mods.
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