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WATER RESISTANCE OF WATCHES AND SOME THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW!!!
No manufacturer or watchmaker will guarantee your watch to be waterproof or water resistant (unless he is insane). Why? Well, they once did, but then if I remember right someone died in a diving accident or something around 1970. There was major litigation and then it was "open season" on any watch that said "waterproof" and leaked. In other countries many watchmakers and even some watch manufactures were forced out of business after they were sued as the consumer protection laws are very strict in many other countries. In the US the Federal Trade Commission mandated that no watch ever be labeled "waterproof" again. So, when the old stock was sold-off "water resistant" became the keywords. Does that mean your watch will not stand up to the water? Not really, but it keeps all of us in the trade from being sued because the responsibility now rests with the consumer.
As a general guide:
If the watch says "water resistant" it may be suitable for washing your hands but I probably wouldn't go swimming or wash the car with it on. Care should be taken to keep water off the watch, and this includes excess perspiration.
If your watch says "water resistant to 50-100 meters" (5-10 BAR) it is suitable for some swimming and you can probably go snorkeling with it if it is rated at 100 meters or 10 BAR.
If the watch is rated for 200 meters or more (20 BAR or above) then you can probably go diving with it to a reasonable depth.
Professional Diver's watches are rated at 300 meters or greater and have heavy gaskets and crystals intended for use at scuba depths. If you are a serious diver, I STRONGLY suggest sending the watch in for an annual pressure test and/or gasket replacement to be sure the gaskets are tight and don't leak.
In any event, if you intend to partake in ANY water sports with the watch on, it is IMPERATIVE that you have the water resistance checked BEFORE you do the activity! I have had people e-mail me about sea water in all sorts of watches, including Rolex watches. The sad part is, once it's in there the damage is probably done, and many times irreversible.
Again, if you plan to do any "water sports" with the watch, I can not stress enough to have the water resistance of the watch checked regularly. Spending $15-$20 to have it checked every 1 to 2 years is a LOT cheaper than having to buy a new watch!
When I test your watch for water resistance I will give you a yes/no answer weather or not it passed the test, and at what pressure, but under no circumstances will I guarantee the water resistance of any watch.
At present my tester will only test to 5 BAR, but most watches that are bad will show a leak at 3 BAR. In the future I hope to upgrade to an electronic "dry" tester capable of testing to at least 20 BAR or more. Unfortunately, these machines are VERY expensive, so a resultant increase in charges for water resistance testing will be the by-product of purchase of the new machine. The new machine will allow me to give better service to the customer and also test divers watches to their full water resistance level. Most watchmakers do not have the more expensive machines, you must test a lot of watches to pay for such a machine.
If your watch fails the water resistance test, and you would like work performed to make it water resistant again, then additional labor and parts will be necessary. Water resistance of a watch should be checked yearly, at the very least every other year.
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