Comments:
Question about vintage watches. Your help please!
For a long time, I stayed away from vintage pieces, but ultimately I have succumbed to their charm and am now ready to acquire my first piece.
However, vintage watch maintenance has always been a barrier in my mind, and I have a very specific question about water resistance and its relationship to the longevity of a vintage piece.
As we all know, moisture leading to water damage can mean the difference between a pristine dial/lume/hands/movement to an eroded dial/lume/hands/movement. Therefore, considering normal day to day wear (and of course without any swimming or other water sports), is it necessary to get your vintage pieces pressured tested for some water resistance? Would you expect the dial/hands/lume to deteriorate if you did not pressure test?
I mean, it would be a pity to acquire a nice example only to have it deteriorate over the course of ownership!
As I don't have any experience in vintage collecting, any advice from the vintage collectors would be greatly appreciated!
For reference, I am thinking that of the Movado Super Sea Sub as my first vintage.
Cheers,
Cholack
I Treat Every Vintage Watch as Non Water Resistant
Only my Datejust, which was overhauled with all new O-rings and seals, as well as a new crystal; was pressure tested. I feel confident wearing it in any situation but as for the other Vintage watches, O-rings and seals may be hard to come by when overhauling them. I've never pressure tested them and am careful washing my hands while wearing them.
It would depend on the particular watch
but many vintage watches could still be made water resistant to original specs. Ive got a 1972 Tissot T12 chrono that passed the pressure text after servicing. I actualy went scuba diving (accidently) with a late 60s Seamaster with not ill effects whatever. I agree that you should consider them non-water resistant as a principle and don't actively try to test their water resistance but there is no particular need to molly-coddle a well maintained vintage watch, particularly if it was designed to be water resistant.
Consider it as not water resistant, so avoid any contact with water.
Check that the case back is firmyl closed, replace the seals, and if you live in a hot and humid country, it will be ok.
Best,
Nicolas
Yes it is necessary. Not a collector but, here is my opinion....
Hello cholack,
As a watchmaker I can tell you, the water resistance is so important. If a watch case leaks, corrosion/damage begins immediately. Oil and water do not go well together, so your service intervals will be much sooner, than if your case was sealed.
A small leak is the worst kind. As a watch goes from inside to outside the temperatures inside the watch change. A vacuum can occur, pulling humidity into the case. When the case has equalized, moisture is now trapped with little or no chance of escaping out of the case short of opening. Sometimes this moisture is such a small amount it can go undetected. Damage you don't even know is happening.
On the other hand, an Antique watch that is not water resistant. Is able to breath not trapping moisture in the case.
Kind regards
Anthony
You will have to make difficult decisions.
A vintage watch that was water resistant and whose case has not been damaged or corroded can be made as water resistant as it was originally. However, you may have to replace some parts. The main issue is the crown, as crowns often have gaskets that are not replaceable. That is, you replace them by installing a new crown. If you can't get a suitable replacement crown (and you can't, except for some Rolex and maybe a few Omegas), you have decide between having an original crown and having water resistance. The same may apply to crystals.
Prescient comment - that's precisely the position . . .
. . . I found myself in recently. My watchmaker replaced the crown on my '56 Seamaster Calendar while servicing the movement . . .
[original crown displayed]
. . . but I asked him to replace it with the original crown for the sake of maintaining the highest possible level of authenticity. The downside was loss of water resistance, but that's a trade-off I'm willing to make. Others will have differing, and equally valid, points of view.
[original crown displayed]
. . . but I asked him to replace it with the original crown for the sake of maintaining the highest possible level of authenticity. The downside was loss of water resistance, but that's a trade-off I'm willing to make. Others will have differing, and equally valid, points of view.
Art
Just don't expect...
.. vintage watches to be really water resistant even if it is so engraved on the back.
And keep it or them in the humidity/ temperature controlled places.... That is the best you can do while you can enjoy the (almost) daily use....
Ken