Sending a 90s Tudor sub for service, they say 2ATMs water resistance. Is this normal?

[Eph]

I'm about to send my early 90s Tudor Sub (75090) in for a service at a reputable shop. They say after the service, it will be water resistant to 2ATM. I know modern divers can certainly withstand more than that, but is 2ATM normal for a post-service early 90s sub?

Thanks!

[ILuvSubs]

I have 4 digit and 5 digit Rolex sports watches and when I get them serviced, I usually ask for them to be pressure tested to 5 ATMs to give me assurance that when I go swimming with them, there won't be any water leaking in. You can always request for them to have it pressure tested to a higher pressure. 2 ATMs is just splash resistant.

[Eph]

Originally Posted by ILuvSubs

I have 4 digit and 5 digit Rolex sports watches and when I get them serviced, I usually ask for them to be pressure tested to 5 ATMs to give me assurance that when I go swimming with them, there won't be any water leaking in. You can always request for them to have it pressure tested to a higher pressure. 2 ATMs is just splash resistant.

Pressure testing just determines how water resistant the watch is, right? So if they are saying pressure tested to 2ATM, and I ask for up to 5, does this mean they would use different parts/gaskets during the service?

[zapokee]

Originally Posted by ILuvSubs

2 ATMs is just splash resistant.

Yes. Possibly even alright to wear in the pool, but I'd wear a modern watch for that.

They're dive watches in theory, but in practice you don't want to be wearing a vintage in the water.

If I were a watchmaker, I wouldn't guarantee a high depth rating on a 30-year old watch without inspecting it for pitting on the gasket areas first. If you need more water resistance, maybe ask them to re-evaluate their depth rating once they've had a chance to look at it.

[Tomas Eriksson]

Sounds like they don't have the equipment to pressure test a dive watch. Are you certain they are "reputable"? I had a 40 year old GMT serviced a while back at a AD, it got pressure tested at 10ATM.

[ILuvSubs]

Originally Posted by Eph

Pressure testing just determines how water resistant the watch is, right? So if they are saying pressure tested to 2ATM, and I ask for up to 5, does this mean they would use different parts/gaskets during the service?

Yes. They test the watch under a higher pressure and see if it passes. If it doesn't, then they need to examine and replace the parts /gaskets which are causing the watch to fail the test until it passes (if it can pass it).

Originally Posted by zapokee

Yes. Possibly even alright to wear in the pool, but I'd wear a modern watch for that.

They're dive watches in theory, but in practice you don't want to be wearing a vintage in the water.

If I were a watchmaker, I wouldn't guarantee a high depth rating on a 30-year old watch without inspecting it for pitting on the gasket areas first. If you need more water resistance, maybe ask them to re-evaluate their depth rating once they've had a chance to look at it.

I personally wouldn't feel comfortable wearing it in the pool if it has only passed 2 ATM.

If it has passed 5 ATM, there should be no reason in theory why you couldn't wear vintage in the pool other than your risk tolerance / aversion. I know there are plenty of stories about water damage to priceless vintage Rolex watches in this sub-forum.

Originally Posted by Tomas Eriksson

Sounds like they don't have the equipment to pressure test a dive watch. Are you certain they are "reputable"? I had a 40 year old GMT serviced a while back at a AD, it got pressure tested at 10ATM.

I'm impressed that it passed 10 ATM! I hope that means you wear it swimming.

[fmc000]

I won't even wash my hands wearing a watch rated only 2ATM. It's basically a little more than dustproof.

[Tomas Eriksson]

Originally Posted by ILuvSubs

I'm impressed that it passed 10 ATM! I hope that means you wear it swimming.

I’m borderline wreck less with my collection... All my pieces go with me in the ocean/pool while traveling. they are insured against accidents so rather take them into the water ten risking theft. Royal oaks, aquanauts, gold offshores, all gone into the ocean.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[Dan S]

That's a very conservative number for a relatively modern watch that was originally rated for 10x that depth. Unless the case is in bad condition, I would expect that a 90s Sub could probably be restored to its original rating fairly easily with proper seals, etc. When I had my 1990s 16610 serviced last year, it passed pressure tests to 20 atm with no problem. My watchmaker only tests 1960s and 1970s dive watches to 10 atm, but I can't recall any of them not passing after he has replaced the seals.

[springer]

Originally Posted by ILuvSubs

Yes. They test the watch under a higher pressure and see if it passes. If it doesn't, then they need to examine and replace the parts /gaskets which are causing the watch to fail the test until it passes (if it can pass it).



I personally wouldn't feel comfortable wearing it in the pool if it has only passed 2 ATM.

If it has passed 5 ATM, there should be no reason in theory why you couldn't wear vintage in the pool other than your risk tolerance / aversion. I know there are plenty of stories about water damage to priceless vintage Rolex watches in this sub-forum.




I'm impressed that it passed 10 ATM! I hope that means you wear it swimming.

2 ATMs is good for 33 feet deep. There should not be any issues in a pool if the watch passes a 2 ATM pressure test.

[ILuvSubs]

Originally Posted by springer

2 ATMs is good for 33 feet deep. There should not be any issues in a pool if the watch passes a 2 ATM pressure test.

It's interesting isn't it? The depth rating is in respect of static (nonmoving) conditions below the surface of the water, the pressure of the water will not breach the seals on the device.

As it says in the first link below: "If you were to take a spill while water skiing the moment you hit the water the pressure of the water hitting the device would be much higher than the static pressure at 50 meters (5 ATM) of depth, and it’s quite possible water could force its way into the device."

https://www.howtogeek.com/218747/wat...-need-to-know/

https://www.garmin.com/en-US/legal/w...g-definitions/

[fmc000]

Originally Posted by springer

2 ATMs is good for 33 feet deep. There should not be any issues in a pool if the watch passes a 2 ATM pressure test.

...unless you swim in that pool. The moment you hit the water the pressure gets at least to 3ATM, therefore there's a non-zero risk to have water ingress in your watch.