Rolex 16700 pepsi : rust ?

[Brenneke]

Hello,

I recently moved to an island in the South Pacific (where the humidity is 80%) and I'm worried about the rust on my watches. I recently noticed that my DJ 1603 had rusted, especially under the plexi.

Do you think the same thing could happen to my 16700? The 16700 is susposed to be more waterproof, and it is not the same steel as the 1603... but I still have a doubt on the long term.

So, I wonder if I should leave my beautiful watches in Europe, dry.

If someone has a feedback, it would help me a lot.

Thanks a lot.
Romain.

[Stan Cooper]

If the seals in your 16700 are all in good shape and you keep the crown screwed down when not setting your watch, you shouldn't have a problem. I wore my 1675 GMT-Master for a total of five years on Johnston Atoll and Kwajalein Atoll, including wearing it frequently while swimming and snorkeling without any corrosion issues. I washed it frequently with dish soap and fresh water, especially after swimming and diving in salt water.

[TuRo]

Welcome sir,

As Stan says both will be fine as long as seals ok. Ps 904 and 316 have no difference in corrosion properties btw.

Rgds Paul


Ps It's raining sideways and blowing a hoolie at moment . South Pacific sounds quite appealing !

[Brenneke]

Thanks a lot for your answes Paul & Stan.

Ok, I will change the seals as a precaution before wearing it ����. Even if the water resistence test is fine, it will be more sensible !

[alwayshere]

the only thing I would add is that the older vintage models with plexi does have the tendency to rust within the plexi. I have seen rust on the metal (sometimes below the bezel / retaining ring) but also within the plexi (where there are microcracks and the rust gets inside). The modern sapphire models are better with this though.