How waterresistant are second hand Rolex's?

[Yzord]

I see many times second hand watches for sale with pictures where they show an open case. Of course to verify the internal movement, but i dont buy them, because they are opened. They are not water resistant anymore.

Is that wrong to think?

[TswaneNguni]

The deepest any Rolex of mine has been is about 8 feet in a pool ...does it matter ?

..but correct ,many just open them up to verify .No testing done .

[Onikage]

How many instances of post caseback opening o-ring failure have you heard of? You can always have it pressure tested for peace of mind.

[Phooi]

Originally Posted by Yzord

I see many times second hand watches for sale with pictures where they show an open case. Of course to verify the internal movement, but i dont buy them, because they are opened. They are not water resistant anymore.

Is that wrong to think?

As I learn more about vintage, it is important to make sure whatever you buy is properly serviced before you use it. Just another reason why I’m hesitant to dive into vintage.

Hope that helps.

[crowncollection]

Originally Posted by Yzord

I see many times second hand watches for sale with pictures where they show an open case. Of course to verify the internal movement, but i dont buy them, because they are opened. They are not water resistant anymore.

Is that wrong to think?

Opening a watch correctly will not alter the Waterproofness if the gasket is still good


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[Tools]

Originally Posted by Yzord

I see many times second hand watches for sale with pictures where they show an open case. Of course to verify the internal movement, but i dont buy them, because they are opened. They are not water resistant anymore.

Is that wrong to think?

There is no magic involved.

Opening up the case back does not affect water resistance at all, as long as it is not left open, or somebody has put it back together incorrectly.

[iTreelex]

the question is, are you even going to get it wet?

[buckwheat]

Get it waterproofed service

[Yzord]

Originally Posted by Tools

There is no magic involved.

Opening up the case back does not affect water resistance at all, as long as it is not left open, or somebody has put it back together incorrectly.

Well, i dont dive with my DJ41, because it has been opened by the seller after i bought it (long story, should be here on TRF somewhere). Where can i do a proper water test?

[Phooi]

Originally Posted by Yzord

Well, i dont dive with my DJ41, because it has been opened by the seller after i bought it (long story, should be here on TRF somewhere). Where can i do a proper water test?

Find a proper watchmaker and all your problems will be solved. But if it is a vintage piece, case back is not your only point of water intrusion.

[Tools]

Originally Posted by Yzord

Well, i dont dive with my DJ41, because it has been opened by the seller after i bought it (long story, should be here on TRF somewhere). Where can i do a proper water test?

Any shop with a watchmaker on staff/contract should be able to conduct a pressure check to ensure that the back was replaced correctly and there are no leaks.

[996marty]

If any watch has been pressure tested then they will be fine

[J!m]

Precisely.

The case back is the least likely to cause problems, unless there is significant corrosion evident. Even then, the corrosion is usually confined to outside the o-ring and not an issue.

The crown tube threads and gasket, as well as the crown gasket are areas of concern because unlike the case back, these are unscrewed every time you set and/or wind the watch. I always treat threads with purple locktite as a “belt n suspenders” so I’m not relying solely on the flat o ring and there is no chance of the tube rotating in the case. (And I’ve installed NOS 702s with a petrified o-ring that needed to be replaced before installation.)

Then there’s the crystal. Any imperfection on the OD of the rehaut or ID of the crystal and you can have a leak. Not to mention cracking.

So don’t sweat the case back. But you should test the watch to 1 bar /atm /100 meters to be safe.