Waterproofing a vintage watch

[ravenhome777]

Hello,

I am considering purchasing a vintage rolex watch. After I purchase it, I would like to have it professionally serviced and waterproofed. How much should I expect to pay for this service?

Also, if you had a recommendation of a reliable watchmaker who could perform this service, that would be great.

I was looking into Central Watch. How much does their waterproofing service generally run?

Thanks!

[037]

Servicing runs anywhere from $500 to 700 on average plus parts depending on the watchmaker. Getting a vintage Rolex back to its original water resistance rating (since no Rolex is waterproof) requires either all new seals if it has a sapphire crystal or all new seals and a new crystal if it has an acrylic crystal.

I would personally recommend Rik at Time Care Inc. in Florida. timecareinc.com

What watch model and reference are you considering purchasing? Not all vintage Rolex still have parts available. Ideally it needs to be from the early/mid-'60s and newer (15xx movements) for parts to be readily available.

[Floorguy]

Yup, Rikki does all my work! Just got back my 16233!

[ravenhome777]

It's from the 1930s and it just says "Oyster" on it. Does that mean it cannot be waterproofed due to its age? It's one of the Canadian Rolex models.

[037]

Something that old is going to be difficult to get back to original water resistance. I just ran into a similar issue with an Oyster Perpetual from the '40s/'50s. Parts just aren't out there and very few watchmakers are willing to make parts from scratch.

Servicing might be possible depending on wear level on the movement and condition of the springs.

[Tools]

Originally Posted by ravenhome777

It's from the 1930s and it just says "Oyster" on it. Does that mean it cannot be waterproofed due to its age? It's one of the Canadian Rolex models.

No, it doesn't mean that at all.

If the sealing surfaces are still sound, or can be machined to a like-new surface, modern gaskets should make it as waterproof as it was when it was new.

If the sealing surfaces are corroded or otherwise damaged, you will likely need the services of a watchmaker who can re-build those surfaces and re-machine them.

It is unlikely that the shop you mentioned will do this type of restoration if needed.

[ravenhome777]

Tools, Is there a watchmaker that you would recommend for machining a watch part? Just curious.

The buyer said that he guarantees for two years that the watch is waterproof. He also said he'd check it 3 times in his pressure machine to make sure it's waterproof. Sounds like he's pretty confident in his product. When I get it, I might give it a quick dunk to see what happens. I have 7 days to return it.

[Tools]

A quick dunk may show if it is waterproof, but it is something you can only do once if it fails. A proper pressure test is much safer.

I have seen Ridley's work restoring sealing surfaces at Watchmakers International in Texas. There are certainly others but have not shown their work here.