Help my beloved submariner got water inside

[bimmerboy]

I went for a swim Saturday night after work with my 16613 TT submariner and half and Hour later my worst nightmare occurred after glancing down at my wrist my date window was completely fogged up. It's been 24 hours and now the date window has cleared although I still can see tiny little water drops around the rehaut. What should I be doing I've left the crown open and stopped the movement. Please let me know as I am becoming very nervous.

[ecsub44]

A service is your best bet. Clearly something is amiss if it's taken on water.

[Trouble15]

Stop the movement as you said you did and bring it in for service.

[Wolfgang427]

Service time for sure, no way around it....

[jesterosb]

Personally, I would take it to a trusted watchmaker and have it checked out. Worst case you will have to get the movement lubricated. The sooner you have someone take a look at it the sooner you will get piece of mind. Best of luck and keep us posted!

[bimmerboy]

Will the movement be damaged with rust? How long do I have to get it to the hospital? If I could send it via ambulance it would already be there. Can't believe a divers watch couldn't withstand 5feet of water.

[jesterosb]

take a look at this link:

http://www.timekeeperforum.com/threa...cting-b.19888/

[Chewbacca]

if it was salt water, it def needs a full mechanical overhaul. if it was tap or pool water, it may not need anything too drastic but it'll need a visit to the ER regardless. good luck

[Thatguy]

I would be shipping it to Rikki ASAP.

[mruhland31]

I'm really sorry. Get it to a professional ASAP. Please let us know how it goes. Good luck

[crowncollection]

Originally Posted by bimmerboy

Will the movement be damaged with rust? How long do I have to get it to the hospital? If I could send it via ambulance it would already be there. Can't believe a divers watch couldn't withstand 5feet of water.

water is your enemy and time, things will start to rust in about 48 hours sometimes less if salt water. You need to get that watch opened and dried immediately or it can cost a lot of money, at this early stage it likely just needs a service. and pressure test. However, should you leave the moisture to damage things you could be up for various movement parts and also allow the moisture to spot your dial. Once dry there is no rush, get it open and dry immediately.

[Thatguy]

Just wondering, how long ago was the last pressure test?

[Tools]

Originally Posted by bimmerboy

Will the movement be damaged with rust? How long do I have to get it to the hospital? If I could send it via ambulance it would already be there. Can't believe a divers watch couldn't withstand 5feet of water.

Yes, it will be damaged. Most of the parts of the movement are bare metal and any water will settle where they mesh together. The rust will become like grit and begin grinding down all the moving parts...

There is nothing to do when water gets inside except have it taken apart, cleaned and oiled...

You don't say how old this watch is but any watch, Diver or otherwise, can have a gasket or seal that fails. If your watch is more than a few years old the seals and gaskets should have already been checked/changed or at least tested before use in water..

[bimmerboy]

I believe six months ago I had some warranty work done not through Rolex. I will be taking it to the shop it was purchased from tomorrow to have them open it up to start with the drying process. It's a p serial dated to 2001. I was waiting for it to stop working before sending it to Rolex. Guess this may be the time. If i take it to Rolex Toronto tomorrow will they start my drying process?

[ecsub44]

Originally Posted by bimmerboy

Can't believe a divers watch couldn't withstand 5feet of water.

Indeed! Something is wrong with your watch.

[JohnAndrew]

I’ve had this happen before. A few years ago, my daughter was playing around with my Sub right before I went for a long swim in the ocean. When I got out of the water I noticed my watch was all fogged up, like you described. My daughter had unscrewed the crown partially and I had not noticed. I was in Mexico and not to comfortable searching out a place to take it, so I waited (two weeks) before I was back in the states to drop it off at my local AD. The watch repair guy told me not to worry, it happens more often than I could imagine. I think it ran me around $600 to have it repaired. I now make sure the crown is screwed tight before I go for a swim.
Good luck and don’t worry

[mikkolopez]

Assuming that when you went swimming the crown was screwed down, then there might be something wrong with the gaskets. 3 ways of getting moisture/water in, through the crystal if there is a leak, the screw-down crown not closed or gasket there is leaking and caseback screwed down and gasket.

An RSC service is needed to thoroughly clean,lube and regulate that movement and have all leaks closed.

[jshepard]

Man, and I always thought that "can I swim with my Rolex?" question was funny... How often do you guys pressure test? Every year? Or every 3-5 years when service is recommended? By the way, good luck with the Sub.

[samsmart]

good luck, our thoughts are with your watch.

[padi56]

Originally Posted by bimmerboy

I went for a swim Saturday night after work with my 16613 TT submariner and half and Hour later my worst nightmare occurred after glancing down at my wrist my date window was completely fogged up. It's been 24 hours and now the date window has cleared although I still can see tiny little water drops around the rehaut. What should I be doing I've left the crown open and stopped the movement. Please let me know as I am becoming very nervous.

Condensation on the inside of the crystal is generally an indication that there may be a problem . However, condensation will quite normally occur when any warm watch is suddenly exposed to a cold environment i.e. if you enter cold water then shortly after warm/hot water/sunshine heat or visa versa. In normal circumstances this will appear as a very fine mist and should disappear in a minute or so when the watch warms up. This is quite normal as the air trapped inside your watch after service could have a small amount of water vapour as its just like normal humidity in the atmosphere, if it disappears quickly all is well. Now if the misting appears as clearly definable droplets of water and does not clear quickly when warm, then it signifies that water has entered the case.Now this will NOT evaporate of its own accord and will need to be removed then afraid its off to the RSC as soon as possible ..

[busytimmy]

Such a shame this happens. Makes people who read these threads always second guess whether they should be swimming with their Rolex and what's worse, it generates more 'can I shower with my Sub?' threads. God knows we have enough of those.

[samsmart]

This has never happened to any of my Rolex's but it is always feared. I am constantly checking the stem before entering the water, and continue to check it while swimming.

[padi56]

Originally Posted by busytimmy

Such a shame this happens. Makes people who read these threads always second guess whether they should be swimming with their Rolex and what's worse, it generates more 'can I shower with my Sub?' threads. God knows we have enough of those.

Well a few of my watches have spent over 600 hours underwater in both salt and fresh water never had a problem.And once while diving in the Red sea quite a few years ago now at 30M I noticed my crown was unscrewed on my SD.On return to surface all was well no water had got into my SD,but all my working watches were pressure checked at least twice a year. So if any watch is used in water then have it pressure checked annually or more if used regularly for diving.

[busytimmy]

Originally Posted by padi56

Well a few of my watches have spent over 600 hours underwater in both salt and fresh water never had a problem.And once while diving in the Red sea quite a few years ago now at 30M I noticed my crown was unscrewed on my SD.On return to surface all was well no water had got into my SD,but all my working watches were pressure checked at least twice a year. So if any watch is used in water then have it pressure checked annually or more if used regularly for diving.

Fair enough.
Question though... If I buy a brand new Sub and dive with it for a year can I expect it to fail within the first year unless I get the seals checked/replaced after 6 months of ownership?

[padi56]

Originally Posted by busytimmy

Fair enough.
Question though... If I buy a brand new Sub and dive with it for a year can I expect it to fail within the first year unless I get the seals checked/replaced after 6 months of ownership?

Would doubt if any of the seals would fail or need replacing but as a precaution all watches used regularly in water should be pressure checked at least once a year.Now there is no need to send watch back to Rolex for this as today most high street jeweler/watchmaker could pressure check.And today no matter the watches water resist rating if tested to 100/200m it will be fine for all normal water activities.

[busytimmy]

Thanks. I'm setting a calendar entry to remind myself to get my watches checked. Not that I dive with them, but just for piece of mind.

[lawcam]

If you truly love it, then the only solution is to take it in for service, it deserves it, and just like anything you love, you have to do the best thing for them, in this case, service.

[travisb]

Sorry to hear. I hope it all turns out well.
Shouldn't be a problem once in the right hands.

[Chris B]

Originally Posted by travisb

Sorry to hear. I hope it all turns out well.
Shouldn't be a problem once in the right hands.

[cop414]

This sucks, keep us posted on the outcome. Another reason to have a pressure test annually in you're taking your watch in water.