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JonHideR · 20 August 2009, 07:44 AM

Hi everyone, I need some help here. I went swimming in the ocean & my DateJust filled with ocean water. The crown is still closed, I know it was totally closed when I went into the water, I check it religiously. There is still ocean water floating around in there & I'm on vacation for another 4 days so I won't be able to bring it to anyone until I get back. I don't know what to do to try to minimize the damage...does anyone have any suggestions????? I love this watch & will be totally heartbroken if it is ruined...not to mention that I can't afford to buy another one =(

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!!
Thanks in advance.
Jon

GerardoG · 20 August 2009, 07:46 AM

If water is inside the case; best thing to do is pull the crown OUT to stop the movement (you do not want the gears to be turning with no oil) and send it back asap to Rolex for full service. After being submerged in water, air is the worst enemy as oxidation will start forming over time; the longer it takes for this to be serviced; the worse it could be.

May I ask where are you on vacation? (Some places, like St Thomas, have a very fast turnaround service at the AD).

nektar · 20 August 2009, 07:46 AM

i am sorry to hear this!people here will help you.

Numismatist · 20 August 2009, 07:48 AM

Yikes! Sorry man. Are you near an AD? Where are you on vacation?

Maybe any local watchmaker could open the case and drain most of the water until it can be fixed.

JonHideR · 20 August 2009, 07:48 AM

Thanks for the quick replies. Luckily (or unluckily...) it stopped on its own, I pulled the crown out just in case it starts again.

Thomas · 20 August 2009, 07:50 AM

Sorry to hear about that. I don't wear my watches in the water, waterproof as they may be. When I am swimming I don't need to know the time, or don't care. Certainly would be different if I were SCUBA diving however, but for recreational swimming I don't wear one into the water. Good luck with you watch.

JonHideR · 20 August 2009, 07:53 AM

Yeah thats the only reason why I was wearing it, but it was a shallow dive, like 50-60 ft...definitely didn't break 100 =(
I'm not sure where I could go over here. I'm in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Never been here before & so far I haven't really seen any nicer jewelry stores that I would trust at all to do this.

VDENTALS · 20 August 2009, 08:00 AM

http://www.loscabosguide.com/ultrajewels/index.html
rolex in cabo san lucas mexico is rolex ad

Idle Swede · 20 August 2009, 08:05 AM

Don't worry as your watch will not be ruined.

Here's what I would do.

Unscew the crown and hack the movement.

Put the whole watch in a cup of olive or vegetable oil and put a lid on it.

When you get home bring the cup, oil & watch to your watchmaker and they will fix it.

Idle Swede · 20 August 2009, 08:20 AM

Forgot to mention,

before you dunk it in the oilfilled cup try (with the crown pointing downwards) to shake out as much water as you can.

Remember, time is of essence here as you don't want it to start to rust.

lwrm23 · 20 August 2009, 08:37 AM

How old is the watch? When was it last serviced?

Idle Swede · 20 August 2009, 08:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lwrm23

How old is the watch? When was it last serviced?

What difference does that make in this case?

GerardoG · 20 August 2009, 09:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JonHideR

Yeah thats the only reason why I was wearing it, but it was a shallow dive, like 50-60 ft...definitely didn't break 100 =(
I'm not sure where I could go over here. I'm in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Never been here before & so far I haven't really seen any nicer jewelry stores that I would trust at all to do this.

Dealer is ULTRAJEWELS/ULTRAFEMME, they are located in the Marina, next to Lorenzillo's restaurant (feet away from Hard Rock Cafe). They are also the AD in Cancun; largest in Latin America.

JonHideR · 20 August 2009, 09:13 AM

Thank you so much everyone for the quick responses! I just brought it to UltraJewels, they sent me to another place right by them & they will have it back to me by tomorrow!! Hopefully its not totally screwed from the salt water but I'll keep my fingers crossed. They think they can totally fix it. I'll let everyone know what happens tomorrow.
BTW - I had it services less than a year ago in a place in Staten Island, NY called B&A Jewelers. I had to bring it back to them 5 times in 1 year because of timing issues as well as a problem with the crown. I even specifically told them to pressure check it because I would be diving with it & they assured me it was in perfect condition. Needless to say...anyone in the NY area DON'T GO THERE FOR SERVICE!!!

MortgageGuy · 20 August 2009, 09:18 AM

I am sorry for you to hear about this. Good to have all the knowledge this forum brings, your in the right place, wish I could tell you what to do... I love TRF!!!!!!

Tools · 20 August 2009, 09:19 AM

Sorry to hear this..

At this point it is damage control because if you do nothing it will be quite rusty by the time it gets serviced..

Leo's idea may save the movement..

Once you get it repaired, have it pressure checked every cou0le of years... there are seals inside the crown tube, at the casse-back, and around the crystal.......... any could get brittle and fail, letting water pour in............ just having the crown screwed down is not any guarantee...

Good luck.......

Numismatist · 20 August 2009, 09:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Idle Swede

What difference does that make in this case?

I think it matters because he's wondering if maybe the reason this happened was because of old tired seals. Yes, the damage is done, but the conversation continues...

kcmo · 20 August 2009, 09:32 AM

Sorry to hear about the mishap. You've definitely done the best thing by taking it to the AD. Let us know what happens!

rsg · 20 August 2009, 09:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JonHideR

Yeah thats the only reason why I was wearing it, but it was a shallow dive, like 50-60 ft...definitely didn't break 100 =(
I'm not sure where I could go over here. I'm in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Never been here before & so far I haven't really seen any nicer jewelry stores that I would trust at all to do this.

Ultrajewels in the Paraiso Mall near the marina can help you out. Any cab driver can get you there.

Oops looks like you already figured this out..........

Idle Swede · 20 August 2009, 09:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rsg

Ultrajewels in the Paraiso Mall near the marina can help you out. Any cab driver can get you there.

Oops looks like you already figured this out..........

And they can use the left over olive oil for their Taco salad...

Rikki · 20 August 2009, 10:48 PM

Yo guys what you want to do is open crown heat up with a hairdryer which will force out as much moisture as you can then screw down crown. You want to keep as much air out of the watch as you can it's the other ingredient needed to keep the oxidation process going. once sealed up the rusting should slow down quite a bit. With salt water you need to get it to someone within 24 hours or less or you're looking at massive rust new gears dial calendar balance wheel this method works well for me. When I get a wet one in I remove the dial and cal then drop the movement in naptha benzene which displaces the water then blow it off and start the dissesembly process. Hope that helps Rik the watchmaker

Andad · 21 August 2009, 05:03 PM

At the risk of disagreeing with a watchmaker and others, I would make the following observations.

IMO.

1) The OP was diving with his DJ and high pressure has pushed some water past seals and into the movement.

2) Opening the crown and shaking the watch will not remove water from the inside.

3) Heating the watch is the worst thing you could do. Rust is a redox reaction and heat will speed up this reaction.

4) In any event, heating it up with the crown open will remove negligible moisture from inside the movement.

5) Dipping the whole watch in a cup of olive oil will have no effect on the movement and you will make a mess if you drop the cup.

I do agree with the part about getting it to a Rolex watchmaker ASAP if not sooner.

I would remove the case back immediately, dip the whole shooting match in the handiest solvent I had - probably meths and this would buy some time.
Not everyone, however has a caseback remover.

Just my 2c.

tthopp05 · 22 August 2009, 05:55 AM

Man,that sucks.Try and enjoy your vacation.It a watch and CAN be fixed.

mborkow · 22 August 2009, 06:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Idle Swede

Don't worry as your watch will not be ruined.

Here's what I would do.

Unscew the crown and hack the movement.

Put the whole watch in a cup of olive or vegetable oil and put a lid on it.

When you get home bring the cup, oil & watch to your watchmaker and they will fix it.

You can't bring a liquid onto the flight home, right?

Idle Swede · 22 August 2009, 07:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mborkow

You can't bring a liquid onto the flight home, right?

Sure you can, it has been done and it works.

Rikki · 22 August 2009, 11:26 AM

And how many wet rolexes have you worked on I stopped counting 500 ago. Rik

Andad · 22 August 2009, 12:02 PM

Some people have one experience in 500 things.
Some have the same experience 500 times.
I gave my opinion and I stand by it Rik.

Perhaps your >500 wet Rolexes might have been easier to repair if you did it 'my way'.

Lets look at the facts.

The DJ had been worn at maybe 60 ft but less than 100'.
It could have been subject to >30 psi of water pressure.
IMO it was likely that the seals leaked at some depth and associated pressure.
Once back on the surface I would have expected the DJ to be pretty well sealed back up and no amount of shaking or oil in a cup is going to get water out or oil in past the seals at this point in time.
How can you expect to open the crown and let water out then dip it in oil and expect oil to go in?
We now have salt water sealed inside the movement and the watch needs to be take apart and repaired asap.
If you heat the case you will speed up the whole internal rusting process.
It's all really very easy to understand Rik.

I am not a watchmaker I am just the simple MD of an engineering business. Seals are seals, pressure is pressure, facts are facts.
We have a lot of very clever Forum members - lets hear from some of them if there is a better way of fixing this problem in the absence of a handy watchmaker.

greekbum · 22 August 2009, 12:10 PM

When I bought my GMT many moons ago the watchmaker at the AD told me if i am ever swimming in saltwater and get saltwater in the watch to put it in a cup of water ASAP and keep it in the water so no air gets in it and bring it to them ASAP. Luckily for me I never got salt water in my watch so far.

Rikki · 22 August 2009, 12:46 PM

In his particular case he was swimming and was 4 days away from from being able to do anything, frankly in his case pulling the stem all the way out and breaking it off to drain as much water as possible would be the best course then seal it up with the crown afterwards. I know drastic but a stem is inexpensive compared to movement dial hands and whatever else might go bad but leaving any moiusture would be tradjic. Once the moisture is heated out or drained out you'll usually only be left with light surface rust whci can be wiped off and brass wire wheeled off. I only mentioned what I did because he was no where where he could take it for 4 days. If a watch comes to me wet all other work stops till that watch is taken apart and dried and rusting arrested. Now I'll admit breaking the stem for someone who is not knowlegable would be a tough call if even thought of but in extreme cases extreme measure some times have to be done. By the way I like our bantering brings up new stuff and different ways of looking at things Rikki

chriseskew24 · 22 August 2009, 01:18 PM

I am happy i am reading this post. Gives me ideas i would have never thought of if the same ever happens to me.. Knock on wood.

20 August 2009, 07:44 AM	#1
JonHideR "TRF" Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: NY Posts: 4	Water damage to DJ Hi everyone, I need some help here. I went swimming in the ocean & my DateJust filled with ocean water. The crown is still closed, I know it was totally closed when I went into the water, I check it religiously. There is still ocean water floating around in there & I'm on vacation for another 4 days so I won't be able to bring it to anyone until I get back. I don't know what to do to try to minimize the damage...does anyone have any suggestions????? I love this watch & will be totally heartbroken if it is ruined...not to mention that I can't afford to buy another one =( Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!! Thanks in advance. Jon

20 August 2009, 07:48 AM	#4
Numismatist "TRF" Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Real Name: Chris Location: Camden ME & STT Watch: 116600 Posts: 6,350	Yikes! Sorry man. Are you near an AD? Where are you on vacation? Maybe any local watchmaker could open the case and drain most of the water until it can be fixed. __________________ Rolex 116600 Sea-dweller Montblanc Solitaire Doué Black & White Legrand FP Montblanc Solitaire Doué Black & White RB Montblanc Meisterstück Diamond Mozart BP Montblanc Meisterstück Mozart BP

20 August 2009, 08:00 AM	#8
VDENTALS "TRF" Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: TEXAS Watch: ROLEX LV Posts: 156	http://www.loscabosguide.com/ultrajewels/index.html rolex in cabo san lucas mexico is rolex ad __________________ GMT MASTER IIC 116710 M GMT MASTER ll 16710 M SUBMARINER 16610 LV M SUBMARINER 16613 M

20 August 2009, 09:18 AM	#15
MortgageGuy "TRF" Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Real Name: Adam Location: Orlando, Florida Watch: Me Posts: 9,935	I am sorry for you to hear about this. Good to have all the knowledge this forum brings, your in the right place, wish I could tell you what to do... I love TRF!!!!!! __________________ The richest people in the world look for and build NETWORKS, Everyone else looks for work... Robert Kiyosaki

20 August 2009, 09:19 AM	#16
Tools TRF Moderator & 2025 Titanium Yacht-Master Patron Join Date: May 2007 Real Name: Larry Location: Mojave Desert Watch: GMT's Posts: 43,672	Sorry to hear this.. At this point it is damage control because if you do nothing it will be quite rusty by the time it gets serviced.. Leo's idea may save the movement.. Once you get it repaired, have it pressure checked every cou0le of years... there are seals inside the crown tube, at the casse-back, and around the crystal.......... any could get brittle and fail, letting water pour in............ just having the crown screwed down is not any guarantee... Good luck....... __________________ (Chill ... It's just a watch Forum.....) NAWCC Member

20 August 2009, 07:46 AM	#2
GerardoG Banned Join Date: Oct 2005 Real Name: Gerardo Location: Here Watch: ALL of them Posts: 32,098	If water is inside the case; best thing to do is pull the crown OUT to stop the movement (you do not want the gears to be turning with no oil) and send it back asap to Rolex for full service. After being submerged in water, air is the worst enemy as oxidation will start forming over time; the longer it takes for this to be serviced; the worse it could be. May I ask where are you on vacation? (Some places, like St Thomas, have a very fast turnaround service at the AD).

20 August 2009, 07:46 AM	#3
nektar "TRF" Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Louisiana Watch: 114060 Posts: 1,678	i am sorry to hear this!people here will help you.

20 August 2009, 07:50 AM	#6
Thomas Banned Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: USA Posts: 625	Sorry to hear about that. I don't wear my watches in the water, waterproof as they may be. When I am swimming I don't need to know the time, or don't care. Certainly would be different if I were SCUBA diving however, but for recreational swimming I don't wear one into the water. Good luck with you watch.

20 August 2009, 07:53 AM	#7
JonHideR "TRF" Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: NY Posts: 4	Yeah thats the only reason why I was wearing it, but it was a shallow dive, like 50-60 ft...definitely didn't break 100 =( I'm not sure where I could go over here. I'm in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Never been here before & so far I haven't really seen any nicer jewelry stores that I would trust at all to do this.

20 August 2009, 08:05 AM	#9
Idle Swede Suspended Join Date: Oct 2008 Real Name: Leo Location: Boca Raton Posts: 13,820	Don't worry as your watch will not be ruined. Here's what I would do. Unscew the crown and hack the movement. Put the whole watch in a cup of olive or vegetable oil and put a lid on it. When you get home bring the cup, oil & watch to your watchmaker and they will fix it.

20 August 2009, 08:20 AM	#10
Idle Swede Suspended Join Date: Oct 2008 Real Name: Leo Location: Boca Raton Posts: 13,820	Forgot to mention, before you dunk it in the oilfilled cup try (with the crown pointing downwards) to shake out as much water as you can. Remember, time is of essence here as you don't want it to start to rust.

20 August 2009, 08:37 AM	#11
lwrm23 "TRF" Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Real Name: Craig Location: Florida Watch: SubC Posts: 140	How old is the watch? When was it last serviced?

20 August 2009, 09:13 AM	#14
JonHideR "TRF" Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: NY Posts: 4	Thank you so much everyone for the quick responses! I just brought it to UltraJewels, they sent me to another place right by them & they will have it back to me by tomorrow!! Hopefully its not totally screwed from the salt water but I'll keep my fingers crossed. They think they can totally fix it. I'll let everyone know what happens tomorrow. BTW - I had it services less than a year ago in a place in Staten Island, NY called B&A Jewelers. I had to bring it back to them 5 times in 1 year because of timing issues as well as a problem with the crown. I even specifically told them to pressure check it because I would be diving with it & they assured me it was in perfect condition. Needless to say...anyone in the NY area DON'T GO THERE FOR SERVICE!!!

20 August 2009, 09:32 AM	#18
kcmo "TRF" Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Real Name: Karis Location: USA Posts: 19,377	Sorry to hear about the mishap. You've definitely done the best thing by taking it to the AD. Let us know what happens!

20 August 2009, 10:48 PM	#21
Rikki TechXpert Join Date: Jun 2009 Real Name: Rik Dietel Location: Seminole Fla Watch: 5512 s/s Sub Posts: 1,818	Yo guys what you want to do is open crown heat up with a hairdryer which will force out as much moisture as you can then screw down crown. You want to keep as much air out of the watch as you can it's the other ingredient needed to keep the oxidation process going. once sealed up the rusting should slow down quite a bit. With salt water you need to get it to someone within 24 hours or less or you're looking at massive rust new gears dial calendar balance wheel this method works well for me. When I get a wet one in I remove the dial and cal then drop the movement in naptha benzene which displaces the water then blow it off and start the dissesembly process. Hope that helps Rik the watchmaker

21 August 2009, 05:03 PM	#22
Andad 2025 TitaniumYM Pledge Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Real Name: Eddie Location: Australia Watch: A few. Posts: 37,747	At the risk of disagreeing with a watchmaker and others, I would make the following observations. IMO. 1) The OP was diving with his DJ and high pressure has pushed some water past seals and into the movement. 2) Opening the crown and shaking the watch will not remove water from the inside. 3) Heating the watch is the worst thing you could do. Rust is a redox reaction and heat will speed up this reaction. 4) In any event, heating it up with the crown open will remove negligible moisture from inside the movement. 5) Dipping the whole watch in a cup of olive oil will have no effect on the movement and you will make a mess if you drop the cup. I do agree with the part about getting it to a Rolex watchmaker ASAP if not sooner. I would remove the case back immediately, dip the whole shooting match in the handiest solvent I had - probably meths and this would buy some time. Not everyone, however has a caseback remover. Just my 2c. __________________ E

22 August 2009, 05:55 AM	#23
tthopp05 Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: NY Watch: THE MIGHTY DEEPSEA Posts: 839	Man,that sucks.Try and enjoy your vacation.It a watch and CAN be fixed.

22 August 2009, 11:26 AM	#26
Rikki TechXpert Join Date: Jun 2009 Real Name: Rik Dietel Location: Seminole Fla Watch: 5512 s/s Sub Posts: 1,818	And how many wet rolexes have you worked on I stopped counting 500 ago. Rik

22 August 2009, 12:02 PM	#27
Andad 2025 TitaniumYM Pledge Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Real Name: Eddie Location: Australia Watch: A few. Posts: 37,747	Some people have one experience in 500 things. Some have the same experience 500 times. I gave my opinion and I stand by it Rik. Perhaps your >500 wet Rolexes might have been easier to repair if you did it 'my way'. Lets look at the facts. The DJ had been worn at maybe 60 ft but less than 100'. It could have been subject to >30 psi of water pressure. IMO it was likely that the seals leaked at some depth and associated pressure. Once back on the surface I would have expected the DJ to be pretty well sealed back up and no amount of shaking or oil in a cup is going to get water out or oil in past the seals at this point in time. How can you expect to open the crown and let water out then dip it in oil and expect oil to go in? We now have salt water sealed inside the movement and the watch needs to be take apart and repaired asap. If you heat the case you will speed up the whole internal rusting process. It's all really very easy to understand Rik. I am not a watchmaker I am just the simple MD of an engineering business. Seals are seals, pressure is pressure, facts are facts. We have a lot of very clever Forum members - lets hear from some of them if there is a better way of fixing this problem in the absence of a handy watchmaker. __________________ E

22 August 2009, 12:10 PM	#28
greekbum "TRF" Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Real Name: Nikos Location: Florida Watch: Rolex GMT 16750 Posts: 8,418	When I bought my GMT many moons ago the watchmaker at the AD told me if i am ever swimming in saltwater and get saltwater in the watch to put it in a cup of water ASAP and keep it in the water so no air gets in it and bring it to them ASAP. Luckily for me I never got salt water in my watch so far. __________________ Follow Me On Instagram @nickgogas Original Owner ROLEX 16750 GMT Daily Wearer For Over 13,000 Days And Counting

22 August 2009, 12:46 PM	#29
Rikki TechXpert Join Date: Jun 2009 Real Name: Rik Dietel Location: Seminole Fla Watch: 5512 s/s Sub Posts: 1,818	In his particular case he was swimming and was 4 days away from from being able to do anything, frankly in his case pulling the stem all the way out and breaking it off to drain as much water as possible would be the best course then seal it up with the crown afterwards. I know drastic but a stem is inexpensive compared to movement dial hands and whatever else might go bad but leaving any moiusture would be tradjic. Once the moisture is heated out or drained out you'll usually only be left with light surface rust whci can be wiped off and brass wire wheeled off. I only mentioned what I did because he was no where where he could take it for 4 days. If a watch comes to me wet all other work stops till that watch is taken apart and dried and rusting arrested. Now I'll admit breaking the stem for someone who is not knowlegable would be a tough call if even thought of but in extreme cases extreme measure some times have to be done. By the way I like our bantering brings up new stuff and different ways of looking at things Rikki

22 August 2009, 01:18 PM	#30
chriseskew24 "TRF" Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Real Name: Christopher Location: fort lauderdale Watch: Bunches Posts: 1,860	I am happy i am reading this post. Gives me ideas i would have never thought of if the same ever happens to me.. Knock on wood.

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