The Breitling Watch Source Forums

thinking of buying a 2007 steelfish for diving in but don't want / can't afford a service to ensure it is fully water tight.

Who can give me this piece of mind? Without the price tag???

Thanks all

Some independent watch repairers have pressure test facilities. Pick out a few local watch repairers from either the yellow pages or the net and give them a shout. I bet you'll find one with the right equipment.

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Driver8

Site Moderator

I've been contemplating building a pressure tester. The ingredients seem simple enough. Just need a pressure chamber, a gauge, a bike pump and a valve. It is likely to be my next maker project.

Help me with my ignorance, please. I first thought, "what, this guy doesn't trust Breitling? What good is all that marketing hype?" But then I noted that you're talking about a used watch. Is it likely that in only three years it's lost a significant portion of its water resistance?

Peace

Mike

It will depend on the environment that the watch has been previously exposed to and weather or not the caseback has been removed previously for servicing. Watches that are exposed to marine environments need to have the seals checked more frequently as the salt/water can cause early deterioration and possibly result in seal failure.

It depends on what the gaskets and seals have been exposed to in the past. Exposure to aging factors (chemicals, UV rays, etc.) break down the seals and comprimise the pressure rating. As it's pre-owned, the only wayt to make sure that it's still in good shape would be to test it on the cheap or get the watch serviced at a significantly higher cost.

EDIT: Whoops, didn't see your post br549, apologies

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“The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once.” - Albert Einstein

Ha, you both posted at the same time, with the same good answer. Thank you both.

It's interesting how the opposing concepts of durability and fragility can influence the sale of a luxury watch.

Peace

Mike

You might have difficulty locating a local watchmaker that can pressure test this watch to the original spec. A really good (10 bar) pressure tester is a $5,000 investment. Most small shops will not spend that kind of money when the demand is not there. I'm sure plenty of shops have the pump (immersion) type that goes to 3 bar.

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1809 Cosmonaute
1903 Navi
Navi Olympus
Super Avenger

This one claims to do 11 bars:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... K:MEWAX:IT

Interesting, to say the least. All the immersion types I have seen only go to 3 or 4 bar. I'm not sure I would want to be standing there when that jar is pressurized to 11 bar. I wouldn't think the seals on the plunger would be that good. The Bergeon unit is rated at 3, but the gauge goes to 6.

The high pressure ones are usually dry testers. That's why they cost so much. Although, there are some high pressure wet testers out there.

http://www.bestfixwatch.com/Pressure_Testing.php has several types on display in their service pages.

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1809 Cosmonaute
1903 Navi
Navi Olympus
Super Avenger

would any of you just trust it until I get it serviced later this year?

Depends whether you plan to swim with it!

Um, if the watch seals were to fail DURING a wet pressure test, what then? If u're confident enough to subject ur watch to a 11 bar wet tester, might u not just skip the test altogether & go swimming w it?

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a few Pams...

When you pressure test the case seals you suspend the watch in air while you pressurize the chamber. When the pressure is at the test point, you submerge the watch in the distilled water and release the air pressure. If the seals leak, the pressure inside the case will be greater than the water pressure and bubbles will show where the case is leaking. No water will get into the case because of the pressure differential. Then you remove the watch from the water and set about sealing the case.

Conversely, when you are swimming you start with the watch at ambient pressure. As you dive deeper into the water, the water pressure increases and water will invade the case if the seals leak.

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1809 Cosmonaute
1903 Navi
Navi Olympus
Super Avenger

Thanks for the advice I think I will se if Andrew Michaels will sort a service for me before I take it swimming.