So bit of a scare with Wifey's 50th Birthday Rolex!!

[dickymint]

You may remember Wifey's delight at receiving this back in April. She's not taken it off even in the shower and she adores it. Well 2 days ago She went to the Gym (another pressie for the two of us) for the first time. I couldn't go but she asked me would it be ok to wear it in the jacuzzi and pool. For me It's a no-brainer to keep it on as in the distant past I took mine off in work (very busy factory) to wash my hands and left it on the sink. I got lucky and it was still there 15 minutes later pheww! and never again. She took my advice, came home knackered and happy until she saw rhis.................






The optimist in me was thinking could just be that the trapped air inside the last time it was opened was humid and the sudden temp changes between hot jacuzzi and cold pool had caused condensation that would clear. The pessimist in me said O fk it's leaking! A couple of hours on youtube and I new it needed sorting and quick to minimise 'proper' damage. Checked the 12 month warranty and wasn't surprised to see that water damage isn't covered.

I ordered this yesterday that arrived this afternoon....................




Wifey came home and it was still foggy so whipped the back of and thankfully the movement looked dry so 5 minutes under the hair drier with the crown unscrewed. Now the strange thing was it took no force at all to remove the back case - it felt finger tight at most!! So here's the state of play..........





What a relief

She's off to the gym again tomorrow with the case properly tightened down (yes I know ideally it should have a new O ring) to test it out again. I'll be ready with the hair dryer

Question for you guys: I've used "TheWatchGuy" to have mine serviced at a very reasonable price and was very impressed with the daily updates of it's progress with photos on his website but it can take up to 4 weeks in his queue to get an answer if he'll take on the work. Who do you use?

[The Gauge]

I have a similar rule when wearing my watch, I never take it off when im away from home.
Whilst at home I always remove my watch when showering, I daren't do so when we are away in our caravan using the sites showers. It stays on my wrist.

[NorthDave]

Although I can see the logic of not taking it off from a safety point of view there is no way I would be wearing a watch like that in the jacuzzi - one damaged seal or badly screwed down crown and it's knackered.

Either take it off before you go and leave it home or risk it in the locker IMHO

[Portofino]

Yep, it’s the heat of the hot tub/jacuzzi that makes the metal expand. Might be waterproof but it’s not hot tub proof.

[GuigiaroBertone]

I would agree with the last poster in that a Rolex is not really a "Gym" watch. It's not worth the risk of loss, theft, robbery and damage.

I just wouldn't feel it necessary to wear a Rolex to the gym- I'd also buy her a smartwatch which will cost you less than a Rolex service.

I'm definitely not someone who takes excessive care of my watches, and give all but my vintage Rolex a good battering etc but I wouldn't point a hairdryer at a mechanical watch. Heat can dry out the lubricants, which will lead to accelerated wear. Even if the hairdryer is cold, you're will still be blowing dust onto the movement. Moisture + heat + dust have no place in a precision instrument.

Just some advice & I really hope your wife continues to enjoy the watch! :-)

[gregs656]

Portofino said:

Yep, it’s the heat of the hot tub/jacuzzi that makes the metal expand. Might be waterproof but it’s not hot tub proof.

Of course it is.

[hilly10]

I wear all my watches Sub, Tuna, Apple Watch also Omega 300 Pro five times a week Pool, Hot tub, Steam and Sauna never had a problem

[GuigiaroBertone]

hilly10 said:

I wear all my watches Sub, Tuna, Apple Watch also Omega 300 Pro five times a week Pool, Hot tub, Steam and Sauna never had a problem

I'd have no problem wearing any of those modern watches in those environments- I have similar (2015 GMT, 2005 Panerai, Apple) but I would never wear my vintage Rolex (1960s) even in the shower. I'd recommend the same with the OPs watch- unless its pressure tested. Also- I still think it's unnecessary to wear a Rolex to the gym if I have a smartwatch, but each to their own of course.

[dickymint]

Thanks for the input all, some interesting comments.

For me the bottom line is that both our watches (vintage) should be more than capable of coping with the differing environments of a hot-tub and a cold pool. Yes the risk is that seals can break down over time and for that reason would need changing subject to a waterproof testing with the correct equipment etc. As regards 'heat changes' I know a fair bit about coefficients of linear expansion of different materials but I think it's safe to think so do Rolex and take this into account with their choice of 'mating' materials?

Wifey already has a Apple Watch but never wears it (she can't keep a phone charged let alone a watch ) we've only just joined the gym and she's definitely not into monitoring heart rate etc. and for me it will sauna, jacuzzi pool then straight to the bar and wait for Wifey

So in the interests of science (my curiosity to be honest) after clearing the fog and ensuring the rear case was properly tightened down Wifey went to the gym again yesterday armed with the knowledge that I can fix anything Did the same routine and came home........fogged up again

It'll be booked in for a service including both dry (vacuum) and wet waterproof tests Meanwhile it's on light duties only

I'ts not going to Rolex that's for certain! So who do you guys use? Mine was last serviced by Christian at 'TheWatchGuy" and I was very impressed with his work so will probable use them. It had been serviced once before but that was a disaster and a story in its own right

[Evanivitch]

gregs656 said:

Of course it is.

It's not the temperature, it's the rate of change (and back). Even most military equipment can't beat the issues of going from a cool environment and immediately into a extreme hot/cold environment, and needs some dwell time in-between.

[dickymint]

Evanivitch said:

gregs656 said:

Of course it is.

It's not the temperature, it's the rate of change (and back). Even most military equipment can't beat the issues of going from a cool environment and immediately into a extreme hot/cold environment, and needs some dwell time in-between.

We're not looking at extremes though are we? A quick search comes up as Jacuzzi around 38c (40c considered highest safe temp for people) Indoor pool 26-30c so hardly extreme. Obviously enough to show 'fogging' but that could happen even without a leak if there is too much humidity in the trapped air when last closed up. Rolex would surely have taken into account at the design stage this sort of activity? My own watch has dealt with going from an immediate change from -10c on the ski slopes to, at a guess, +23c having a Gluhwein and bowl of Goulash without fogging up.

I may take the plunge myself Sunday and have absolutely no doubt mine will be fine..........it's already passed the "ice cube" test with flying colours

[gregs656]

Evanivitch said:

gregs656 said:

Of course it is.

It's not the temperature, it's the rate of change (and back). Even most military equipment can't beat the issues of going from a cool environment and immediately into a extreme hot/cold environment, and needs some dwell time in-between.

That watch should be totally fine to go into a Jacuzzi. That it fogged up indicates a problem with a seal, not a problem with the activity.

[Freakuk]

Maybe a daft question, but why would you wear a Rolex at the gym in the first place?

For me gym = Garmin, job done.

[dickymint]

Freakuk said:

Maybe a daft question, but why would you wear a Rolex at the gym in the first place?

For me gym = Garmin, job done.

Well for me (and now it seems Wifey) I want to keep it on my wrist at all times. A fitness watch/gadget has no place in my life

[popeyewhite]

dickymint said:

Freakuk said:

Maybe a daft question, but why would you wear a Rolex at the gym in the first place?

For me gym = Garmin, job done.

Well for me (and now it seems Wifey) I want to keep it on my wrist at all times. A fitness watch/gadget has no place in my life

Risky policy wearing an expensive watch to a gym.

[Freakuk]

popeyewhite said:

dickymint said:

Freakuk said:

Maybe a daft question, but why would you wear a Rolex at the gym in the first place?

For me gym = Garmin, job done.

Well for me (and now it seems Wifey) I want to keep it on my wrist at all times. A fitness watch/gadget has no place in my life

Risky policy wearing an expensive watch to a gym.

Agreed for many reasons, I've got a screen protector on my Garmin and I've cracked that on a kettle bell, so I wouldn't think to wear anything of real value at a gym.

[dickymint]

Freakuk said:

popeyewhite said:

dickymint said:

Freakuk said:

Maybe a daft question, but why would you wear a Rolex at the gym in the first place?

For me gym = Garmin, job done.

Well for me (and now it seems Wifey) I want to keep it on my wrist at all times. A fitness watch/gadget has no place in my life

Risky policy wearing an expensive watch to a gym.

Agreed for many reasons, I've got a screen protector on my Garmin and I've cracked that on a kettle bell, so I wouldn't think to wear anything of real value at a gym.

Blimey guys we're talking about a 5K second hand watch and mines not worth much more. She's spending at most 90 mins on a running machine and some other stuff followed by a swim and a soak in the tub! There's more chance of her pranging her newish VW T-Roc Maybe she should take the bus

Kettle Bell? I'll trump that with a little anecdotal story about mine later................

[enzo_ferrari]

I wouldn’t take a vintage Rolex with unknown service history anywhere near water or steam

Get it serviced and pressure tested and leave it at home next time IMO.

Nice that she loves it, good work

[MTK1919]

Looks like a good save and also a warning.

I echo what others have said. Maybe a more modern watch would be ok in this environment but a vintage one is very risky. It’s not just the pool or jacuzzi…..essentially anywhere in a gym could be a hazard for a less robust watch. It’s so easy to catch it against one of the machines, free weights, etc etc.

I get that some people want a watch that never leaves the wrist but I guess you make your choice and you take the risk.

None of my mechanical watches come with me to the gym. Firstly they aren’t comfortable in that environment, secondly I’ll almost certainly damage them, and finally, I (like others) use a smart watch for training purposes. I hate smart watches in general but it does have a time and a place. I also use mine when working on the car for similar reasons and to avoid damage.

[davek_964]

I've started wearing a smart watch recently, but my Daytona has been my daily watch for 10 years - including gym etc, and I usually forget to take it off when working on the car.
Never caused any issue and it's exactly what I bought it for.