Just received my watch back from CW after a repair/service to a Trident Pro 600 and notice that the " water tightness" test is only to 3bar!!??!!

Anyone else had this? Or indeed had a water test by CW to the full 60bar?

redmonaco wrote: ↑Wed Dec 06, 2023 1:25 pm Just received my watch back from CW after a repair/service to a Trident Pro 600 and notice that the " water tightness" test is only to 3bar!!??!!

Anyone else had this? Or indeed had a water test by CW to the full 60bar?

Surely this has to be a cw cock up? Their top of the range 600m capable diver only passing at 30m. Mental if they really have only tested it to that and I can't believe that would be the case.
let us know what they say.

Maybe they just test to a nominal 3bar to ensure the seal and case back has been reattached without obvious error.

What do other watch repairers do?

Would we expect any repair to be tested to the rated depth. What if the watch has a problem with water ingress through some part that hasn't been repaired?

Mmm, the plot thickens...

Below is a reply from CW Customer services from my questioning why only 30m test for a 600m watch (my watch has also had a new case fitted, not that that should make any difference)

"Hi David,



Yes, that is industry standard in terms of after sales pressure testing or, after any repair or service.



Even at 3 Bar is will show us if water can enter the case and therefore it would fail the pressure test and we would then advise the customer is had failed.



The watch would never be tested to 60bar after a service or a repair. It would always only be to 3 bar as explained above.



I hope that helps and of course, please let us know if you have any further issues with your watch.



Best



James"

So, there you have it. Nobody tests more than 30m after a repair or service!!! ;0)

That all makes sense to me. I just had one of my 20atm Elliot Brown's serviced. They pressure test to 5atm's, so a bit more. I guess they're just looking for the tiniest bit of water ingress, and it doesn't take much external pressure for that to happen. Had your CW been compromised I guess they'd have been in touch with a plan of action. Sounds like you've got nothing to worry about.

Des

That explanation makes sense, I guess. I guess it also means that if you were a working diving professional, you’d need to take your watch to a specialist to have it tested to its full depth rating?

strapline wrote: ↑Wed Dec 06, 2023 2:45 pm That all makes sense to me. I just had one of my 20atm Elliot Brown's serviced. They pressure test to 5atm's, so a bit more. I guess they're just looking for the tiniest bit of water ingress, and it doesn't take much external pressure for that to happen. Had your CW been compromised I guess they'd have been in touch with a plan of action. Sounds like you've got nothing to worry about.

Des

I don't understand that argument. It may be water tight at 3atms but that won't say it is at higher pressure. Diving to 100meteres or more is a huge amount of extra pressure

jkbarnes wrote: ↑Wed Dec 06, 2023 2:54 pm That explanation makes sense, I guess. I guess it also means that if you were a working diving professional, you’d need to take your watch to a specialist to have it tested to its full depth rating?

If a company is in the business of repairing/ servicing/ making dive watches don't you think they would be a specialist with dive watches??

redmonaco wrote: ↑Wed Dec 06, 2023 2:54 pm

strapline wrote: ↑Wed Dec 06, 2023 2:45 pm That all makes sense to me. I just had one of my 20atm Elliot Brown's serviced. They pressure test to 5atm's, so a bit more. I guess they're just looking for the tiniest bit of water ingress, and it doesn't take much external pressure for that to happen. Had your CW been compromised I guess they'd have been in touch with a plan of action. Sounds like you've got nothing to worry about.

Des

I don't understand that argument. It may be water tight at 3atms but that won't say it is at higher pressure. Diving to 100meteres or more is a huge amount of extra pressure

Most water ingress happens at the crown, unless it’s a cracked crystal and that’s a whole other problem.You have to consider the surface area that pressure is acting on. Probably not much more than a mm squared, therefore the acting force is considerably less given the surface area. A good unperished O-ring should cope with such forces.

Des

I had the same thought when I got my C60 Abyss back from service last month. 600m WR, only tested to 300m. I thought about it for a sec then put it out of my mind because it does not matter for me at all as a non-diver.

redmonaco wrote: ↑Wed Dec 06, 2023 2:56 pm

jkbarnes wrote: ↑Wed Dec 06, 2023 2:54 pm That explanation makes sense, I guess. I guess it also means that if you were a working diving professional, you’d need to take your watch to a specialist to have it tested to its full depth rating?

If a company is in the business of repairing/ servicing/ making dive watches don't you think they would be a specialist with dive watches??

You’ll notice I qualified my comment with “I guess.” My point wasn’t to defend CW’s practice but to point out that if the industry standard with repairs is 3ATM (as CW claims), anyone who depends on stated depth ratings beyond that would need to look elsewhere for repairs and pressure testing. If your life potentially depends on it, you can’t rely on the industry standard for repairs.

This is what Bremont say about their servicing, I guess they don't work to industry standard.

Step 13: Water resistance testing

The watch head is pressure tested with a full depth test, encompassing overpressure ratings, designed to ensure that the watch is able to perform at the required pressure.

If anyone can post reliable evidence that “industry standard is to only test to 3 bar” after service or repair I would be interested to read it.

Neil

ajax87 wrote: ↑Wed Dec 06, 2023 3:18 pm I had the same thought when I got my C60 Abyss back from service last month. 600m WR, only tested to 300m. I thought about it for a sec then put it out of my mind because it does not matter for me at all as a non-diver.

Was that 300m or 30m?

Watches with 30m are not recommended to go near water!!!

nbg wrote: ↑Wed Dec 06, 2023 4:10 pm If anyone can post reliable evidence that “industry standard is to only test to 3 bar” after service or repair I would be interested to read it.

Neil

Yes, I don't think that is true...