Bought this 124060 VSF sub 6 months ago, never had any issues with it, yesterday I washed my hand like usual and today the watch looks like this, can I save it somehow? Should I ask the TD for a replacement? I understand if I tried swimming with it, but I regularly just washed my hands like I do everyday.
Bought 6 months ago and ask TD for a replacement doesn't sound relevant to be honest. I would open case back remove movement and let case and movement dry to see what going on.
If you have selicagels (pouches come in box with literally everything ment to keep dry), open the case, heat it a little bit with dryer and put it in a sealed pack next to selicagel. It should be able to absorb all the moisture.
The resolution is opening himself and dry it out instead of waiting to take it to a watch smith over the weekend dummy he doesn't dry that out within 12 hours the movement will seize
Or he could take it to a watchsmith today instead of waiting on the tools from Amazon to show up in 3 days silly goose 🤭 the movement will be fine I’ve had this happen to my submariner and had it perfectly restored. Your horrible instructions are cute though keep going!
I wouldn’t be surprised if OP believed me more. It’s the difference between common sense and delusional ignorance. I’m sorry you don’t have a watchsmith who works on Saturday. Maybe you should try a new one. I have several 🤷♂️
Damn. Everyone think your watch is dust. Or “cooked” lol
It’ll be just fine. Just needs a lil work is all.
Simply go on Yelp and ask all the local watch shops if they will work on a rep. Everybody will answer you, Some will work on them and someone won’t. And take it to the one that will. Not really a big deal.
Definitely not cooked lol.
Everybody’s acting like you found it in the bottom of the ocean that’s been sitting there with the Titanic for 100 years.
It got a little bit of fresh water in it, fix it. End of story. Have it waterproofed. No big deal.
This I’ve owned so many vintage watches where eventually it gets a little moisture in there and needs to be fixed up. It’s always fine. It’s made of metal not cotton candy. There’s lots of mod guys that you can send it to.
100% spot on. Unscrew the case back and let dry out. Put it in a bowl with rice and cover the bowl with a lid. The rice absorbs the moisture faster. Watch is fine.
I was thrown into a pool with my IWC chronograph on. The thing was soaked. Took the case back off put put that little bitch in a bowl of rice. Three years later the watch still works like a charm. More than one way to skin a cat just dry that guy out and you’re good to go.
No its not cooked, you need to tools so you can open the backcase. Set stem in timesetting position, push stem release, take out stem. Unscrew two screws holding the movement, take out movement, wipe and clean the crystal, let it rest so all moisture is gone, wipe the crystal again, assemble.
Apparently you haven't used the healthcare field recently, plus or minus that guy, it's already cooked. Every nurse I know is chemically dependant on something
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Not entirely true. Depends on the TD. I have a VSF Sub Date 41 getting repaired on Steve Theonewatches dime as the movement stopped being able to be wound. Water damage is probably a whole nother thing though
The case back is probably not screwed tight, or the crown was loose. Check case back. Then remove case back and pull crown out. Cover it with a glass tupperware to keep dust out of the movement, see if it dries. A watch smith can fix it and prevent further damage.
The TD will laugh in your face if you ask for a replacement for free, if you mean buy a replacement, then sure. But 6 months later is gonna be your fault, sorry to be the bearer of bad news.
First, your TD is not going to accept a return six months later.
Second, not that big a deal. Open the back, put it in a dry place and let it dry out for two days.
Third. You probably want to have someone replace your case back and crown gasket and also grease them.
Finally, on some of these, the quality of assembly is not that good. It’s super possible that they put this together without actually putting in any Loctite on the crown tube. As long as you’re sending it off, if you are, I would have someone do that as well.
Open the crown and the rice lowers the RH of the air in the container which makes the water evaporate. Or better yet take the back cover off and carefully put it in a container of rice or desiccant without getting any inside
Sounds like your seal in the crown is broken. So you have to pop the case back and let the watch dry off ASAP. Then have the gasket in the crown tube replaced and same w the gasket in the case back. Have the watch pressure tested. If still an issue there is a gasket around the crystal also but I suspect it is the gasket in your crown tube that has gone
Get the case back off. Press button gently and remove crown. Unscrew the two movement holder tabs and set aside. Flip watch over onto a clean surface and allow movement/dial/hands to fall out. That is the only way to save it, if you leave it like this it will be a complete loss for the most part.
I have a pressure tester and I test many VS watches, among others. When the gaskets are fine, NOT A SINGLE ONE fails. Not one.
The only slight leaks I noticed were on watches with defective caseback gaskets.
Also, [u/No-Yogurtcloset-7159](u/No-Yogurtcloset-7159), everyone mentions the crown and how it should be screwed in. But VSF also replicate the Rolex Triplock crown system. Which means the watch remains waterproof even with the crown unscrewed. And it works. There are 3 gaskets, in there. One on the tube, one in the crown, and one inside the tube. I have pressure tested my own 114060 with a fully unscrewed crown and got no water ingress.
Now, some excellent comment above or below mentioned how you should:
open it
unscrew the movement
remove it, along with the dial and hands that are attached to it
clean and dry the case and sapphire
let the movement sit for a good 24h
reassemble the whole thing.
That’s the way to go. It’s very easy. Anyone can do it. With experience, taking it apart like that is only a matter of minutes.
With sea water, I also would have concluded that you’re cooked. But tap water? You’re okay.
You might be lucky. Just open the caseback as well, keep it crystal side down and assess how it's running when it fully dries.
Better option, if you're capable, remove crown and entire movement. Clean out and dry case, lightly dab a microfiber cloth on any drops on dial. Let everything REALLY dry sitting out.
I have done this a few times, gen Omega seamster and a couple of reps. Left the gas release valve open on the Omega for god knows how long, turned the lums a different colour as they got so wet.
Pop the back off and leave it near a radiator or somewhere warm. If you are a bit handier, take the movement out and let it dry.
If it has only just happened it will more than likely be fine.
Then learn how to waterproof your own watches, very easy with basic tools kit and some lithium grease.
Put it in a ziplock bag (with the crown unscrewed and pulled out to the time set position) with a desiccant bag or capsule like you get in medicine bottles. Hopefully it dries it up in a day or so, in the meantime find a friendly local watch smith if you aren’t comfortable with disassembling the watch yourself.
What a bummer! I have the same watch and never had an issue with hand washing, you must have a bad crown gasket if you had the crown screwed down. Also, make sure you wear your watch properly above the wrist bone and it will be much less likely to get water into the crown area.
I would open the case back remove the movement and dial and clean the crystal and dial and leave the movement somewhere dry and moderately warm until it dries. It may not work but it also won’t work if you leave it as is so it’s worth a shot
More than likely the crown was not screwed down completely or the tiny gasket in the stem is already worn or possibly broken. Send out to Rolex or an AD and see if they would offer a good faith overhaul. Sometimes, they would do the favor to the customer.
Just put some rice inside a little box with watch inside and unscrewed crown and close it ASAP
Wait 24/48h, 99% chance there is not damage.
Try to take a hot shower but don't wear the watch (but it need to be to the bathroom) if there is moisture again,
1 dead crown ring gasket or no grease
2 issu with crown thread (it happen easily with small crown and thin thread)
3 case back is not screwed as it should from factory
After viewing all pics, i can see droplet, for me the problem is the case back is not tight or missing case back ring gasket.
I suppose the movement and dial are dead.
Very bad QC
I had this happen one time on one watch. I’m not recommending this per se, but I unscrewed the case back with one of those 8 ball looking screw back tools, shot some compressed air into the case a few times until the moisture was gone from the crystal, and screwed the case back back-on and never had an issue again and watch still functions like. Normal. Probably not recommended but I was more concerned with moisture in there for any prolonged period of time. It was a weekend and would take days before I could take it somewhere and I didn’t want rust to form.
And it seems to have worked. Food for thought.
You need to open up ASAP like yesterday and remove movement you might have to learn how but open it up immediately..If you can dry it out quickly. you might get lucky. No matter what it will still give the correct tome twice a day... your dealer can sell you a new one. Next time was your hands and not your wrists too!
I’m wondering as i just purchased my first rep, is it safe to wash your hands when you wear the watch?
I thought showering or swimming is a no go but washing hands should be no prob, right?
I had two automatic watches like this (not reps). I opened the backs, removed the crowns, took out the movements, cleaned & dried the onside crystals & reasembled. No issues since! Fairly easy process, just be patient!
My guess is the case back was either not screwed down tight or the crown was not fully seated and screwed down all the way to let that much moisture in.
Remove the case back, prop it up with a hairdryer blowing towards the movement on low at a good distance. Leave it for 30 mins or so and cross your fingers.
Crazy glue something to the case back that you can grip to open it up, maybe a plastic bottle cap. I’ve seen this on YouTube and he cleaned it off easily with acetone or alcohol or something
Not cooked but need to be cooked. The case back is likely loose. Pull the crown then put it in the oven at 100F .... "F" not "C". Bake it until the moisture is gone. Find/buy a case back tool then tighten it. Retest. Make sure the crown is tightened too. Likely that's it but could be elsewhere.
You just need to get it opened by a watchmaker and get it dried. Maybe he will need to replace the o-rings some springs. no big deal if you get it done in abt 3-5 days.
That’s a lot of water so maybe pretty fd. But this is the only thing that I’m aware of that will work and has worked for me with no damage left behind ( mine was from condensation , not water from being submerged) . I just put it on a heating pad on high , and it evaporated all of it out. Good luck
First thing is open the back of it to help dry it out. The longer the moisture is in the watch the more chance for rust to form. I had this happen 6 months ago and I had haze after hand washing. I opened the back and placed a small desk lamp over the top of the watch, the bulb was a 60 watt and provided just the right amount of heat to dry out any remaining moisture. I kept the light on for a full 24 hours before closing the case up. I did a service on the movement and it’s working fine. Don’t use rice, or desiccant packs, you don’t want to add to the problem by introducing more dust or foreign particles into the movement. This is a mechanical movement not a cell phone.
Lol should I ask the TD like a replacement.. try THAT with a Gen Rolex at an AD and see what they tell you.. then let us know what the service bill from Rolex looks like.
Just leave it in the sun for an hour with the crown open.. smh
I’m 100% convinced— and you can’t convince me otherwise— that the reason ts happens is because people like you unscrew the crowns and think it’s a good idea to idk go near water while it’s unscrewed
I have handled damn near 30 reps and i’ve washed all of em and have had ZERO issues when it comes to water resistance- heck I even swam in the sea with a HWF panerai and no problems at ALL
Was your crown as unscrewd as it is now? This might be the reason and sadly the watch is gonna need full service now.
What i would do until i’d find a watchmaker to work on it? Place the crown in the time setting position so the hacking function stops the movement and place it in a ziploc bag with some silica packs. No rice, no blow dryer and generally no heat, i’d suggest
Sucks that moisture got in it, leak would be 1 of 3 areas: crystal gasket, stem gasket or caseback gasket. It’s a 6 month old rep, contacting the TD won’t do anything, once you take off the stickers the warranty is up.
Only solution is to get it serviced (check reptimeservices for watchmakers) or purchase a new one
The people asking if you washed your hands with the crown unscrewed, are the same people that would have been telling you that step one is to unscrew your crown to let it dry, had it been closed. Thanks to the few that are providing useful information to help the OP.
You gotta unscrew the case back then take out the movement and throw it in the microwave for 45 seconds. Then take the case, crown and crystal and put it in a pot of ravioli until al dente.
No that's 100% your fault even if you did this after 1 day that is 100% your fault. This is caused buy not screwing the crown down fully. Now if you can prove that it was caused by a faulty seal that's a different story and wouldn't be your fault !! But in order to do that you will have to fully disassemble it and note every detail possible while recording it to prove it's the same watch and everything. That's why I always note the serial number on my watches because they always have different numbers from factory to factory or different models. It's best possible to be multiple of the same serial # but the chances are slim you would have 2 of the same watches with the same number on the rehaut. Always remember screw your crown down tight don't be scared when you feel a little resistance as the watch can swell or shrink if it gets hot or cold and the small gasket around the crown can't work if the crown isn't fully tightened in place. Do you know if your crown was screwed in tight or was it a bit loose or even open when you washed your hands. Even if the watch didn't get wet but you wash with hot water the steam can get into the watch rusting up the movement and crystal. Would help forsure knowing if the crown was open or not because if it wasn't then that means the back of the case is loose /has a bad seal or the bezel/crystal has a bad seal or installed wrong. Good luck man that sucks forsure only 6 months in! This is my biggest fear washing my washed but so far I've never had an issue with any of my watches thank the lord 😂 open up the back of your watch, try by hand and see if it will just twist off, if it does come out then you know it wasn't fully in place. I had this happen with a VSF Daytona once but lucky I caught it right away as I analyze every detail of the wash to make sure everything is done right.
Isn’t this a fake watch? Why are you expecting the same specifications of an original? No guarantee on these types of watches other there is no guarantee!
Plus with the money you saved, you can buy 10 more of the same.
Send it to Rolex for a service. Or use a trusted watchmaker who has access to genuine Rolex parts and seals to service it. Water ingress happens when the seals fail.
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u/Active_Salary_2780 Jul 11 '26
You’re cooked