Desiccant (Silica gel) in watch case

[hoppejung]

In order to prevent moisture to get inside watches and damage their movements, is it a good idea to place desiccant (Silica gel) bag in a watch case?

[MonBK]

Originally Posted by hoppejung

In order to prevent moisture to get inside watches and damage their movements, is it a good idea to place desiccant (Silica gel) bag in a watch case?

A better idea is to replace the gaskets.

[albmich]

I love those silica packets and I put them in everything (watch boxes, ammo tins, luggage, basically anything that I store away). You can get a whole ton of them off amazon for very cheap. For your watch i don't think it would really protect the inside of the watch as your gaskets should be regularly changed and maintained and if they aren't then no silica packet will save you. But it will prevent moisture or mold from growing inside your watch box or watch case

[hoppejung]

Originally Posted by albmich

I love those silica packets and I put them in everything (watch boxes, ammo tins, luggage, basically anything that I store away). You can get a whole ton of them off amazon for very cheap. For your watch i don't think it would really protect the inside of the watch as your gaskets should be regularly changed and maintained and if they aren't then no silica packet will save you. But it will prevent moisture or mold from growing inside your watch box or watch case

Protection against mold sounds like good idea. However, I read from somewhere that putting desiccant/silica gel bag in watch case may dry out watches' rubber gaskets, resulting in cracks on gaskets.

Is it true?

[SearChart]

Originally Posted by hoppejung

In order to prevent moisture to get inside watches and damage their movements, is it a good idea to place desiccant (Silica gel) bag in a watch case?

That is a bad idea.
Like others have said, replace the gaskets.

[MortenSK]

It will dry out the oil in the movement very quick. also i cannot see where in the watch case it will fit.

[imperio]

I got a whole jar from a camera shop for about $5 and I wrap some in a piece of tissue paper to leave in the watch box to prevent mould from growing. Swap it out every other month when they turn from blue to pink.

[Globule]

I use gel bags in my safe and watch box as a routine. No problems encountered in many years.

[strafer_kid]

Originally Posted by Globule

I use gel bags in my safe and watch box as a routine. No problems encountered in many years.

Same here - no probs encountered.

[J!m]

I think Sinn use a copper sulfite capsule in their watch cases and it changes color if any moisture is present inside the case.

Cool idea.

[SearChart]

Placing it inside the box or place where you have your watches stored is no problem, but from my understanding the OP somehow wants to place silica in a watch case?

[Passionata]

Originally Posted by SearChart

Placing it inside the box or place where you have your watches stored is no problem, but from my understanding the OP somehow wants to place silica in a watch case?

i store my watches in a safe deposit box , do you think it s a good idea to put them in zip lock bag to prevent from burst pipe or flood , some of those are vintage with zero WR.

[SearChart]

Originally Posted by Passionata

i store my watches in a safe deposit box , do you think it s a good idea to put them in zip lock bag to prevent from burst pipe or flood , some of those are vintage with zero WR.

It can never hurt, so bagging them to prevent damage from a potential flood is not a bad idea.

[Mer2112]

I'd be very surprised if the OP meant inside the actual watch case with the movement. I'm guessing they meant case/box/storage area where the watch is kept.

[bharat]

I have worked with a few different types of desiccant for medical applications. The only thing to really keep in mind is that silica gel works well at temps of around 20-25C and adsorbs moisture from the surroundings (thus keeping your watch dry). If the location where you store your watch is uncontrolled temperature wise, and especially if the temperature rises, then the silica gel desiccant will essentially give up the moisture and thereby allowing your watch to be re-exposed back to it. Moral of the story is that if you want to use silica gel desiccant to keep your watch dry, you need to also control the temperature of the storage environment and periodically change the desiccant to a fresh one.

[bharat]

I have worked with several different types of desiccant in medical device applications. In theory placing a silica gel bag in a watch box should help in removing moisture from the immediate environment thereby protecting your watch from moisture. However a couple of things to keep in mind.

1. Silica gel bags come in different sizes and you need to pick the right size to make sure the required amount of moisture is being adsorbed

2. Silica gel desiccant works well at between 20-25C in adsorbing moisture from the surroundings. At elevated temperatures it will release the adsorbed moisture back to the surroundings therefore effectively exposing your watch back to moisture again. So you will need to also control the temperature of the environment where you store your watch to have the best chance to keep your watch dry. You will also need to periodically change out the desiccant to a fresh one that has not been exposed to any moisture.

Personally - i do not think there is any need to use desiccant etc, I think Rolexes are so robust they seem to go on forever without much maintenance.

[tylerad1]

I don't see how you would benefit from this application

[Runnin' Rebel]

Originally Posted by tylerad1

I don't see how you would benefit from this application

True.. The watch is water resistance to like 100 meters anyways, can't see moisture being an issue

[pallindrome]

I would second that as well! Oyster cases!

[Rolex fan 61]

Best to have the watch regularly serviced

[Bling72]

Ask anyone who buys a new Rolex, is there a Silica gel bag in the watch box?

Answer - no.

If they deemed it necessary then such a bag would be included.

Keep your watch in a location away from added moisture. If you live in a country where there is high humidity, keep the watch in a draw.

[Formulansx]

Originally Posted by hoppejung

In order to prevent moisture to get inside watches and damage their movements, is it a good idea to place desiccant (Silica gel) bag in a watch case?

I keep my watches in a safe with a controlled environment, mostly to prevent oxidation on "other items that tend to oxidize that are not meant to be discussed", but I feel all Rolex's in secure storage should be kept in a controlled environment. It's insignificantly expensive to do so in this day and age and never hurt anything made of mildly ferrous material.

[cardstock]

Silica gel will only absorb water from the air. Not oil.

The indicator color change material is cobalt chloride. Pink wet, blue dry.

Silica gel can only absorb so much water then it becomes saturated. It can be dried by putting in the oven at 230F for a couple of hours. Silica can actually take much higher temperatures but the packaging of paper or cotton cannot hence the low temperature.

The important factor with humidity is to prevent condensation. Condensation happens when the air temperature falls below the dew point. In English, this means that if you take warm humid air and cool it down a bit, water will start to condense out and you can have mold/mildew. This can happen in any given room because the air is cooler near the ground. This especially true in the basement or on a concrete pad. The basement and concrete pads have cooler temperatures and moisture will condense causing rust on ferrous materials and mold and mildew. Never store anything on the ground in the basement or lowest level. Elevate it so it is not in the coldest, highest humidity part of the room.

Remember that cooling down air will cause condensation. Hotter more humid air can need as little as a couple of degrees cooler space to start condensing water. For this reason, many gun safes have a small heater inside. This just keeps the surfaces of everything inside, just a little warmer than what is outside hence preventing condensation and rust.

Proper storage location and conditions are more important than a packet of silica gel.

Franc

[Highendtime]

Franc is spot on above and another idea in especially humid places like Hong Kong (90% humidity right now, I kid u not :)), we tend to wrap our watches in Bergeon plastic wrap which works well. Lots of ADs do this as well, probably for a similar reason and to avoid scratches during handling. You can get rolls of this or another brand fairly reasonably online

Highendtime

[RGAmos]

It is not necessary to place desiccant in a watch storage case. The stainless steel used in modern watches is particularly corrosion resistant in any environment in which it is likely to be stored and PM, of course, does not corrode.

If watches are stored in any type of wooden case, it is not advisable to place any desiccant inside such wooden cases. I once placed desiccant inside a wooden presentation case in which I stored a Leica M6J camera, and the desiccant actually absorbed the moisture from the wood and the wooden case split because of this.

[vincenzowl]

I think it can only help the watches. Depending on the climate you live in, it may or may not be needed though.

[illiguy]

Sorry to resuscitate an old thread, but within the last week someone had started a thread asking how best to store a watch long-term. If I ziplock the watch and box and papers and place in a bank safe deposit box, would I also need desiccant packs?

I initially thought no, but now, I'm not sure. Full disclosure, I'd place the desiccant packs in the metal safe deposit box, itself, and then also have the watch separately ziplocked. I would NOT place the desiccant packs in the ziplock with the watch.

[illiguy]

Originally Posted by illiguy

Sorry to resuscitate an old thread, but within the last week someone had started a thread asking how best to store a watch long-term. If I ziplock the watch and box and papers and place in a bank safe deposit box, would I also need desiccant packs?

I initially thought no, but now, I'm not sure. Full disclosure, I'd place the desiccant packs in the metal safe deposit box, itself, and then also have the watch separately ziplocked. I would NOT place the desiccant packs in the ziplock with the watch.

Anyone (and, specifically maybe a watchmaker) know?

[Tools]

Originally Posted by hoppejung

In order to prevent moisture to get inside watches and damage their movements, is it a good idea to place desiccant (Silica gel) bag in a watch case?

Originally Posted by illiguy

Sorry to resuscitate an old thread, but within the last week someone had started a thread asking how best to store a watch long-term. If I ziplock the watch and box and papers and place in a bank safe deposit box, would I also need desiccant packs?

I initially thought no, but now, I'm not sure. Full disclosure, I'd place the desiccant packs in the metal safe deposit box, itself, and then also have the watch separately ziplocked. I would NOT place the desiccant packs in the ziplock with the watch.

Watches are sealed from the environment, there are no openings. If they weren't, you could never go swimming or wash your hands with a watch on.

Any silica, even if you buried the watch in it, would have zero affect on the inside of your watch.

A small silica pack will help you keep the associated papers, or organics, from mildewing if you live in a humid environment.

[gunhose]

If the gaskets are good on a watch, why worry about humility ? Crown screw in or not its fine!!!