Bonehead move

[CPTL]

I'm not one to baby my watches. I wear my Sub when I'm being active--playing tennis, fishing, exercising, hiking, whatever. I wear my Explorer-II pretty much all day every day, whenever I'm not wearing the Sub. I normally don't pay attention, I just wear the watches and live my life.

Yesterday I wasn't paying attention.

I had been wearing my Sub since playing tennis the previous day, and I swapped out for the Explorer-II last night. I opened the crown and gave it a couple of twists to make sure it was fully wound. Then I hopped into a hot bath to loosen up my back.

After about 30 seconds, I looked down at my Expy, as I tend to do when I'm just sitting around in solitude. And I NOTICED THE CROWN WAS STILL OPEN!!

Of course, I freaked. I've read about other forum members doing the same, but I was worried and pissed at myself for being so careless.

I immediately took off the watch and put it on a dry cloth. It was dry within about ten minutes. I then closed the crown and put the watch back on. I must have gotten out of bed six times over the next two hours looking for fog under the crystal.

Of course, my Expy is fine. The inner gasket kept the water out during the brief encounter with the elements. Glad these things are built so well!!

[toph]

wow!! i would have got such a fright,! I bet you nearly slipped and crashed on the floor at the speed you must have jumped out of the bath

[chicagowatchman]

Originally Posted by toph

wow!! i would have got such a fright,! I bet you nearly slipped and crashed on the floor at the speed you must have jumped out of the bath

[Quicksilver]

Phew. Glad your watch is ok

Also, this is another testament as to the robustness of Rolex watches.

[ROLEX MAN]

In three - four days days the watch will self destruct, by turning to mush!

[buz-lh]

Glad it worked out OK Kevin. They are tough, but I bet your heartrate doubled.

[kcmo]

Eeeeks, close call Kevin! Glad it turned out OK though! Hope your back is better too!

[seantk]

Kevin,

RELIEF!! I know how you feel- I inadvertently left the crown open on my Sea Dweller while I was washing it

Sean

[Greenring]

Darn close one. You dodged the bullet that time and now have a vivid reminder to screw down before going down town.

[sdwtchlvr]

wow! That is one of my greatest fears!

[GradyPhilpott]

I would recommend having it checked out. I just read a story on another forum about a man who just had his father's old Rolex restored. It looked good from the outside, except for the wear and tear that thirty years will do to a band, watch case, and crystal.

It had stopped running earlier this year for no apparent reason, but when it was opened the devastation to the movement was obvious from a what is presumed to be a similar event. It wasn't exactly mush, but it might as well have been.

This story has a happy ending, but it was an expensive exercise.

http://forums.watchuseek.com/showthread.php?t=154065

[Alcan]

The triplock crown sealing system works really well, with the 2 o-rings between the tube and crown stem.

[wristworks]

Glad it's OK. I've never done anything like that with any of my watches but I know exactly how it would feel. I remember once polishing my car and when it came to buffing off the polish I noticed I had picked up the wrong bottle and had actually used back-to-black. (This is meant to make the tyres look black with a wet look for those who don't know the product.) Luckily my car was black but it took quite a few cleans with Autoglym to get it all off. My heart was in my mouth as I'm sure yours was when you did that.

[CKay]

No worries Kevin. This is too little a test for the greatness of a Rolex.

[DSJ]

Good save, and proof that even the "lowly Twinlock" is still pretty good!

[Dalton]

lUCKY you. They're tough but forgetting to screwdown the crown leaves it open for a water attack.

[ErikAalto]

I had a frustrating scare like this as well. I had read that you could remove your case back with duct tape (can't remember which member had mentioned this), so I grabbed a roll and applied it, but didn't realize that the roll was close to 20 years old. When I tried to remove the tape, the adhesive remained. My watch was covered in adhesive gunk and to top things off, it needed to be sent into service for a new crown/crown tube because it will not screw down. I had to try to get this gunk off as best I could without getting water in the case, so I was ever so carefully trying to hold it at different angles under the faucet and rub it off with my thumb. The adhesive picked up everything that touched it, so it was eventually covered with lint from a towel as well as red lint from my shirt. I was a little flustered over the whole thing.

[Art161]

Originally Posted by ErikAalto

I had a frustrating scare like this as well. I had read that you could remove your case back with duct tape (can't remember which member had mentioned this), so I grabbed a roll and applied it, but didn't realize that the roll was close to 20 years old. When I tried to remove the tape, the adhesive remained. My watch was covered in adhesive gunk and to top things off, it needed to be sent into service for a new crown/crown tube because it will not screw down. I had to try to get this gunk off as best I could without getting water in the case, so I was ever so carefully trying to hold it at different angles under the faucet and rub it off with my thumb. The adhesive picked up everything that touched it, so it was eventually covered with lint from a towel as well as red lint from my shirt. I was a little flustered over the whole thing.

There probably won't be a next time for this. On the chance that there is, perhaps some WD-40 sprayed on a microfiber cloth would do the trick. WD-40 is good at removing sticky stuff and microfiber has no lint.

[Art161]

I'm not all that surprised that there was no damage. Having the crown screwed down is obviously a good idea, but the gaskets protect the watch quite well with the crown not screwed down unless you are at quite a depth in the water. It does remind us that the recommended routine service is necessary so that the gaskets are replaced periodically.