How much pressure can the crystal of my GMT-IIc take?

[StarSovereign]

My uncle was looking at my watch and asking me all kinds of questions when I noticed him pressing really hard on the center of the cystal with his thumbs. I told him to knock it off and he laughed saying he was just checking to make sure it was real. Made me a little mad so I took it out of his hands. Can this damage the watch at all?

[StarSovereign]

So, I read somewhere that if you apply too much pressure on the center of the crystal you can force the hand stack down and indent the center of the dial so a ring appears visable around the handstack on the dial. Anyone heard of this? Can't tell if this ring on the dial is the result of my watch's crystal being pushed down or if it's the light playing tricks on me.....

[Andad]

You Uncle sounds like a barrel of laughs.
Why he would want to do this escapes me but I don't think he could have pushed the crystal down as far as the hand stack.
Don't let him touch your Rolex watches again, right.
Give him a Rado to play with.

Your GMT is good for more than 150 psi but that would mean nothing if pressure was applied to the crystal over a small area.

[StarSovereign]

Originally Posted by directioneng

You Uncle sounds like a barrel of laughs.
Why he would want to do this escapes me but I don't think he could have pushed the crystal down as far as the hand stack.
Don't let him touch your Rolex watches again, right.
Give him a Rado to play with.

Your GMT is good for more than 150 psi but that would mean nothing if pressure was applied to the crystal over a small area.

So that ring I'm seeing around the hand stack isn't a result of the stack being pushed down onto the dial? Or is there supposed to be a slight indent on the dial surrounding the hand stack?

[Andad]

Hi Erik,

I had a look at my GMT IIc (TT) under my Maggi lamp and with a loupe and I can see the indent ring that you are talking about.
It is normal but slap you Uncle on the head from me anyway.

If the hand stack had been pushed down, an indent ring would be the least of your problems.

[StarSovereign]

Originally Posted by directioneng

Hi Erik,

I had a look at my GMT IIc (TT) under my Maggi lamp and with a loupe and I can see the indent ring that you are talking about.
It is normal but slap you Uncle on the head from me anyway.

Thanks Eddie! Can't tell you how much I appreciate it!

[JimC]

Hopefully the watch didn't suffer any issues... I wouldn't think he could press that hard to cause a problem.

[rkrdr]

Not to worry Erik. The indent ring around the hand stack is normal, and is even more visible on a white faced Rolex such as the Explorer II.
But keep the watch away from you uncle anyway!

[acce1999]

Originally Posted by StarSovereign

My uncle was looking at my watch and asking me all kinds of questions when I noticed him pressing really hard on the center of the cystal with his thumbs. I told him to knock it off and he laughed saying he was just checking to make sure it was real. Made me a little mad so I took it out of his hands. Can this damage the watch at all?

Short answer: No.

Your GMT-IIc has the same crystal as the Submariner, which is good for 300 meters of pressure. Actually, there are other watches with crystals of the same thickness that are good to 1000 meters, and applying some mechanics on the Rolex crystal gives that it should be good for at least twice the rating of the Submariner, i e 600 meters.

I doubt any human can apply a pressure with their thumbs big enough to shatter such a thick (and small) piece of glass.

The crystal will not bend, it shatters, so there is no risk of it touching the hands. The circle you see around the hands is there on all watches. Either it is a consequence of the hole being punched whilst manufacturing the dial, or it is a consequence of the paint being applied. It is not possible to apply an equally thick layer of paint close to an edge (the hole).

Best,

A