Seiko SSK003 - pressure testing the case - let's see if a 100m case can survive an 80 psi wet test.

Part 2, sort of, about the SSK003 - pressure testing the empty case. I pulled out my old Bergeon type wet pressure tester, and went for it.
PSA: This video contains sub-optimal levels y microphone so if you can hear anything count that as a win. Even if that "anything" is tuneless humming. I did pump up the volume though. YMMV if you choose to blow part of your life on this. No Refunds. Enjoy!

[@jambobbyb124]

Awesome video many thanks all!!

[@hambros7951]

The manufacturer details the procedure in the instruction sheet included with the purchase. 3 min in air pressure. Immerse immediately and release air pressure. Watch for bubbles. Simple as that. Bergeon No. 5555/98

[@IMakeWatches]

Cool video! I think I saw in one of your other videos that you're in Colorado. I'm from Boulder. I live in Switzerland now - very similar nature vibe here, especially in the mountains of course!

[@Dadication3]

Thank you.

[@SpencerKleinVintageWatch]

You're welcome! Are you in Padua?

[@JustWatches1]

Love the Broncos colorway!

[@SpencerKleinVintageWatch]

Go Broncos! And thanks for the thumbs up!

[@robertlindo8058]

I love your cat. We have one exactly the same. We call him Salem.

[@mtbbiker6401]

I wonder if manually winding the movement using the crown eventually wears out the crown gasket and compromises the water resistance over time.

[@SpencerKleinVintageWatch]

I guess it depends on how dirty the crown gasket is. If it's clean and correctly lubricated with silicon grease, it should be fine.

[@SekundenZeiger]

The housing has been proven to withstand 20 bar water pressure. Screw-down crown or not.

[@bonibroco1076]

Do this with a non-water resistant case so we can see what it looks like when you have a failure.

[@SpencerKleinVintageWatch]

It gets water inside. That's really about it.

[@bradwarren1713]

Out of interest... how is the bezel ring friction achieved? Is there a rubber gasket or something?

[@SpencerKleinVintageWatch]

Yes, a rubber O-ring gasket lubricated with silicon grease.

[@bradwarren1713]

@@SpencerKleinVintageWatch thank you. Simple and effective 👍

[@AirborneAnt]

So is this watch safe to take in the shower, and swim in the pool with?

[@SpencerKleinVintageWatch]

Based on my test, I'd be willing to take it into the shower. New watches that are replaceable can have their limits pushed, IMO.

[@carrolleaslat3964]

Why take the bezel off to pressure test?

[@SpencerKleinVintageWatch]

You want as few bubbles as possible to make seeing any potential leak easier. The bezel has a good amount of airspace.

[@majorintherepublick5862]

I saw threading in one of the angle shots, FYI

[@SpencerKleinVintageWatch]

I thought so too - it looks like it from some angles - but unfortunately not threaded.

[@saulbrook7740]

I would be curious to see how a 6139-600x case would do. Clean surfaces and fresh seals of course.

[@SpencerKleinVintageWatch]

If the bezel / case connection ridges are worn, the bezel can pop off along with the crystal, opening the entire watch to the water. Ask me how I know that.

[@saulbrook7740]

@@SpencerKleinVintageWatch I used to tease JK about me wanting to take my 6139-6005 into the pool for laps. Gave him fits. 🤣

[@dmits22]

No click spring holes on the case. Hmmmmmmm

[@kmilhrdt]

Do you think 80 psi is enough to go swim with the watch?

[@SpencerKleinVintageWatch]

If I had to guess, probably, but I'm not an expert on pressure testing as I never do it really.

[@stevenwymor1398]

My understanding is that you’re supposed to keep the watch pressurized above the water for 15 minutes before you submerge it and then equalize the pressure. If you let it sit below the water while it’s pressurized, if there is a leak in the seals, then you’re forcing water into the case.

[@SpencerKleinVintageWatch]

Yes, that's why I acclimatized the watch above the water for ten minutes before putting it into the water for another ten minutes. An extra five minutes isn't life or death, and it won't change what's happened already in the previous ten minutes. That's my thinking, but especially so here since I don't actually do water resistance testing.

[@stevenwymor1398]

@@SpencerKleinVintageWatch no, I’m not complaining about the time duration, I’m complaining about submerging the watch while the tank is still at 80 psi, because if there are leaks, you’re forcing water into the case during those ten minutes that it’s submerged. Surely you understand the underlying principle here is that it’s like finding a leak in a tire by looking for bubbles escaping due to the pressure differential between atmospheric pressure of the water bath and the interior of the tire. There’s no reason to leave the watch submerged in the pressurized water. You can just pressurize the case above the water, wait 10 or 15 minutes, release the pressure in the cylinder and then submerge the watch case and look for your bubbles. You gain nothing by submerging it while the tank is still pressurized other than risking water ingress.

[@stevenuk]

personally I'd like the 120 gmt click bezel.

[@SpencerKleinVintageWatch]

Agree

[@robertbenzon6941]

Very funny to watch. One of the most unscientific experiments I have ever seen aside from grade school science fairs. But guess what? You seemed to prove your point. Good job.👍

[@SpencerKleinVintageWatch]

well, I didn't use a control but I certainly did follow the accepted practice, so I'd say the results are valid enough. I'd need to do a much larger sample of course but for the purposes of this video, good enough.

[@solidifiedmustard4706]

I did a quick search and 80 psi is approximately 5.44 ATM. does that mean you tested the case to only around 54 meters? The watch is rated for 100m.

[@SpencerKleinVintageWatch]

That's as deep as the tester goes, I think. I normally don't do testing at all but made an exception for this particular video series.

[@JAF001925]

18 Psi is only around 50 meters equivalent.

[@hst3996]

Spencer, please review tue video, beginning around 13:26, because it looks like a bubble or two forms at the crown. It’s not a stream so perhaps it isn’t noteworthy.

[@MrMadvillan]

could be trapped air within the crown as the gasket is further down on the stem. just a guess tho

[@SpencerKleinVintageWatch]

Air gets trapped inside the crown, as the seal is inside the crown tube and there's a lot of space inside that crown to hold air. A bubble here and there is fine. It's a stream of bubbles that show the watch didn't keep out the pressurized atmosphere during the acclimatetization, which means when we drop the pressure, that 80 psi inside the watch starts pushing out, creating steady bubbles.

[@bonibroco1076]

19:20...I think you're suppose to heat the case to 100°F and hold it there for a few minutes before placing a drop of water on the crystal.

[@SpencerKleinVintageWatch]

Probably, I wouldn’t be surprised at all. It was up to body temperature though.

[@bonibroco1076]

@@SpencerKleinVintageWatch close enough I suppose 🙂

[@SpencerKleinVintageWatch]

I'm not a hard sciences guy for a reason.

[@denisalg1171]

It's nice you tested it for us and I don't doubt it can do 10 bar but I wonder how much money Seiko saves/ unit by not fitting a screw down crown? I don't need the ISO certification or 2-300m water resistance on a Seiko 5. 100m is just fine but I would have liked it to have a screw down crown just for added security. Thanks fot the videos. I really enjoy them for some unknown reason😂

[@SpencerKleinVintageWatch]

Not sure why. Theories are to keep down warranty claims, or to save a few pennies per watch. Both seem to be real typical things for Seiko to do.

[@michaelpagliano5519]

Because if u put screw crown on seiko 5 sport u destroy the skx second hand market and almost nobody will buy a 1k seiko prospex when u can have at 300 a very similar watch

[@denisalg1171]

Seiko doesn't care about the pre-owned market. They only make money when they sell new watches and couldn't care less about the second hand value of the SKX. This SSK GMT is the same price as a "Turtle" and the "Turtle" has a screw down crown. If Seiko thought a screw down crown on a cheaper model would stop people buying their 1k watches then they would not make the Prospex "Turtle" and "Samurai" certified Divers for the same price as this SSK GMT. People still pay 1k plus for "62MAS" or"Willard" reissues even when they could get a Prospex "Turtle" for a third of the price and when the only difference compared to a "Turtle" is the 6R movement which is a glorified 4R that Seiko also uses in watches less than half the price of the aforementioned icons. Nothing justifies Seiko not putting a screw down crown on the new Seiko 5 line except maybe the fact that, historically, Seiko 5 watches never had a screw down crown and Seiko didn't want to change that "feature" now. Seiko should make the best watch they can and stop loosing market share to other established brands they are in direct competition with or microbrands and AliExpress homage watches people now turn to when they want good value for money. You should stop finding excuses for Seiko and start demanding they give you fair value for your money because, as things stand, their watches are mostly very good looking junk. @@michaelpagliano5519

[@michaelpagliano5519]

@@denisalg1171 I think people buy 62mas and willard just for their heritage. Seiko it’s an iconic brand. I hope that seiko put screw down crown on his “base “ model the seiko 5 line up. Like u i am watch enthusiast and I look every time for the best affordable and reliable watch based on value for money and it’s no doubt that seiko versus microbrand or homage it’s not the best deal. But I like their watch, and I have some in my collection. I like the shape the colors and the fact that seiko is a hysterical brand. also I’m not a professional diver but I can guarantee to you that I swim and snorkeling with my seiko 5 sport like with my citizen promaster 200mt diver, or with my seiko turtle, no water the watch, no rust, just sun, relax and a nice watch on my wrist for my taste ofc . Ofc I never bought a seiko since the restyling at full price. I wait the discount to make the deal. Btw I appreciated your opinion.

[@TenB33rs]

There is no reason to leave the case in the water for that extra ten minutes. You just pressurize the case out of the water, wait 10 min. submerge it, release the pressure and look for bubbles.

[@SpencerKleinVintageWatch]

My goal was to show the entire process and to make sure the watch was really put to the test, and on video. Also, since I rarely if ever pressure-test, I wasn't sure so I just overdid it all.

[@DannyKaffee]

@@SpencerKleinVintageWatchTenB33rs is correct. You do not submerge and wait. That is not how the test is done. You wait while the watch is above the water (which you did) then submerge in the water and *immediately* release the pressure.

[@SpencerKleinVintageWatch]

@@DannyKaffee As long as water doesn't get it, that's the test. Going longer doesn't make the test wrong.

[@akinsamuel2007]

You appear to be entirely wrong about this - together with a few other KZbinrs who would not recommend brushing your teeth while wearing a 100M rated watch. All of the stories and examples I have seen run contrary to this accepted wisdom. I would be grateful if you could offer some examples to support your findings...

[@warrenmurchie6599]

You had a bubble come out from around your crown. That would indicate a leak.

[@SpencerKleinVintageWatch]

The crowns have a good amount of empty space in them, so a bubble or two is fine. What we're looking to see is a constant stream of little bubbles that show the overpressure inside the watch is coming out. It shouldn't have gotten in in the first place.

[@DannyKaffee]

That was water trapped in the crown cavity on the outside of the seal. Not a leak.

[@MickyO567]

Too much footage of nothing.... editing ?

[@SpencerKleinVintageWatch]

Nope, I like running full unedited clips to show that I'm doing what I say I'm doing.

[@MickyO567]

@@SpencerKleinVintageWatch yes but we can't see any footage of what you say you are doing ???