Can I go swimming in a luxury watch?

“Can I go swimming in a luxury watch?”

This is a question that I am often asked by our clients. Of course what they are referring to is whether their watch is water resistant – will it leak and ruin the movement, dial and hands?

There are usually three areas that need to be considered when the water resistance of a watch is under examination;

• the caseback
• the glass
• the crown

During testing, these three components are checked for condition and damage or corrosion. Next the seals fitted between the component and the case are inspected and often replaced. The watch is then pressure tested using a purpose built piece of equipment. When it passes – voila! Your watch is waterproof.

So yes, if it passes the test, you CAN go swimming in a luxury watch. But hang on, there’s another question that needs to be asked ……

“SHOULD I go swimming in a luxury watch?”

Water resistance in watches refers to the watch’s ability to withstand exposure to water without letting it seep inside and damage the internal components. However, ‘water-resistant’ doesn’t mean ‘waterproof’.  No watch is 100% waterproof.

The depth rating of any watch indicates how much pressure it can handle, often measured in Meters (m), Atmospheres (ATM), or Bar.

A Guide to Water Resistance Ratings:

30m (3 ATM / 3 Bar) – Splash Resistant:
What It Can Handle: Light rain, handwashing
What to Avoid: Swimming, showering, immersion

50m (5 ATM / 5 Bar) – Light Swimming:
What It Can Handle: Showering, shallow swimming
What to Avoid: Diving, snorkeling

100m (10 ATM / 10 Bar) – Recreational Swimming:
What It Can Handle: Snorkeling, swimming, water sports
What to Avoid: Deep diving

200m (20 ATM / 20 Bar) – Professional Marine Activity:
What It Can Handle: Scuba diving, high-impact water sports
What to Avoid: Saturation diving

300m+ (30 ATM / 30 Bar) – Professional Dive Watches:
What It Can Handle: Deep-sea diving, saturation diving (if equipped with a helium escape valve)
What to Avoid: Honestly, nothing unless you’re going beyond human limits

All the watches that we sell here at Oakleigh Watches are superb examples of their type and are all of course very valuable.

I can’t imagine a more hostile environment for a luxury watch than a beach with its salt and sand, or a swimming pool full of chlorine, steel and ceramic tiles. And that’s before you even mention the water! So our advice would be – “yes you can swim in a luxury watch but NO, you probably shouldn’t.”

If you’re at the pool or the beach – relax, forget about the time! Or, if you’re like me and feel a bit lost without something stylish on your wrist, switch your luxury time piece for a much more practical G-Shock!

Oakleigh Watches works alongside local Rolex and Omega service agents Michlmayr & Co. All of our luxury pre-owned watches are tested to ensure they are water resistant and comply to COSC spec. Some of our more vintage stock will not be water resistant and this will be made clear in the description.