Oil Fill a Watch?

Dive watches don't have a seal on the stem so when you set it you could let oil out or air in. The seals on watches were made for water and could swell up and fail with some oils. Any solvents in the oil will definitely attack the neoprene seals.

Sometimes the internet is a dangerous place filled with terrible advice.

Correction: Most times.

Don't do it......unless filling it with bacon fat is a thing

Then definitely do it and tell me how to do it. 😆

Just dooo it! Can't wait to see it!

Cheers!

Ew. Lol

I think another watch, a non-chrono with only the one port in the case, is a better idea.

Domed crystal would be cool also.

There are specific oils you should try for this. Not just any transparent oil out there. It will make a mess, you'll probably need to set/adjust the time in a very specific position so oil doesn't leak once you do it.

I am all about DIY and experimenting, so I say do it. Be ready to ruin your watch for good; but also be ready to maybe have a really cool mod!

I think that it’s important to remember that once you oil fill a watch you’re pretty much guaranteeing an end of life when the battery goes, since changing it out is going to be a real issue/mess. If you’re going to do it (and I voted not to, btw), make sure you do it to a watch that you don’t mind condemning to a slow (or possibly quick) death.

Yeah, pretty much guaranteed that you have to set it with the crown facing up, and I've seen a few posts on the best oils to use.

Will for sure use a cheapie.

Changing the battery doesn't seem any messier than initially doing it since you basically have to submerge the whole watch head with the caseback off.

But yes, fully aware that I could ruin the watch. But it's for science! (Kind of)

I've never seen it done on watches but we use to fill cheap flashlights with mineral oil and dielectric grease. We would use them well diving. If we left any airspace the gas would compress and water would leak in. I do see why the same thing wouldn't apply to a watch. Just remember the grease for all the electrical contacts.

As for the batteries we could usually change them once but they never lasted long after that.

Well I guess I'll have to try that one myself.

Seriously, I've seen WatchChris oil fill a Citizen in a YouTube video. It seemed to work well for him. He did sell the watch soon after though. 🤔

Yeah, I've seen this done on YouTube videos in years gone by. Seemed a weird, risky, messy sort of thing to do. Not sure the end result is worth it. But hey, on an unwanted watch, what's the worst that can happen?

In my opinion, it is at best a satisfaction of a novel oddity, at worst the destruction of a perfectly good watch.

I've considered this but, as others have pointed out, the proper oil costs something like $30. Some lunatics use baby oil. It's always recommended to swap in a new battery to stave off the hassle of the change later.

The two advantages not mentioned yet are that it is supposed to increase water (well, pressure) resistance because of the lower compressibility of the fluid, and that you are free to add food coloring or other dye to impart a tint of your choice.

To state the obvious, this is a quartz-only thing. This won't work in a mechanical watch. IIIRC, total submerging (like installing the case back under the fluid level after slipping it in at enough of an angle to avoid a trapped air pocket) and a good deal of tilting and agitation is advised to remove all air bubble.

I'd really say to practice on the cheapest, most unloved thing imaginable. The tiniest bottle will have enough to do several watches.

The juice aint worth the squeeze on this one..

This is an absolute try.

Maybe look up some mineral oil PC builds for a primer...

Definitely use a quartz watch, as moving parts in a submerged build with a stem and crown is just asking for trouble.

Just get a Ressence and call it a day.

Lol.

I see you've mistaken me for someone with chunks of money to burn.

You mean digital quartz.

That's the coward's way out. 😉😂

You just repeat the process. No different than when initially doing it.

It's a whole ounce or so in a sealed quartz watch.

It would take a loooong time for it to dry out (if it ever did) so there's plenty of time to notice a decrease in the oil level & add more.

Do it!!!

What fun is life without doing something crazy every now and again?

I respect a little crazy.

looks pretty cool! I can't wait to see it. Do it on a watch with a domed crystal

Haha no I mean analog quartz, where the stem sets the time but doesn't factor into the drivetrain.

Yeah, you can only oil fill a quartz, either digital or analog, because oil filling a mechanical watch will affect the balance spring too much.

Thats the worst mod I would never do on any watch.

Fair.

I'm curious why you would not?