VOGONS


First post, by Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman

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So my old Tag (model 980-023N) died a week ago, but I have been in Bandung for a couple of days (long Eid holiday yeah!). I'm too lazy to find an official Tag boutique in this town. Furthermore, an original battery would cost me a hideous US $50, and I'm a bit strecthed financially thin. Then my mother suggested that I go to Central Watch instead --a "mom and pop's" watch boutique/service center where my parents used to buy and repair their watches.

Central Watch is probably the oldest watch boutique in Bandung, and the most trustable (otherwise my parents wouldn't buy watches there, right?). In fact, I made a phone call first, asking whether they can replace Tag Heuer battery, and they said they can. I also asked if it's ok if I don't want original battery, and they still said it's ok. So I did replace the battery there, and everything went happily well (the boutique owner still remembers my dad!), but.....

....but I spoke with an old friend this afternoon, and he told me HORROR STORIES about not replacing Tag Heuer battery in official boutique. He does not own a Tag himself, so it is a "friend of a friend" story. Nonetheless, he told me that an ordinary watch boutique (as opposed to Tag Heuer's official boutique) does not have the appropriate pressure testing equipment. Thus, the watch will not be properly sealed anymore, and it will be vulnerable to water and even dust! 🙁

Well, gosh! I nervously submerged my watch in water and relieved to discover that it is still water-resistant as usual, although I cannot test it in 1000 feet depth pressure because there's no sea around Bandung! Nonetheless, I usually replaced the battery at the official boutique in Jakarta (but it's fucking expensive), so replacing it in ordinary boutique is something I've never done before. Ever.

Thus, I wonder: is the horror story true, or is it just urban legend? Probably made by Tag Heuer marketing to scare watch owners to replace the battery in an official Tag Heuer boutique? Anyone had similar story before? Would there be any permanent damage to my watch? It was a gift from my dad. 🙁 🙁

Never thought this thread would be that long, but now, for something different.....
Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman.

Reply 1 of 4, by MiniMax

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Think! Pressure testing??

So - that watch has a black-plate? Which requires some tricky tool to unscrew? Or maybe just a tiny screwdriver and some pressure applied? Whatever.... The back-plate comes off, the battery is replaced, and the back-plate screwed back in place.

Now - is this watch now REALLY closed, dust and water-proof? How would you tell? Put it inside some pressurising chamber, raise the air pressure to 30 atmospheres, and then what? Check that the pressure inside the chamber is still 30 atm? I hope it is, because where should the air have gone? Inside the little watch? Maybe, but no equipment will be able to tell since the compressor has been busy filling up that chamber all along. Unless you have some CERN-like equipment that can measure the amount of air going into the chamber, the size of the chamber minus the size of the watch down to a few nano-meter, there is no way you can tell if a tiny amount of air has slipped into the watch.

Okay, so you could pressure it with water - and if you didn't seal it properly, the watch would now be full of water, and ruined.

The only way you theoretically could do this, was if the watch itself contained some pressure-indicator inside the casing, something that could tell you that "After last battery change, the air pressure has exceeded 1 atm". And as much as I admire watch technology, I don't think your Tag Heuer watch has such a thingy.

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Reply 2 of 4, by MiniMax

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So... I Googled a bit, and the trick is not to apply pressure, but to use vacuum:

http://www.timezone.com/library/archives/arch … 703133992922740

Now the watch will not be filled with anything, but if the watch is placed in vacuum (or something very close to vacuum) then the air inside the watch will escape if not properly sealed.

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Reply 3 of 4, by MiniMax

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Or use water, and see if it condenses under the glass:

http://www.casiowatchrepair.com/wptest.asp

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Reply 4 of 4, by Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman

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Duh, I see. Thanks. I overlooked the fact that every watch will leak if not sealed properly, and the fact that it is very diffficult to measure the air pressure inside the watch. I'm gonna throttle my friend, damn urban legend.... 🤣

I guess the mom & pop's watch boutique can be trusted when replacing Tag Heuer battery; they refused to replace the battery of my Seiko Diver, because they said they don't have the tools to handle watches with perpetual calendar. I think they really meant it when they said the can change Tag's battery.

Never thought this thread would be that long, but now, for something different.....
Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman.