HOW 2 Hydro-Mod your watch. And WHY?!
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- čas přidán 28. 07. 2024
- Hydro modding. What is that? Why do it?
What is it:
Filling a quartz watch with a specific grade of oil (safe for use in a watch).
Why?
1- Extreme water resistance increase of the watch.
2- Very cool appearance.
3- Fun thing to mess about with on a cheap watch.
4- Satisfying result when done.
5- Perfect visibility underwater.
Why not?
1- Unknown long term effects on time keeping, durability and possibly oil leaks. BUT, Initial impressions have been positive for me.
2- VERY messy and fiddly (my guide is here to help you)
3- Battery changes will be messy!
4- Pointless thing to do in many peoples eyes! But sod them, who cares?!
I really appreciate you watching my content, and if you wish to support the channel, apart from subscribing, check out my eBay shop, as there I have a big selection of quality watch straps.
www.ebay.co.uk/str/watchmewit...
Parts required that you wont have knocking around:
Watch (this watch link is an AFFILIATE link. Purchase will afford me a few pennies of commission. Thanks!)
s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_AaEZ6X
Oil:
www.techsil.co.uk/tsf-50cs-454gm
Syringes:
www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...
Gloves: Textured ones help with this task!
www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=nitrile+...
Bergeon for cleaning:
www.amazon.co.uk/Bergeon-6033...
Puffer/blower:
www.amazon.co.uk/Blowers-Shor...
Tool kit:
www.amazon.co.uk/147pcs-Remov...
Plastic tweezers:
www.amazon.co.uk/YURROAD-Twee...
A lot of the items above will end up really useful for many other future projects. A great investment!
Also need a small/medium Tupperware container, a pin board pin, and plenty of paper towel!
Lastly,
ENJOY!
Do this on an Eco-Drive and never worry about battery changes again.
Ha ha!
@@SlapShotRegatta22 That´s exactly what I did: Oilfilled an Ecodrive Chrono. Amazing! Throw away the bracelet and put in on a proper strap and you´ve got a great bummer on your wrist!
That is just brilliant ! Definitely going to try my hand at this. Thank you and keep up the good work !
Thank you for doing this. I've been wanting to do this for a long time but I was worried about the watch. In excited to see what happens. Great video again sir. Thank you
Just ordered this very watch for under $40. Gonna hydro mod it same way. Thanks for the instructions and all your videos
I haven't wanted a quartz watch on a long time, but I'm thinking about it now! Super cool mod!
wow the optical effect of this is really cool, gonna try this out myself!
thank you sir for making this great video. i've been waiting this for long. it seems so clear and i really love it. thank you again and please keep it coming.
The difference between other hydro mod videos and Yours, that You Sir are more trustworthy! So You show it I believe it.
Thanks 👍
Wow, thanks!
It's a beauty. Please do a long term review.
Definately! It's been nearly a week since recording. Update is, no leaks. Keeps perfect time so far.....
I read somewhere that the battery lifespan would be shorten three/four fold. That would make such mods obsolete in my opinion. Still a fun project, nonetheless.
@vamheredur413 Thats why solar powered watches are great for the hydro modding.
Thanks for putting this video together Dan, really interesting 👍
I’ve been tempted to do an oil mod ever since I first heard about them. The effect the oil has on the viewing angle is crazy!
I’d be really interested to hear how you get on with it long term and if you notice any time keeping issues or have any leaks or what have you.
One of your best Dan! Love it
Dan...I have to admit I thought you had gone a little mad scientist lol, but this was not only fun, but the result is absolutely brilliant 👏 I love it 👍
Wonder if any oil leaks when you operate the crown? Than you for a completely different and fun video mate. You keep raising the bar 👏👏👏
To really enjoy the effect of hydro moding your watch you need a domed crystal . With a flat crystal the effect is minimal. You need a UV stabilised oil otherwise sunlight will breakdown the chemical compounds and cause it to break up into droplets.
What oil should I buy?
Seen other vid that puts a polystyrene bead inside case to act as a bubble to equalise pressure. Great video.
That looks A-MAZ-ING! Great job! Great info!
Best watch mod video's on CZcams!! Loved the technique. Other hydro mod video's I've seen have had issues with bubbles. Your approach nailed it first time!!
Thanks Heath! Either I was lucky, or my planning paid off.
@@watchmewithwatches I would just pull out the movement and dail, place the Case into the container and then I would place the dail and movement back when submerged. Should be easier and faster to get rid of bubbles that way.
A single bubble looks great! It adds it being oil filled.👍🏼
Really enjoyed the video my friend I don't think I'll try filling any of my watches anytime soon but yes that looked really cool Thanks Mate 👍
Thanks Michael, glad you enjoyed the video!
Very cool mate, nicely done. I really like the effect it gives.
Not normally a quartz fan, but that effect is sooo cool!! Intrigued to see if this has any detriment in the long term... Could very well be tempted to give this a go. Excellent video thanks 👍🏻👍🏻
Why wouldn’t you be a quartz fan?
@@Unlucky1776 prefer automatic, quartz is like CD's and auto is like vinyl - personal preference. I've a few quartz, but just soulless compared to my auto's.
Whatever floats your boat 🤗👍
@@stevefox8605 yea that's fair I like sweeping edge quartz.
@@Unlucky1776 yeah. I prefer quartz to automatics, too. Their precision is unbeatable
yeah, and with very little maintenance that cost almost nothing but the purchase of a new battery ! Automatic watches requires professional maintenance very often and at a higher price than the watch itself ! @@user-ki5xz6yc5o
Great video, always wondered the benefit of filling with oil, so thanks for the explanation 👍
Glad it was helpful!
looks insane. Wonderful.
Very entertaining & Super result 😎😎👍👍
I really enjoyed the project and like the effect it has when viewing the dial at an angle.
I have put a muzzle on the grumpy Chemical Engineer in me so that I don’t spoil the fun. Cheers.
It does look so good with the dial being projected up, very cool.
Yes, thanks, I did enjoy that. Thanks for doing the video. I recently did some similar experiments. I used a couple of Casio MRW-200s and then after success there moved on to a Casio Edifice Chronograph. I made sure to use watches with at least a hundred metres of water resistance so that there would be some decent gaskets involved. I got some very satisfying results. I found a local company that has many different viscosities of Silicone oil going all the way down to 0.65 cSt. I chose the 5 cSt grade which is like water and would offer very little resistance to the hands. But even at 50 cSt the drag effect is probably negligible. I bought a litre of the stuff and so I was able to use a wide dessert bowl for the job. This gave me more room to work from the sides, and more depth so I could turn the watch over and get all the air out without too much difficulty. I recovered the unused oil by filtering it back into the bottle through clean tissues. Being of such low viscosity the oil filtered pretty quickly.
Well done on the job.
Thank you! Where did you get your really thin viscosity oil from?
Excellent video and great first attempt. I might buy a cheap quartz just to try it.......after your follow up video!😄
Thanks Brian. So far so good, keeping time and no leaking. Also worn on a very hot day!
Great video, I am waiting for my oil to get here because I want to do this on a watch I have.
Interesting. Nicely done.
I’ve got a feeling Jody at JOMW did this maybe a couple of years ago? Awesome result with a self levelling bubble!🤣 Deliberate too. 👍🏼😎
Cracking wee video, I saw the video you refered too, some of those pressure tests are bonkers.... really looking forward too the updates brother....🏴⌚🏴⌚
Cheers Brian! Will keep you all updated
Nice one like you say time will tell if the oil stays inside the case or slowly weeps out of the crown, it is something that i would consider doing to a cheap quartz watch so if it doesn't turn out so well nothing really lost.......well done mate..
Thank you! So far so good, no leaks and keeps time in about a week. Good start I suppose. 👌
I never heard of oil filled watches until I seen it on (beyond the press) channel. A $100 watch capable of 2000m is nuts!
Did this with my f91w and it's still going strong 1 year later
Nice! Great to hear!
That’s strange because mine leaked oil with every button press and I had to bin it.
@@Rick-ve5lx Mine is still working and holding the oil in. However I swam a few times with it and a crack appeared in the plastic, but it doesn't leak. Weird.
I bought one 3 days ago, do you recommend doing it? I am very curious about the precission or battery-life time, would you do a review one year later please? Thank you so much
@@achoti0-original Just checked and it's still as accurate as any other quarz digital watch. Battery life only diminishes in quartz watches that have hands, digital ones remain the same.
After around two years about a quarter or a fifth of the oil has leaked out somehow, so I will have to refill some day soon.
Thanks for this. I'd suggest that if you did want to reuse the excess oil, that you filter it through a small amount of cotton wool. Otherwise you're injecting mucky oil into your next project which might have visible bits in it.
Excellent results, just to clarify a quartz with a screw in case back and screw in crown, before I spend $40 on Aliexpress for Attempt 1 👍
Wow!! Very nice
Un vídeo genial. Muchas gracias. :-)
Nice job bud!
I've done a couple of hydro mods on a Casio MRW200H, three Duros and a mechaquartz homage watch that had a broken chronograph function. Quick tip is to remove the bezel if you do it again or silicone oil will seep out of the bezel. It doesn't impact the integrity of the oil in the watch itself, it's more a bother with having to wipe the oil off the case and crystal every now and then. Also put a fresh battery in 😉
Another tip is don't try to remove the Casio Duro bezel if you don't have the proper tools and technique, they are super hard to get off and you'll most probably end up bending the bezel. I even bent a bezel using a 4 blade screwing mechanism bezel remover rig.
Interestingly, the chronograph in the mechaquartz still moved ok after the hydro mod but I suspect using it a lot would eventually break the mechaquartz movement. Time keeping on all the pieces have been good, losing about 10 seconds a month on average
Good work on the test watch and looking forward to hearing your experience with it 👍🏼😁
FYI, no silicone oil has leaked from the crown, even on the MRW200H which is a push pull crown. And that's in the heat of Hong Kong.
I'm still wondering what the proper procedure is for the Duro bezel removal.
@@fredrick965 Me too 😂
I like it a lot and it makes the watch much more interesting. I have been on the lookout for a nice looking quartz with a bubble dome crystal and steel case, I want to leave an air bubble inside to play with, if anyone has any suggestions please let me know...
i thought my day was boring, then this video.. subbed
Great video. Could you post the link to the Sapphire Crystal Lens Please ? It would of been great to see a video of the lens change process.
First of all thank you for your effort and advices, it is very appreciated. The thing is that I,m wondering what could happen if ones need to trigger the crown intentionaly or by accident?, There would be a huge "fluushhh" of oil coming from inside the watch? Thank you.
Saludos!!
I have just ordered the very same watch...
This is very cool 👍
Is there an issue setting the time ?
What happens when you unscrew the crown to change the date and time etc.. does oil plop out??
Really looks great tho! Awesome video Dan. Bye for now
It it actually a great effect. Be interested to see how it compares months from now as regards time keeping.
It will be very interesting. If the past week of it being like this is anything to go by, it's keeping time!
Great video, love to do this with the blue dial version... I don't suppose you have a link for the sapphire crystal for this model so you? Cheers man.
Fun. I want to do that but all my quartz watches are Eco-Drive. I need to get one of those cheap Casio divers such as a MRW-200.
Thats a good idea, I might try this on the f91w, or the skmei equivalent!
Wow- thanks for this video. Never heard of that process! Other than the incredible clarity any other benefits?
well, it does look pretty cool! after that its a novelty.
Beautiful
Thank you! Cheers!
@@watchmewithwatches the escapement time, GS homage of quartz can be hydro moded?
Going to try this on mine,21£ in the sale,not much to lose if I mess it up
The only problem I foresee is changing the battery once the current one dies. Other than that it should be OK. Thinking of doing this to my casio duro.
Yet another interesting mod thanks Dan, although I think I would be a little concerned about leakage, especially if I had my white linen suit on, also do you foresee any problems when it's time for a battery change? ..cheers...stay safe
I foresee battery changes to be messy, but hopefully not too frequent. Time will tell! (pardon the pun)
Very very cool. I think I'll try this. But it seems it would be easier to just remove the crown, put the back on, and then, crown up, just fill it through the crown hole with your syringe. Tap it on the table as you do and shake all the bubbles out.
Thats worth a try! I might do that on something else
Are there any updates on the long term watch health effects of this mod Dan? Awesome video, keep up the good work!
Thanks! Ps, the watch works perfectly, but a tiny 2mm bubble has now appeared! Lol
I've been dying to try this...what are your thoughts with doing it where there is also an LCD screen? Like the Alpina AlpinerX for example?
Did I miss the mod vid were you upgraded the crystal? Need a link to sapphire with AR upgrade. 😊
Nice one Dan. I've done this myself a few years back with two different quartz watches. one was a high torque movement that ran perfectly and the other a miyota 2115 that also ran well but the battery didn't seem to last too long. I'd be interested to know how long yours runs before you need to change the battery. Cheers Dan, really interesting vid mate.
Thanks Dave! Very kind. How was my method of doing the mod? You got any suggestions for improvement?
@@watchmewithwatches Excellent mate, a lot less messy than mine. I used the same viscosity oil and never got any leakage from the crown when setting the time. The most impressive thing to me was the under water visibility when I went swimming, crystal clear mate! Loved the vid mate, it makes my efforts look ham fisted.👌
would it further insure against oil expansion if you warmed the oil prior to filling?
Hello , I was wondering can I use this silicone oil as a refill for my lubricating foam for watches?
the ones inside the foam were liquid oil clear type silicone not the typical opaque white ones.
Nice. But what if you need to change time? Won't oil come out?
Is it possible to change the dial to thid watch??
Does it leak when you change the time or date? Would you need to do that under oil to keep it from leaking?
Awesome,I think I would be s**t scared to do it to any watch 😂🤣 cool video 🙂👍
Thanks mate! Its always worth a go if its a cheap watch. Less of a blow if it goes tits up!
@@watchmewithwatches 😂
how is it after few years? Did you notice any time going behind due to viscosity of the oil? Hows bright pieces of the plastic - did they get a bit yellow due to effects of oil, or not at all?
I got question. If you hydromod a date watch, would it mess up the liquid if I were to adjust the date?
Great video Dan! Did you already mod it with sapphire crystal?
I did indeed! Didn't film it because I already did the exact same mod on my lorus titanium
But will the oil leak when you change the time?
I would install new battery b4 filling with oil to get max length of time without changing battery
Excellent advice! Thank you 😊
Take that watch to a watchmaker and tell them it needs a service, it's past 3000 miles and it's due for a oil change.😁
Lol! Brilliant.
🤣
this was 2 years ago, how is the battery? is it losing too much seconds in a day?
Auto can work or just qz?
Looks cool. Saw some new oil filled watches in early 90s.
When the crown is operated, is there any chance of oil oozing out ?
I suppose there is always a risk, but it has no leakages so far!
Is 20cst oil better than 50cst for hydro modding?
Great video - the effect is certainly fantastic.
Do any manufacturers offer oil-filled watches as standard?
Yes indeed, Sinn, Ressence and U Boat too name a few.
Makes sense, high-quality analog type pressure/vacuum gauges are oil-filled -thus reducing needle judder and protecting the mechanism.
any update on this? still working fine?
I haven't seen anybody submerge all the parts and assemble while everything's under the oil. Seems like it would be easier, well as far as air bubbles goes
That's super interesting! I've got a cheap, ani/digi solar watch that might be a good candidate for it. What's the worst that could happen? I could ruin it? Pssshhhhht, it's for science! And for the laughs.
I guess you've seen the same "beyond the press" episode where the watch could withstand an enormous pressure...
I wonder what a domed crystal would look like?
How did it hold up Dan?
wont the oil leak out ?
Damn, guess I got to go get a cheap quarts watch
Had some leaks the watch? It is working right? Thank you for so good video.
Hi, still no leaks and keeping great time. Even when I changed the time for daylight savings, no leakages.
@@watchmewithwatches Thank you, again. With your review one of this watches is going to come to Spain soon. :-)
Does oil come out when you unscrew the crown to change the time??
Not at all. There are seals in this watch in the crown stem tube. Helps with a great seal.
Interesting… I do wonder if the oil will leach out through the gasket in like summer temperatures of 90 - 100degrees. But that’s the point of the wait and find out experiment
I have an update. No leaks, but a tiny bubble appeared and the battery lasted 9 months. Was a bit of fun, yet maybe not something I want to do again in a hurry!
what about putting the watch in a ultrasonic cleaner filled with the sillicon oil,
the ultrasonic vibrations would wash out any air-bubbles right ?
I suppose, but Im not sure for certain without having a go with one. Its cheaper to do the wiggle and tap technique
I think ultrasonic cleaner is not good for the movement
I feel like eventually oil would seep into the battery causing power issues from the insulating properties of oil.
And how will you adjust time with that? On the side ?
No, normally is fine. The crown tube seal gives a sufficient seal whilst crown is pulled out. The oil is thick enough to not just pour out like water.
what if u want to change the time and you pop out the crown ?
There is a seal in the crown tube which helps. Also, the oil is not so runny that it wants to flood out of the tiny gap, so that helps too.
Now what do you do when you need to adjust the date and time? Do you need to redo the whole thing again?
Not at all, it didn't leak everytime I had to adjust it.
Very cool, Dan. But I’m never doing that! 😁👍 But doesn’t this mean that you can never unscrew the crown to set the date after 28 or 30 day months? Or you’d have to set the date only in the crown up position?
Ive fiddled with the crown and moved the hands around etc alot after completing the mod, and there was no leakage!
@@watchmewithwatches Very nice!
I gave this a go on the same watch and completely rogered it (completely my fault). It was all going very well but then the stem wouldn't click back in at all. Now I have a broken mechanism (no bother -£2 to replace) but the annoying thing is I have snapped the second hand when the oily dial slipped out of my hand. Anyone know if the Miyota second hands on AE will fit this quartz 2115? I would love to finish what I started.
Welcome to the world of modding! sometimes very frustrating
Any chance of a long term update please bud.
Sure, no leaks but battery died. Not sure how old battery was, but was within normal parameters of life span. Regards, Dan.
Can you set the date and time with the oil in it?
No problem
Syringe? Try magic tree Oliver drum stick oil? Olive oil spinach popeye! Tuff
What happens if you unscrew the crown?
No perceivable leakage. This is due to the crown tube seal. Most dive watches will have this seal.
Will the oil not leak out when you need to pull the crown for time change ????.
On a dive watch like this one with lots of seals, it didn't leak when I checked it. I was surprised! I even shook it with the crown unscrewed!
I have read that silicone oil makes the the o-rings and plastics swell by a noticible margin?
What was your experience?
To be honest, I haven't noticed any issues.
@@watchmewithwatches Okay, thanks.
Any updates on that oil job? :)
No leaks, but..... the battery has died now! 😢
Anyone know if this mod has been done on a Solar G-Shock GW-M5610 with multiband. Any feedback would be appreciated
No point really. I did it to a digital watch and noticed nothing! Better on analogue watches.
@@watchmewithwatches Thanks for the reply. I was wondering if this mod affects the multiband signal more than anything else really. Can you help with this question??? Thanks in advance and thank you for your video, much appreciated.