Why isn’t your Royal Oak waterproof?

Audemars Piguet's Royal Oak series has been a popular model for many years. It is known as the three top sports watches together with Patek Philippe's Nautilus series and Vacheron Constantin's vertical and horizontal series. However, what many people do not know is that Audemars Piguet's Royal Oak is a bit far-fetched to call it a sports model, because it can't even reach 100 meters waterproof.

After buying Audemars Piguet's Royal Oak series, many people suddenly felt unstable. They got the after-sales inspection and found that the movement had entered the water, and some parts were rusted. The movement is rusted.

The waterproofness of watches is a topic worth talking about, and many people tend to ignore it when they buy and wear watches.

Take the common blue plate new 15500 as an example. This Royal Oak basic model with a purchase price far exceeding the public price was released in 2019. Its waterproof coefficient is only 50 meters, which is the level of life waterproofing. The minimum standard for taking a shower (100 meters), since the official has defined this watch as waterproof for life, why are there so many people's royal oaks entering the water?

The answer is very simple. After hearing the rumors of the "three top sports watches", many people subconsciously think that it is super waterproof, and they don't pay attention to the wearing occasion. If it stays in a humid environment for a long time, it is very likely that water will enter, which will cause irreversible damage to the movement.

The reason why Royal Oak is called a "luxury sports watch" is because it is a top brand, and it is different from the tough style of traditional serious dress watches. Finally, it is the understanding of the concept of luxury sports watches. Is the watch a watch worn when exercising? No, except for a few professional sports watches, most sports occasions are empty-handed.

Compared with the Royal Oak, most of the Royal Oak Offshore models have thicker cases and better water resistance.

Why did Audemars Piguet officially set the waterproof coefficient of Royal Oak so low? Here I will briefly share with you the reason, that is the structure of the watch head, after all, the design determines the waterproofness. Everyone knows that the Royal Oak has eight screws, which fasten the case and the bottom cover, but many people may not know what it looks like after the cover is opened.

I am luckier than everyone else. I saw the real thing of this watch by chance, and what I saw was the real thing with the cover open. The result surprised me because a part of the bottom of the watch had been rusted.

The movement of this Royal Oak is smaller than the case, so there is also a solid movement ring, which is marked with the word "METAL" (metal). As for the reason for this phenomenon, I think careful friends have found it from the structure of the bottom cover.

That's right, it's the waterproof rubber ring inside the bottom cover. Don't underestimate this small black ring-shaped material. If all watches want to be waterproof, this little thing is indispensable. Many diving watches are not only on the bottom cover. , the bezel are equipped, and even the winding crown has a suitable waterproof ring. In order to facilitate your understanding, I have made some annotations on the pictures.

When the bottom cover is fastened to the bottom of the watch by screws, the waterproof ring (pink arc indicated by the black arrow) can only block water from entering the movement (circular pink area indicated by the black arrow), but the fixed movement (the pink arc indicated by the blue arrow) The outer side of the blue area is not equipped with a waterproof rubber ring, so water may still enter this area and cause rust. If a waterproof ring is added to the periphery of the bottom cover, it will definitely improve the waterproof performance of this watch, but whether it can It works, maybe only after the transformation will know.

Since the Royal Oak chronograph has two timing buttons, there are differences in the eight screws that seem to be the same. It is the screw (pink ring) near the timing button that does not pass through the case, and the other six are on both sides.

Therefore, by understanding the structure of this Royal Oak, we also know why it is only 50 meters waterproof. Even with sports elements such as a stopwatch function and a tough appearance, it is still slightly insufficient in terms of waterproofing.

There is also a layer of waterproof gasket between the bezel and the case, which is relatively thin. Looking at the front, there is also a layer of waterproof gasket between the bezel and the case. It is not easy to find if you don't look carefully, because the thickness of the entire watch is considered, and it is made very thin.

Let's take a look at the offshore series, which is obviously better in waterproofing, and the waterproof rubber ring between the bezel and the case is very thick.

Through the above description, what I want to tell you is that each watch has its fixed waterproof coefficient. It is very important to choose the wearing occasion for this parameter. If it is 50 meters waterproof, try to avoid long-term use in a humid environment. Wear. If you don't want the waterproofness of the watch to be a burden, then buy a watch from the standard of 100 meters. This style can cope with most occasions in daily life.