Some watches are renowned for their water resistance: the Rolex Submariner, for example, is water resistant to 984 feet (300 meters), making it great for a deep dive underwater. However, when used incorrectly, even a watch like the Submariner can let in water and suffer water damage, because, in truth, no watch is truly waterproof. If you suspect that your watch has suffered from water damage, then this post is for you. We’ve answered your questions about what to do when you get water in your watch.

What does water damage look like on a watch?
The biggest clue to the existence of water inside a watch’s case is condensation. If the crystal on the watch’s face has droplets of water or dew on the inside, then the watch has lost its water resistance and is retaining some water inside the case, and likely, inside the movement. This can be a problem since the water can make the metal elements inside the watch get rusty. If the water is saltwater or has other kinds of particles in it (algae, soap, etc.), that could prove to be even worse, as the insides of watches are very sensitive, and these other particles can corrode the metal and irreparably damage the watch.

More clues to water damage could be broken lumes or malfunctioning hands. If lumes on the hands, markers, or other parts of the dial have stopped glowing in the dark inexplicably, then that might be indicative of water seeping into these features and destroying them. Malfunctioning hands that stutter or stop entirely are symptomatic of a broken movement, which could have been corroded or misplaced by water inside the watch.

I thought my watch was waterproof. What happened?
Like we said, no watch is ever truly waterproof, which is why they’re actually marketed as water-resistant. Water-resistant watches, no matter how resistant they are to water and pressure, can lose their resistance over time because these watches tend to depend on an O-ring, which is a gasket that goes around the crown of the watch and acts as a seal against water. Because the O-ring is often made of rubber or silicon, it starts drying out as soon as it leaves the factory, and when it does, it shrinks and hardens up, leaving the watch susceptible to water damage. This can take months or even years, but it does happen.

The watch’s water resistance could also have been compromised by misuse. If you have a diving watch with a rotating bezel and two pushers in addition to the crown, for example, your watch has several openings through which water can enter the case. You need to make sure that the crown and pushers are properly screwed in tight and that the rotating bezel is set before you enter or go near water. If the bezel is rotated underwater or the crown or pushers are not properly pushed in, water will enter the watch.

So my watch has water damage…what do I do now?
You have two options here: either leave the watch out to dry or bring it to a watchmaker to have it repaired.

If you know that the water has not been in the watch for very long, like, say, a day or two, and that there isn’t much of it inside the watch, then you should be fine if you left the timepiece out to dry. One way to do so is to place the watch caseback side down on a radiator, a lamp, or in a sunny spot on a window sill. This will draw the moisture away from the movement and heat the watch up a little bit so that the water dries faster. Be careful with this method, though, because the watch could suffer heat damage if left in the heat to dry for too long or if the surface it’s on gets too hot. Keep a careful eye on the watch.

Another way to let the piece dry is to carefully submerge it in a desiccant, which is a substance that will wick away the moisture and absorb it. Dry, uncooked rice is a popular option—in fact, people who have submerged their smartphones in water tend to leave their devices in rice to dry out. Another is to use clean cat litter: the white, pure silica gel kind works better, but the kind with gray clay in it is acceptable, too.

Whether you leave the watch in the heat to dry or submerge it in a desiccant, be sure to leave it flat and caseback-side down so that it faces up at you. This way, gravity will have a hand in getting the moisture out of the watch, too.

If the damage is extensive, a trip to a reputable watchmaker will be necessary. In general, no matter the level of water damage of the watch, we highly recommend bringing the timepiece to a watchmaker for repair as soon as possible.

In severe cases especially, the watch should be brought to a watchmaker (not a jeweler) so that they may take it apart safely and dry each individual piece out of the over 100 pieces that go into the structure of a watch. They will then put each piece in a cleaning machine to ensure that any residue will be cleaned off, and then they will repair or replace the pieces that have suffered water damage.

How can I prevent my watches from suffering from water damage in the future?
Preventative measures can definitely be taken to avoid water damage in the future! First of all, pay attention to the water resistance that the manufacturer recommends for your specific watch model. Every model is different, and, on top of that, the water resistance levels can be a little misleading, since the measurements watchmakers use only take pressure into account, not necessarily water depth. We’ve put together this graph to help you figure out how water resistant your timepiece actually is:

In addition to following this guide for how much pressure your watch can take, you should also take it in to a watchmaker for water resistance testing. New models should go in every year and should not be allowed to go more than 2 full years without resistance testing. Vintage models tend to warp and get more brittle over time and should be taken in at least once a year for testing. The watchmaker conducting these tests can then replace or repair any piece of the watch’s construction that may compromise its water resistance.

Finally, of course, it’s paramount that you read over the watch’s manual and make sure to make proper use of all its complicated features before you bring the timepiece into a body of water.

We round up the five best waterproof and diving watches by Rolex, Omega, Panerai and more that have broken diving records and can endure deep sea dives—or a few laps in the lane pool.

Rolex Submariner

From its sporty look to its impressive functionality, the Rolex Submariner is the quintessential diving watch.

Naturally, the Submariner has all the trappings of a traditional diving watch: a screw-down, triple lock crown for added waterproofness, a unidirectional bezel, and scratch-resistant sapphire crystal. And, while the average diver doesn’t venture below 130 feet and the world record for deepest dive was 1,000 feet, the Submariner is waterproof up to 1,000 feet (300 meters).

However, impressive durability aside, what truly distinguishes a Submariner is its sharp design that elevates it well above other competing diving watches.

Rolex Sea-Dweller

The Sea-Dweller was not designed with the hobbyist in mind; it was developed to withstand deep, deep (think submarine-level) ocean depths for prolonged periods of time. Capable of diving down to 4,000 feet (1,220 meters), the Rolex Sea-Dweller is outfitted with a proprietary Helium Escape Valve (HEV) that offsets the internal and external pressure created by these super deep water depths.

At first blush, the Sea-Dweller looks very similar to the Rolex Submariner, except for one key difference: the date window. The Rolex Submariner’s date window includes a magnifying Cyclops lens; the Sea-Dweller’s does not.

Omega Seamaster

Well before the Omega Seamaster debuted in 1948, Omega was a respected diving watch manufacturer and was largely considered the leader of this growing competitive field. But the Seamaster could be considered the Swiss brand’s masterpiece. (Read more about the history of the Omega Seamaster here.) The Seamaster featured an O-ring gasket, which vastly improved its water resistance and made it impervious to the water’s temperature changes at lower depths. This breakthrough technology totally outpaced the competition and cemented Omega’s dominance in diving watch manufacturing.

Today, the Seamaster is dubbed the “James Bond watch” after it usurped the title from the Rolex Submariner in 1995. The Omega Seamaster also ranks as Omega’s best-seller and remains the oldest model in Omega’s current collection.

Breitling Superocean

Breitling is best known for their precision aviation and pilot watches, but the Breitling Superocean, one of the brand’s most popular models, was the its first foray into the world of diving watches. When it debuted in 1957, the Superocean put Breitling’s competitors on edge by reaching depths of 656 feet (200 meters), twice as deep as its nearest contemporary the Rolex Submariner. (For more on how the Breitling Superocean was designed and developed, read our blog post here.)

The Superocean is noted for its large Arabic numerals and oversized hands that make it very easy for divers to read underwater.

Panerai Luminor Marina

Aesthetically speaking, the Panerai Luminor Marina does not look like a traditional diving watch. But, surprisingly enough, the Luminor Marina is modeled after the watch Panerai first developed for the Italian military divers in 1936. The original Panerai Luminor and its modern descendant were designed for divers who swim at shallow depths but for long periods of time, which is why it does not have the signature diving watch rotating bezel. However, deep divers might be attracted to this watch, which is actually waterproof to 984 feet (300 meters), because of its incredibly luminous and easy-to-read face that will stand out in the dark and deep underwater.

We rounded up ten of our favorite celebrities wearing Le Vian jewels on the red carpet. Check out the A-listers who have finished their evening look with the perfect complementary piece of Le Vian jewelry.

Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. No matter how old this time-honored rhyme is, it proves its wedding-planning influence to even the most contemporary brides.

While traditional rituals and styles are still proving desirable for today’s brides, there are always those that want to bend tradition, especially with their bridal jewelry. Taking a creative twist and finding the perfect style for your wedding day jewelry can feel like a challenge, but we promise it’s easier than you think.

We rounded up some cool earring, necklace and bracelets styles to perfect your modern bridal look!

Commemorate your graduate’s important milestone with a watch or jewelry gift. We picked our 50 favorite designer (but still budget-friendly) gifts by Tiffany & Co., TAG Heuer, Omega, and more to surprise your Class of 2018 grad!

Unlike white diamonds that are valued for the absence of color, fancy color diamonds are prized for the saturation of color and rich shades of blue, yellow and pink are exceedingly rare in nature. Here we look at the world’s premier fancy colored diamonds, distinguished for their remarkable color, clarity and impressive size and their jaw-dropping price tags.

The Pink Star

The Pink Star, previously known as the Steinmetz Pink, is the largest diamond to have been graded a Fancy Vivid Pink. Its color and size rank it among the top three in its pink diamond class. After five minutes of bidding at a 2017 Sotheby’s auction in Hong Kong, the oval-shaped 59.6-carat pink diamond broke the record for the highest price ever paid for a jewel: a whopping $71 million USD.

The Spirit of de Grisogono

When the Spirit of de Grisogono rough diamond was first discovered in Africa, it weighed an astounding 587 carats, an enormous black diamond. The rough diamond was cut down to 312.24 carats by Swiss jeweler, De Grisogono. Even after being cut and faceted, the Spirit of de Grisogono still holds the title as the largest black diamond in the world and is the world’s fifth largest diamond overall. The Spirit of de Grisogono is currently set in a white gold ring, surrounded by 702 white diamonds that total 36.69 carats. It’s value has not been disclosed.

The Hope Diamond

Believed to have been discovered in India in the 1600s, the Hope Diamond was bought by King Louis XIV in 1668. After hundreds of years of grinding, cutting and polishing, the stone weighs 54.52 carats, and is classified as a Fancy Dark Grayish-Blue diamond. (For more on the cursed history of the Hope Diamond, read our post on the topic here.) The third most expensive colored diamond in the world, the Hope Diamond is valued at an incredible $250 million and sits amid high security at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.

The Ocean Dream

Mined from central Africa, the Ocean Dream diamond is a fancy deep blue-green, triangular brilliant (or trillion-cut) diamond. It is the largest naturally colored fancy deep blue-green diamond in the world. Thus in spite of its relatively small size (5.51 carats) compared to other famous diamonds, the Ocean Dream earns the distinction of being one of the rarest diamonds in the world.

The Oppenheimer Blue

The Oppenheimer Blue, at 14.62 carats, is the largest Vivid Blue diamond ever to appear at auction. This diamond, named after its previous owner, Sir Phillip Oppenheimer, stunned auction-goers, when it sold for an incredible $57 million USD in 2016. The buyer remains anonymous. Following the auction, the Oppenheimer Blue held the title as the most expensive jewel every sold at auction, until it was unseated by the Pink Star Diamond in 2017.

The Incomparable Diamond

For being such an impressively named stone, The Incomparable Diamond has a humble origin story: this fancy colored diamond was found in 1984 by a little girl playing in a pile of rocks and rubble outside her uncle’s house in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The rubble, which had been dismissed as being too bulky to bother scanning for diamonds, hid the largest brown diamond in the world. The Incomparable Diamond was cut down from 890 to 407.5 carats to have fewer internal flaws and emphasize its fancy brownish-yellow color. The stone is valued around $20 million USD.

To learn about more rare and expensive gemstones, read our post The World’s 10 Rarest and Most Expensive Gemstones here.

The Le Vian family’s early history in jewelry can be traced back over 500 years, a time marked by two pivotal periods. The early years, which began in the year 1500 and lasted for 250 years, revealed the family’s emphasis on design and workmanship, with jewelry and objets d’art that featured hand carving, hand painting, beading, engraving, enamel work, goldsmithing and silversmithing. It was in 1746 when the family recognized its future path in fine jewelry, as guardians of the jewels, when they were entrusted by King Nadir Shah to guard such priceless treasures as the Kooh-i-Noor diamond (which today is on display among the British crown jewels in the Tower of London), the Daria-i-Nur diamond, and the fabled Peacock Throne. It was from this moment that the Le Vian family learned their mission, to find the most beautiful gems and diamonds in the world and preserve them for future generations to enjoy.

The Le Vian family has placed many of its most special designs throughout its history into a collection called, “Le Vian Through the Centuries.” We take a look back at three of the early designs from this collection that set the foundation for the brand’s reputation today.

Turquoise, Gold and Ruby Slide Pendant, Circa 1501

One of the earliest examples of the Le Vian family’s work is this exotic slide pendant, circa 1501. The pendant is made of a solid rectangle of jade adorned with a golden plaque. In the center is a rare, 1.5 carat oval, old mine-cut ruby, set in a field of ancient Persian turquoise, all hand-wrought within a thickly beaded frame of 22 karat gold.

“Face of an Angel” Jewelry Set, Sketched in the 18th Century

The Le Vian “Face of an Angel” jewelry set includes a matching necklace, bracelet, and earrings. This mesmerizing set, was originally sketched in the 18th century, features nearly 1,000 diamonds—each impeccably hand-set to move separately. At the heart of this parure is a set of dazzling emerald stones, totaling 12 carats, and a 5-carat VVS clarity diamond. It’s a breathtaking design and, relative to when it was first sketched, feels incredibly fashion-forward for its time.

The Le Vian Elephant, Crafted in 1746

One of the most impressive pieces in Le Vian’s archives is this 11 x 12-inch elephant, hand inlaid with 6,602 pieces (12,000 carats) of natural turquoise from the now extinct Neishabur mine in Iran. Its eyes are each 2 carat rubies and its tusks are made of hand-carved ivory. This historic piece was originally crafted in 1746 as a tribute to the infamous and incredibly powerful King Nadir Shah who ruled Persia (modern day Iran) from 1737–1747.

This 40-pound elephant reveals the quality of the workmanship and extraordinary artistry and expertise of Le Vian at the time. Each stone is thoughtfully placed, arranged from dark to light to accentuate the elephant’s shape. The settings themselves foretell the technique of “invisible setting” developed in France in the 18th century, which became virtually a lost art until the 1900s when Le Vian artisans skillfully revived the technique.

When shopping online for fine jewelry and watches, you may stumble upon the term gray market, but don’t be fooled by what you find here. While it may look like you’re about to score an amazing bargain, there are very real dangers associated with shopping on the luxury gray market. Because some consumers are unaware of these risks, we’re looking into this phenomenon and explaining why shopping the gray market for luxury watches and jewelry is not the smart way to go.

What is the gray market?

The gray market is a blanket term for the unauthorized trading channels through which luxury watches and jewelry are sold.

Why does the gray market exist?

Authorized retailers are contracted to buy a certain number of units from a brand every year. But, given the high volume retailers are required to purchase each season, not all units are sold. In addition to that, the retailers are obligated to buy a set number of pieces from the new collections. So shops occasionally find themselves in a tight spot: a collection is stuck lingering in their showcase and a new collection needs shelf space.

Saddled with this stale inventory, retailers will dump their product onto the gray market where it can be quickly sold at a discount.

This all sounds like a good thing: I save money and the brands get rid of their old inventory. So why is the gray market bad?

Yes, at first blush, this sounds like a win-win for retailers and consumers. But, there is a very real danger in shopping for fine jewelry and watches on the gray market. While the goods sold on the gray market are authentic, brands will not honor the warranty because they were not purchased through the proper channels.

Luxury brands set rigorous standards for their authorized retailers to ensure that the item you receive is in pristine condition. However, a gray market retailer is not obligated to follow the brand’s protocol, and there is an increased likelihood that a gray market watch or piece of jewelry was damaged in transit, stored improperly, or carelessly handled. And if you purchase a watch off the gray market and wind up with a defective model, the brand will refuse to service it and you may be out a big chunk of change.

Is TrueFacet a gray market?

No. TrueFacet is an online resale marketplace for pre-owned watches and jewelry.

Unlike a gray market retailer who purchases inventory through illegitimate channels, TrueFacet’s inventory is pre-owned and was originally purchased through approved and authorized retailers. Therefore, brands will honor the warranty and service your item should you have any problems. Moreover, TrueFacet extends its own one-year warranty on your purchase for added security. (To learn more about TrueFacet’s warranty, visit us here.)

With TrueFacet, you can rest assured of your purchase’s authenticity and remain confident that it can be serviced by the original manufacturer to preserve its value.