Is watch case silicone grease any different than other silicone grease?
Seems like any silicone grease would be ok to lube the case O ring.
Seems like any silicone grease would be ok to lube the case O ring.
Watch case silicone grease
- Thread starter Reggaemon
- Start date
I'm unsure it seems to me most are just expensive because "watch tax"
such as gun CLP is 5x more expensive because.. guns yo!
I would think any high purity silicone grease such as food grade would be ok but not a watch expert.
might be worth just buying some "watch grease".. of course if you are going to spend on that get a good brand.. not some chinese repacked from a gallon into little containers
no goozoo brand etc.
my 2 cents is since its for the seal.. regular should work. I use that food grade stuff on all the o rings on my RO filters etc.
such as gun CLP is 5x more expensive because.. guns yo!
I would think any high purity silicone grease such as food grade would be ok but not a watch expert.
might be worth just buying some "watch grease".. of course if you are going to spend on that get a good brand.. not some chinese repacked from a gallon into little containers
no goozoo brand etc.
my 2 cents is since its for the seal.. regular should work. I use that food grade stuff on all the o rings on my RO filters etc.
There's plumbers grease available at any hardware or home improvement store. It's for o-rings in plumbing. It's silicone grease. Should be fine for a watch.
Any gasket-safe grease will do. Any silicone grease works - but some are not pure silicone so just read the labels. I use Superlube (I have a lot of diver watches) for this - cheap and readily available and many other uses.
Here is one of many typical examples of convos on this subject; this forum is a good place to ask technical watch questions:
https://www.watchuseek.com/threads/silcone-grease-for-diver-watch.1484122/
An honestly bigger issue is, are you using a proper case-back tool to not tear the gasket when installing, etc.? What are you working on and how are you doing it?
Here is one of many typical examples of convos on this subject; this forum is a good place to ask technical watch questions:
https://www.watchuseek.com/threads/silcone-grease-for-diver-watch.1484122/
An honestly bigger issue is, are you using a proper case-back tool to not tear the gasket when installing, etc.? What are you working on and how are you doing it?
Thanks for the thread...I do have case tools but this a Casio G-Shock analog + digital so the back is attached with screws. I'd like to keep it water tight because this is my favorite snorkeling watch. Meaning I won't feel bad if it gets messed up.
Actually if it’s a screw-back like that, I would not mess with grease necessarily.
The grease is to protect the gasket when the diver cases get physically pressed with greater force. A screw-back can be tightened gradually and not deform the gasket. I had a old ironman that was like that. I used it for quite a few years as a ski patroller, worn outside my gloves so constantly in snow and wet. That’s all I ever did and that watch still runs fine now and is water tight (I have had it since the mid or late 90s).
I would wager Dow 111 or Christo-Lube MGC111 would be fine for O-rings in this case. The latter being the choice of Scubapro and virtually all the scuba gear brands in their regulators.
The o-ring must be super-clean out of its original packaging. You touch it only with plastic tweezers. You are supposed to use a special foam-lined container for silicone dressing application. Put the o-ring in the container, put the lid on, remove the lid, remove the o-ring that is now lubricated. Don't forget crown stem, crown, and pusher seals. After gasket replacement the watch should be tested with either a vacuum chamber or with a pressure tester/wet test.
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Actually, the inherent design problem with the one-piece screwback case is o-ring deformation. As the case back is tightened the seal gets dragged and deformed. That's why the gasket on this type of caseback design must be replaced every time the watch has been opened. Conversely, if the back is attached with screws or with a screw-down ring (two-part case back) the gasket may be reused several times. If you have a watch with a monobloc case it has no removable back (see original Omega Ploprof). Any caseback seal older than 5 years is a liability. Crown stem and pusher seals may last only a couple of years depending on usage. With watches regularly used in water, all seals should be replaced every 2 years. I'm talking about watches of value here and not about a cheap Casio. If you have a movement worth hundreds or thousands you probably don't mind spending a little on a proper service.
Here are the spare o-rings and gaskets for some of the watches I own and maintain. Both halves of the blue silicone sealant container are foam-lined and soaked in silicone dressing. The round o-rings are for screwback cases, the squircle-shaped ones are for my Casio with a caseback that is tightened down with 4 screws. The tiny o-rings are for pushers (stems) on the Casio shown below. Imagine handling those with your fingers. In the same bag check out the tiny circlips that hold the pushers in the case. Tweezers!
And a closer look at one of the pusher o-rings on a penny. You only need the tiniest amount of lube. Watch gasket lube is nothing like normal silicone grease in consistency. It has a much lower viscosity and leaves only a very thin film on the gasket.
The Breitling has a screw-down caseback, the Casio has a caseback that is held on with four screws. There are also snap-on casebacks and two-part screw-down casebacks that avoid O-ring distortion. Then there's also the monobloc case, which doesn't have a removable caseback. You have to remove the screw-down crystal to gain access to the movement.
Snap-on and casebacks with screws usually can't offer WR beyond 100 meters.
Engineering-wise, the two-part screwback case in which the keyed caseback does not rotate during tightening down is the best option. Only the locking ring turns and pushes the caseback into the case. Ironically, this superior design is available, with very few exceptions, pretty much only on the Russian Vostok Amfibia. Off the top of my head, I can't even name one other watch brand that uses a similar system.
And a closer look at one of the pusher o-rings on a penny. You only need the tiniest amount of lube. Watch gasket lube is nothing like normal silicone grease in consistency. It has a much lower viscosity and leaves only a very thin film on the gasket.
The Breitling has a screw-down caseback, the Casio has a caseback that is held on with four screws. There are also snap-on casebacks and two-part screw-down casebacks that avoid O-ring distortion. Then there's also the monobloc case, which doesn't have a removable caseback. You have to remove the screw-down crystal to gain access to the movement.
Snap-on and casebacks with screws usually can't offer WR beyond 100 meters.
Engineering-wise, the two-part screwback case in which the keyed caseback does not rotate during tightening down is the best option. Only the locking ring turns and pushes the caseback into the case. Ironically, this superior design is available, with very few exceptions, pretty much only on the Russian Vostok Amfibia. Off the top of my head, I can't even name one other watch brand that uses a similar system.
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For servicing Scuba gear, I've always used Trident silicone grease. My regulators are 30 years old and still work like new. I also use it when servicing my automatic espresso machine, and on watch o-rings.
That stuff is more than likely repackaged Dow 111 or similar. I have a tube of Molykote 111 in my garage for that reason, and as dielectric grease/brake pin lube(if the OE doesn’t call for glycol grease like Toyota/Subaru).
Without a foam applicator, I don't see a good way of applying an evenly-thin layer of lube or a very clean lube. Any particle on the gasket may compromise the seal. All that's needed is the thinnest layer of lube. You do not want excess lube to get squeezed out of the O-ring groove.
Different watches call for different O-ring lubes. For example, Bergeon KT22 is fine for most watch gaskets. Seiko has different O-ring lubes for different watches., for example, TSF-451 and S916. The main difference is the viscosity. The gasket lubes are commonly also used for lubricating other parts of a watch, for example, the second reduction gear.
Dry O-ring
Lubed O-ring. It just looks a bit more shiny than it did before it was lubed. Then lube is not thickly slathered on.
Different watches call for different O-ring lubes. For example, Bergeon KT22 is fine for most watch gaskets. Seiko has different O-ring lubes for different watches., for example, TSF-451 and S916. The main difference is the viscosity. The gasket lubes are commonly also used for lubricating other parts of a watch, for example, the second reduction gear.
Dry O-ring
Lubed O-ring. It just looks a bit more shiny than it did before it was lubed. Then lube is not thickly slathered on.
If you use plumbers grease make sure it’s actual silicone and not petroleum base it could swell the o ring.
