20 May 2008, 18:17
About 3 years ago, a guy sent me a non-working Date Command. In about 1980, he went swimming with it on in the ocean. The seal leaked, the watchcase filled up with salt water and it stopped running. He put it aside with the intention of getting it to a jeweler in the near future. Time passes by, and he forgets about it until he finds me on the internet 25 years later, and decides he wants me to repair it. I told him there was no chance I could fix the module, but he wanted me to look at it anyway.
I open the watch and there is no area of standing water, but the entire case and module is damp, and the module is coated with some type of slimy substance. I take the module out, and very gently scrub it with a soft bristled brush and soap. I rinsed it off under the faucet and let it dry. I put current to it—and it works normally! I re-brushed the case and band, put the watch back together, and I had one satisfied customer.