Yes it’s definitely true that all a safe or vault buys is time, and in terms of the engineering and build quality that old 1940s Treasury door would I’m sure put most modern doors to shame.
But, as we’ve discussed before, these days it’s all down to risks and assessment etc, and when Its impossible to know the potential value of contents as in the Hatton Garden case, I struggle with the concept of insurers just going along with it. My first thought would be they’d have thrown the book at them and insisted on the full monty so to speak, knowing that insurers don’t like uncertainties and that they like paying out for big claims even less!
The door and walls were obviously adequate when installed for use serving the local diamond trade in the 1940s, but now it’s being used in an application where the value and risks are immeasurable. Plus, It wasn’t anywhere near the largest Chubb door available back in its day, and as safeman added the walls are built proportionately to the door.
Also worth considering that Chubb didn’t pioneer their Cast Torch and Drill Resisting barrier material (for the doors) until the early 1960s, so that door is going to be laminated. I know which I’d sooner have… But like you say oldlock, it’s possible to overcome any level of protection given enough time, so I guess it doesn’t make a lot of difference. They would probably have got through even twice the thickness of concrete if it was 1970s 33 inch doors given enough time to do it.
Safeone, why the divorce? just install one anyway and say there’s a nice bag or shoe shop inside, you could then use the emergency door as a feeding hatch 🙁giggle):
