If anything, once water gets inside the bearing the seal helps to keep the water in the bearing!

I suppose the key to this is in not abusing my reels, and in using them in ways that I think are beneficial to the reel's design.

I much prefer the instant anti-reverse of today's reels and a number of my spinning reels all have instant anti-reverse, but for me it has never been a real problem and has never bothered me at all.