What is ISO 6425?ĭespite most dive watches unlikely to reach depths beyond the swimming pool, there is an international technical standard they must meet in order to be truly called a dive watch. Having said that, there is a certain comfort in knowing that your watch is built to withstand some of the harshest conditions on the planet. You would need to do what's called a 'saturation dive' for the helium escape valve of your Omega Seamaster became useful, and we wonder how many owners really use the unidirectional rotating bezel to measure anything, let alone breathing apparatus. This is so the watch can be worn over the outside of a diving suit, ready to be used for keeping tabs on your oxygen supply.īy their very nature, most dive watches are massively over-engineered. The helium escape valve does what you might expect, letting helium particles escape, balancing internal and external pressure, and preventing damage.Īnother key feature separating dive watches from others is the extending bracelet. While not a problem initially, when returning to the surface a pressure difference inside and outside the watch builds, potentially causing significant damage to your watch's delicate movement, or causing the crystal to literally pop off. That way, the time and other crucial information, like how long you have been submerged with an oxygen tank for, can be viewed in total darkness on the seabed.ĭive far enough for long enough, and a helium escape valve, often located around the 10 o’clock position, will come into place.īecause helium atoms are the smallest natural gas particles, they can, when under the pressure of a deep-sea dive, seep through the watch’s waterproof seals. Thanks to Sean Connery wearing his personal Rolex Submariner in the early films, then Omega spotting a marketing opportunity and strapping a Seamaster to 007’s wrist in every outing since 1996, the dive watch is stamped onto our subconscious more than most.īut, while it’s easy to spot a watch with a tough-looking stainless steel case, bracelet, and a rotating bezel with markers that most know have something to do with diving, there is, traditionally, a set of characteristics a timepiece must adhere to to make the grade as a true dive watch.Īs well as the stainless steel case (generally with matching bracelet, but straps of other materials are permissible), a dive watch has glow-in-the-dark lume on most, if not all, of its markings. James Bond has a lot to answer for here, of course.
Of all the types of wristwatch, the dive watch is perhaps the most popularly of all.
Whether you are diving into the sea or an overflowing inbox, here are our favourite dive watches at any budget. These include a unidirectional bezel marked at least every five minutes, the presence of an indication that the watch is running while in total darkness (like an illuminated second hand), magnetic, shock and chemical resistance, and the ability to be read from 25cm away in total darkness.īut now the diver's watch is as much a piece of precision underwater equipment as it is a fashion statement.
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