Dive watches have been around for nearly a century, yet many people are still unaware of their existence. In fact, most watch owners assume that, if they get their watch wet, it will break, and they will have to buy a new one. Fortunately, this is not always the case. Nowadays, most high-quality watches are designed to withstand the elements — including exposure to water.
However, there are varying degrees of water exposure protection among watches. How much water a watch can withstand will determine whether or not it qualifies as a certified dive watch. So, let’s take a closer look at the definition of a dive watch:
What Is a Dive Watch?
A dive watch (sometimes known as a diver watch) refers to any kind of portable timekeeping device that has a water resistance of at least 1.0 MPa, set by the ISO 6425 international standard. This measurement refers to the amount of pressure that a timepiece can take without experiencing ruptures or water penetration. In laymen’s terms, water-resistance up to 1.0 MPa means that your watch can still function at depths of 100 meters or less.
However, 1.0 MPa is the minimum standard to be classified as a diving watch. The majority of dive watches have water resistance up to 2.0 or 3.0 MPa. In other words, they can function at depths of 200 to 300 meters. It’s vitally important to know the water-resistance of your dive watch when diving at low depths. If you go too low, you could end up breaking or damaging your watch, even if it is a certified dive watch. Fortunately, this is extremely uncommon, as even professional divers rarely go lower than 40 meters below sea level.
Water-resistant, water-repellant, or waterproof?
When it comes to protection against water, there are a lot of different terms that can make things confusing. As previously stated, dive watches must be water-resistant. This means that they can resist the penetration of water at certain levels. However, water resistance does not mean that your watch is completely impervious to water. Increased pressure at lower depths can still affect the integrity of your watch.
Alternatively, “water-repellant” refers to objects that have been specially treated to resist water penetration. This is usually accomplished with a strong surface coating. Dive watches can be treated to be water-repellant, as this can protect underlying case materials like silver that can oxidize with extensive water exposure. However, this coating does not necessarily protect against high water pressure.
Finally, you have the “waterproof” classification. Waterproof signifies that an object is impervious to water. Unfortunately, this classification doesn’t help very much when it comes to diving watches. A watch can be waterproof during a heavy rainstorm, but it may not be waterproof when dropped into a large body of water. To make things even more confusing, some watch retailers mix the terms “water-resistant” and “waterproof,” making it difficult for consumers to know if a watch is equipped for scuba diving or just light exposure to water. For this reason, you should always look for water-resistant certification of at least 1.0 MPa when shopping for a dive watch.
How To Use a Dive Watch
A dive watch isn’t just a fun accessory to bring along when you go swimming or scuba diving. It’s actually an important utility that can help you stay safe during extended dives. That said, you don’t have to be an expert to use a dive watch. You simply need to understand how to use the part of the watch known as a dive bezel.
The dive watch bezel is the part of your dive watch that surrounds the watch face. Though every model varies, a dive bezel will generally have hour markers, as well as a specific marker to help you keep track of your time underwater. This marker may be a specific shape (like a triangle) or a different color than the other markers.
To use a dive watch, you’ll move the rotating bezel until the special marker is at the same point as your minute hand. You must do this right before you go underwater. As time passes, the minute hand will move, but the bezel marker will remain in the same place. By seeing the difference between the marker and the minute hand, you can see exactly how many minutes you’ve spent underwater.
This is especially important if you’re scuba diving with a team. If you do not come up after a specified amount of time, your fellow divers may get worried that something has gone wrong. A dive watch is also one of the best ways to calculate your air consumption rates. if your oxygen tank meter breaks, you can use a dive watch to estimate how much oxygen you have left in your tank based on your respiratory minute volume (RMV).
Finally, you should never ascend to the surface of the water too quickly when scuba diving. Thankfully, a dive watch makes it easy to time your ascent. When you’re ready to come back to the surface, simply realign the bezel with the minute hand. This will allow you to time your ascent safely. It is generally recommended to ascend no more than 18 meters per minute.
Using a Dive Watch As a GMT
Many dive watches also come with a built-in GMT function. This allows you to know the time in two distinct time zones at once. However, most dive watches have only one bezel that functions as both a dive measurement and a 24-hour GMT movement calculator. This means that you’ll only be able to use your dive watch for one function at a time. In other words, you won’t be able to estimate the length of your dive underwater and see the time in a different time zone simultaneously.
In any case, having a dive watch with a GMT function ensures that you can get the most out of your watch by land or sea. To use the GMT function on your dive watch, you must move the bezel so that the 24-hour marker is at the very top of the watch face. Then, pull the crown out (usually to the third position) to move the GMT hand to the local timezone based on the 24-hour bezel scale.
To see what time it is in a different timezone, simply rotate the bezel based on how many hours forward or backward the second timezone is from your local time. Now, you’ll see that your regular hour hand shows you the time where you are, while your GMT hand shows you the time in another time zone.
Why Dive Watches Are So Popular
Dive watches have all the same benefits as a standard wristwatch, but they take these benefits a few steps further. For example, many people get a wristwatch to look dressy or elegant, while also having a quick and easy way to tell time on the go. Dive watches fulfill all of these needs, plus they allow you to go underwater without worrying about the integrity of your favorite timepiece.
Though casual and professional divers will likely get the most use out of dive watches, they’re also great options for most consumers. Whether you want to spend the day at the pool or go swimming in the ocean, you won’t have to worry about a dive watch getting water damage. As a result, dive watches are some of the most popular timepieces on the market.
We hope you found our Dive Watch Guide useful! If you’d like to learn more about buying a dive watch, feel free to contact the experts at Ashford today!
