Jewelry Bonanza

Have you recently considered purchasing a diver’s watch? If you are seriously contemplating this idea the following post can help you out. You might ask yourself what is a diver watch in the first place? and why should I bother getting one?

A diver watch is a type of sports watch that is resistant to water. Commercial types in particular have a higher resistance often surviving up to 200-300m of depth. The average watch however can withstand approximately 100m of depth. These watches are usually suitable for activities such as  swimming where the water is shallow enough. Watches suitable for scuba diving (usually those with a higher level of water resistance) are tested against a known standard called ISO 6425. Those that pass the test are given the name “DIVER’s” to distinguish them from others. Common brands of diving watches include Citizen diver watches and Swiss diver watches.

A diver watch has a plethora of characteristics that make it stand out among other types of watches. These features are also under the ISO 6425 standard. One characteristic is water resistance to a minimum of 100m of depth.  Other characteristics include:

• Being readable at a distance of 25cm even in the presence of total darkness
• Resistant to shocks and abrupt impacts
• Resistant to electro-magnetic forces
• Resistant to various chemical compounds present in sea water
• An indicator that alerts the user to the end of life of the watch’s battery
• An indicator that confirms that the watch is still functioning even in the presence of total darkness

Manufactures of diver watches must adhere to these features when they design such watches. The resistance to various things like sea chemicals, water pressure and magnetic forces is crucial particularly for the diver watch case. If the case cannot put up sufficient resistance to any of those factors it will break and the watch will be damaged. Cases are usually made out from resilient material such as ceramics, plastics or titanium. Titanium and even a steel design for diver watch cases are among the most sought after designs. Diver watches also incorporate several  advanced mechanisms that act as a cushion to absorb the impact of a shock and prevent damage to the internal components of the watch. Analog diver watches require a bezel be setup for them. The bezel is a rotating device that allows for easier reading of elapsed time under the water. In some models the bezel is aligned with the watch’s minute hand. The bezel is a comfortable addition that saves the diver the time and effort of mathematical calculations.

A popular option that some manufacturers of diver watches include in their products is a lockable bezel. Because it is lockable the bezel cannot accidentally operate during a dive. Diver watches come attached to a wrist strap. The strap is made from a variety of substances including silicon rubber and polyurethane. The strap is expandable so that a diver can wear it over his wet sleeve. The expandable length is usually hidden. Numerous diver watches  feature a fabric strap made out of nylon. This one piece of strap prevents the diver watch from getting lost when one of the springbars fails.

Buying a Diver’s Watch

When the time comes to choosing your favorite diver watch personal taste will play a major role. Some people buy a diver watch for its style while others look for distinguished features. Other yet will opt for a combination of both. If you are considering getting the watch for legitimate diving activities than a diver watch that meets the ISO 6425 is imperative. These watches are thoroughly tested and you do not have to worry about water damage. If you are considering the more thorough type of watches you will need to take into account the presence of the rotating bezel, your wrist and watch sizes and whether the illuminating light is comfortable to your eyes. Another decision to make is whether you would prefer an analogue over a digital diver’s watch. An analogue watch is more classy and elegant so if you’re going purely on looks you can’t go wrong there. However a digital watch has more features that can track its functioning underwater and is more practical overall. The functions that can be tracked include seawater depth, temperature status and alarm. A third factor to take into mind is whether you’d like the watch to operate using a battery or do prefer an automatic watch. An automatic diver watch is self-winding watch that functions mechanically through set motions of a rotor that is in turn controlled by a pivot on a weight. All the above factors come into play when the decision is made.

Whether it is for recreational purposes or for serious scuba missions a diver’s watch is a must to have. It can be elegant and classy when necessary and practical and functional at other times as well. There are no ” best diver watch” however a personal favorite of mine is the Swiss Army Professional Diver Watch.