Diving Watches

Diving Watches

Diving watches are one of the few pieces of diving apparatus that has some use both in and out of the water. Flippers do not make convenient footwear. Many people only wear diving watches for the fashion, and this is fine. But if you are planning to actually use your watch whilst you dive, you need to think about more than just the cosmetic appearance.

The importance of diving watches vary: it all depends on whether the watch will be the primary time source on the dive. Most divers will have a diving computer and the watch will be used as a secondary device. Whether your watch is your primary or secondary source of time, there are two main considerations you need to make when buying diving watches. The first is water resistance. Do not buy watches that are "waterproof". These are designed to withstand a light splash of water and will not hold up to the pressure associated with a deep-sea dive. Professional diving watches will be rated by depth or pressure.

You will not dive below 130 feet; in fact it is not advisable to dive below 60 without advanced training. But still look for a watch that is rated to a depth of 200 meters. All diving watches are tested in static conditions, meaning that they are submerged in water and not moved around. When they are on your wrist, there is going to be a lot of movement, and movement increases pressure.

The bezel is a very important part of diving watches. The bezel is the metal ring that is on the outside of the watch face. The bezel will have a zero mark for the starting point. To use the bezel, turn it to where the minute hand is, and to tell how much time has elapsed, simply look at where the minute hand falls on the bezel.

You should buy a bezel that will only turn in a counterclockwise direction. If it turns clockwise, you could be tricked into thinking you have been underwater for less time than you have. If a bezel can only turn counterclockwise then you will not exceed your time underwater and therefore not be at risk from overexposure to pressure.