Dive Watches

[agilis]

I have a Seiko 6309-7040 that I bought in 1980 and still use pretty regularly while diving . I had the scratched crystal and all the rubber gaskets replaced about 12 years ago.

I've had it down to over 150 feet when both it and I were much younger. It has never flooded, and still keeps excellent time for a mechanical self-winding watch, gaining no more than about 5 seconds during a recent two week vacation when it was worn constantly except at night.

It's definitely a diver's watch, but is also quite attractive, though definitely on the large side. The only negative is that its illumination is long gone.

I also have a Casio DW 1000 that I picked up in a trade when I lived in Jamaica in the mid- 1970s, from a photographer who was part of a group doing a Dacor catalog shoot. Those guys were just crazy about ganja.

It's electric, and is supposed to be a snorkeling watch. It has a tiny outline of a snorkeler on the front. It's digital, and shows the time, date and day, compensating for everything but leap years. A very handsome little thing.

It surprised me by remaining watertight when I used it on dives down to about 70 feet. It's in remarkably good shape and keeps near perfect time. A watch collector offered me a shocking amount of money for it, but it carries too many great memories. I still wear it a couple of times a week, but never in the water. Not even in the shower. Batteries last for years and years.



www.scubawatch.org/seiko_6309.html

 

[trapezus]

I've used many different brands of watches. In 1967, I received my first time Zodiac Sea Wolf ,orange Doxa ,Casio ,Citizen now Barbos (500 m). I could never get a Rolex .
Than I take a new watch it will be Auricoste La Spirotechnique.

 

[Sam Miller III]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There are many reasons for a dive watch...It all began with spearfishing

In the beginning no one really cared what time it was therefore there were no effective dive watches. Then in July 1950 the LACD held the world's first international spearfishing meet in Laguna Beach California. This three hour long meet was won by the Compton Dolphins spearfishing team.

There was no recreational dive watches available in the US during that pioneering era. The teams relied on shore based signaling flags and shore bound team mates to maintain a certain accounting of elapsed time, so as to be on shore before the three hour time limit.

This was a very poor solution to time keeping so the great Herb Sampson of Costa Mesa (at that time the area was know as Goat Hill) California designed, produced and marketed the first dive watch case for recreational divers. It was small: only about I-3/4 (25 CM) in diameter X 1 inch (25 CM) high. Following the Sampson tradition quality products it was extremely well made and very expensive. I purchased two, one to use and the other as a spare (one is good two are great!) only to discover that I had to purchase a regular cheap Watham wrist watch cut off the band attachment points for it to fit. The case never leaked and all three, possibly the last remaining set are in a display case on a shelf above me. Silent sentinels of the ingenuity of Herb Sampson and a remainder of simpler times

A few years later Rene Sports ( US Divers=Aqua Lung) marketed a huge water proof watch case. It was huge almost too large to be and effective and required ten men and the mess cook to lift it. It was marketed as "Y105 water proof watch case with a price of $10.00". It remained in the inventory of all three companies for many years.

In the mid 1950s after JYC & company acquired US Divers "water proof watches" began appearing in the inventory. Technology had advanced to the point an effective seal could be produced and it was self winding which eliminated stem wear and a water migration pathway. Not a great watch but a beginning. The two models were listed as follows;.

1866 Aqua lung waterproof watch,, $ 99.50
1855 50 fathoms waterproof watch,, $ 49.50.
In the days of yesteryear there was no electronic devices to inform the diver how long, how deep. The diver relied on a set of tables to determine how long and how deep. A watch was a necessity to identify how long with a depth gauge to identify how deep.

But that was in the beginning...Now the diver uses electronics to determine how deep and how long...but when the diver's batteries fail they are out of brains.

SDM

 

[diver 85]

(I've said on here before on these kind of threads--& I'm gunna say it again).........This is what I've used for almost 30 years diving now, & yes I wear one every time I make a dive----never failed me yet on something close to 2k dives(ie never had 1 flood etc etc)..........& basically for 25 bucks..............http://www.amazon.com/Casio-Alarm-C...=sr_1_7/105-0851098-4978804?ie=UTF8&s=jewelry...........

 

[Tigerman]

...
Now the diver uses electronics to determine how deep and how long...but when the diver's batteries fail they are out of brains.

Except if they have a dive watch with/and a depth gauge

 

[Akimbo]

I really really really want one of these for no other reason than I just want it.
I know I will never be able to afford it, but I still want it...

I understand the “object of desire” aspect, but don’t feel bad. Mechanical movements never kept time all that well. You really get spoiled with Quartz movements that only need to be reset once or twice a year. I can’t remember the last time I actually wore a watch during a dive.

You soon forget it is a “Rolex” and just use it to tell the time… until you notice a shady looking character that might like your watch more than your hand.

…At one time Rolex's were the only watch that was waterproof enough to dive with, so I am told...

That’s probably true. Every dive watch I had until getting the Rolex leaked within zero to 5 years. I can’t recall ever hearing of a leaking Rolex, but they are all very reliable today.

 

[Sam Miller III]

Except if they have a dive watch with/and a depth gauge

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Matter of fact I am wearing one ...a Citizen dive watch with a bring orange face and four different buttons to press for GOK?

 

[boulderjohn]

I own several dive watches, but I only use them while instructing pool sessions. I have a Seiko, like the one shown in post #4 that I usually use for that purpose. I agree that it works as a dress watch as well.

Then I got a Tah Heuer Aquaracer, a beautiful time piece, as a gift. It keeps excellent time. It is designed so that the bezel, face, hands and all are just about exactly the same color. The result is that I would not have any idea what it is supposed to be telling me under water. All I would see is a nice round metallic disk on my wrist. I would not be able to read any of the numbers on the bezel to see my dive time. Heck, with aged eyes I would probably not be able to see the bezel above the water to set it before the dive.

But it looks great on the surface.

 

[Ragu]

Solar powered Citizen dive watch. Have used on multiple deep water dives for the past three years. Does not skip a beat ... Did not cost me an arm or leg ...


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[Sam Miller III]

How many recall and/or attached the small (miniature) SCUBA pro thermometer or the compass to their watchbands?

Recall the "Compact thermometer?" introduced in 1964, part number 72220 (later part number 520) price $5.00.
~~~ or ~~~
The "Compact compass?" Introduced in 1968 part number 510, price $5.00.

These two items were possibly the best selling dive accessories of all times. Totally impracticable but all self respecting serious divers had them attached to their watches, now they have disappeared as fast as they arrived.

sdm