I want to design a Dive Watch. What would make the best watch?

Hi all,

I'm a watch designer when I'm on the surface and I recently took up scuba diving. Now I want to design a dive watch.
This will be a long term project for me. I really want to give it a good amount of time to get the best design possible.

I am hoping to get some input form the community. Eventually I may post some of my sketches and design process here.
What would make the best dive watch to you?
What dive watches do you like and why?
What do you hate about dive watches?
What is missing?

A little about my self.
I used to be senior design at Fossil Watches and most recently I was Design Manager at Movado Watches. Now I am a Design Consultant working for another well known watch company. As of now this project is to create my personal watch but if the company I am working for has a need to create a dive watch I may incorporate some of the ideas in it.

You can see some of my older work here: BRANDON HATCHER, Design Manager from West New York, NJ
As you can see I have been working mostly in fashion watches. Now I want to push out into functional watch design. Which I know I can do I jsut haven't been in the right position to do them professionally.

Any way here goes. Let's get this started.

Later

Biggest thing is reliability under extreme pressure. Fashion is a distant lower priority. Rotating bezel is a must. A digital depth gauge wouldn't hurt either.

mathauck0814:

Biggest thing is reliability under extreme pressure. Fashion is a distant lower priority. Rotating bezel is a must. A digital depth gauge wouldn't hurt either.

Click to expand...

Totally agree.

-rotating bezel
-digital depth gauge
-good luminescent light

Those are my big 3


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PADI Rescue/DM 09100Z7445
Dr Dive/Wet Dream/Sea Cobra/Y-Knot/H2OBelow

Diving is my passion...I live to dive!

The only thing it needs to have is the rotating bezel, keeps excellent time and can take the pressure and abuse. I give you....the submariner

My design will be function first then style.

Definately will hold up to depth as a dive watch. Now what depth should that be?

I was also thinking of a way to move the watch head from strap to strap so you can have a shorter version for normal wear or no wetsuit and a longer version for drysuit etc. Not sure right now how I want to achieve this but it seems like it would be a good feature to fit different size suits.

Maybe start around 600m/2000ft? Why the complication of multiple straps when you can just get a bracelet with a diver extension?

Overall, it seems it would be a hard thing to compete with the years of proven reliability of Rolex/Omega/similar dive watches.

Dr. Lecter:

Maybe start around 600m/2000ft? Why the complication of multiple straps when you can just get a bracelet with a diver extension?

Overall, it seems it would be a hard thing to compete with the years of proven reliability of Rolex/Omega/similar dive watches.

Click to expand...

I need to look up the diver extension. I haven't heard of that before.

IF analogue.... Very strong luminesce, rotating bezel, Digital Depth, Digital Timer, Digital countdown (3 separate timing functions in other words Total dive time, Bezel or digital Timer with seconds, Countdown Timer for Deco stops which is easily resettable. Strap should be easily replaced with the nylon and the Pins securing the strap should be screwed in not simple push pins. should be stainless steel (marine grade) with a tough crystal (synthetic sapphire would be best but pricey) and a bezel to protect the crystal. I currently wear either a Scubapro meridian or a casio G-shock when diving. The depth gauge function might be expensive to implement but would be a nice feature if reliable and accurate. The timers are the most important functions to me however.

Bracelets can fail. These (less fashionable) straps are less likely to fail and drop your nice watch into Davey Jones' locker:

CountyComm - NITROX-17 A 17" Watch Band For Divers

CountyComm - Zulu® Four Buckle Watch Straps

I never was a fan of bracelets. Too many moving parts and failure points.

(HenrickBP - Don't worry my other project is still in the works. Just try to get the best price on it right now.)