Dive Watches

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Sam Miller III

Scuba Legend
Scuba Legend
Rest in Peace
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Location
CALIFORNIA: Where recreational diving began!
# of dives
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For about five years I was wearing a non-diving "solar powered dress watch." I certainly enjoyed wearing it, light weight, very accurate, built in light function and it satisfied my wife's requirement for a dress watch. With all things there is "a beginning, a middle and an end" and the end came all to fast. I checked the time and it was working a few moments later it was blank never to work again.

So it is back to the "ole dive watch."

Prescribing to the adage that if one is serious about an activity they will have more than one; a shooter has more than one gun (at least for a while!) a photographer has more than one camera and a lover has more than one girl friend (or so I am informed)

I consider my self a serious diver so I also have more than one diving watch- I also prescribe to the adage that there hasn't been a watch made that I couldn't flood.
So off to the watch bag, where I discovered several that I had not been flooded. I had grown tired of them or the battery ran down so I replaced with a newer model.

I chose two watches a 40 or more year old gold face with a gold band "Chronosport" which will satisfy my wife's requirement to have a "dress watch." I also discovered a fifteen year old "Citizen" Orange faced (ala my DOXA) dive watch which I had purchased in Hong Kong only to discover it's built in depth gauge was calibrated in meters rather than feet. O well!

Off to the jewelers for batteries. The Chronosport was $7.00 and the newer Citizen was $12.oo since it powered so many useless functions.

It would be interesting to know what brand, model and type dive watches others use and any problems and/or success they have had with their dive watches.

SDM
 
Omega Planet Ocean 600m co-axial, 42mm, steel on steel, simple black face with white numerals/lettering, had it for about 4 years now. It's the only dive watch I've ever had, and it's the only watch I've worn in my adult life. At first it felt strange on the wrist, but now I feel a bit naked without it and have my shirt cuffs cut to accommodate the case. It gains a second every day or two; I feel like it used to gain more, and perhaps as movement breaks in further it will get closer to keeping perfect time.

It's been with me on almost every single dive as a classy piece of bling, a convenience (great for timing the 5 minute pre-breathe), and a backup timing device should everything else go tits up. While I wish I could say nothing ever went wrong with it, it was off my wrist for a brief period while Omega was fixing the ratcheting bezel I managed to break in the course of drunkenly throwing myself off a catamaran (rest assured there was no diving involved).

When I see it next to my new Princeton Tectonics 260' depth gauge, I kind of wish I'd gotten the 45mm…but then I see how those giant things look for everyday wear and am happy I went with something more understated. So, lots of success, only one real problem…and that was totally my fault.

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I had a Seiko 6309 since the late 70's... not sure where it disappeared to, but it was a favorite watch of mine. My "latest and greatest" dive watch is a Bernhardt Sea Shark... it has a few details that make it standout among other "submariner" design watches. 42mm (vs 39mm) crown, solid lugs, and screws instead of pins on the band.
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I have a Seiko Kinetic divers watch 5M63 that's rated to 200mm. It has a positive pressure gas filled face and the adjustment knob screws into the watch so it stays sealed. It works well enough for a dress watch too so the wife approves.
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I have never needed to know the time whilst underwater.
Yeah, cause thats all a dive watch can do.. Its not like some of them have depth gauges and rotating bezels which turn them into bottom timers...

And on topic I wear one of these both below and above the surface.. and it HAS saved my diving day when the computer has crapped out.
http://www.citizenwatch.com/en-uk/watches/watch-detail/?model=BJ2117-01E
 
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.
At one time Rolex's were the only watch that was waterproof enough to dive with, so I am told.
Today there are many watches for cheap that will work for diving, but who uses a watch any more to dive with since the introduction of computers and bottom timers?
I have had several cheap watches over the years that worked fine for diving, but so cheap they aren't even woth mentioning. But the beauty and status of the Rolex still holds as the king of dive watches.
 

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I wore a Rolex Sea Dweller for around 30 years without a flood or service. The stem pulled out one day while advancing the date. I put it in the drawer and bought a Wenger dive watch at Costco for around $60. It worked fine for Scuba. I wasn't sat diving by then so didn't need a Helium relief.

I recently learned that this 1974 Sea Dweller is a "Double Red" and is worth a crazy amount of money. I don't dare wear it in public or keep it in the house so it stays in a safe deposit box. You might check your stash of old watches, there might be a new car sitting in the drawer.

On the other hand, you can buy Bob Barth's Rolex Submariner that was on all three Sealab projects for the meager sum of $150,000. It would be a nice treat and a historic bobble. Actually, I hope it ends up in the Smithsonian one day.

HODINKEE Exclusive, And In-Depth: Bob Barth's Historic SEALAB Rolex Submariner, For Sale ? HODINKEE - Wristwatch News, Reviews, & Original Stories
 
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Bob Barth turned 80 a little over a week ago. Might want to send him a birth day wish. If you need his e mail PM me.

I turned down a Oyster in favor of a Orange faced Doxa. At that time they had a retail for about the same price. Tommy Thompson was US Divers PR and LA Co UW instructor (NAUI had just been established and PADI was about 10 years in the future) He wanted all LA Co UW instructors living in Orange County to have an Orange faced Doxa with the US Divers Logo, so he made us an offer we couldn't refuse. I have one of the rare US Divers logo Doxas. Last time I checked on e bay they were around the $2,000.00.

After the success of Clive Cusslers first two books he made the wise decision to depart the employment of the Aquatic Center in Santa Ana, California and concentrate on his writing. He always secretly admired the orange Doxa so the owners presented him with a Doxa as a going away present. This is the same Doxa he references in his many books.

There is a great book titled "Doxa" by Doctor Pete Millar. It is out of print but can be found on occasion on the used books market at a some what reasonable price. Dr. Pete and I made several post about the book on the book thread to this board.


SDM
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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