Article: Is the Dive Watch Dead?

[H2ODoc]

Either check for the laser serial number under the bracelet, or ask to see a recent bank statement from the owner.

 

[agilis]

My dive gear has always included a good Seiko self-winding watch and an SPG. I have a Gekko computer that I started using mostly because some dive operators insisted on a computer. I've come to like the Gekko, but my dive plans are always implemented with the watch and the SPG. I know the tables quite well by rote after all these years, but only to one repetitive dive. On the rare occasions that I do more than one repetitive dive I rely more on the computer.

If I had a Rolex I would not bang it up diving on a reef. The Seikos I use date from the 80s and 90s, and are serviced according to a strict schedule. They are excellent reliable watches, and not expensive at all. I also personally rebuild my SPGs (and regulators) and am a fanatic about proper maintenance. The mechanical equipment is part of the allure diving has for me, after a lot of years. Younger divers may not have the same fascination with mechanicals.

I may be an extremist in this area. i'd never own a car with a computer that communicates with external systems. I don't even like automatic transmission.

 

[kelemvor]

Dive watch? Like the regular watch it's just a nostalgic holdover from a bygone era.

Yep, there are people who wear both kinds but the number is dwindling ever smaller with each day that passes.

 

[sealark]

I use to use a watch and compute bottom time from tables before computers. Now my watch sits on the boat , it get hung up while lobster pulling out of holes. I use 32 nitrox and now never dive over 90 ft. If my Datamax Pro ever quits ill throw it away and just keep on diving with just a seaview gauge. But I'm 72 havent had to make a stop in 10 years so i'll just wing it from now on. The Navy use to issue Divers Rolex Tudor watch. I had three of them when I retired in 1980 they would work for about 6 months and have problems. The only thing Rolex was the case.Now I got a casio $100 watch atomic solar. they last me a couple years before I bust or damage it somehow. Yes watches are about useless today in Diving.

 

[Nuribromanski]

jeans/black tie/mountains/deep dives, omega looks good on my wrist. little signs of wear give shiny $5k watch much needed character. rolexes 4 resale value, not use!

 

[ajtoady]

Cozumel, Bonaire, etc. As a watch guy, you tend to notice that a lot of people own Rolexes. Plumbers, bike mechanics, ex-military, etc.

Gotta admit, I'm a watch guy also! Own about a dozen or so different kinds and makes. About the only time I don't wear a watch is in a drysuit. I use it as a backup if my computer would happen to quit.

 

[Akimbo]

… rolexes 4 resale value, not use!

That wasn’t my plan. I wore it almost 30 years. I don’t dare wear it now since learning what it is worth. I paid $328 for it and a “double red” Sea Dweller is supposed to be in the low to mid 5 digits now. It lives in a safe deposit box now. Too bad, it is a very comfortable watch considering how heavy it is.

Wearing something that is worth more to a thief than my hand is unwise in my view.

 

[doctormike]

I have a Rolex, I got it as an engagement gift. It's very nice, I would never take it diving. If for no other reason that it seems sort of showy.

I'm surprised to read that anyone has a dive computer that doesn't keep good time. Say what you want about digital watches (including the one inside a DC), but they are pretty accurate. The cheapest Swatch is going to keep better time than the most expensive analog watch. The only watch that I have had to set to the correct time in the last few decades has been the Rolex.

The advantage of a DC vs. tables / depth gauge / dive watch (apart from the vast increase in convenience) is that it knows what your profile actually is in real time. So if for some reason you descend below your predicted square-profile bottom depth, it will keep you safer, and if you spend time above it, you will get "credit" in terms of a longer NDL or a shorter deco schedule. Not sure what the advantage of eschewing a DC in 2015 really is...

 

[OldNSalty]

I'm convinced there are two type of Rolex (Sub / sea dweller) owners: those that buy it because it's a tough watch with a real diving pedigree, and those that buy it to show off. If I ever buy one, it'll be for the former reasons. And I'll dive with it.

Agreed, I have a Tudor Submariner that I bought new around 1990ish and it has been through a lot. I dove it constantly until a few years ago when I found out how much it had appreciated (I couldn’t afford to replace it today). Now I only dive it on a few dives.

Wow, I'll have to keep a better eye out. The only Rolex's I've seen worn was by a guy who owns a whole string of body shops and another guy who is a big real estate tycoon in Sacramento and owns a yacht that I happen to work on.
But never on a diver. I found divers to be some of the cheapest SOB's I've ever known.

One question, how do I tell if they're real or not?

One way to tell is the movement of the second hand but I think some of the better knock offs have gotten better at masking this. I think more people wear nice watches then a lot of folks realize. Most people look for “Big and Gold” and most of the good watches are not. I’ve had people show me their $300 designer watch and tell me how they are a “watch person” and never notice the one I am wearing. In fact, the only people who have ever commented on my watch were themselves wearing a Rolex, Tudor or in one case a nice Tag.

 

[strattST]

Rolex Deep Sea Sea Dweller I use as a backup timer for the deep dives I do.