Lovely diving watch?

[jbubbles]

these folks make a very nice dive watch

Deep Blue Watches | Home

 

[Johnny Mojo]

This was just posted: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/cl...rsary-aqualand-black-imperial-dive-watch.html

J.

 

[boulderjohn]

I'd prefer a nice divers automatic watch (assuming thats his style) because it has far far more longevity than a dive computer (which.. is much like a smartphone or laptop - constantly upgrading technology).

Really?

I bought a Suunto Cobra 11 years ago. I still have it although I don't use it much any more, for reasons unrelated to its ability. It still works fine, and in fact it has more features than I need. You can still buy a brand new Suunto Cobra today with the same technology at about the same price I paid for it 11 years ago.

The fact that new computers come out with new features does not mean you need to buy them. You really only need a few features in a computer, and once you have them, you can ignore the newest bells and whistles.

EDIT: I have a couple of dive watches I use in the pool while working with students. I never even wear them on actual dives.

 

[bigblue_hi]

Care to tell us why that watch is not suitable? It's rated to 1650 feet.

It's only marked to ISO 2281 standards. They can market it however they want but they haven't actually tested the watch which makes it pretty clear it's just a "dive-style" watch of which there are many.

2281 testing involves only taking a few production samples and submitting them to static tests; versus every watch being tested under the more rigorous 6425 dynamic pressure tests.

Realistically it'd probably be okay for moderate sport diving (I doubt it'd flood at 60 feet for an hour), but why buy something unsuitable for actual use when you can get nicer watches that can do the job for less?

As for people that prefer to dive only with computers and eschew watches.. whatever works for you is best (I'm not here to tell people what to do). My Shearwaters don't clutter their real-estate with the current time and I prefer a simple watch for that. YMMV.

 

[bigblue_hi]

Really?

I bought a Suunto Cobra 11 years ago. I still have it although I don't use it much any more, for reasons unrelated to its ability. It still works fine, and in fact it has more features than I need. You can still buy a brand new Suunto Cobra today with the same technology at about the same price I paid for it 11 years ago.

The fact that new computers come out with new features does not mean you need to buy them. You really only need a few features in a computer, and once you have them, you can ignore the newest bells and whistles.

EDIT: I have a couple of dive watches I use in the pool while working with students. I never even wear them on actual dives.

Very true John, I think I implied more than I really meant - A good dive computer should certainly last more than a few years when properly paired to the task.

Still, dive computer technology is moving much faster than automatic analog watches.. which will outlive all of us if properly cared for.

 

[Megalomegalodon]

The problem I have with my dive watch is that I'm scared to scratch it up or lose it. My wife gave me a Tag Heuer Super Professional for a wedding gift. It is rated to 1000M and is made for diving but the thought of losing a 3K watch freaks me out. I know their are nice watched for a lot less but I'm just saying....dive computer is rugged and made for diving abuse. Many dive watches seem like they may not take abuse as well as a computer.

 

[H2ODoc]

Megalomegalodon....

That watch of yours just HAS to see some bottom time! You can't own a 1000M watch that says "Super Professional" on the dial and NOT take it out and use it as it was intended!

Would you leave a 911 GT3 Porsche sitting in the garage when you take your Honda Accord to the race track? Heck no. Would you take a Huffy bike to a bike race with a $5000 titanium road bike hanging in the garage? Heck no!

I'd get a zulu style strap that'll quell your fears about losing it, and take that puppy out to the deep where it was made to go!

Zulu strap will keep you from losing it, even if a spring bar breaks. See the one on the left:

 

[boulderjohn]

The problem I have with my dive watch is that I'm scared to scratch it up or lose it. My wife gave me a Tag Heuer Super Professional for a wedding gift. It is rated to 1000M and is made for diving but the thought of losing a 3K watch freaks me out. I know their are nice watched for a lot less but I'm just saying....dive computer is rugged and made for diving abuse. Many dive watches seem like they may not take abuse as well as a computer.

My wife gave me a Tag Heuer as well. I wear it as my everyday watch, and I sometimes wear it in a pool while working with students while wearing a shorty wet suit. In those situations, though, I prefer an older Seiko someone else gave me years ago, for the same reason you cite. If there is going to be damage, it is gong to be to the less expensive watch.

So I have a question for people who use a dive watch like this for diving. Because I don't, and because I don't know anyone who does, I honestly don't know how to do it. With both of my watches, I have the band sized to fit my wrist for normal wear. This, of course, does not matter when I wear a shorty in the pool, but it matters when I do a real dive and wear either a full wet suit or a dry suit. With a full wet suit, I would have to shove the left sleeve far enough up my arm to make room for the watch, which would be uncomfortable and interfere with the fit and purpose of the suit. If I am wearing gloves, it won't work at all.

I simply can't wear it with a dry suit. There is no way I could get it over the thickness of the dry suit/glove combination. Even if I were to fully expand the band, it would not be big enough, and it would not be able to adjust to changing wrist dimensions while diving (which is why wrist mounted items are usually held in lace with bungees in dry suit diving). If I were able to adapt it to this use, it would not be suitable for everyday use, and it would be silly to change bands continually.

So how do you use a watch like this for diving? Do you just forget about using it for daily use and devote it solely to diving?

(This is a serious question, BTW.)

EDIT: I wrote this while the post above was being posted.

 

[H2ODoc]

the Zulu straps are very long and allow for the thickness of a wet or dry suit.

The watch pic in my avatar has a stainless bracelet with an on-the-fly ratchet adjustment that allows for adjustment over a wetsuit too. As do a lot of Omega / Rolex / Seiko watch bands. Not sure of the Tag band. Sometimes, you just flip open another little part of the bracelet. Voila!

 

[matsat64]

I agree with Jim newer diver's tend to rely on these computers and bottom timers and they can fail. I think everyone should be able to know the table's and be able to dive with or with out computer.

As falman states a real diver uses mechanical dive watch.

I wish I had a girl that was smart and wanted to get me something that reminded me of her when I looked at it....