I still dunno why this turned into a conversation about cost issues.
Suppose it is a nice $1000 watch and he says on the case, "Waterproof to 500m - read manual for details". Then, when you read the manual, it says, "for use around kitchen sinks and swimming pools. Do not use when SCUBA diving." Then what?
The intent of raising the OP was about ratings, what they say, and what they mean - not an issue of cost. No matter HOW much you pay, if the rating alone cannot be trusted to mean what it actually says (within reason), then that's a problem in my view. I'd think its misleading labeling, or false advertising - and while I'm a hater of government, it should be prevented by one or more government agencies.
Personally, I think the concepts of "water resistant" and "to 50 feet" (let alone, meters) are incompatible. To most people, at least anyone I know, "water resistant" is referring to getting splashed, or at most, submersed in a few feet of water. To use that term for something with anything even close to a 50m rating (let alone beyond that) is simply misleading - hell, it's even false!
I don't like it. So, I'll bitch about it. So there. Nah ne nah nah nee nee.