Can You Keep Your Watch Safe Underwater?

Companies which produce wristwatches rate their product for it's ability to stay dry underwater. What does that rating really mean? Watches have carried different monikers indicating how they will do in water. These phrases never had any science behind them aren't used anymore. Now a number reflecting depth of use has been adopted.

As some moisture might get through it can incite many issues with the works on the inside, making it impossible to give accurate time. To prevent that from happening manufacturers design cases to resist that pressure and keep water out. Important in that intent is modern engineering and machinery.

No gaps, no place for water to come in. But even the most precise tooling in use ca n't provide a close enough fit to keep water under pressure from squeezing through a tiny gap.

A company could decide to make a watch of this kind, they could never sell them for a price buyers would pay. Watch makers, like Rolex, choose to seal the watch case by other means.

It is then possible to state how deep you can go with a particular watch. Common ratings, for example are 30M, 50M, 100M or higher.

They are rated on conditions not apparent in a real underwater situation. The measurements are made under very carefully controlled lab conditions, using static pressure.

Your watch if submerged in water is likely to be involved in action. Making the rating on the watch less than stated.

So, even though a watch may be rated safe to wear up to 100M of depth in the water, in fact, you wouldn't want to do more than go snorkeling near the surface with one. Pressure higher than that can cause leakage.

Of course companies are aware and don't want trouble, they have added statements to limit their liability. In the manual the rating might be explained further in a way that says not to use it as deep as it says. Wear the high end watch you bought in the bathtub but not diving.

For people who dive and want a watch for that purpose you have many options.

Rolex and The Flyboys

Pete Knight, wrote the following to Rolex after his pioneering flight. "I finally flew on October 3, 1967 to a speed of 4,534 mph and all systems functioned properly with the exception of some local heating damage on the lower ventral. I have been wearing my Rolex GMT-Master for a period of months now and have calibrated it to within a few seconds a day". The pilot had just completed a flight that set the world speed record and remember that he was able to return safely even after his plane was damaged during the flight. Hot air was blowing into the bottom of the plane and ruined the fuel dumping mechanism meaning that Knight eventually had to land the plane 680 kilograms heavier than planned because he could not jettison the residual fuel. If the extreme temperatures did anymore damage the plane could not have landed and Knight would have parachuted to safety. Fortunately, that did not happen.

The pilot was able to land the plane back at his headquarters even though it looked cooked. It was a miracle that both survived and just as amazing was that despite the speed and heat his Rolex GMT was still telling time. The other X-15 pilots also wrote to Rolex about their watches but the story of Pete Knight's final flight is perhaps the most interesting.

It is worth noting that while Knight wore a Rolex GMT Master on his world record flight he was following in the grand tradition at Edwards Air Force Base, for it was there in 1947 that Chuck Yeager first broke the Sound Barrier in a Bell X-1 and did so wearing a Rolex Oyster; the same one he had worn all through World War II.

Watches: Still Popular

Not many people need a wristwatch these days - people still seem to be buying and wearing wristwatches anyway. Everywhere in public places the time time is prominently displayed. We all still like the feel of a watch on our wrists. What makes us act like this?

We can only guess, but we can include the style they add to the list of reasons. A watch has style, whether it's merely a utilitarian type or a diamond studded platinum analog beauty.

The popularity of high end and vintage watches remains strong. Old companies like Rolex seem to able to make watches that are worth more all the time even though no one needs a watch anymore.

The cheap plastic watch can most daring in its fashion statement. Offering more than just the time these watches do it all. Of course they offer the basic information on the date. They also do much, much more. They can be helpful as a stopwatch. Now they also might tell you where you are if lost.

All those electronics accomplish more than they are meant to - the subtlety is that the person wearing a watch like this needs the most modern accessory. The watch proclaims for its wearer that they are important and need the latest gadget.

More elegant, bejeweled watches also make a statement - though of a very different type, of course. A silvery case, with a jewel-encrusted crystal or band formed into a rich design says 'I have it. You want it. Go get it for yourself. And you can. Elegance doesn't have to cost a fortune.

You might like the look of a vintage Rolex. Or you could just like the older look of a pre-owned luxury watch. No matter your look a watch is made that will work.

Now you have more decisions. The strap is equally a definer of the personality and taste of its wearer. Maybe you like the toughness of leather. Or, you may want to go crocodile in green or black. You might want to make a fashion statement and go for the shark.

Bands come in all manner of materials. You may like the cool feel of canvas. You could prefer the endurance of something metallic. Or, you may be a huge Mickey Mouse fan and just die to have Goofy on your wrist.

Whatever you decide the choices are abundant.

Contemporary watches is convenient, a flick of the wrist shows the time. They are inexpensive, tell great time and are versatile. It makes it's own staement and is a great accessory to any outfit, with many choices. Or perhaps you are that individual who really needs a computer on your wrist. Take the plunge.

Find a watch and make a statemant about yourself.

Win A Race|Get A Rolex

Luxury watches were not on my mind when I started to sail. When I started to race on yachts I was a young pup and did it to learn how to sail. Learn I certainly did and I was able to move along to racing my own small boat while at the same time continuing to race on larger yachts a swell. As my experience expanded I was able to take a more vital role on the large yacht I had been racing on for years.

The owner of the boat I crewed on was very wealthy and liked to maintain a steady group of crew members and to encourage our participation he always covered expenses and meals and was very generous. If you sail in large races and regattas you learn pretty quickly that Rolex Watch Company is a major sponsor of major yacht racing. We sailed in many of their sponsored races but not at a national level until now.

We had the opportunity to sail our Swan in The Rolex Championship in Monterrey and were able to win our division. The Skipper was presented with a Rolex Yachtmaster. It was a beautiful timepiece and we all admired it as much as the trophy. To our surprise, at our next gathering, the yacht's owner presented us all with a Rolex Submariner. What a great surprise and whata great watch. I now where mine with pride every where I go.

When To Buy Your First Rolex

I knew very early in my professional career that I would someday treat myself to a fine watch. After studying the merits and looks of many watches I chose a Rolex as my desired timepiece. Even though I was not yet in a position to make the purchase I was well aware of which model I would acquire - The Rolex Yacht Master!



When I wondered would be the right time to buy my watch. Should I wait until I was comfortable with my salary and expenses? Or should I go out on a limb? Should I buy it for myself as a celebration or reward, or just when it was finaancially a sound decision?

It seemed like I had no answers even as my career took off and my salary increased. Then as if I never needed to have thought about this question at all my decision was made. I had just met the woman of my dreams and had gotten my best job opportunity. just as was deciding when to buy my watch it dawned on me that I needed, instead, to buy an engaement ring and ask my girl friend to marry me. She said yes and as a bonus gave me that Rolex Yacht Master for my birthday. So sometimes you can wish for something and have your dreams answered.

Harrison Ford Mel Gibson Christopher Guest Wore Rolex in Movies

Harrison Ford wore a Stainless Steel Datejust on a Jubilee Bracelet in Frantic in 1987. That thriller had a closeup of the watch.

Mel Gibson wore a Gold Rolex Submariner in Tequila Sunrise in 1988

Christopher Guest wore a Rolex Submariner in This is Spinal Tap in 1984

Rolex Joke

A woman is at Penn Station waiting for her train that leaves at 10 a.m., but she has forgotten her Rolex wristwatch. So she looks for someone to ask what time it is. She sees a guy with two suitcases and wearing a new hi tech watch. She asks what the time is and he replies "In which country?"

The woman asks, "How many countries have you got?" to which the man replies, "All of them!"

"Wow! That's a pretty cool watch you've got there."

"That's nothing," the man says. "This watch also has a GPS, fax, e-mail and can even receive NTSC television channels and display them on its miniature active color pixel LCD screen!"

"Wow, that's incredible. I wish I had a watch like that one. You wouldn't consider selling it by any chance?"

"Well, actually the novelty has worn off for me, so for $900, if you want it, it's yours."

The watchless traveler can hardly whip out his checkbook fast enough to hand over a check for $900.

The man removes the watch and hans it to the woman, "Congratulations, here is you new hi-tech watch." Then, handing the two suitcases over as well, he says, "And here are the batteries."

Submariner By Rolex

Rolex, a Swiss watch company, makes the Submariner model as one of their Oyster Perpetual watches designed for diving and known for their resistance to water. Built from the drawing board as a water proof watch, The Submariner was first to market and certified in pressurized tanks The watch is one model from The Oyster Perpetual type

The Rolex Submariner has seen many types of hardship accompanying explorers on their journeys. In one expedition The Submariner held up to over one thousand dives. The eminent scientist, Thor Heyerdal wore a Rolex Submariner in his 1970 Ra II sea expedition. It was the watch Sean Connery wore as James Bond.

The original Submariner was certified for depths of 330 feet however over the next ten years the watch was redesigned, improved and had better works. For The Submariner's 50th birthday a new model was created. It has a green bezel and large dial. The Submariner is waterproof to a maximum depth of 300 metres/1000 ft. Three dots on the crown signifies that the watch has a three gasket protection system it will then be able to tighten against the case tube as well as the Oyster case for a better seal. The case itself is made of 904L stainless, platinum or gold. This is a very anti-corrosive stainless alloy. Rolex makes its gold in its own foundry where it can create new alloys and control the quality of the gold. The Submariner utilizes a unidirectional bezel that enables the diver to calculate immersion time. The bezel is one directional to make sure you can never increase your underwater time by accident. The Perpetual rotor is the self-winding wrist watch mechanism which allows the watch to run continuously because every slight movement of the wrist winds the movement and the rotor builds up tension in a mainspring in the watch that can then help the watch to keep running at times when it is not being used, Every watch has a movement that has been certified by the COSc as a Swiss chronometer. Each night the calendar moves itself to the next day in one rotation. In 1971 Rolex made a stronger Submariner with a thicker case and crystal, they call it The Sea Dweller. To this watch Rolex built in a helium escape valve for use in saturation diving. These watche are rated for dives as deep as 4000 feet.

Does Your Rolex Sparkle?

This has been a topic of debate lately, and I think it is rather simple to keep your Rolex and other luxury watches clean. Simple soap and water has worked fine on my luxury watches for many years. Using a dish soap is not advised as people have had problems with the grease cutting properties drying out the gaskets prematurely. Even when you clean your bracelet often there is no reason why a gentle hand soap and your fingers can't wash your watch well. A soap with hand lotion will not harm your fine timepiece if it is not posing any problems for your hands. I rinse my Rolex Submariner on a weekly basis and have never had any issues of build up on them. Make certain that the crown is closed snug and can't come loose. If you notice any moisture or condensation than bring the watch in for inspection. This is just a suggestion and is not the only way to clean your Rolex or other luxury watch. Other people might use a gentle brush, but this has never been necessary for me.

John Mayer Buys Rolexes for Himself and Jessica Simpson

John Mayer is shopping for his and hers accessories for himself and girlfriend Jessica Simpson!

The rocker was spotted at a watch store in West Hollywood on Mar. 16, where he reportedly bought his and hers vintage Rolex watches.

And he clearly had Jessica on his mind during his shopping spree. "He talked about Jessica the whole time he was here," a store staffer said.

The next day, John was spotted at a supermarket in L.A., buying blue wrapping paper, no doubt to wrap his gift for Jessica.

What's next, matching jump suits?

Rolex Updates A Classic: Yacht - Master II

Rolex just announced a new watch for yachtsmen: the Rolex Yacht-Master II. When Rolex updates an existing watch model, you will always see impressive new features. Rolex made significant improvements to the GMT Master movement between the original GMT Master, and the GMT Master II, the newer allowing the hour hand and the 24-hour hand to be set independently. Likewise, the Explorer II changed dramatically from the original Explorer, adopting the same movement as the GMT Master II which added a 24-hour hand and date. And now the Yacht-Master II represents another extremely important step in Rolex history.

In my opinion, the original Yacht-Master doesn't really do much more for yachtsmen than a dive watch can do. The bi-directional rotating bezel can be used to track the start sequence of a boat race, and the Triplock crown keeps the case impervious to sea spray, but that's about it. Nothing else except the name, and possibly the watch's exorbitant price, really has much to do with yacht racing.

Not so, with the Yacht-Master II. This watch has an very complex and innovative movement with a countdown timer which can be programmed to start between one and ten minutes in order to accommodate regattas with varying start sequences. I use the term "program" rather than simply "set" because the value is actually remembered, and when the countdown timer is reset, the countdown hand will return to the last programmed value. For a mechanical watch, this is an extremely impressive feat. There is a trade off: the date which was present in the initial Yacht-Master had to go to make room on the dial, and no doubt to allow for the additional complication of the movement.

The other trade off is that the Yacht-Master II is a tad complicated to operate. For watch aficionados, a single demonstration will probably be a sufficient lesson, but I'm sure the Yacht-Master II will be worn by plenty of yachting types who appreciate the aesthetics much more than the functionality, and for whom it will be enough of a challenge to keep the time set correctly. For a very good demonstration of how the Yacht-Master II works, check out the Yacht-Master II home page on Rolex's site, and specifically, the operational tutorial.

I found the reaction from the hardcore Rolex watch fans out there to be mixed. I think most of them were so accustomed to looking at more or less the same Rolex styles for so many years that the new Yacht-Master II really caught them off-guard. The two biggest complaints I heard focused on the surprisingly prominent "YACHT-MASTER II" branding on the bezel (for better or for worse, the new generation of Rolex watches are much more heavily branded), and the fact that you have to unscrew the crown in order to set the countdown timer, leaving the watch more vulnerable to moisture, of which there tends to be plenty around yachts.

Whether you like the new Yacht-Master II or not, there is no denying that it represents a major new innovation in the world of watchmaking. In many ways, Rolex is the Apple (as in computers) of the Swiss watch world. They are arrogant and secretive, they end up setting most of the trends, and they command an extremely loyal following who sometimes complains, but in the end, always comes around.

The new Rolex Yacht-Master II should start showing up this summer. It will be made in yellow or white gold, and is expected to sell somewhere around $30,000 (no, that's not a typo -- the theory is that if you can afford a yacht, you can afford a Yacht-Master II).

Rolex Creates A Lasting Tradition

Before his death in 1960, Hans Wilsdorf entrusted his company Rolex to the newly created Wilsdorf Foundation, which would assure the company's independence. In 1962, Rolex's board hired 41-year-old André Heiniger, who had worked for Wilsdorf for 12 years, as managing director. In 1992, Patrick Heiniger, a 32-year-old lawyer, who had worked for the company for six years as marketing director, succeeded his father. André remained chairman until 1997, when he became chairman emeritus. In Rolex history, there have been only three managing directors.

In the post-war years, watches became both less expensive and more reliable. In 1950, a Norwegian born engineer, Joakim Lehmkuhl devised a more dependable cheaper watch by making significant improvements to pin-lever technology. It was marketed under the brand name Timex. In 1968, prototype quartz crystal watches were introduced. These time pieces were very accurate and eventually would be inexpensive to produce. The new quartz technology allowed for both analog and digital readouts, and expanded to new functions like calculators. By the end of the 1970s, about half of the watches sold worldwide were based on quartz technology, and Hong Kong had emerged as a major center for watch production.

Rolex was slow to join the quartz business, but did come out with a limited number of models. In spite of threatening new technologies, a proliferation of low-cost producers in the Far East, and economic ups and downs, most of the luxury brands survived in one way or another. But Rolex thrived in the face of new technologies. In an era when accuracy and dependability were no longer the exclusive province of premium products, Rolex developed a series of attitudes toward defending and building its position in the high-end market.

Even as watches became mass-produced products Rolex continued to emphasize craftsmanship and quality. It used materialslike gold, platinum, and jewels. And it continually improved its movements and added new functions to its watches: the ability to tell the date, the day of the week, and the time in different time zones. As a result of this increased functionality, Rolex's watches were made with a greater sense of old-fashioned craft. An cheap quartz watch made with a great deal of automation has between 50 and 100 parts; a Rolex Oyster chronometer has 220 parts.

Rolex Dive Watch: Submariner

The Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner is a brand of watches made by Rolex, created for diving and known for their resistance to water. The first Submariner watch was made in 1954 as the world's first watch designed for water resistance and tested in high-pressure underwater environments. It is part of The Rolex Oyster Perpetual Professional line. The watch has been part of expeditions, both at sea (such as the Moana expedition) and overland in the Antarctic (where it withstood temperatures of 45 degrees Celsius below zero). In the Moana sea expedition it withstood in excess of a thousand dives. Thor Heyerdal, the famous Norwegian anthropologist, wore a Rolex Submariner in his 1970 Ra II sea expedition.

The Rolex Submariner has appeared in nine James Bond movies.

The first Submariner was introduced in 1953 and was rated at a questionable 330ft water resistance, and the watch was subsequently updated through the decade with improved water resistance and improved movements.

In 2003, Rolex celebrated the Submariner's 50th anniversary by launching the Rolex Submariner anniversary edition. Its distinguishing features were the green bezel and Maxi dial.

The Submariner is waterproof to a maximum depth of 300 metres/1000 ft.

The Triplock system, featuring a triple gasket system, is identified by three dots on the crown which screws down tightly onto the case tube and against the Oyster case providing another layer of protection.

The case itself is made from a solid block of 904L stainless steel, gold, or platinum. 904L steel is a corrosion-resistant stainless steel alloy. Rolex makes its gold in its own foundry where it can create new alloys and control the quality of the gold.

The Submariner utilizes a unidirectional bezel that enables the diver to calculate immersion time. Since the bezel only rotates counterclockwise the elapsed time can only become shorter in case of accidental bezel motion.

The Perpetual rotor is the self-winding wrist watch mechanism which allows the watch to run continuously because every slight movement of the wrist winds the movement and the energy generated is stored in the mainspring which can allow the watch to continue to function with no movement for up to two or three days. Every movement is an officially certified Swiss chronometer by the COSC. At midnight the Rolex calendar mechanism advances to the next date in a single short rotation.

The Rolex Sea-Dweller, first made in 1971, is a stronger version of the Submariner in steel, with a thicker case and crystal. The Sea-Dweller has a helium escape valve for use with helium-based breathing gas mixtures in saturation diving. The current model (ref 16600) is guaranteed waterproof to 1220 metres/4000feet.