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 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.