Wrist watches come in all styles and colors. Some look more functional, while some look more of a fashion accessory. And there are a few types of wristwatches, too. One of these is the diver watch.
But what makes a diver watch different from all other types of watches?
For one, a diver watch should be water resistant. For those who don’t know, there has been an international standard issued by the ISO that prohibits the use of the term “waterproof” when referring to watches. Water resistant means that the watch should have gaskets that form a watertight seal around it and a sealant is also applied to the watch’s case to help keep water out.
Diver watch cases are typically made of materials that are sure to withstand the forces when under water as well as the corrosiveness of saltwater. These materials include high quality stainless steel, ceramics and pure titanium.
Take note, however, that not all watches claiming to be “water resistant” is suitable for diving. A diver watch possesses a high degree of water resistance that enables it to endure temperature changes, water pressure conditions, and water density variations.
Divers, when underwater, can lose their perception of time. In order to keep track of elapsed time, a diver watch needs to have a rotating bezel complete with markers. Through this bezel, a diver can compute the length of his dive. This feature will save the diver from having to do subtraction otherwise performed if a watch’s regular dial was used. A digital diver watch can also perform this function through a standard stopwatch.
The bezel, and of course the dials and the markers on the diver watch face must also be legible under water and under low light conditions. There should be an indicator that the watch is functioning in total darkness.
An analog diver watch also needs a water resistant crown. Usually, the crown needs to be unscrewed in order to make certain adjustments to the date and time and is then retightened. But there are now diver watch models with crowns that are much like those of non-diver analog watches. Screw down crowns and traditional water-resistant crowns can’t be operated when underwater.
