As more people like to go for diving sports, diver watches have become a major player of today’s watch market. In the 1950s water-resistant watches appeared in the market but they could only be brought to a depth of 600 feet. In the following decades, more advanced watch manufacturing techniques have been invented to produce watches that were able to go down deeper in the water. Some of the new technologies used included the use of synthetic rubber case seals that do not corrode easily, anti-scratch sapphire glass and space age metal titanium. The use of the titanium has the advantage of having a lighter but stronger material than common steel that has been used in previous generations. In addition, titanium has as much the anti-erosion element as gold. However, titanium is very difficult to be molded in shape. Therefore, the links on the bracelets are not manufactured with typical machinery used in the watch industry.
There are a few things you need to watch out when buying a diver watch as follows:-
1. Do not use diver watch that has age of more than 10 years because its case may no longer strong enough for waterproof.
2. One of the best features of diver watch is having helium escape valves. This feature is used for deep-sea dives that last for several days. Usually divers will operate from diving bells during these few days. Before a diver comes out from the deep sea, these bells are filled with a compound of helium and oxygen. Because the helium molecules are lighter than air there is a possibility that the helium molecules can penetrate the watch to damage the crystal at a different pressure level when the diver comes to the surface. The beauty of the helium escape valves is to allow the helium to escape during the process of resurfacing but at the same time it also restrains water from entering the watch.
3. The watch bezels should have a ratchet that consists of a wheel with teeth on it for rotation. This is to ensure they only turn in one direction. This is a very important for a diver because the rotated bezel helps a diver to time how long he has been down in the deep water. The unidirectional rotating ensures there is no mistake to be made during the process of timing his stay in the deep water. Simply put, this is a safety feature.
4. The watch cases should have screw-down backs and winding crowns. The crown should be screwed-down onto the watch case itself to prevent water from entering the case.
A good example of diver watch is the Bell and Ross Hydromax. The Hydromax watch has a Swiss-made quartz movement that signifies both technical quality and aesthetical quality that has been created over the years. It includes accuracy, reliability, water-resistance, shock-resistance, elegance and originality of design. The Hydromax series also come with a seven-year cell life. The beauty of Hydromax is having liquid silicon built within the watch to hold pressure. This liquid silicon guarantees absolute water resistance for as many as 33,000 feet.
Peter Wong is the manager of Stunnerian.com. For more info, please visit <a href="http://www.stunnerian.com/sei7-Seiko_Diver.html">Seiko Diver Watch</a>
