Gents Divers Watches - Find Out Why They Are Water Resistant Not Waterproof Before You Buy!

In the gents watches market "divers watches" have seen an increase in popularity over recent years starting in the European market. You would think the fact that they are called "divers watches" would mean that they are suitable for wearing when diving, but that might well not be the case and furthermore why are they not waterproof?

What might generally be considered a divers watch to the general public and as sported in films by the like of James Bond with one of the Omega Seamaster range is generally not worn by a professional diver, they tend to look very different for good reasons.

When working underwater where a watch might have to be worn over the top of diving gear and where visibility might be poor and possibly in corrosive salty water a very particular type of watch is required. Apart from the fact that keeping track of time is extremely important as a person's health or life might be at stake.

Consequently a purely functional divers watch will appear different to a jewelry item, with a much larger dial face which can be read more easily under adverse conditions and possibly worn over the top of diving gear, most likely with a rubberised strap, a unidirectional bezel and have to meet different standards to the jewelry/divers watches.

As for being waterproof even the specialist divers watches above can't be advertised as a waterproof watch, only water resistant to a standard defined by ISO 6425 as opposed to ISO 2281 the water resistant standard for general watches.

All watches will fail and be penetrated by water or condense water inside of the case during certain pressure and temperature changes, especially if affected by chemicals, hence they are not waterproof only water resistant up to a defined figure in certain standardised conditions.

For example a general divers watch sold may be quoted as water resistant to 100m, it does not mean that it can be worn safely to a depth of 100m, only that it should be resistant to the pressure equivalent to that which would be experienced under a 100m column of stationary water.

Fishing your golf ball out of a water hazard does not exert the same water pressure on a watch as falling into the water when water skiing at 20 m.p.h. even though the watch might only go to a depth of 2ft in both cases.

There are some watches out there than can usefully be worn for diving as well as being a functional piece of mens jewelry, but many are worn just for their rugged good looks suggestive of a particular lifestyle.

If you like the rugged good looks of divers watches and want to buy one I hope you can do so a little better informed now.