Choosing a really good dive watch isn’t easy. It can become more confusing when you are flooded in fancy words of advertisement and tons of information. You don’t know what you should look for or whether it is the most suitable watch for you at reasonable price. Here are some tips for you to find out a qualified timepiece without having to pay for unnecessary features.
Determine what you need
Each dive watch has its own pros and cons so first of all, know exactly what you need to decide what is right for you and what is not. By knowing your needs, you will save a lot of time and effort checking all attributes of a watch. Ask yourself if you need it for daily use, water sport, snorkeling or scuba diving.
High water and pressure resistance
Of course the first thing to consider when choosing a dive watch is its water resistance based on what depth you intended to go diving. 200 meters resistance is generally recommended, you can check for ISO-6425 specifications. But if you just intend to buy a watch for light splashing, bathing, snorkeling, water resistant to 100m is acceptable. If you are a professional diver, take a 300m or more.
Pressure resistance is also important to make your watch working properly under your diving condition. If your watch is not pressure resistant, it can break under deep water.
Well-built body
Well-built crystal, case and dial are not only needed for a good looking timepiece but also to protect it best. The case should be made from corrosion resistant material such as high grade stainless steel or titanium because your watch is to be immersed into salt water.
Pay attention to the crown and case back for water can penetrate into the watch through these points. Check if the case is fully sealed. Screwed down pusher and crown make sure your watch is protected from water.
Reliable movement
You should know which movement is beating inside your dive watch. Check out all types of movement to know their pros and cons. Accuracy is vital to every watch, not to mention a diving piece.
Transparent readability
When you get deeper, it gets dark and murky quickly. In addition to a clear dial, luminescent markers are extremely significant, on the hour marks, second and hour hand and on the rotating bezel as well. The lume must be strong, bright and long lasting. It can be really dangerous when you don’t know how much time has elapsed underwater.
Smooth bezel
Bezel is equipped for divers to count down time underwater. It must be unidirectional, smooth enough to turn freely but firm enough not to rotate itself easily. How dangerous it is if the bezel turns back making you think you have more time. This feature is too important to be overlooked.
Suitable band material & design
If you intend to use your watch when diving, straps made of rubber or metal bracelets which have wet suit extension are suitable. Plastic is not recommended as it is brittle and will break after a long time especially when you use your timepiece both in the water and on dry land with exposition to the Sun.
Related reviews: