Desk Diver/Real Diver

[alfanero]

I was wondering how many true divers are out there?
I know we love owning a rough, tough divers watch but do you use them for actual diving or do you have another bad boy for that purpose?
I,myself have a Suunto D9 for actual diving but I own a few Desk Divers that I would not take past the freedive mark.I am just terrified of getting moisture inside.
Let loose..

[VinceR]

I dive, although down to at most 40m & I've no issue in diving in watches such as Rolex Submariner, Omega SMP, Breitling Steelfish/Superocean/SuperAvenger as well as others, but I also wear a dive computer of some description .. the only time I may opt for a Seiko (if not already on my wrist prior to a dive) is when drift diving in the UK .. dings/dents/scratches are par for the course .. getting moisture inside would be a nightmare, so always invest in a service prior to diving if concerned or if one has not been serviced for a while.

[andy tims]

Love dive watches, but a bit of light snorkeling is my "diving" limit.

[seadog1408]

i wear my sd

[Dave E]

I can't even remember the last time I went swimming :lol:

[Ryan1984]

Suunto Mosquito for me when diving as I'm clumsy as hell and don't wanna wreck any of my other watches :D

Cheers
Ryan

[patrick]

A G is always the best choice :) I've found the Dark Star good in low light conditions

[bythesea]

i used to use my casio md-307 down to 30m had it over 20 years. my first divers watch. very tough, used to use & abuse it & never let me down. always changed the battery myself & never had any water ingress.

also used my citizen aqua land - had it for 15 years. again, always changed the battery myself with no problems.

not dived for years now but still need tough & water proof watches for kitesurfing & wakeboarding & work.

[comdiver]

The only time i take my watch off is when i dive.

[jim410]

just a desk diver myself but i have allways wanted to try scuba diving.

[searat]

Rarely dive nowadays tends to be snorkel gear only handling equipment that's floating on the surface, or surfing for fun with my kids. I've worn Seamaster Pro's, Planet Oceans, Citizens and G-Shock but favourites are Sinn UX and any of the Seiko Tunas. Not owned a Rolex - wouldn't want to bash it against rocks!
Steve

[learningtofly]

I have two 300 metre divers, and rarely venture into the deep end of a swimming pool. In fact, I swim like a brick.

I have been known to wear them in the bath though.

[HappyJack]

When I dived for sport and drift dived for shellfish in my teens I had some cheap diver I got from the AA magazine; when I was a Ship's Diver in the RN I used my Seiko 6039; by the time I was issued with a CWC Quartz Diver my diving career had pretty much finished and I never used it much (no date, which is needed when you're a Navigator). The last time I did some diving was about 40m in the Bahamas, wearing my Heuer quartz chrono - I used the chrono pushers and it leaked; then 20m in New Zealand in a Seiko RN Pilot's chrono - absolutely fine and no leaks. I now wear my Fortis LE Chrono (200m WR) for swimming laps in my local pool, and have just ordered a Seiko SBCM023 Diver for when I don't want to worry about the chrono pushers getting knocked - in the surf, or when my daughter is climbing all over me in the water.

So typical of many of us, I suspect. Real divers don't use the ultimate dive watches; real WISs have them but wouldn't use them for diving, even if they have interest in the sport...

[Daddelvirks]

Take them for swimming in lakes and sometines sea, last torture for my MM300 was a mountain lake in the Bavarian Alps :)

Cheers,

Daddel.

[Nealywheelie]

The closest my 300 mtrs rated watches get to diving is the pearl diving stuff I have to do in the kitchen. :(

[fivelittlefish]

Suunto dive computer, plus a Seiko/G shock for me... too much risk of hitting something (my tank, a clip, a reef, a boat) with an expensive watch.

[Puntsdog]

I wear my Oris Small Seconds for diving. It is the watch that prompted me to take it up in the first place. I bought the watch and the Mrs said if you have a dive watch then you'd better learn how to dive! I am happy to wear it as I treat it as my beater anyway but it just adds that little something. I think if I were to ding it whilst diving it would just send it's cool rating (for me) right through the roof. Like battle scarring on my X-wing toy when I was a kid!

[Omegamanic]

i wear my sd

Ah yes but the reference was to real divers ;)

[JasonM]

Suunto Stinger for me, small enough to wear as a watch all the time...

[Shakir Khaja]

I love divers but they no further than the shower or some simple swimming at the local pool...

[c24/7]

Immediately upon receipt of my Gen1 Type1 Ploprof from Omega Bienne I took it near 40m under, which is as far as I have ever dared go, but wanted to mark the return of the ol boy, and so, that stands as my deepest point, and with my Ploprof strapped on. 8)

[Omegamanic]

Immediately upon receipt of my Gen1 Type1 Ploprof from Omega Bienne I took it near 40m under, which is as far as I have ever dared go, but wanted to mark the return of the ol boy, and so, that stands as my deepest point, and with my Ploprof strapped on. 8)

Crazy isn't it - I have been a little under/over 40m I think from memory - it was a long time ago and it was supposed to be a 30m dive! but I've always liked the idea of a very deep rating - it gives a sense of robustness and ability - but in reality most buyers will never get the opportunity to use never mind need the functionality and so it is more the history and development that lead me towards buying/collecting and wearing wathces that have come out of the development of the 1st 50m, 100m and so on watches.

I may not wear them for the purpose they are capable - but I dare say in most terms it is the term theya re designed for today - only they can also be used by professional divers as well.

I wonder if many 1200m co-ax ploprofs are used/worn whilst on a job by any professional divers?

[Mjolnir]

I wear my Suunto D4 whilst diving though although my SD has been worn in the pool a few times :D

[Broussard]

D4, Mosquito or the ol' faithful Aladdin Pro (depending on discipline and whether I'm blowing bubbles). Usually a Seiko Sumo or Bremont Supermarine 500 for backup. If someone could make me a mechanical watch with depth gauge, chrono and depth alarm, I think I'd just about be in horological-apnea heaven!

[entity999]

Always use my Mares Nemo computer when diving but in a concession to old school I also wear my 18Q, both of which performed perfectly for my week's diving in Sharm earlier this month.

[avantgardaclue]

Just come back from a week's hols in Taba. Went on a couple of snorkelling trips. Went tooled up for it wearing my holiday Seiko 5 divers watch. Amazingly it was actually water proof all the way down to 6 inches and was able to time my decompression faultlessly. On one of the trips 2 real dive boats moored up aside us.

What really impressed me was the number of women diving and an absolute absence of any diver's watches. As far as I could see they were all wearing big quartz digitals, tho to be honest I was more interest in the women who seemed mainly to be in their late 30s and above and I deduced were probably single.

I say this because that evening we met a couple of these girls at a bar who very definitely were looking to pull.

They didn't pull me because, 1 i was with the wife, 2 frankly i am as ugly as sin, 3 i was a wearing a pretentious pseudo diver's watch and they know only knobs wear them! :lol:

[Andy H]

Couple of years ago, in the red sea, Egypt.

[BruceS]

I've dived with an Omega Seamaster and a Tag, but mostly used an old Timex Ironman at first, then later a Citizen Aqualand Duplex. Always used a dive computer too. I'd probably just wear a G Shock now.

I've not been in the water for about 9 years now. I guess that PADI Divemaster rating is useless at this point. :lol:

[UKWatchGuy]

Is the leather strap resistant to salt water? :D

Couple of years ago, in the red sea, Egypt.

[Supercharged]

I can't bring myself to dive with any of my top watches but onl use my Oris

[Kiki Picasso]

No diving here, but i absolutely love swimming in the sea, and spend as much holiday time as possible doing just that.

With watch of course :)

[andy111s]

I was in an amphibious unit in the Army, so a recce swimmer/dive team leader in the late eighties, I did the French ships divers course at St Mandrier in Toulon and their army divers courses at EPAT in Valbonne, the recce swimmers course was based at regiment in Corsica.
I constantly wore a Seiko Sports 100 both for diving and for regular daily wear including 2 years in Africa and all the usual assault courses/parachuting/on the lash; I literally never took it off.

Here it is, twenty-odd years later after a battery change and running fine:
(Pictured on Billy's book 'Zero Hour' showing the Gen 1 Seiko issued to the RAF in the mid eighties)



Distress -



And with a few others -



The Sports 100 was also apparently issued to the South African Air Force as their pilots watch at about this time (http://saafwatches.blogspot.com/).