Of Submariners and Saturation Dives

[Dark Side of The Loon]

One for the resident diving/Submariner experts...

Over time I have become aware of several instances of Rolex Submariners being used on saturation dives.

Note, this is not in reference to the helium-escape-valve equipped 5514s.

For example:

https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=672800 - a sales thread with a 16610 used on COMEX's Hydra 10 dive.

BBC's Real Men series did an episode on Saturation Divers (well worth a watch), and showed one of the divers with a sapphire crystal Submariner Date - not a Sea-Dweller. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3BWSMrgi3I (Visible at 5:48->)

I thought that it was unwise to use watches with neither a HEV nor some other design meant to prevent the crystal popping off during decompression.

Anyone doing a saturation dive is going to be reasonably professional, and would surely use the correct equipment. Is it that, with the change to the sapphire crystal, the HEV is no longer necessary? Is it that the crystal popping off is actually a small and tolerable risk?

Minutiae yes, but that's what this hobby's about

[ralphy]

I'm not a sat diver but I know a few. ;-)

My 2p is I think the HEV on a dive watch is rather unlikely to be activated during a commercial divers work nowadays as their environment is very closely monitored throughout decompression, so any He inside the watch will have time to expel naturally.

Given that the vast majority of HEV-equipped watches will never see the inside of a compression chamber then you might wonder why so many of them are thus equipped...

R

[seadog1408]

Just open the crown on deco, no dramas.

[number2]

Just open the crown on deco, no dramas.

Brilliant when Mike turns up

[Omegamanic]

Just open the crown on deco, no dramas.

That's too easy Mike.

[watch-nut]

Isn’t the point though that a sat diver is gradually brought to the same pressure conditions dry, from an He perspective and that the effects of of that He pressure is so gradual the impact to the watch is low? I mean that there are a number of deep sea watches without gas escape mechanisms, ploprof for one. Besides don’t most average sat divers operate at 1000ft or so which is the depth rating of a standard sub anyway?

[Galaxia]

I believe that whether it's crystal or plexi, the HE atoms are so small they can get through both. Then they pop off the crystal if the pressure changes too quickly - pop!

[Vanguard]

Isn’t the point though that a sat diver is gradually brought to the same pressure conditions dry, from an He perspective and that the effects of of that He pressure is so gradual the impact to the watch is low? I mean that there are a number of deep sea watches without gas escape mechanisms, ploprof for one. Besides don’t most average sat divers operate at 1000ft or so which is the depth rating of a standard sub anyway?

The issue is not the depth rating but that the watch is in a high pressure environment where helium is being breathed, i.e not actually in the water.

[LondonNeil]

I could be wrong but I thought it was the He entering by diffusion over the several days/week spent in the diving bell. That's the only time the watch is surrounded by He at pressure isn't it? Then while the decompression is slow enough to avoid medical complications, it is fast compared to speed of He diffusion back out so the pressure builds and pops the crystal. I'd have thought opening the crown would prevent it, but perhaps at the risk of damage to the seal? My gut says low risk, but if it were that simple then hevs seem pointless even for a saturation diver, unless my understanding of the problem is off (possible)

[Clem]

As mentioned already this only really becomes an issue at deco time.
Usually at this point of the dive profile neither watch nor plongeur will be required to get wet again until a shallower storage is established or on achieving surface.
Although it's fair to say throughout the dive profile the chambers can reach quite elevated levels of humidity therfore with a non hev fitted case with the crown opened, it's a case of paying your money and taking your chance

[comdiver]

They just throw the subs away after the rota and buy a new one


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[Dm1672]

Ive used my seamaster for years and never open the hev on deco,never had a problem,mostly cause I forget to open it as too busy watching movies.

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