Reply With QuoteSD for sure
I knew there was a reason I preferred the SMP.Originally Posted by seadog1408
And I thought it was just the look.
Cheers,
Neil.
SD for sure
The best one is the one on your wrist when you are diving!
In this case, U1
Is that you?
Yup
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My vote is for the Vostok Amphibia from the design and durability point of view.
https://forums.watchuseek.com/f54/vo...gy-491757.html
Good choice,
"Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."
'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.
Well done,ever dived around the U boat pen?
Only after reading:
https://forums.watchuseek.com/f54/vo...gy-491757.html
Its a dangerous link to read. I've ended up with a Vostok Amphibia itch which I didn't have before. They are specced at 200m but one was tested to destruction on this forum (TZ UK) and managed 830m!! That's 4 times its spec. There is a lot behind the design I was unaware of.
I was very impressed by the unique design of the 3 water ingress points.
1.The crystal is deliberately made out of curved perspex so it can flex under compression without breaking and increase its water resistance by the use of the water pressure at increased depth to seal it against the case.
2. The case back is a special 2 piece design with a screw ring which holds the back on. This has 2 advantages. The back is free to move towards the case under water pressure, and like the crystal, increases its water resistance. The second advantage is because the back does not revolve like a conventional back, a much wider rubber seal can be used, since it is not subject to the shear distortion from a screw down back. The seal does not need renewing every time the case is opened. It can last many years.
3. The 'wobbly" crown is an intentional design feature which enables the winding stem to be completely separated from the crown when screwed down. The case and crown become one unit and the movement is completely separate affording a greater degree of shock proofing. Also in order to wind or change the time, the crown has to be pulled out slightly to engage. This eliminates any tendency of sideways pressure on the winding stem. This adds to reliability.
Admittedly, the aesthetic design would not be my first choice, but the watch is rugged and reliable and has a well tested movement.
For the above engineering features and a price of about £80 new, I rate this as the best diving watch. Now I want one.
Seadweller 43 - 50th anniversary single red with Mark 1 dial
Oh and welcome to the forum,,,
"Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."
'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.
while 99% of diving watches might never dive in the sea.. I always want to have a yellow seawolf for still love my seahawk very much. Indeed I like their latest version as well.If you are going by depth rating.
As Mark Twain said "The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated." - The 'destroyed' Amphibia (the '453 Fathoms') is alive and well with a new crystal and case back
To be fair, it wouldn't have survived if the movement had been fitted for the test, but 830M is impressive for the case, which (back notwithstanding) would have clearly stood a lot more.
Probably safe to assume one won't leak in the washing up...
M
Last edited by snowman; 21st November 2019 at 09:30.
It really isn't mate sorry. It's not even as good as a Seiko Marinemaster at a fifth of the price
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Funnily enough I was thinking about the destructive test only yesterday and ended up wondering if any other manufacturers use the same 'case back' system?As Mark Twain said "The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated." - The 'destroyed' Amphibia (the '453 Fathoms') is alive and well with a new crystal and case back
Probably safe to assume one won't leak in the washing up...
M
"Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."
'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.
What Mark Twain said was -Report of my death is an exaggerationAs Mark Twain said "The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated." - The 'destroyed' Amphibia (the '453 Fathoms') is alive and well with a new crystal and case back
To be fair, it wouldn't have survived if the movement had been fitted for the test, but 830M is impressive for the case, which (back notwithstanding) would have clearly stood a lot more.
Probably safe to assume one won't leak in the washing up...
M
But a nice looking watch nonetheless
Is that the original bezel or aftermarket?
I assume it was OK up to about 800m or so. I rarely go below a couple of metres swimming or 30cm in a bath. Bit overkill for me really.
Oh man! The itch is getting unbearable!
M
Last edited by Tiny; 21st November 2019 at 10:31.
Indeed and he wrote it, instead of saying it, but the sentiment is the same and just as valid.
I don't know the history of the watch, but that's how it arrived, post test, with me.
M
If we're being pedantic: The report of my death was an exaggeration.
EZM2 gets my vote but I've an itch for a Jenny.
Don’t say that in front of your wife:-)
Easier to explain that getting an itch from a Jenny!
M
Very interesting replies.
I like the Vostok Amphibia, but it certainly is no do it all watch for me. I don't like the look of it.
For the benefit of all, this thread should have been titled 'The Perfect Looking and Performing Diving watch, in your opinion, if you could only own one watch'.
The GP Seahawk is immense, but don't like the date window and curved spring bars.
Agree with all your points and very well put.
I love the technical design behind these watches :).
I owned many monocoque Siekos, but still, for me they were far from the perfect do it all. I would still change many things about them.
The one that comes close to me is the SBDX005, but the fact that it does not come on a bracelet, will never do it a 'one watch' for me.
The SBDX001 (or whatever nowadays) is top heavy, has a wobbly crown, bracelet links that are too tall for small wrists and mine were almost always poorly adjusted (+6 to +15 seconds). I had four of those.
Given that we don't really know the specific criteria for the OP's question, I'm going to post that the most useful dive watch would be one that serves as the best backup for a dive computer.
To that end, a watch that not only tells elapsed time, but also gives some sort of indication of depth is a helpful, safe backup.
Either with a chromatic bezel, like the Crepas Decomaster or NTH Devilray. These work on the basis that different colours "go black" at different depths as that coloured light fails to penetrate to that depth (e.g red light fails to penetrate more than about 5m, so if the red bit has gone black, you are below 5 m. If the yellow bit has gone black, you are now below 20m, and so on)
Or a watch with a physical depth gauge incorporated into it, like the Oris Aquis Depth Gauge or the IWC Deep One.
I don't own, or particularly want, any of these watches, but they would be reassuring backups.
That said, probably the best diving watch is one that is highly visible, easy to adjust the timing bezel, and reliable. Personally I've dived with quite a few of my watches, but most of my 200+ dives have been with my Omega SMP Chronograph, which is an entirely unsuitable watch. It doesn't have a wetsuit extension, its a chronological which means the dial is overcrowded, and the bezel is impossible to turn with wet hands. But at the time when I was diving a lot it was my only dive watch...
Now where's Bedlam when you need him.
Edited, he's been here, but no pics or watches this time :(
Last edited by Daddelvirks; 21st November 2019 at 14:39.
Got a new watch, divers watch it is, had to drown the bastard to get it!
Although my work has been with autonomous underwater vehicles and oceanographic systems rather than hard-hat diving, I work & play around seawater & have owned many dive watches over the years including Tudor Pelagos, Omega Planet Ocean, Eddie’s own models, Breitlings etc. but I keep coming back to two favourite dive watches - Sinn UX & various members of the Seiko Tuna family.
I like the Sinn’s perfect daytime legibility underwater thanks to the oil filling (though the lume is quite poor compared with Seiko, Citizen & Omega) & the versatility of the watch as it’s low profile and works well with a suit which the Tunas don’t.
Seiko dive watches are consistently reliable, great value and simply do the job well with easy to obtain service anywhere in the world. I particularly like the various Tunas and always have one in my collection. The monocoque case ones are arguably the best, but my favourite is the SBDB013 (& SBDB009) Spring Drive version - 600m rating enough for anyone, fantastic legibility, power reserve indicator, lightweight titanium case & shroud (the ceramic ones on the Darth can crack if you hit a pipe or Rick hard) & the shroud helps stop inadvertent movement of the bezel.
The Tunas are masters of ‘form follows function’ and if you want a back up for a dive computer, or prefer a traditional watch, I think any of the Tunas are hard to beat as ‘tool divers’.
Steve
(Updated photo as first wasn’t very sharp)
Photo of my Seiko Spring Drive Tuna & Sinn UX SDR
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Last edited by searat; 22nd November 2019 at 17:54.
OP hasn’t set out any criteria as such but if you look at the original post- what he likes about the one he has chosen as the best diving watch is the fact that it is upto any occasion, there is nothing he would change about it and would be worth twice as much in ten years. In his opinion ofcourse.
Extending this, his criteria would seem to be versatility, being perfect as it is and value retention. Nothing about it’s capability as a dive watch, though one would imagine that watch would have to function adequately as a dive watch.
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