Dive watches and scuba diving.

[proby24]

So guys, hands up who dives with their dive watches.

I have dived Egypt years ago with my old Rolex Seadweller (long gone unfortunately). More recently I have dived throughout South East Asia (Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia) with my Breitling Superocean Steelfish. A nice few memories to go with two great watches.

[MrBanks]

Funny you mentioned this, because I was just thinking about this the other day. I only have a Seiko 5 and a titanium Samurai, but I wouldnt dream of diving with them on...well maybe the 5 but I would be gutted if I lost the Samurai so that would be a no.
I just ordered a Suunto D4 dive computer which will accompany me on all my future dives (I only recently got into diving, loving it so far).
I can confirm that being affected with this new madness as well as the diving bug, Ive gone slightly crazy for dive watches :drunken:

[Qatar-wol]

When I did my PADI, I used a G-Shock, then a Seiko Landmaster. Both performed as well as you'd expect! :) I tend to buy new watches faster than I go diving, so a couple of my current divers haven't seen deeper than two and a bit metres at the local pool!

[markosgr28]

I'm big divers watches fan. I have a couple of serious watches, like Doxas and Oris, but I have never considered using them under water. Actually they are kept in the closet most of the time and 1 or 2 are totally unworn.

When it comes to swimming, I use one of the low cost, but tough enough Vostok amphibians I have. When it comes to diving, I use one of the watches I have that are made for diving, the Immersion Challenger, which is a diving computer with a lot of functions and adjustments for free or scuba diving, or the Citizen Promaster, with depth sensor and other diving capabilities, like water temperature, dive duration, etc.

[Puntsdog]

It was my Oris that prompted me to try my first dive in Egypt earlier this year. I never considered it's value or risk as I was just too excited that a) I had another watch I loved, b) It was a diver's watch and I was going diving!!!
One way or another it was the best prompt for either buying the watch or getting into scuba diving!

[Andy H]

I went diving in Egypt last month, took my PO with me and introduced her to a couple of friends. :mrgreen:

The strap is not from Omega, just a cheap and cheerful leather from the bay.

[MrBanks]

Love it! Never dived in Eygpt but the water looks incredible. What camera did you use?

[Andy H]

Just a simple Sony DSC W90 in a Sony housing, no extra lights, flashes or other gadgets. I hate to lug loads of kit with me when I´m diving, and this camera does the job for me,as I´m no pro photographer, just like to take pictures of the fishies and other stuff.

[Karl]

i'm not a diver but i'd use mine if i was. Would be a good excuse to buy a darth marinemaster. Cant be doing with the types that are frightend to get in the shower with it. i see some on here have a small pic and the words 4000ft club. What is this a dive club ?

[ralphy]

i'm not a diver but i'd use mine if i was. Would be a good excuse to buy a darth marinemaster. Cant be doing with the types that are frightend to get in the shower with it. i see some on here have a small pic and the words 4000ft club. What is this a dive club ?

Sort of. :D

Rolex Sea-Dwellers depth rating.


R

[Denke]

I don't dive either but I would'nt hesitate to use any of my watches for diving (as long as the watch is a diver of course...).

/e

[magirus]

I have worn my '84 Datejust on a fair few occasions whilst diving. However these excursions had nothing to do with going underwater. Just going down. :wink:

[Seabadger]

I don't dive, but I've used my '81 Sub to go sea kayaking in, my Tudor Sub to go rafting in etc.

[eagletower]

Went Egypt last month and snorkelled with my Planet Ocean !

[poloman]

haven't ever been diving properly before (unless you count disney world sea pool!) - I want to go shark diving at some point (after a good few lessons!) and I'd definetly take my SD along. it hasnt even been in the swimming pool in the 4 weeks I've owned it, so it needs to get started!

[jesper451]

I can't see the point of having dive watches if you don't use them (vintage watches should probably be left home in the drawer). When I go snorkling/free diving this summer I will use my SD. If you wear the watch on a nato you won't loose it even if both springbars break during the dive.

[MrBanks]

Ive got no problem swimming, showering etc in any watch, but when I am wreck diving 30-40m down and I got my watch scratched, or snagged on something, I would be very upset at damaging it.

[ghosty]

i am really interested in diving, now i know i need to get a padi qualification, any ideas where i start? i have seen some places in south london etc, but i dont know where to start..

i know it's a bit OT, but still pretty relevant!

[shadowninja]

I go climbing with dive watches... it's kinda the opposite and probably more damaging for the watch as there's more opportunity to go splat against something hard and jagged.

[draz]

If you wear the watch on a nato you won't loose it even if both springbars break during the dive.

Hmm... that doesn't make sense to me. One springbar can break, but if both break, what's is holding the watch head to the strap!? Luck? Fortitude?

[MrBanks]

i am really interested in diving, now i know i need to get a padi qualification, any ideas where i start? i have seen some places in south london etc, but i dont know where to start..

i know it's a bit OT, but still pretty relevant!

Personally, I would go with PADI because they are internationally recognised. You can complete the open water course in 4 full days. Usually 1 day is classroom stuff, 1 day is confined dives (in a pool) and the next 2 days are in the open water/ocean.
Im not the most experienced, but I recommend learning somewhere that has average visibility and medium currents because it will teach you more on how to handle non perfect conditions. If you learn somewhere with 50m visibility and no current, its what you will always be used to and that can lead to complacency and inexperience on handling low visibility and strong current situations.
Just my 2 pence, I know a lot of you guys on here are very experienced divers :)

[BigD]

I have worn my '84 Datejust on a fair few occasions whilst diving. However these excursions had nothing to do with going underwater. Just going down. :wink:

http://www.welovecards.co.uk/product/th ... ffs-1.html

[Georgey]

I too dived in Egypt, back in '06 now and used my PAM61D (the precursor to the PAM118). Since it was made of titanium I didn't attract any attention, at least underwater! :P Have fond memories of that watch and the trip. Diving is such a cool hobby, it calms the soul! :D

Great pics by the way, PO Chrono looks very nice.

Cheers.

George

[DWK]

My dweller stands up to the 2m at the bottom of the pool on holiday - not sure that counts though!

[JP (Europe)]

October 2008 in the bottom of Siam Bay with my O&W M2 with Suunto compass on NATO-strap.

JP

[R11]

Have taken my Sub LV diving a couple of times in Egypt. Also took my 100m rated watches an old GMT 16710 and my Sinn 856s diving to depths of under 18m in Turkey a couple of times and it did them no harm whatsoever.

If they are pressure tested and the seals changed before diving in it should never be a problem so I can't understand those that worry about using them for the purpose they were designed for

[markosgr28]

October 2008 in the bottom of Siam Bay with my O&W M2 with Suunto compass on NATO-strap.

JP

You attracted my attention, but unfortunately no photo from you :cry:

[soapy]

i'm not a diver but i'd use mine if i was. Would be a good excuse to buy a darth marinemaster. Cant be doing with the types that are frightend to get in the shower with it. i see some on here have a small pic and the words 4000ft club. What is this a dive club ?

i wasnt sure what it was either looks like its going in the other direction :o


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four-thousand_footers

[shadowninja]

A bit of a girlie comment but... I can't stand it when my watch is wet against my skin. I've tried all sorts of materials... I think the G10 is slightly better. Sticky metal is definitely not pleasant.

[jukeboxs]

I remember reading a post on the Rolex forum about someone who watched his SD fall off his wrist whilst diving and sink to the depths of the ocean, where he couldn't get it. I picked up my SD last week, but this sort of story would make me think twice about taking it diving. If the Nato strap theory above holds up though, this could well be a solution.

[ralphy]

I don't dive, but I've used my '81 Sub to go sea kayaking in, my Tudor Sub to go rafting in etc.

Now that's impressive, you must be tiny!

:wink:

R

[magirus]

I don't dive, but I've used my '81 Sub to go sea kayaking in, my Tudor Sub to go rafting in etc.

Now that's impressive, you must be tiny!

:wink:

R

:lol: :lol: :lol:

[redmond]

done my open water in mexico last year, wearing my PO 8)

[markosgr28]

I went diving in Egypt last month, took my PO with me and introduced her to a couple of friends. :mrgreen:

The strap is not from Omega, just a cheap and cheerful leather from the bay.

Very beautiful watch (the orange PO is among my favorites) and pictures !!

[Sam100]

I have a Breitling Seawolf and a Rolex Deepsea and I don't even swim, never mind dive :evil4:



Neil

[Broussard]

Wore my Seiko Sumo diving in the Maldives. Will be wearing my Bremont ALT1-C when free-diving in Dahab in June (shame the Supermarine 500 won't be out by then! )

M

[searat]

Did my first dive in the Scillies in the 80's with a cheap 100m rated Pulsar - it's also been underwater off South Africa and in the Med (though not beyond about 17m), before I bought my first 'good' watch in 93, an Omega Seamaster 200m. Since then went through various Seamasters, latterly Seiko Darth Tuna, and most recently the Sinn UX - which for me is nigh on perfect as a marine-use watch. I rarely dive now and to be honest for my colleagues who still regularly dive, watches are obsolete, they've all gone over to dive computers. I wear mine mostly for swimming, snorkelling, surfing and sea-kayaking where salt-water resistance and robust construction are still essentials. The rotating bezel is of course vital for such tasks as timing the cooking of eggs, remembering to catch trains etc. :)
Here's a shot of my ancient Pulsar - lots of wabi..


Cheers
Steve

[momentum]

I was hoping to christen my SKX007 on a holiday to mexico later this year, but that's not looking so great any more!

[searat]

I was hoping to christen my SKX007 on a holiday to mexico later this year, but that's not looking so great any more!

You'll be fine - the 'flu will be elsewhere by then and pigs don't swim too well (adult ones anyway - sink like stones, piglets swim ok). So stay on the beach, give your 007 a good soaking and all will be well 8)
Cheers
Steve

[jesper451]

What was I thinking too early for me. If both springbars break you still have the nato strap. :D

[ralphy]

You'll be fine - the 'flu will be elsewhere by then and pigs don't swim too well (adult ones anyway - sink like stones, piglets swim ok). So stay on the beach, give your 007 a good soaking and all will be well 8)
Cheers
Steve

Not so, I've seen adult pigs swimming in the Bahamas - and doing quite a good job of it too.

(And continuing the 007 theme, the cays I saw them on were part of the Exumas Isalnds, where scenes from two Bond films were recorded: Thunderball and Never Say Never Again).

R

[andrew]

I can't see the point of having dive watches if you don't use them (vintage watches should probably be left home in the drawer). When I go snorkling/free diving this summer I will use my SD. If you wear the watch on a nato you won't loose it even if both springbars break during the dive.

If both springbars break, what's holding the watch on?

EDIT: never mind :D

[soapy]

i think he made a simple mistake,he probaly ment
if either springbar was lost

[MarkEg]

This thread needs some more pictures...
Cheers

Mark

[markosgr28]

Amazing pictures! Thank you very much!

[Mike K]

Last time I dove was a little over ten years ago now, but I dove enthusiastically for about 2 years until then (always in northern California - cooold). I always wore my trusty Seiko 6309... which also happened to be my only watch at the time.

Now I think I have at least 8, maybe more, dive watches Though I would only dive with 3 of them, as the rest are vintage and would need servicing and pressure testing before I'd take them into the water, and probably not even then. Oh, yeah I just thought of another watch, so that's at least 9 dive watches.

[soapy]

those are ace pictures that omega looks so at home
have any of you divers lost a watch diving or had a nato save loseing your watch?

[soapy]

i was about to say you could of straightened your bezel then i realised :lol:
it looks like your feeding fish in one pic

[MartynJC (UK)]

I snorkled with my Breitling Seawolf in Eygpt Oct 2007. Pics:













The watch has moved on - but the memories remain

[Nalu]

I have a gaggle of watches that have been dived by someone, and a handful that I've dived:

Citizen 1000m Pro


B'ling Avenger Seawolf


Ocean7 LM-7