Things You Should Know Before You Buy a Dive Watch

Probably the most popular wristwatch style is the dive watch. The truth is, not everyone who buys a dive watch actually uses them for scuba diving. Most buy them because they look great and are very durable. Wearing a dive watch instantly makes you look younger, with a relaxed lifestyle and an adventurous spirit.

Dive watches have even gone mainstream, so much that the most popular Omega and Rolex models are both dive watches. For Rolex, it’s the highly popular Submariner, and for Omega, it’s the equally well-liked Seamaster. In fact, dive watches are so common nowadays that people seem to forget their real purpose – which is to function as a diving instrument.

So what are the basic characteristics that define a dive watch? First among the list is obviously water resistance. A dive watch should be resistant up to a depth of at least 200 meters, although there are some that are capable of going even deeper than that. A good example would be the CX Swiss Military dive watch which can endure depths of up to 6100 meters.

Another important characteristic of a dive watch is that it should have the ability to track the time that has elapsed. Obviously, a diver can only stay underwater for a few minutes, and he should swim back to surface gradually to avoid decompression sickness or even death. This is why a timing device is necessary to ensure a diver’s safety. Dive watches usually have a type of dive bezel that can be used together with the watch’s minute hand in order to accurately time the dive’s entire duration.

Visibility is very important when underwater, especially if it’s dark and murky. This is why dive watches have oversized, massive luminous markers and hands in order to maximize visibility. Some even have orange or yellow dials to make it easier to read underwater.

If you are on a limited budget, the best thing that you can do is to look for a good dive watch for sale in your local sporting goods store or even online. In order to make sure that the model you want to buy is great, you can check out several dive watch reviews, especially those from actual users because this can help in your decision making process. However, make sure you don’t believe absolutely everything you read since some derogatory reviews may be made by the competition.