8/28/2010

Do you know Dive Watches?

A diving watch is a watch designed for underwater diving that features, as a minimum, a water resistance greater than 10 ATM, the equivalent of 100 meters (330 ft). The typical diver's watch will have a water resistance of around 200–300 meters (660–990 feet), though modern technology allows the creation of diving watches that can go much deeper. A true diver's watch is in accordance with ISO 6425, which defines test standards and features for watches suitable for diving with underwater breathing apparatus in depths of 100 meters or more. Watches conforming to ISO 6425 are marked with the word DIVER'S to distinguish diving watches from look alike watches that are not suitable for actual scuba diving.

History of Dive watches
Early dive watches were often developed in response to military and professional needs. Omega SA is credited as the creator of the world's first diving watch, the Omega "Marine", introduced in 1932.
As supplier to the Royal Italian Navy, Panerai offered underwater timepieces in the 1930s, which were not only waterproof at 650 feet (200 m), but luminescent as well.
In addition, a large number of "canteen" style dive watches by Hamilton, Elgin or Waltham were made to military specification during and after World War II. However, these watches were made in small numbers, and were not intended for large-scale commercial distribution. Today, interest in these watches is limited to collectors.
In 1953 Lip-Blancpain's Fifty Fathoms waterproof watch came on the market in France. Various models were issued by Blancpain in small quantities to the military in several countries, including US and French Navy combat diver teams. The fifty fathoms was worn by Jacques Cousteau and his divers during the underwater film "Le monde du silence", which won the Palme d'or at the Cannes film festival in 1956, and in the US when TV star Lloyd Bridges wore a Blancpain Fifty Fathoms dive watch in a photo that appeared on the cover of the February 1962 edition of Skin Diver Magazin.
The Rolex Submariner was introduced at the Basel Watch Fair in 1954 which coincided with the development of self-contained underwater breathing apparatus, known as scuba. In 1961 Rolex began to include a skindiver handbook with the Submariner, then available in two models, one water resistant to 200 meters/660 feet, the other, less expensive version, to 100 meters/330 feet. It was the choice of watch for the character of 007 in the first ten James Bond films, causing the "Sub" to achieve an iconic status.
In 1959, the United States Navy Experimental Diving Unit evaluated five diving watches that included the Bulova US Navy Submersible Wrist Watch, Enicar Sherpa Diver 600, Enicar Seapearl 600, Blancpain Fifty Fathoms,and the Rolex Oyster Perpetual.
During the 1960s commercial work in the oceans and seas created professional diving organisations that needed more robust watches designed for diving operations at greater depths. This led to the development of the first 'ultra water resistant' watches like the Rolex Sea-Dweller 2000 (2000 ft = 610 m) that became available in 1967 and was produced in several variations and the Omega Seamaster Professional 600m/2000ft also known as the "Omega PloProf" (Plongeur Professionel) that came available in 1970 and was produced in several variations.
The vast majority of divers now use electronic, wrist-worn dive computers.
Diving watches are however still commonly used by divers as a backup instrument for overcoming dive computer malfunctions.
In 1983, the US Navy Experimental Diving Unit evaluated several digital watches for use by US Navy divers.Many contemporary sports watches owe their design to diving watches.

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