A well-rated diving watch will easily take care of swimming and scuba diving up to the rated depth, so long as the seals of the watch are intact and the crown is screwed down. Nonetheless, taking a shower poses some risks. This is because hot water, steam, and soap affect the rubber seals.

While depth ratings such as 200m and 600m safeguard the watch from strong pressure due to water, constant contact with hot showers, seawater, or even chlorine needs certain precautions to keep moisture out and safeguard your mechanical watch. Knowledge on how water resistance works is essential from static testing in laboratories to ocean waves.

Can You Shower With a Dive Watch?

The heating action leads to expansion of the metallic casing and rubber seals at differing rates. This results in distortion of the watertight seal provided by the case back, crystal, and stem. When cold water comes into contact with the heated watch, it leads to the formation of a microscopic vacuum that draws in moisture.

Shower Environment Hazards to Watch Seals:

The hot water results in unequal expansion of the metal casing and the rubber seals, which momentarily compromises the seal formed by the case back, crystal, and the crown stem. The contact with cold water will create a microscopic vacuum that allows the water vapor to enter the case.

Both soap, body wash, and shampoo are surfactants. Surfactants lower the surface tension of water. This enables water to move past the O-rings more effortlessly. The remnants left by soap dry up the rubber and fluorocarbon gaskets. In turn, this causes them to become brittle and break down prematurely. The size of steam molecules is less than that of water molecules in their liquid state.

Can You Swim With a Dive Watch?

Surely, one can go swimming wearing any dive watch having a minimum water resistance rating of 100 meters, but only when the crown is properly locked. Dive watches have been designed to be used while swimming on the surface, pool training, and ocean swimming.

 

Chlorine and saltwater affect different watch components over time:

• Pool Water Treated with Chlorine: The chlorine affects the rubber gaskets, silicone straps, and O-rings. The chlorine wears off the natural oil of the rubber material, making the rubber stiff and brittle.
• Saltwater: Saltwater deposits salt crystals when it dries up. Salt crystals get trapped underneath the moving bezel ring, inside the crown threads, and in between spring bars. The crystallized salt acts like sandpaper on the metal components.

In order to protect your watch from getting any damage when you are swimming, you should ensure that the crown is tightly screwed before entering into the water. You should never adjust the crown and chronograph pushers when the watch is wet.

Can You Scuba Dive With a Dive Watch?

Indeed, a genuine diver’s watch, with at least 200 meters or 20 ATM water resistance, is created especially for scuba diving purposes. Underwater conditions expose the watch to constant pressure, low temperature, and impacts; and a true diver’s watch is designed to withstand them all.

The hydrostatic pressure rises by about one atmosphere (1 bar) every 10 meters (33 feet) in the saltwater. At the maximum recreational diving depth (30 meters / 100 feet), the watch is subjected to four atmospheres of pressure (one ATM from air at the surface level).

Any movement while under the water, such as active arm strokes, produces a certain amount of dynamic pressure. Dynamic pressure usually does not produce any pressure above 0.1 - 0.5 bars, but the impact pressure while diving off the deck of the boat produces a temporary pressure peak. The 200m / 600m dive watch has an excess structural strength capable of handling dynamic pressures without affecting the watch's seal.

What Does a Dive Watch Water-Resistance Rating Really Mean?

Water resistance is rated in controlled laboratory conditions through static water pressure at room temperature. In the case of static tests, the watch is placed in a pressure chamber either dry or wetted, and air or water pressure is gradually increased to mimic certain depths.

Static pressure testing does not include water motion, decrease in temperature due to depth, mechanical shock, or aged seals. A 30m water resistance rating does not imply that the watch will go 30 meters below the water level.

What Makes a Watch Suitable for Scuba Diving?

All dive watches can be considered water-resistant, but not all water-resistant watches are dive watches. Diving tools have high-quality construction requirements and are sometimes ISO 6425 compliant as diver's watches.

A professional dive watch requires specific mechanical features:

• Screw-Down Crown and Case Back: The winding stem threads itself directly into the crown tube, compressing rubber O-rings between the metal case.
• Unidirectional Rotating Bezel: A rotating timing bezel is turned in only one direction (anti-clockwise). Before submerging, the diver will set the bezel’s zero marker against the minute hand. In case the bezel is moved by mistake during immersion, it will turn in one direction, thus making the diver believe that the dive was longer, but not shorter, preventing the possibility of miscalculating his air time.
• High Contrast Legibility: Dial markings and hands have to be very prominent in dark, underwater environments (Super-LumiNova, etc.) – ISO 6425 requires that the watch is visible at the distance of 25 cm (10 inches) in complete darkness.
• Heavy Duty Sapphire Crystal: Synthetic sapphire is resistant to high hydrostatic pressures and does not scratch easily, unlike the regular mineral crystals.
• Helium Escape Valve: Necessary when saturation diving with the use of a hyperbaric chamber and a heliox (helium-oxygen) atmosphere. Helium atoms, being smaller than other gases, diffuse through case gaskets under pressure; a special automatic valve lets out this gas during decompression so that the crystal would not pop out.

Can You Wear an Ocean Crawler Dive Watch in the Water?

These watches have been designed by Ocean Crawler specifically for underwater use. The company is based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Ocean Crawler manufactures extreme duty tool watches that can endure harsh ocean environments.

For example, the Ocean Crawler Core Diver and Dream Diver models are built with a waterproofing level up to 600 meters (2,000 feet/60 ATM). Hydraulic testing is done for all cases to confirm seals’ tightness before assembling the timepieces.

Equipped with tough sapphire crystals, shock-proof automatic movements and screwed crown systems, Ocean Crawler wristwatches are designed to withstand impact from being in the water and salt exposure at high pressures.

How to Care for Your Dive Watch After Swimming or Diving

Salt, sand, and chemicals degrade your watch over time if not properly cleaned after water exposure. Following a routine maintenance process preserves the integrity of the case and gaskets.

• Rinse With Fresh Water: Right after getting out of the salt water or chlorine-filled pool, place the watch under a gentle flow of warm tap water. Remove any salt crystals, sand particles, and chemicals from the watch.

• Rotate the Bezel During Rinse: Rotate the unidirectional bezel several times while the water flows in order to rinse the dirt trapped inside the click-spring system.

• Dry Completely: Dab at the case, crystal, and strap using a soft microfiber cloth. Do not use hairdryers or any other heat source to dry the watch because overheating deteriorates the internal lubricant.

• Pressure Test: Get your dive watch tested for water-resistance once per year or even more often if you dive frequently. The rubber seals naturally dry up, harden, and shrink with time, thus losing their elasticity.

When Should You NOT Wear a Dive Watch in Water?

Even a 600-meter dive watch will flood if its mechanical seals are compromised. Do not submerge your watch under the following conditions:

DO NOT SUBMERGE YOUR WATCH IF:

• Crown Unscrewed or Cross-Threading: In case the crown stem is unscrewed to the time-setting position or screwed down crookedly, water enters the mechanical movement through the crown tube directly.
• Sapphire Crystal Chipped or Cracked: Micro-cracks around the crystal damage its structure and cause it to either crack or leak from water pressure.
• The Watch Has Not Been Serviced for 3+ Years: Since the internal gaskets are not checked or replaced regularly, we can safely assume that water resistance is impaired.
• You Are Going Into a Sauna, Steam Room, or Hot Tub: High temperatures above 100°F (38°C), along with humidity, cause quick degradation of lubricants and rubber seals in your watch.

Dive Watch vs. Dive Computer

A mechanical dive watch is an essential primary or backup timing instrument, but it does not replace a modern digital dive computer.

The real dive watch is a combination of engineering accuracy and durability that allows it to endure depths of the ocean, swimming on the surface and even in extreme watersports. With the crown hand-tight, no hot shower and salt or chlorine rinse after each swim, you make sure that your watch stays sealed and functioning for any underwater journey.

To see the professional grade mechanical watches designed to work at great depths of the water, check out the Ocean Crawler Dive Watch Collections or the Core Diver 600-meter Rated watches.

Protecting Your Timepiece in the Water

A real dive watch is a watch that combines accuracy with durability, thus making it possible to endure diving depths, open-water swimming, and even extreme aquatic sports. By always keeping the crown hand tight, avoiding hot baths, and cleaning off salt and chlorine each time you come out of the water, you make sure that your watch is waterproof and will continue working.

If you want to check some professionally developed mechanical watches designed for extreme underwater work, try the Ocean Crawler dive watch range or the Core Diver 600 meters depth range.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you shower with a dive watch?

No, you shouldn’t shower wearing your dive watch. The heat of the water increases the volume of the metal case and reduces the volume of the rubber seals. The action of soaps is surfactant that reduces the surface tension, thus the steam can go through the seals.

Can you swim with a 200m watch?

The water resistance of 200 meters is sufficient for all sorts of activities in open and indoor pools, as well as sea activities. Just make sure that the screw down crown is securely tightened, and after your bath, rinse the watch with clean water.

Is a 600m watch safe for scuba diving?

Yes, a 600m depth rating will give you very good protection for any kind of diving, from recreational to technical and even commercial scuba diving. Watches that have a 600m depth rating have heavy sapphire crystals, tough screw-down crowns, and double gaskets.

Can you wear a dive watch in saltwater?

Certainly, diving watches do well in oceanic conditions. But when the saltwater evaporates, it forms crystals, which might get stuck between the bezel and cause corrosion to the crown screws. Always clean your dive watch using warm running water from the tap right after you swim in the ocean.

How often should a dive watch be pressure tested?

An active dive watch that is frequently used underwater should undergo pressure testing every 12 to 24 months. Gaskets from rubber and fluorocarbon age and lose their elasticity. Pressure testing on an annual basis helps keep your watch's seals watertight prior to diving.

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