Wrist watches for divers - “In the flippers after the fashion”

Under the pressure of urbanization more and more people plunge headlong into everyday vanity. They are working, having dinners, working, having suppers, sleeping, having breakfasts, working…Every day is the same. An urban chute draws in social life, imposes common wishes – you already don’t have your own ones. We blend with the crowd. How can one keep his head and remain somehow calm and individual? Let’s face it, in the high working way everyone has thought about… sea! A blue sea with golden sandy beaches, breeze. You would love to be there, under the water, in the peace and quiet. The place, where the time goes slowly, where all temporals pale into insignificance, in the beauty and bright colors, in other world.

To appear in places, where one can stay alone with oneself, - that’s what drives people, who fly in the air, climb to the mountains and dive into the water. We’ll speak about the latter – diving into the bosom of the sea and fashion, appeared following that rage. Diving is not a jumping into the water from the steep before hazy friends and not even a swimming along-shore in a mask, bought in the nearest gift shop. It’s a whole industry, sphere of tourism, lifestyle. The divers have their own laws and bans to succeed.
The history of diving, as a kind of sport, is very interesting. It is linked with great discoveries and tragic events, fascinating beauty of aqua world and hazardous bosom of the sea. Initially, only military men and scientists could submerge – they indeed made that extreme sport popular. An invention by the Frenchmen, Jean Jacque Cousteau and Emil Gagnan – the aqualung – became a revolution in underwater swimming. The attempts to create a device, which could help to breathe under the water, were taken earlier, but all those devices were dangerous for life and caused many accidents. The invention of aqualung indeed led to the appearance of diving as a breakout. The equipment was getting cheaper and more reliable. The different world associations of amateurs and professionals of diving, including sometimes over 1000 people, were being founded. Today in almost every city we can find a dive-club, aimed at uniting people of common interest to make this sport more attractive and safer. The safety for a diver is at the first place indeed. The one who wants to admire the bosom of the sea, first of all, should look after his health. There are many illnesses, which prohibit from diving. Even a usual flu can be a reason to put off the diving for 2-3 weeks.

A mass interest in diving inevitably led to the appearance of new fashion, separate trends in clothes and accessories. The fashion trend in haute horlogerie is especially clearly seen. More and more famous watch brands pay attention to the manufacture of the series for divers. Such models strike the eyes at once with their big dials, first of all, which are comfortable for time reading in any conditions. Some wrist watches became legends and take an honorable place at show-cases of famous collectors. But first of all, the underwater watches have appeared in the lives of divers as necessary things, without which any dive couldn’t do. Under the water there is no one to ask “what’s the time?”. Especially that the dive watches must have other necessary functions, besides the current time indication. The first underwater wrist watches hardly had anything in common with fashion. The bigger, the better – that was the main principle of “underwater” watchmakers. As a result, they got a kind of wall-clock and can mix. The mechanical watches were not distinguished by a complex structure and the additional functions included only an indication of dive duration or surfacing time. It was provided by a shining spot at rotating bezel. Depending on its position, the minute hand measured the intervals before or after the mark that corresponded the time from the start of diving or the time the surfacing was to be done. 

In course of time, the watches for divers changed into real wrist computers, light, durable and functional. The electron watches are the most popular among divers. Besides a standard set of indications, they show the depth, diver’s heartbeat, surfacing speed and much other useful information. You may ask: “What about the fashion?” It’s clear – the fashion stays on land. It presents in dive-clubs, at common events of divers and even at urban streets. The fashion of dive-watches is everywhere. And the founder of this trend can be safely considered the Italian company “Panerai” – one of the world leaders in the manufacture of original wrist watches. Thanks to the invention of hand treatment, providing the time readability at full darkness, Panerai became a supplier of watches for the Italian Navy and kept that status for a long time. Later, when the company was purchased by the famous Richemont Group and moved to Switzerland, a not less famous company today “Anonimo”, the owner of worthy line, specially designed for the divers, took over the prerogative of watch supplier for the Italian fleet. A restrained military style is a form-factor of Anonimo wrist watches. By the way, Panerai is the watch brand, famous as a legend of dive-watches. Of course, they are the watches “Radiomir”, hunted by the crowds of collectors, who consider these watches as not only valuable exhibits, but also as a good investment, as the price on these original watches is rising year by year. However, Radiomir is not the only price-rising Panerai – all watches of this brand, released before the company was sold to the Swiss group Richemont, have gone up at least 10 times! Don’t you still know what to put up your money in?

The wrist watches from one of the oldest Swiss watch brands “Blancpain” - Fifty-Fathoms, the watches with rich history – are another legendary auction lot. An object of many celebrities’ regard, the lux Swiss brand “Jaeger-LeCoultre” hasn’t passed over the dive-watches either by creating a line of elite watches for divers. And the Italian watches “Anonimo Marlin Bronze”, issued in a number of only 300 pieces, can be safely considered to be a record-breaker in diving. Up to 1500 m water-resistant, these watches can’t be purchased in a shop – they draw the attention of collectors around the world. The limited series guarantees that Marlin Bronze from Anonimo will be valued more and more in course of time.

You may ask: “Why does one need such doo-dads under the water?” The answer is simple again – for nothing! These watches are a new trend-setter, “bosom envoys”. Now the mass interest in diving has an epidemic character. As many of us want to carry a piece of another world, underwater world, spirit of Ocean with ourselves. 

The dive-watches are usually divided into two main categories: deep-water and mid-water. Further we will tell you about the most famous wrist watches able to sustain the diving.

Deep-water watches

Speaking about deep-water watches, we can’t pass over one of the most famous lux-brands – Rolex. Having released its first water-resistant watches in far 1926, the Swiss company opened its way to the divers as consumers. The watches, named “Oyster”, became very popular among divers and underlay the following deep-water wrist watches from Rolex. The elegant “Rolex Oyster Sea-Dweller” is one of the latest dive-watch models. The steel case with black dial safely protects the movement from water penetration at up to 1200 meters. The helium valve, which releases accumulated gases at certain pressure, prevents the glass from damages or even extrusion. Rolex dived even deeper with its wrist watch model “Deepsea”, sustaining the pressure at 3900 meters! The watches are equipped with the famous steel bracelet “Oyster” with comfortable buckle.

The watches of Panerai – Swiss company with Italian roots – swim with Rolex at approximately the same depth. With Luminor Submersible 2500m you can admire the sea bosom at 2,5 km depth! The crown, usual for all Luminor watches, safely keeps the water outside the case. You can see the helium valve at the opposite side – a distinctive feature of all deep-water watches.

The bright shoals of self-winding chronometers “OMEGA Seamaster Planet Ocean” swim a bit closer to the surface. The Omega watches became usual on the divers’ wrists. The position of the crown at unusual “9” or “10” hours became a very convenient decision. It lets the diver moving his hands freely. The watch is rather big: the diameter of case is 45,5 mm. The helium valve is at “3” hours. 

The men watches “Deep Diver” from Azimuth are notable for their design. The square case with rivets, round dial with rotating bezel and availability to dive at 2000 meters – you can’t go by such watches. They are big watches of 46 mm diameter, protected from magnetic fields.

The true Italian “Anonimo” became perceptible at deep-sea level, having made “Marlin” with water resistance of up to 1500 meters and “Professionale”, designed for 1200 meters. Both models are very notable for their design, and the young brand of Anonimo is rapidly winning admirers of restrained beauty.

Breitling – a manufacturer of “instruments for professionals” under the water – couldn’t keep out. The chronograph “Avenger Seawolf Chrono Blacksteel” will accurately count the seconds at the depth of 1000 meters. Avenger Seawolf is provided with quartz movement with its advantages. The watches were produced in a limited edition of 2000 pieces.
There are many excellent wrist watches for diving – we can’t tell you about all of them. Let’s see the category of mid-water watches.

First of all, we should note the achievement of Blancpain – the wrist watch “Fifty Fathoms”. These watches have seen many feats and heroes; they were worn by all military divers of secret divisions since 1953. The black dial with contrast white indexes provides comfortable time reading in any conditions.

IWC with its watches “Vintage Collection Aquatimer Automatic” has also “dived”. As you may guess, the wrist watches are made in vintage style of Second World War epoch. The black dial is provided with a bright 15-minute scale. The series includes models with chronographs.

The Swiss company “Audemars Piguet” has presented many views of its famous chronograph “Royal Oak”. Also from the point of underwater view. The men watches “Royal Oak Offshore Diver” can accompany the diver to the depth of 300 meters. The model is notable for absence of new-trend options, except the self-winding movement. The steel case, adorned with squares of dials, the black reliable strap. What else does one need?

The company “Ulysse Nardin” presented its underwater watches. You can choose any watch in the “Marine” collection. The various color and functional decisions. The average size of the case – 43 mm. The water resistance – up to 3000 meters. Bright-yellow, rich-red, classic black – these watches show a style even at the bosom.

Also such wrist watches, as Submarined from Rolex, Anonimo Sailor Diver, U-Boat 1001 Diver, Luminor from Panerai, Pierre Kunz. Spirit Diver, became very popular in the world of divers. All these watches can safely serve you at the depth of up to 300 meters.