How Deep Can Your Watch Go?

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How Deep Can Your Watch Go?

15 August 2019
 Categories: , Blog


When diving, one of the problems you might face is that your waterproof watch might not survive the plunge. The amount of pressure that deep diving can place your watch under can be enough to crush it. However, there are some watches that are durable enough that they can resist high amounts of pressure. But how deep can you go?

​Maximum Depth for Most Watches

Most diver watches are able to withstand pressures at the depth of up to 100 meters. The good news is that divers are not supposed to dive to a depth past 40 meters, giving your watch 60 meters of buffer for recreational diving. Deep divers are not supposed to dive deeper than 60 meters. 

Pressure has all sorts of effects on your deep dive. For example, the air that you breathe becomes denser. As a result, you will want to constantly monitor your pressure gauge. You'll also be able to more easily check your time with newer dive watches because you can read elasped time rapidly using a bezel. 

How Each Type of Crystal Differs

One of the reasons why a dive watch is able to withstand such depths is because they use very thick crystals. It may use a domed crystal, which further improves the pressure resistance of the watch and also makes it easier to read. There are several types of materials that the crystal can be made from:

  • Acrylic glass
  • Synthetic sapphire
  • Hardened glass

If you are trying to find the perfect watch for your deep diving needs, you'll need to know the type of material the crystal is made from and the advantages and disadvantages of that type of material. For example, acrylic glass is a great choice because it is resistant to breaking. It may be prone to scratches, but the scratches can always be buffed out.

Synthetic sapphire might not be as good of an option because while it is less likely to scratch, it is also more likely to break, which is a more serious problem. Hardened glass is in the middle both regarding its likelihood of breaking and scratching. 

Combining the Best of Both Worlds

The best option may be to actually combine different types of materials into one. Some manufactures use both sapphire and hardened glass by laminating them together so that your watch is less likely to scratch while having the durability of hardened glass. Once you're informed, you'll be ready to purchase a diver watch. Look into options in the Ulysse Nardin Diver Watch Collection and similar.