Don’t Drown Your Watch This Summer!

Modern dive watches are awesome showcases for watchmaking tech. With cases like a Brink’s truck and sealing systems that would impress Captain Nemo, it is appropriate to say that contemporary sports watches are the most water resistant premium timepieces ever offered on the consumer market.

Yet, despite the march of technology, each summer sees another rash of sports watch “accidental drownings” due to basic handling mistakes. It doesn’t have to be this way. By taking a few easy precautions, your watch can survive the perils of the pool, beach, and waterpark.

First, an owner should consider whether his watch really belongs in the water. If the watch is rated at five ATM (1 ATM = 10 meters) or less, the answer is a resounding “no.” These watches are designed to survive splashes, not submergence. The factory’s static testing of a system with a 3-5 ATM rating involves slowly bringing the case under pressure and gradually easing it out. It doesn’t assume the hydraulic shock of paddling, diving, or wiping out while water skiing. Any one of the above can cause a spike in pressure that surpasses the rated resistance; leave these landlubbers on shore.

Second, before hitting the water, “check the crown, and screw it down.” Even a hardcore dive tool with a 4mm crystal and a helium release valve has a gap in its armor, and that’s the screw-down crown. When allowed to remain open or partially open, even the most impressive multiple-seal crowns routinely admit water in shallow submergence. This is by far the most common cause of water damage to dive-specific watches.

Third, never operate a chronograph pusher in the water; it’s the mortal sin of aquatic chronograph endangerment. Certain dive chronographs feature screw-down pushers while others feature unscrewed pushers with static sealing technology. Regardless of the pusher design, assume that moving the pusher will bypass the seal and admit water into the watch. Most chronographs with dive intent are assigned a depth rating that assumes the pushers will not be engaged.

Indeed, there are companies that tout the ability to operate their chronographs under water. I’ll counter those claims with an analogous cautionary tale. I used to have a five-valve Volkswagen with a factory-advised timing belt replacement interval of 105,000 miles. Neither I nor any seasoned VW driver who wished to avoid 20 crashed valves waited until 105,000 miles. We learned this from inexperienced owners who, in turn, learned the hard way.

In the case of a premium dive chronograph, the take-away from my VW tale is simple, and it’s “don’t test the limits.” And if you must, “here be dragons…“

Fourth and finally, when in doubt, have a local watchmaker check your watch for a sound hermetic seal. This procedure, which most manufacturers advise as an annual precaution, is quick, easy, and cheap insurance. Many aging dive watches continue to “look the business” long after their seals have gone out of business. A non-destructive water resistance test can separate the sound seals from those at risk of high-dive disaster.

Water is the enemy of every watch. Once inside a case, it’s there to stay. Water tarnishes plates, corrodes the gear train, degrades points of contact, and contaminates lubricants. Add sea salt or bathing-grade chlorine, and the damage can be fatal to even the most robust movement.

This summer, plan ahead, protect your investment, and hit the surf with peace of mind.