Watch Water Resistance 101

It’s over 30 degrees Celsius outside and its time to head to the beach, but what about the watch you are wearing, can it handle a dip in the water? Well it all depends on water resistance of your watch. Before we get started, I must make one thing clear.  There is no such thing as a “water proof” watch.  That term was discarded years ago.  Now watch manufacturers prefer the term “water resistant“, although I must say the Hublot King Power 4000 meter diver comes pretty close to having optimal water resistancy.   Hublot’s Diving Watch can Dive to Depths no man has dived before!
Watches have varying degrees of Water Resistance depending on the efficiency of the gaskets (O-rings made of rubber, nylon or Teflon, which seals the watch where crystal, case back, and crown meet the watch case); quality of sealant as well as the thickness and material of watch case.  A screw in case back and crown also increases water resistance.
When buying a Water Resistant Timepiece take note of the water resistance to see whether it matches your lifestyle.  Below is a water resistance  guideline:

• To describe a watch as water resistant or 2 ATM, it must have a minimum of 20 meters water resistance; however it is advisable at this minimum requirement, water should be entirely avoided.

• 30m or 50m (3 to 5ATM): Minor Splashes.  Okay for fishing and hanging out by the pool. You can wear the watch in the rain, provided it is not a torrential down pour, and you can wash your hands under a faucet.   NOT for swimming and diving.  Many Haute Joillerie watches encrusted with gems are water resistant to 30 or 50 meters.

• 100 meters or 10 ATM, is suitable for swimming and pool diving, but not for serious sea diving or sports where the water pressure can become quite high like in white water rafting or waterfall plunging. 

• At 200 meter  (20 ATM) water resistance, you can do some serious marine sports and competitive swimming and diving from a diving board; however, if the watch is not specifically designed for diving, one should check on whether one can scuba dive with the watch.

• Divers 200m to 300m (20ATM to 30ATM), one can dive with scuba equipment not requiring a Helium Tank.

• Divers 300m + Helium Valve.  Here you are getting into some serious deep water and a Helium Valve ensures the watch will not be damaged as a result of the tiny Helium molecules which sneaked into the watch case while under the water.  The Helium Valve releases these molecules and reduces the pressure within the watch. The helium and hydrogen molecules cause no damage while the watch is at great depths under pressure but as soon as the diver resurfaces, a pressure difference occurs between the trapped gas(es) inside the watch case and the surrounding air. This can cause the crystal to pop off damaging the watch thus the helium valve is a crucial edition to diving watches enabling the diver to release the gas build up and restore equilibrium.

TAKE NOTE:
Although, a watch may be labeled as having a specific water resistancy, the water resistancy can lesson over time as a result of gasket deterioration, especially if the watch has been exposed to salt water or chlorine.  In order to maintain the water resitancy of the watch, it is advisable to get your watch serviced at least once every two years.
By: R. Van Halem

Hublot Dives To New Depths featuring Hublot King Power Diver 4000m Titanium

A new diving watch from Hublot has surfaced. The Hublot King Power 4000m Diver. At first I though I must have unwittingly added a zero to the water resistance, but no this watch can actually accompany a diver down 4000 meters - if a diver is able to plunge to those depths. Last I checked, the deepest SCUBA dive on record is 330 meters performed by French Scuba Diver Pascal Bernabé, while the deepest dive by a Navy diver in Atmospheric Diving System (ADS) suit is 610 meters. To put the depth into context, the wreckage of the titanic is currently resting at 3,795m.
The trend of very deep sea diving watches are becoming all the rage. Hublot's model, limited to 500 pieces, commands a powerful presence. The case is titanium, which is resistant to corrosion by sea water, chlorine and a host other environmental substances. In addition,titanium has one of the highest strength-to-weight ratio. The Hublot King Power 4000m Diver is equipped with a rotating bezel, which can be adjusted via a crown prominently situated above the 2 'o'clock position and protected by a formidable crown lock system. I am not sure if this watch has a helium valve.
This watch is powerful to perceive, and Hublot has gone to great depths to achieve this look.

Another weird Watch Story and Water Resistance of a Watch.

It seems that watches are prone to weird stories. Maybe it is the abstract fleeting of time that prompts these stories or maybe watches just get into all kinds of trouble. At any rate I surfed upon a story about a fish and a watch under the "Weird story" category on AOL. I then went straight to the source of the story from The Garden Island. A newspaper reporting on events in Port Allen, Hawai and the surrounding areas.

Fish coughs up golden watch.

A Kaua‘i resident spots a nenue, (a fish- Not familiar with a nenue myself. I am a watch person, not a fish person) , flailing near the shore and he grabs a stick , hits it a couple times till the fish is limp and hauls it in. The fish is fatter then a nenue fish should be and he dumps it in his cooler next to his frozen chicken. Next thing, his friend opens the cooler and discovers a gold watch laying near the fishes mouth, and ,believe it or not, the watch is still ticking.

Look likes a nice watch from the picture.

Fact or fiction, I don't know, but the watch was still ticking. This story is a good reminder to check the water resistance of your watch. Who knows maybe the gaskets are slightly worn away or pool chemicals have slightly hampered the effectiveness of the water resistance of your watch. Summer is upon us and additional watch care is crucial to the life of your watch. The quality of Water resistance decreases with time unless you service your watch every 2 to 3 years. Water Resistance is not permanent, and we want the watch to keep ticking well after it has been swallowed by a fish... and coughed up again.

Click here to learn more about important tips for caring for your luxury watch.

Cartier Roadster - The watch that makes the man.

I know three people who wear a Cartier Roadster:

A successful Real Estate Developer, in his 50's, a self made man, who never settles for anything less than the best. His desk and office furniture is custom made and he always has the Bloomberg Channel on. The streamlined picture- thin T.V screen hangs from a gold knob, perfectly matching the elegant cream, gold and cherry wood decor of his office. He wears a solid gold Roadster Chronograph with a date calender magnified at the 3 'o clock position, and this timepiece fits his image to perfection. Another watch on his hand would just look out of place.

The other guy I know wears a Stainless Steel Chronograph Roadster. He is 22, and the son of a wealthy diamond dealer. Sleek black hair, impeccable clothing and a relaxed friendly demeanor. He is slowly coming into his father's business. Very slowly. He does like fast sporty cars though. Last time I checked it was a black Mercedes AMG. His Stainless Steel Chronograph Roadster glints in the sun as he turns the wheel, shrieking around tree lined streets. His watch is him. I cannot picture him without his watch.

The last gentleman is the Manager of the Business Banking Section of our Bank in his mid thirties. He wears dark blue tailored suits with heavy white pin stripes and pointed shoes. He just had his first child and thus gave up his Porsche. He likes rock concerts and Season tickets and he likes the fact that his Roadster has three interchangeable straps. I noticed when he shakes hands, he extends his arm so that his Cartier Roadster is visible. His Roadster completes his image.

Cartier introduced Roadsters in 2001 for its 150th anniversary, and since then this particular watch collection has had astounding success. Cartier has even released a Roadster fragrance. The first men's fragrance release by Cartier in 8 years. The Roadster Timepiece is a sign of a successful confident man. The Roadster works for the wearer and all the elements of the timepiece are so finely integrated, these elements of the watch work for the Roadster.

Cartier's inspiration for the Roadster came from the world of luxury automobiles.
The Roadster is mechanical movement automatic winding Cartier Calibre 8510.
The hands of the Roadster are luminescent sword shaped black oxidized steel and the timepiece is water resistance to 100 meters. The crystal is scratch resistant sapphire.