In our post about water resistance we explained to you why it may be better not to wear your luxury watch labeled “50m water resistant” on your next dive. Today we will look at how you can protect your watch from water damage.

1. Let the watchmaker check your watch for water resistance every year. Over time, even quality seals can become brittle and should therefore undergo regular inspections. Even after a fall or an impact an inspection is recommended to ensure the integrity of the seal.

2. Before you jump in the water, you should always check whether the crown and the pushers are closed. Under no circumstances should you manipulate the crown in the water. For watches with a screw-down crown, you should push down the crown and then screw it in tightly.

3. Never expose your watch to extreme temperature fluctuations. If you decide to take a dip in the cold pool after extensive sunbathing, this may cause serious damage to your watch.

4. Protect your watch from dust, grease and dirt, as this affects the material of the watch case. At best you should clean your watch periodically, but never use chemical cleaning detergents.

5. After wearing your watch in salt water it should subsequently be rinsed with tap water in order to prevent any damage.

Even though the Austrian writer Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach once noted that even a stopped clock gives the right time twice a day and can look back on a long series of successes after a number of years, the results of modern watches are, however, significantly better. But what are the points to be observed when handling your watch in order to be able to enjoy your timepiece for as long as possible?

Regular service

The mechanics of a watch “lives”. Balance, anchor and co. are constantly moving, and wherever parts are moving, there will be at least minor signs of wear. But there is no cause for concern: a quality watch will usually be a lifelong companion, but much like a car or a high-quality musical instrument, there should be regular maintenance. It is therefore recommended that every 5 to 10 years – in case of significant deviations in accuracy even before that – you have a full service carried out by a professional watchmaker. There your timepiece will be dismantled, cleaned and oiled with a special protective lubricant. This reduces the friction between the individual parts and subsequently increases the accuracy of the watch.

MORE THAN JUST VISUAL APPEAL

The bezel, which means “small moon” in French, is a ring that has been mounted to the face of a watch and can serve to spice things up with a sportier look. However, the bezel is something that shouldn’t be reduced solely to just its appearance. It’s a watch feature with purpose that can fulfill a range of everyday useful operations, right on your wrist. All you have to know is how to use it.

The good news is: its functionality is as simple as it is ingenious. It’s a feature that is easily understood and quickly finds acceptance from those that know to appreciate what it offers: the ability to conduct mathematical addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division calculations. Bearing this in mind, we’d like to present you with some of the different kinds of bezels and describe some of their functionality. Spend some time with us and venture onwards.

Divers’ Bezel

A divers’ bezel has a triangle at the 60 position on the minute track which is configured to the minute hand directly before a diver submerges underwater. It displays the amount of remaining dive time in minute increments. Are you wondering why exactly a bezel is necessary to “stop” the time, when there are chronographs available that make this configuration totally redundant? The reason is, that the pushers of most chronographs shouldn’t be operated underwater and the minute on the sub dial itself is difficult to read at dimly lit, lower water depths.

While early diving watch models once had bidirectional bezels, today they are only unidirectional in a counterclockwise direction. Deadly misunderstandings, confusion, and miscalculations concerning the remaining time are thus less likely because in the event of the diver misrotating the bezel, the diving time is fortunately configured for too short, rather than for too long a time.

Popular Divers’ With Unidirectional Bezels: Rolex Submariner, Omega Seamaster 300M

Time Zone Display

A bezel with a time zone display is often incorporated into watches with a GMT complication. They have a 24 hour scale and compared to diver’s’ bezels, GMT bezels are generally bidirectional. A second hour hand circumferences the dial only once per day and displays a second time zone on the bezel scale. For most modern GMT watches it’s possible when traveling out of country to set the GMT-hour hand to the local time, without ever having to stop the watch.

The second hour hand remains on the point of origin time, which is read off of the scale on the dial. It’s also possible to quickly ascertain a northern direction with the only requirement being that both watch hands must display the same time.

Popular GMT Models With Bidirectional Bezels That Configure Second Time Zones: Rolex GMT-Master II

Tachymeter scale

Many bezels have an additional tachymeter scale which displays the rate of speed on a pre-determined route (usually 1 kilometer). The scale is based on the simple, physical formula of Speed = Distance/Time. The distance that the second hand has covered, during which the predetermined route was traveled, displays the average speed during that space of time. The rate of speed in km/h can be read off of the bezel scale after a distance of one kilometer has been traversed.

The Breitling Navitimer has a bidirectional rotating bezel with scales on both its numbered rings as well as its dial borders. When both the outer and inner scales are synchronized with one another, then multiple types of calculations can be conducted e.g. currency conversion as well as deducing the average rate of speed.

20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA?

The words “water resistant” lead many watch owners to believe, that their timepiece is completely waterproof. While a complete waterproofness is possible in principle – the tiny inscription should not falsely lead you to believe that this is the case. In the worst case this can end with a broken watch. Under high water pressure or when it is exposed to water for a long time, even a seemingly waterproof watch may let water in. How much water your watch can actually tolerate will be explained below.

How is Water Resistance Determined?

The water resistance of a watch is determined using a testing procedure, which is specified under DIN-Norm 8310. According to this standard, a watch is considered watertight if it successfully passed the test in mint condition. Important to know: in this testing procedure a static pressure is applied, which allows conclusions about the bar load capacity of a watch. If you actually go under water with your watch, the pressure increases due to movement as well as a water jet (e.g. in the shower). The watch is therefore exposed to a significantly higher load than during the test, when the pressure was simulated under lab conditions.

How Water Resistant is My Watch?

In the table below you will find a list of different readings and associated meter data with which the watches may subsequently be labeled. Next to that it is listed what this actually means for everyday use. Therefore only timepieces from a water resistance of 10 atm (100 meters) are suitable for water sports and for diving even 20 atm are recommended. Please note, however, that this is just a guideline and not universally applicable information.