Purchasing a dive watch

maxima k2 · #1 04/21/2006, 10:04 PM

My wife and I are finishing up our dive certs and we are required to have some basic gear. I have been looking around for watches and watches seem to be very limited, every one sells the same thing. I know that this hobby is not the place to skimp on equipment. I just dont want to buy a peice of equipment and find out after a few uses it is not what I need or want. I have been told to check out the casio G-shock but those seem to be a little cheap, also I dont know if I like digital display too much. Do any of you guys/gals have a preference or a good place to check out watches. I am not concerned about getting in to this sport due to the resort dives we have taken in the past. It is scary what some dive guides will let you do on you third dive=80+ feet. Looking back it was extremely stupid. So any help is appreciated.

luminary · #2 04/22/2006, 01:44 PM

I don't have any good recommendations, but one thing I found out...There are two different ways that underwater, pressure rated watches are designed in terms of how the battery is changed. I bought a Freestyle dive watch about 8 years ago. A couple of years ago the battery died and I brought it in to be replaced. I was told that once the watch is opened to replace the battery, it is no longer considered rated for diving by the manufacturer. So make sure any watch you get can easily have the battery serviced!

For what it's worth, I've gone on probably 50 dives, some as deep as 120 feet with the watch since then with no problems.

maxima k2 · #3 04/22/2006, 02:25 PM

I have read some on that " once it is opened it isnt dive rated anymore" so if it is true than just buy the least expensive one that has the features you need and pitch it when your done. I would like to think other wise. If that was true then how did they get the battery in there in the first place? I have looked at the freestyle brand but I wasnt sure, I have only seen them online. Do you like yours? Would you buy another?

irishpete · #4 04/22/2006, 11:02 PM

I recently recieved a Citizen Titanium Eco drive (solar, no battery) dive watch for my anniversary. I love it, it was bought on ebay for half the cost of the jewlery store price where I got it sized. The ebay guy was a authorized reseller. PM me and I can give you his name, etc...

fppf · #5 04/23/2006, 12:41 AM

I have a freestyle Hammerhead and like it.
My wife went with apnea and she likes it as well.

I don't think the once its open comment is true. As long as it is serviced by a qualified person (aka don't go to the mall) it should be fine. Thats like saying once you change the battery in your dive light its junk.

Just make sure you get something that is really depth rated. We went with 200 meters as a min.

maxima k2 · #6 04/23/2006, 09:18 AM

I will be buying one today as I need it for the beginning of May for our open water dive, then off to North Caicos. IrishPete you got PM and thanks to you guys for the ideas on the other watches.

ri · #7 04/23/2006, 03:00 PM

I bought a St. Moritz Nereos watch about 18 months ago. A bit on the large side... also shows depth and temperature.

Warranty is about the best you'll find anywhere.

I don't recall where I bought it or what I paid. This link I posted just happens to have a good pic.

ri

luminary · #8 04/23/2006, 08:38 PM

I had a very lengthy conversation with several qualified people about the subject...One was a guy who's done nothing but work on watches his entire life, and the other was a Freestyle tech. Both confirmed it. The only way for the Freestyle watches (at the time at least, this was about 3 years ago) to have the battery changed and retain their depth rating is to send it back to the manufacturer, a jeweler cannot do it.

I don't remember the details why but it has to do with how the watch is resealed and tested. Watches that can be field repaired have a threaded access point so that they can be pressure tested. Without that test, the tech has no way to determine if the watch has been properly sealed. It's possible that it was, they just can't test for sure, and as such, the warranty will be voided.

sawillia · #9 04/24/2006, 09:46 AM

I've got a Casio Gshock Frogman. Tough Solar so no batteries... But... I use my stinger for diving.

I wear them both so the Casio has been with me everywhere I've gone... But, most watches just do dive timing... and the computers keep up with that... so it's a bit redundant.

The Gshocks aren't to be overlook... I've had one for years and I haven't been able to kill it yet. And I"m rough on it.

Check out some of the quiet professionals that use the Gshock series... You'll be surprised who uses them...

maxima k2 · #10 04/24/2006, 05:22 PM

I didnt over look them, in fact I looked at 30 or so G-Shocks. They are priced very reasonably, and have a bunch of features. I ended up ordering this onehttp://www.leisurepro.com/Prod/Categ...BN000004H.html It doesnt have any bells or whistles but it has what I need. My DI said to look into the G-Shock and one other brand, I cant remember. Thanks for the help everyone. I will have to post some pics when I get back from vacation.

irishpete · #11 04/28/2006, 07:34 AM

Maxima, PM replied. Sorry for late reply. Been swamped.

I personally like a little bling with my watch.

David P · #12 04/30/2006, 08:27 PM

boo hisss Leisure pro.... I went with the $30 special from Walmart, I strapped it around my inflator and keep it on chrono. After I do my giant stride, when I raise my inflator up to dump air, I just push the button to start timing. I use it strictly as a back up to my dive rite computer but its also handy because of the seconds display to time deep stops.

jun_celis · #13 04/30/2006, 08:31 PM

I have a Seiko Kinetic that does not require battery replacement. I've used it several times diving and snorkeling.

KaBoOm · #14 05/01/2006, 10:18 AM

Don't waste a ton of money on a watch. I did that and bought a Citizen Eco-Drive Dive watch. It's a great watch, but I don't wear it for diving anymore. Spend your money on a good computer either wrist or console and you'll be way happier with your purchase in the long run.

For a secondary timing device, I just use a $30 Ironman watch rated to 100M. If the battery dies, I just replace the watch.

Good luck and good diving!

nine2u · #15 05/01/2006, 10:45 AM

Maxima, I love my Citizen Eco-drive. Just some advice on Leisure-pro. They are a gray market dealer, there are no manufacturers warrenties on the products they sell. May not matter much with your watch, but it will with other dive gear, ( regs, BCD, etc.) If you like buying online check out Scubatoys.com they'll match anyone's price, or scuba.com. Both have great customer service.

thor32766 · #16 05/03/2006, 09:13 AM

I swear by my G shock have been using them all my life. Nothing better to me and a great price.

maxima k2 · #17 05/03/2006, 12:05 PM

Irishpete- I will forgo the bling factor, it is not my style.
Nine- Thanks for the heads up on leisurepro, Being new to this I have not made any large equipment purchases. I will check out scubatoys. The last thing I need is to have problems with gear. Where did you find out the info on leisurepro?

David P · #18 05/03/2006, 08:46 PM

Its a well known fact with Leisure Pro... there's an ongoing fued between LP and Scuba Pro... as a SP dealer I can say its a mess. LP has ****ed of so many local dive shops its not funny. To be an authorized dealer you have to agree to MAP minimum advertised price. Then Leisure pro comes and sells the same item for close to what a dealer pays. If the dealer then tries to compete with pricing, they may loose their dealership...

Landshark18 · #19 05/04/2006, 03:04 PM

Like thor32766 said, you cannot go wrong with a Casio G- SHOCK. Ive had mine for about 7 years and have never been on a dive without it!!

maxima k2 · #20 05/04/2006, 06:02 PM

I see what LP is doing. Essentially they are doing what Home Depot and wallyworld are. They are cutting out the mom and pop and even the mid sized stores in order to be the HD of scuba. Which is sad, the mom n' pop stores always have that one part you need.

agilis · #21 05/15/2006, 08:20 PM

Use a cell phone. I can't think of a better use for them. Watches seem to be obsolete anyway. These days, everone checks the time while sending text messages or idly chatting while driving an SUV. Try taking your cellphone on your next dive. Only good things can result.

ezcompany · #22 05/25/2006, 04:45 PM

Tag Heur Aquaracer 300 M professional
ALL THE WAY

rstark33 · #23 05/26/2006, 12:08 PM

Always been happy with my Citizen Aqualand Duplex. The battery just died after 3 years and about 150 dives.
I used to have the Promaster Hyper Aqualand, but it began to have errors after a couple years, also the acsension alarm was too sensitive. I lost it before I took it in for service (might have been stolen from my gear...)As an instructor teaching emergency ascents, it would drive me nuts.
As a beginner, I would get a wrist mount dive computer and a basic watch for back up.
A nice watch that does both depth and time would be after buying a dive computer, bc and regulator.
I strap the citizen on my BC and it serves as a depth and time backup to my dive computer. Redundancy is nice when you can do it.
But start with your own computer, get to know it and then buy the rest of your gear.

gillies · #24 05/26/2006, 12:18 PM

Done a fair share of diving over the last six years, and I'd have to agree with kaboom. An air integrated dive computer will do you far more good underwater than some bling on your wrist. Also get a quality regulator and breathing will feel more natural, and a good-fitting BC with integrated weights makes life much more comfortable when swimmin' with the fishes. My 2 cents.

maxima k2 · #25 05/26/2006, 07:22 PM

I just found out the importance of quality gear. I just got back from N. Caicos. The wife and I went with a local dive shop on the island and it was very interesting. The first trip was fine for me but my wife had some equipment issues. First, on the boat she had a problem with her BC. It would not stop inflating! (makes me wonder). Switch out BC for a different one, and enter the water. Start the descent and her back up reg. sticks open at 10'- surface and switch out. Now I am getting a weird feeling about this dive. We finaly get down and she is having bouyancy problems. Which is weird because it is normally me that has more trouble than her. Ascend and the Bc she is wearing has the same issue that the first one had only much slower. Back on the boat we were kind of worried about this equipent, so the next dive we said take us some where shallow. The next dive was no deeper than 30' luckily. Now the wifes gear was fine and mine had "issues". My console hose decides to start leaking at connection to the console. I drop 800 psi and get it switched out. I catch up with with my wife and dive master and continue. The next day we dive again and not a single equipment issue. But I still wish that I had got my own gear for the trip. It was very fustrating to be screwing around with these problems when I could have been diving. So from here on out any and all life support or costly equipment will be through the local shops(authorized dealers). The only stuff I have now are the basics. Oh yah I bought the Citizen eco drive and it worked better than the other equipment.