Diving watches come in a wide range of options nowadays. We have seen mechanical and quartz models, military grade, prototypes, and record breaking watches. The current “standard” specification for a diving watch is to be water resistant up to 100 meters, which is easily accomplished with a screw-down crown and o-rings. Most diving watches work for the standard diver so not many watch brands are working to produce a model that can go further. Aquastar was the first to make a watch, the Benthos 500, that had a depth rating of 500 meters. Since then other watchmakers have been working to go deeper – Rolex, Omega Ploprof, and Seiko Prospex. 

The deeper you dive, the more equipment you need and a lot of the equipment can produce magnetic fields that would interfere with a mechanical watch. Diving watches have changed over time as the technology has advanced and one example is the silicon escapement. The silicon is not affected by magnetism, therefore watchmakers can make diving watches that reach 300 meters without completely changing the watch specs. An exciting newcomer (Mauron Musy) has brought an alternative to the o-ring; they developed a seal, clamp, and compression ring system that replaces the o-ring called the “nO-ring”; completely advancing the diving watch industry.

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