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Old 18-09-2018, 10:57   #1
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Wristwatches suitable for sailing, celestial navigation, anc scuba diving

Do you wear a wristwatch?



It seems to me that a wristwatch is a good thing. The ideal wristwatch:
  • Water resistant enough to be used while scuba diving
  • Accurate enough (10 seconds a year) for celestial navigation
  • 5 year battery life
  • Case and band resistant to saltwater
  • Sapphire or similar scratch-resistant crystal
  • No more expensive than necessary
I use a dive computer for deeper dives but for most dives a watch is all that is necessary.
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Old 18-09-2018, 11:01   #2
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Re: Wristwatches suitable for sailing, celestial navigation, anc scuba diving

I have a Suunto Sport which I would recommend. It has barometric pressure and a compass. I don't think it meets your specs for time accuracy, though. The batteries seem to last more than 2 years.
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Old 18-09-2018, 11:10   #3
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Re: Wristwatches suitable for sailing, celestial navigation, anc scuba diving

Ironman Triathlon by Timex. ($34.00 - $45.00)

Water resistant to 100 meters

I used to use them for race starts. (and timing long runs)

They are very tough

Now I use my GPS or phone since I'm on a monohull not a beach cat

https://www.target.com/p/men-s-timex...E&gclsrc=aw.ds
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Old 18-09-2018, 11:11   #4
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Re: Wristwatches suitable for sailing, celestial navigation, anc scuba diving

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jammer View Post
Do you wear a wristwatch?



It seems to me that a wristwatch is a good thing. The ideal wristwatch:
  • Water resistant enough to be used while scuba diving
  • Accurate enough (10 seconds a year) for celestial navigation
  • 5 year battery life
  • Case and band resistant to saltwater
  • Sapphire or similar scratch-resistant crystal
  • No more expensive than necessary
I use a dive computer for deeper dives but for most dives a watch is all that is necessary.
Leisure Pro.
https://www.leisurepro.com/l/Bags-Ap...hredirect=true

I have a cheap dive watch, less than $100 on clearance. Good to 300 feet. No frills. It is going on six years.

Leisure Pro is a great source, particularly approaching Christmas, as they begin to offer impressive specials. Get on their mailing list.

I wore Ironman for years but couldn’t keep it on my arm. The band kept pulling off.
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Old 18-09-2018, 11:13   #5
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Re: Wristwatches suitable for sailing, celestial navigation, anc scuba diving

Casio G-Shock. Daily "atomic" updates.

-Chris
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Old 18-09-2018, 11:15   #6
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Re: Wristwatches suitable for sailing, celestial navigation, anc scuba diving

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jammer View Post

It seems to me that a wristwatch is a good thing.
Why???

I've haven't worn a watch in over 25+ years. I work for a living and have commitments, and yet I seem to live fine without one.

I have a clock on the boat but I can usually guess time within around 20 minutes. A skill honed from, more than likely, not wearing a watch.

Like before there was GPS in cars, people paid more attention to landmarks and driving.
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Old 18-09-2018, 11:21   #7
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Re: Wristwatches suitable for sailing, celestial navigation, anc scuba diving

Timex Expedition. Not a nautical or dive watch, but it is sufficiently waterproof to swim with. Big numbers, a couple of basic timers, an alarm. And cheap.
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Old 18-09-2018, 11:26   #8
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Wristwatches suitable for sailing, celestial navigation, anc scuba diving

Wrist watches are jewelry now, nothing wrong with that, just they aren’t useful devices anymore.
I still have my Luminox Dive watch, but haven’t worn it in years.
Plus you can’t get a decent dive watch without spending more bucks than a good Dive computer. None are waterproof, they are water resistant.
The difference is when they fill with water and you send in that 30 day old watch for repair, you pay the bill for the entire replacement that often costs more than You paid for the watch.
I know, I’ve been there.

Dive computers, most are junk or fancy toys etc.
If you want a Dive computer look real hard at a Shearwater, especially if you Dive mixed gasses, and this software
https://www.hhssoftware.com/v-planner/

First Dive of the day, you really can’t get into trouble with a single 80, it’s just not enough gas.
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Old 18-09-2018, 11:36   #9
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Re: Wristwatches suitable for sailing, celestial navigation, anc scuba diving

Quote:
Originally Posted by a64pilot View Post
you can’t get a decent dive watch without spending more bucks than a good Dive computer. None are waterproof, they are water resistant.
The difference is when they fill with water and you send in that 30 day old watch for repair, you pay the bill for the entire replacement that often costs more than You paid for the watch.
I know, I’ve been there.

I haven't had any of my "water resistant" watches leak... but I haven't scuba-dived in years, just some snorkelling to maybe 20 ft. tops. And they've all kept correct time within a few seconds a year. Not that I'm swinging a sextant in earnest.



With regards to the subject "sailing, celestial navigation, and scuba diving" ... two outta three ain't bad.
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Old 18-09-2018, 12:29   #10
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Re: Wristwatches suitable for sailing, celestial navigation, anc scuba diving

"Water resistant enough to be used while scuba diving
Accurate enough (10 seconds a year) for celestial navigation"

I think that means "Ain't gonna happen."
Diving watches typically must be rated to 200 meters or greater. Yes, that's well beyond recreational diving but as Timex once said to me, and Casio said again, "You can't press the buttons or exert any pressure on the o-rings or you'll exceed the G forces for that depth rating" so they watches rated for 100' or 100 meters, are just for snorkeling.

Second problem, 10 seconds per year is unreasonable accuracy. Most will hold ten seconds per MONTH, but you'll find even a number of rather expensive watches are only *guaranteed* to 20 seconds per month.

Which puts you into the "GPS time setting" so it can reset every night. Which also puts you into the kinetic or solar power, because no GPS watch can get five years out of a battery.

So now you need a GPS dive watch (are there any?) with solar or kinetic power. Or, you'll need to compromise on one of the many watches with just 100m water resistance, perfectly good on a boat, and once a month you just need to set the watch if you're planning to use it for critical timing.

I had a watch that was consistently 30 seconds a month slow. That was no problem, because it was consistent. I just had to note the number of days since it was last hacked, and compensate my "time zone" for that. Which is actually pretty common if you're not using electronic time sources.

There's something ironic about using a GPS to determine just the time, when you're doing celestial.(G)
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Old 18-09-2018, 13:04   #11
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Re: Wristwatches suitable for sailing, celestial navigation, anc scuba diving

As some of the other posts have implied, I think two separate watches are the way to go.

For day to day sailing and celestial work, atomic/gps watches are hard to beat for time accuracy. I wear a Casio G shock that syncs nightly to within one second and, being solar powered, should last for many years without maintenance. Citizen is another brand with solar/atomic options. GPS watches (Suunto/Garmin mostly) have incredible time accuracy and functionality but must be charged every couple days. I have had issues with the reliability of sub-$250 gps watches. Also defeats the purpose of celestial navigation if the GPS coordinates are right on your wrist...

For diving, you’ll want something with at least a 20bar rating. Most atomic watches are 10bar and many GPS watches are even less (5bar). Buy a separate diving watch and sync it with your accurate daily watch
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Old 18-09-2018, 13:07   #12
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Re: Wristwatches suitable for sailing, celestial navigation, anc scuba diving

Years ago, before quartz watches, Rolex, Omega etc. were all the rage. The problem I witnessed was the metal straps, such as on the diving watches with the safety clasp, were only held to the watch with those small spring loaded pins. I saw 2 of these watches go overboard when they caught on something. I prefer the watches with the molded in strap. Expensive isn't always the answer.
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Old 18-09-2018, 13:13   #13
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Re: Wristwatches suitable for sailing, celestial navigation, anc scuba diving

I'll probably get blown up for this, but the Garmin Quatix 5 and Apple Watch both allow control of your autopilot which can be a real safety/convenience feature when you're single-handed. Tap to tack while you're working the sheets. Pretty sure with the Apple Watch you can also set anchor alarms.

Not saying they're for everyone, but that's a pretty powerful set of features to have on your wrist.
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Old 18-09-2018, 13:31   #14
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Re: Wristwatches suitable for sailing, celestial navigation, anc scuba diving

The "atomic" watches, that really just reset when they get the WWV time signal, were a marvelous invention. Sadly there are many areas where the WWV signal just doesn't get through, and there's active discussion over shutting down some or all of the WWV broadcasts now since "GPS makes it obsolete".

Unless there's a clear and firm future for whichever WWV service the watches use, I'd just consider them to be worth the same as a plain Casio, i.e. maybe 30 seconds a month. (Some of the better digital watches can be adjusted for rate, but the vast majority are simply not adjustable.)
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Old 18-09-2018, 13:32   #15
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Re: Wristwatches suitable for sailing, celestial navigation, anc scuba diving

Quote:
Originally Posted by a64pilot View Post
Wrist watches are jewelry now, nothing wrong with that, just they aren’t useful devices anymore.

Sometimes I don't carry my phone.



Quote:


If you want a Dive computer look real hard at a Shearwater, especially if you Dive mixed gasses, and this software
https://www.hhssoftware.com/v-planner/

First Dive of the day, you really can’t get into trouble with a single 80, it’s just not enough gas.

The Shearwaters are highly regarded, but are too large to use as a "watch" when not diving. They are also expensive. I don't dive trimix, so I have an Oceanic Geo that meets my needs.


Quote:
Originally Posted by hellosailor View Post
"Water resistant enough to be used while scuba diving
Accurate enough (10 seconds a year) for celestial navigation"

I think that means "Ain't gonna happen."
Diving watches typically must be rated to 200 meters or greater. Yes, that's well beyond recreational diving but as Timex once said to me, and Casio said again, "You can't press the buttons or exert any pressure on the o-rings or you'll exceed the G forces for that depth rating" so they watches rated for 100' or 100 meters, are just for snorkeling.

Second problem, 10 seconds per year is unreasonable accuracy. Most will hold ten seconds per MONTH, but you'll find even a number of rather expensive watches are only *guaranteed* to 20 seconds per month.

Which puts you into the "GPS time setting" so it can reset every night. Which also puts you into the kinetic or solar power, because no GPS watch can get five years out of a battery.

So now you need a GPS dive watch (are there any?) with solar or kinetic power. Or, you'll need to compromise on one of the many watches with just 100m water resistance, perfectly good on a boat, and once a month you just need to set the watch if you're planning to use it for critical timing.

Here's a watch for around $400 that is water resistant to 300m and purportedly has a 10 second per year accuracy. The watch forums indicate that while many of them are that accurate, some are not; the manufacturer is honoring the warranty for people who send back ones that do not meet expectations.



https://www.jomashop.com/certina-wat...11-051-00.html


There are other examples.
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