You’ve probably heard the terms “water-proof” and “water-resistance” thrown around quite a bit in the watch community. We wanted to clarify on both terms.
On the back of a watch, you may notice the term “water-resistant” quite a bit. It will often be inscribed in the watch case “water-resistant to 200m.” This means that your watch will be fine in water up to 200m deep, meaning it will resist water from entering the watch case up to that limit. Anything deeper than 200m may lead to water penetrating the valves and safety gaskets of the watch case. “Waterproof” infers that the watch is impervious to water, meaning water can’t penetrate the watch case or leak inside. This term is not a good adjective for a wristwatch. A watch is vulnerable in the water and needs to be regularly checked to ensure that its gaskets and seals are functioning properly. Even so, there may be limits on how deep your watch can function without water entering the case. Manufacturers utilize the term “water-resistance” to note this vulnerability.
Watch manufacturers and engineers know that as you descend depths below the surface, pressure builds inside the watch case, as well as helium gases. This can be dangerous to your watch because the pressure can blow out the watch crystal. Some OMEGA Seamaster 300M models are equipped with a helium escape valve to help divers release helium gas molecules from the watch, to keep this from happening. Another example of manufacturer engineering to help repel water is the Rolex Submariner’s crown. The Rolex Submariner is 1,000 feet or 300m water-resistant and has an O-ring on the crown, allowing for a super tight screw-in crown. Thus, the Rolex Submariner does not need to have a helium escape valve because of its sophisticated, super-tight, screw-in crown, which resembles a submarine-type hatch.
To ensure that your watch remain properly water-resistant, we recommend following your watch manufacturer’s instructions/recommendations on servicing. This will give you better peace of mind before you embark on your next swim or dive.
WristClean also recommends using its superior watch care product line to properly care for the exterior of your watch. Watch Spray is a formula designed to safely and gently clean your watch of body oils/salts and environmental impurities. This cleaner is a better alternative to soap and will help you keep your watch clean. For more information, please visit http://www.wristclean.com.