It might come as a shock to most… well, not really. But, yeah, most watches are not waterproof at all. You should totally remove them before swimming, bathing, or even showering.
Most electronic watches available out there that feature digital displays will not work underwater. See, this is because the water pressure is able to get in, and it will block the electric pulse from the battery. This pulse's what goes towards the display, allowing it to, well, display the time of the day!
On the other hand, watches that rely on manual winding to power them need you to wind them regularly to keep accurate time when in use. Yet, albeit clearly more resistant to the wicked effects water has on them, they also do have their limitations when it comes to it.
A winding watch worn while diving, for example, requires periodical winding by rotating the winding crown several times between dives. This function is not automatic, and there is no device in place for keeping it wound during and in between dives.
Why Waterproof Watches for Men?
The waterproofing assembling of a wristwatch refers to its ability to resist water seeping into it. Meaning, when the wearer finds themselves immersed in water or exposes the timepiece to water for a while, it will keep working. At least, as long the submersion of it keeps at the resistance level they made the watch for. When it comes to regular watches, water running between its parts might pose a problem for its continuous functioning.
The point of making a watch waterproof is to keep it dried up and, thus, up and running. This, in turn, gives the wearer the chance to still keep track of time even when submerged in a lot of H2O.
As you can tell by the number of waterproof watches for men and women out there: some people that require to make use of watches tend to be in contact with water. Quite a lot. Sometimes voluntarily.
Waterproof Watches for Men. Which Men Exactly Need Them the Most?
Take male divers again, for example, the quintessential wearers of waterproof watches for men. Most divers carry at least two watches on them; one will monitor their dive time and/or decompression session. The other has a more ordinary use which you are likely familiar with.
Timing devices are necessary for them to properly set up their decompressions stops and monitor ascent rates. Thus, having a dive watch is useful in determining the diver's status during a dive. And yes, the dive watch better be waterproof.
What Makes Good Waterproof Watches for Men
For them to be great waterproof watches, the watch in question should be resistant to at least 10 ATM, the measure for atmospheric pressure. That would be more than enough for many uses, even scuba diving.
If we are talking about a mechanical watch, it may fail if its face remains wet long enough for the oil in the works to begin to soften. On the other hand, most quartz and digital watches will continue to work even when submerged in water. This is because they actually have no moving parts susceptible to jamming by the water. Their buttons or controls, however, might jam when finding themselves pressed underwater.
Types Of Waterproof Watches
We can rank how much 'waterproof' a waterproof watch is in three different categories
- 30 meters waterproof.
- 50 meters waterproof.
- 100 meters waterproof.
Don't let the apparently self-explanatory names deceive you, though. It is not like a 30 meters waterproof watch indeed withstands pressures up until 30 meters underwater.
See the 'x meters underwater' description; it's a commercial description to market the 'x ATM/ x meters' unit of measurement. This is the actual unit used to measure how much waterproof a device like a watch can be.
The ATM unit, for its part, stands for 'standard atmosphere,' which is a unit for measuring pressure. Planet Earth itself and everything in it is subject to gravitational forces of the atmosphere, even when not underwater. As such, even at sea level, we find ourselves subjected to around 1 ATM of pressure.
That, in turn, would be the same pressure exerted by the weight of a column of water of approximately 10.3 meters. Therefore, we and our handy wristwatches are already under a certain amount of pressure without even yet entering contact with water. Thus, different types of waterproof watches for men can only withstand so much additional atmospheric pressure. The three different categories end up looking like this:
- 3 ATM / 30 meters waterproof.
- 5 ATM / 50 meters waterproof.
- 10 ATM / 10 meters waterproof.
Here's just how much each would withstand before their waterproofing starts to falter:
3 ATM / 30 Meters Waterproof Watches
These ones are the most suitable for daily use. You can wash your hands and even manually do the laundry wearing one of these without issue. This is the level of resistance most waterproof watches have. It guarantees their continual operation after unexpected skirmishes with water such as rain or someone unloading a water gun on you and expecting it to be funny.
5 ATM / 50 Meters Waterproof Watches
If you are thinking of going for a swim at the pool or are keen on keeping tabs on the time of day while showering for whatever reason, this is the one for you. Amateur swimmers would have no issue when going at it wearing this watch. However, professional watersport athletes might prefer the following.
10 ATM / 100 Meters Waterproof Watches, The Professional Kind
This is the water-resistant mark that belongs to high-end models catering to professional watersport athletes and serious aficionados. Shallow divers and pretty much every other watersport which require entering a body of water which depths passes the 6 feet mark. For deep divers, there are even 20 ATM / 200 meters waterproof watches.
Out of All the Waterproof Watches for Men Which One to Choose?
It goes without saying that out of the three categories, you should choose the one with the depth most accommodating to you.
If you are into the professional end of watersports, then there is no reason for which not to choose the 100m option at the very least. If you only care for it to not stop working at the slightest stream of water falling its way, then go for the 30 meters. Stuck in the middle? Then it's the 50 meters option for you.
Also, why not choose the one that, on top of having the right amount of depth resistance, had a design that matches your style as well?
The Waterproof Watches for Men from Megalith Watches
We make no secret at all that, at Megalith, we put some serious emphasis on providing the most stylish timepieces at affordable prices.
This remains true for all of our waterproof models, of course, which include both 30 meters and 100 meters resistance models. At whichever depth you need them, Megalith watches make sure that it both works and looks good when you find yourself under the waves. Every minute counts, stand out, stand strong, even when standing underwater, with Megalith.