Intersting read on Rolex Water Resistance Testing
 

For the east coast guys.

Under Pressure: A Look At Rolex Water Resistance Testing — HODINKEE - Wristwatch News, Reviews, & Original Stories

Very cool article. Good to know that my GMT Master II really will hold up even though I will never dive below 50 feet ever again.

I wear a Sea Dweller and I've never had a leak no matter how deep I go in the hot tub! :D

My submariner turns 30 in January and never a leak, even when destroying beaver dams in the ponds.

That's neat, but ... doesn't it seem a little impractical? I mean, the limits of recreational diving are actually pretty shallow, something like 50m. So if you've got a watch that's rated to 100m, then you're giving yourself a 100% safety factor on top of whatever safety factor the engineers designed in.

A watch with a depth rating in excess of 1000m just seems overkill to me. Why is that a worthwhile expenditure of engineering effort? Does anyone ever make use of that kind of depth?

I think most of us appreciate engineering overkill.
How many of Porsche owners have driven their cars at top speed?
I've hit 160, but not limit of 186...yet!

Long story short, I got mine at a great deal because I bought a GMT that day as well for my son's college graduation gift. Sort of like a barn find.

Bragging rights, pride of ownership, call it what you want, other watches wish they had the reputation that Rolex does.

Good Read.

My Timex Indiglo is rated at 50 meters. Back in 1993 it only cost $35.00. I don't know how much it would be worth in today's market. Though I should say, I'm not selling.

Keeps perfect time though even after 19 years. All stainless steel, worn daily and on special occasions. Unfortunately cracking the back to replace the battery on several occasions lost the glo ability.

You know they say it takes a lick'n and keeps on tick'n.

I find it interesting that in certain generations no one wears wrist watches any longer. I guess the mobile phone has replaced that need.

It's one thing handling water pressures, but if used in saltwater, don't you have to keep them rinsed clean?

I don't dive at all and I have two watches rated for over 3k ft. I do sort of wonder what kind of temporary pressue the watch takes when I jump into the pool or hit my wrist with a blast from the garden hose sprayer while washing the car. Certainly, that's a lot more pressure than just shallow swimming or washing my hands.

Have taken my GMT Master down to 210 feet... thats as deep as its ever going to get while on my arm!

It's so when they recover your body after the plane crash or shipwreck, they can give a still working watch to your family as an heirloom.

Sure, good point, but this is orders of magnitude different. I mean, it's like saying that you appreciate the engineering in a 186mph-capable car that you drive at 10mph. :)

I've been diving with my Submariner for years, lots of dives, the deepest was about 115ft for me. Now from reading this thread I guess I'm the only one that's had a failure. :(

I was on a shallow wreck dive in the Tropic Of Cancer, probably no more than 40 feet ever, and I came up and noticed condensation in the dial, thought it was very odd. It of course never dried out and was losing time a few days later.

Sent it to Rolex in NYC in that special wrapped brown package and they found that the stem seal had failed. Guess it was just bad luck, but the case now had rust in it. $650 later it was back to me and has been waterproof ever since.

Man i love timex indiglos. Wore one for decades but it got to where I couldn't read the time without glasses, so now i wear a large dial citizen.
best part about wearing a timex is it makes you feel smart. :)

i once got really sweaty wearing a rolex..and then i wore it in the shower..

that is about the extent of my Rolex "edge"..

I took my indiglo to 175' no issues. It handled the depth much better than I did.

My Breitling Superocean is good for 5000 feet! Helium valve and all. I wear it whenever we're out on or in the lake. But never more than about 10' deep. Kind of like driving a 500hp Cobra to the grocery store. Not really necessary. but still damned cool.