Bulova Caravelle 'Sports Watch'

[Smiling Dragon]

One of these is available as a 'reward' I can select to spend points on accrued in a loyalty programme.
It's apparantly water resistant to 30m - anyone heard of these? Know if it's actually up for taking on a dive?

[Mark]

Hi,

I would spend your points on something else. If you want a cheap and reliable watch for diving, Casio make some very sturdy digital watches that are 100m rated for about $20.

Cheers,

Mark.

[DIVE BUDDHA]

save ya points mate and get a nice aqau-lung pro dive watch ! rated to 500

metres( not that you would ever get that deep mind lol)

[Horndog]

Check carefully if a watch rated to 30m is ok for diving.

I was bought a Citizen Ecodrive rated to 100m as a gift and the instructions stated that the waranty did not cover it for diving and it was suitable for surface water sports only. Those rated to 50m are generally said to be splash proof!

CITIZENWATCH.com | Welcome to Citizen Watches Online

This gives a detail of the suitability of depth rating and Use.
For Scuba, minimum rating 200m or 20Atm

[Fiona]

Originally Posted by Horndog

Check carefully if a watch rated to 30m is ok for diving.

A watch which claims to have a 30m depth rating isn't suitable in fact it will probably only be suitable to wash up in.

[troc]

General rule of thumb:

30ft (10m): splash and maybe showerproof
30m (100ft): ok for swimming but not really for snorkelling/diving
100m (330ft): Ok for snorkelling but not diving
200m+: ok for diving unless you are doing something deep

Essentially, the depth rating is a static load under ideal conditions. So a watch will reach that depth in a pressurized water bottle....

However in use things are never ideal and the watch will experience dynamic pressure increases (ie when you move your arm underwater) which will exceed the pressure rating in small points on the seal and let water in.


Something like that anyway

[nigelH]

There is all sorts of rubbish talked about testing watches and static and dynamic forces but realistically the only explanation I can see is that watch makers use a different sort of meter to the rest of us.
Anything less than a 200m rating is probably safe to wear in the shower.
Anything more than 200m is probably overpriced for real diving.

I tried a cheap Russian lump that was OK until the day I forgot to wind the winder back into its seals and currently use a Casio G-Shock solar so I never have to take it to bits to change the battery which is usually fatal if you don't send it back for an expensive reseal and test.

A free watch is probably worth what you pay for it.

[Getafix]

It'll be rubbish for diving.

If you want a cheap watch that will stand up to diving, get a Timex Ironman from Argos.... £19.95 and 200m rated.

I've just got my second, not because the watch flooded, but because the strap broke!! That was after 4yrs and 50m+ depths regularly put on it, and it still works. Just don't press the buttons underwater

Alan

[Smiling Dragon]

Cheers all, I'll take your advice and save my points for something else