Function of a watch / Watch recommendation

[PfcAJ]

I use a watch so I know what timeI have to be out of the water so I don't miss dinner.

Missing dinner is a critical Type 1 Dive Error, and is completely unacceptable.

 

[Tigerman]

There's a difference between a Bottom Timer Dive Watch and a depth rated basic chronograph watch (like the Rolex, Omega, or the cheap Casio) --are you sure you know what you want?

Why not purchase something that will show your depth --obviously very important when holding a particular MOD for a particular deco gas mix-- as well as a running elapsed time with a zero resettable stopwatch/minute:sec counter?

Albeit not doing tech diving, I find that I would definetly want at a minimum both time and depth to be shown on my dive watch. My computer have crashed on a dive and if it wherent for the fact that I do have a watch with a rotating bezel (which I did set when submerging) and a depth gauge on it, the safe thing would have been to abort the dive. Having both depth and time and the understanding of the tables meant I could keep diving the current and two more dives before getting the computer fixed at the end of the day.

 

[DevonDiver]

I like to keep my watch on for technical dives (in addition to bottom timers/computers). Far too few bottom timers/computers give the time in seconds. I like to measure in seconds. I'm pedantic.

 

[Dr. Lecter]

Thanks for the reply. I'm actually already using an analog watch with a uni-directional bezel to log dive time. When I use this watch to time safety stops, I have to keep an eye on depth on the depth gauge on my right hand, and second hand on my watch on my left hand.

It's happened more than once that I forgot when I started timing. I resorted to using the bezel to record the starting time of the stops, but then I'll lose the starting dive time.

This is the reason I was thinking of getting a cheap Casio or something similar with a stopwatch or countdown function.

Once you've started your ascent, I think you could make note of the runtime (whether on a slate or just mentally) and use the bezel for timing your stops. Alternatively, leave the bezel where you set it and just stop thinking in seconds--no deco theory is that precise--and just make note of the next minute and compute your stop from there: arrive at 70' at 9 minutes and 36 seconds past the hour, for a 12 minute stop, means you're leaving at 22 after.

Why not put the depth gage on the left arm, next to your timer?

 

[PfcAJ]

Gauge is on the right arm so you can see your depth while adjusting your buoyancy with your left hand.

 

[Dr. Lecter]

Which would be fine if it wasn't throwing off his ability to remember his stops. Guess he needs to either find a better way to mark time, or consider moving the watch to the right hand.

 

[WhiteSands]

For tech diving a watch is used to keep you on schedule during tech dives. You typically bring 2 devices capable of keeping time.

A tech diver would not find the "countdown" feature as useful as a rec diver where computers give you a 3 minute countdown for your safety stop. Tech divers have multiple stops for different amounts of time depending on the depth, bottom time, gases used for deco.

A tech diver primarily wants to know the elapsed time - that is what is used to know when to move to the next stop. Each deco stop can be different times and it would get annoying having to reset the "countdown" feature for each stop. I could see using a stopwatch to time the stop but personally I just use elapsed time.

Thanks for the excellent clarification!

 

[corvettejoe]

You use it simply for a timing device.

If you computer fails, you SHOULD have your deco schedule written down, and can still follow it using your watch.

For recreational diving, I've been rocking a Pulsar chronograph $60 watch forever. It's all beat up but still looks good. It's my go-to dive and adventuring watch.
Lately it's been replaced by an older Citizen Aqualand watch, which has a depth gauge and ability to log the dive profile.

For technical dives, I just bring two computers. If one fails, the dive is over. If both fail on the same dive...it's just a really bad day.


It's also a status symbol on the boats Bling bling and all that.

 

[carltona]

Redundancy seems to be the bottom line that I'm seeing here. Primary device, your computer, should be suitable for the dives you're doing. Deco times, gas mixes etc. What's your backup plan should that fail? 2nd computer? Maybe, if that's what you determine to be suitable as your backup. And if that fails too?
You need to always ask yourself the "what if" questions. Before the dive, and during the dive. What if I have to switch to my pony right now, am I ready? What if my computer fails right now, what would I do right now? What if my watch stops? Run the thought exercises. The Boy Scout motto is " be prepared". You can't be prepared if you don't think ahead.


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[Tigerman]

Redundancy seems to be the bottom line that I'm seeing here. Primary device, your computer, should be suitable for the dives you're doing. Deco times, gas mixes etc. What's your backup plan should that fail? 2nd computer? Maybe, if that's what you determine to be suitable as your backup. And if that fails too?
...

No offense, but at one point you need to consider your redundancy "good enough" or you'll just stack up on silly ammounts of gear..
I mean, what if the primary computer fail? and the backup? and the backup to the backup? and the backup to the backup to the backup?
See where thats headed? You'll always have a possible point of failure so when is good enough?