Dive Watches: Longest Water Submersion

[rolexsubdate]

What is the longest continuous time anyone here has submerged their watches in water?
And when you took it out, did any water/mositure creep in?

thanks,

[Colnago]

Well......my introduction to Rolex was by my Dad when I was 8 years old....there was a YG DayDate suspended in the buble stream in a fish tank in the AD in the town where I was brought up......the watch must have been there for at least a couple of years, they probably took it out once in a while (but maybe not) so I reckon that possibly holds the longest submersion claim to fame.....

[Subexplorer]

Hi Rolexsubdate!!

If a watch has its sealing (O ring and gaskets) in good order, (and crown correctly closed) time submerged will have no efect on its waterproofnes.
Pressure is a definitive issue, but again, if seals are ok, and depth reached is within watch rating (and all Rolex exceed human pressure exposure capabilities) there is no danger of flooding the watch.

Dive times for sport divers, vary depending depth reached, from 45 to 35 minutes underwater, plus the time on water surface swiming to the inmersion point, sometimes a few yards from the boat, etc.. This is a normal time exposure I have subjected my watches.

Porfessional divers could be involved in depth dives and saturation dives, which may include long times both underwater, and inside special chambers at depth.
This is another story, but same thing, as long as gaskets are ok, inmersion time in water has no efect.
On saturation dives helium is used for breathing mixes.
Helium gas inside chamber, being a very light gas, has the cappability of entering the watch case.
This is the reason of the special valve in SD and DSSD, which allows helium escape from inside the watch case, when the internal pressure of watch increases, as the chamber/diver is going up to reach shallower depths (and lower pressures) on decompression period at end of dive.

Also, you may stay in a pool for an hour in a hot summer, but all this time will have nothing to do with water or humidity inside the watch, if its seals are ok.
Important thing is to have the watch properly serviced periodicaly.

Hope this explanation helps.
Best cordial regards, Abel

[padi56]

Well there is a SD somewhere just on the north plateau Elphinestone reef Red sea at 43m I lost it around 2000.Thats been underwater quite a few years long stopped now, but but expect still safely sealed from any sea water.

[Subexplorer]

Originally Posted by padi56

Well there is a SD somewhere just on the north plateau Elphinestone reef Red sea at 43m I lost it around 2000.Thats been underwater quite a few years long stopped now, but but expect still safely sealed from any sea water.

Oh my God Padi!!
A rather impresive way of proving that time inmersion makes no harm of waterproof capabilities of a Rolex!!
I regret to hear about this watch loss.
May be some other fortunate diver did found a treasure ideed!
Best cordial regards, Abel.

[Sgt. Henry]

Originally Posted by padi56

Well there is a SD somewhere just on the north plateau Elphinestone reef Red sea at 43m I lost it around 2000.Thats been underwater quite a few years long stopped now, but but expect still safely sealed from any sea water.

That! had to be a Heart-Breaker!

[sergio27]

I was at 80 feet depth for about 40 minutes and about 60 feet depth for about 50 minutes this weekend. I dived with my sea dweller about 4 times so far soon I am going to Keys to do a 140 ft dive so I will post here once I do that in june.

[padi56]

Originally Posted by Sgt. Henry

That! had to be a Heart-Breaker!

Not really it was covered by my diving insurance like all my gear at the time including all camera equipment.But when I got back to thr UK could not locate a new SD, so picked one in Singapore on my next trip far East.

[RRGHOST1]

Couldn't you have tried to retrieve it at 43m or wouldn't it have been worth it. As you say though, why bother if it cost you to find it, if its insured. 43m doesn't seem that deep.

[padi56]

Originally Posted by rolexplorer2

Couldn't you have tried to retrieve it at 43m or wouldn't it have been worth it. As you say though, why bother if it cost you to find it, if its insured. 43m doesn't seem that deep.

Well we did try several searches over a period of two days at the time we were doing a few courses and filming on the reef.But its a big reef with plenty of coral life etc, like looking for a needle in a hay stack and over the edge of reef drops down to 1000m.I lost watch on surface I remember we surfaced just over the reef in open water and me and my buddy were swimming back to the zodiac pick up boat.Now I released most of the buckles on my BC to get it off to get into the zodiac.Next thing I knew was kind Egyptian deckhand tugging and pulling my BC off and before I releashed all the buckles,and was very lucky did not loose my video camera as well.The SD bracelet caught in one of the buckles and the bracelet pin or lug pin must have failed.But no bracelets are designed to have nearly 15 stone hanging from them.But thankfully the pin did fail, I lost a SD to the abyss, watch was replaced but body parts are not so easy..