Omega Watches: The Call Of The Sea
July 22, 2016For a watch company whose start came about in a country miles from the nearest coastline, Omega’s passion for the ocean is boundless. Over the years, Omega has played a significant role in ocean exploration and conservation.
Watches Made for Water
At OMEGA, designs are drawn from the deep, not plucked from thin air. The needs of professional divers drives their innovation. They consult first, BEFORE just diving in.
Water Resistance: Unidirectional 60min diving bezel makes it easy for a diver to measure elapsed time, while preventing them from accidentally rotating it the wrong way and miscalculating their dive time. A notable exception to this is the Ploprof, which has a bidirectional bezel but features a security pusher to lock it firmly in place.
Helium Valve: For a divers’ watch to remain water resistant at depth, it must survive crushing pressures. OMEGA tests divers’ watches in water at a minimum depth of 30 bar (300 m/1000 ft) depending on the model. For extra security, they then add 25% more pressure as set by international standards.
Unidirectional Rotating Bezel: When working at great depths, professional divers stay in a diving bell and breathe a mixture of gases containing a high proportion of Helium (He). The escape valve prevents He molecules, which expand during decompression, from popping the crystal face and caseback of the watch.
Luminescence: Underwater, it can go from daylight to dark in an instant, so the different hands on the watch must be clearly distinguishable and the display uncomplicated and easy-to-read. All OMEGA divers’ watches feature a luminescent dot on the bezel to mark the start-time of a dive.
