Dive Watch Torture Test without Rolex?

[haakon59]

I understand that Watchtime ran an article claiming to be a dive watch comparison torture test. The idea was to test dive watches actual performance. Now I haven't read the article yet myself, but I am taking this on "WIS" authority.

Now they did a bunch of tests relevant to real life diving, I guess. They made sure the watch worked and tested whether it could actually withstand pressure down to the depths marked on the dial, etc. All well and good. What I don't get though is how they could leave Rolex (and Omega) out of the test! The Submariner, Sea Dweller, and Seamaster and Planet Ocean are the most popular and talked about divers in the market right now, so how could they be left off the list?

Some people have speculated that perhaps Rolex and Omega threatened to sue if their products failed or didn't stack up well against the others. Personally, I doubt it. What was Watchtime thinking?

[SPACE-DWELLER]

Originally Posted by haakon59

They made sure the watch worked and tested whether it could actually withstand pressure down to the depths marked on the dial, etc.

Have a look at THIS test!

SD outside Submarine! CLICK!

[Ed Rooney]

Originally Posted by haakon59

I understand that Watchtime ran an article claiming to be a dive watch comparison torture test. The idea was to test dive watches actual performance. Now I haven't read the article yet myself, but I am taking this on "WIS" authority.

Now they did a bunch of tests relevant to real life diving, I guess. They made sure the watch worked and tested whether it could actually withstand pressure down to the depths marked on the dial, etc. All well and good. What I don't get though is how they could leave Rolex (and Omega) out of the test! The Submariner, Sea Dweller, and Seamaster and Planet Ocean are the most popular and talked about divers in the market right now, so how could they be left off the list?

Some people have speculated that perhaps Rolex and Omega threatened to sue if their products failed or didn't stack up well against the others. Personally, I doubt it. What was Watchtime thinking?

I would challenge your statement that the Rolex and Omega models mentioned are the most popular or talked about dive watches on the market. You will be hard pressed to find a more popular dive watch than Seiko, especially since the early 70's. Styling, water-resistance, lume and price....Seiko is tough to beat.

[haakon59]

Originally Posted by Ed Rooney

I would challenge your statement that the Rolex and Omega models mentioned are the most popular or talked about dive watches on the market. You will be hard pressed to find a more popular dive watch than Seiko, especially since the early 70's. Styling, water-resistance, lume and price....Seiko is tough to beat.

I don't have sales figures for Seiko and Omega and Rolex at hand right now, so I can't dispute your point that Seiko is popular and it wasn't my purpose to slight Seiko. My point was merely that I found it strange that two of the most iconic divers of all and which were also early entries to the "dive watch market" and which still have powerful sales today could be left off the list for testing. I didn't mean to imply per se that it was OK for the magazine to exclude Seiko. As far as I am concerned, they could have also included Citizen and Casio as they are popular but I am guessing they wanted to include just mechanical watches and left them off the list for that reason. I have a Seiko diver myself and love it. I was merely making the point questioning the magazine's judgment about leaving Rolex and Omega off the list. Perhaps they should have also included the Blancpain 50 Fathoms, which was the first "diver", but I am guessing they felt it should not be included because it would be too expensive for most divers and wouldn't have enough sales to be included as relevant to today's market. I don't think they would have to include every dive watch in their test to be relevant, but in my judgment, they left out two of the most important brands in this area.

[Letsgodiving]

Maybe it was a budget thing. There are so many dive watches out there that I'm sure many weren't included. Given the reputation of Rolex I doubt they would donate one for this type of test. You could purchase several watches that are relevant to more readers for the price of purchasing a Rolex and Omega. Just a thought.

I agree with you though that it sounds like they left out some of the most iconic dive watches in this test and that is a shame. I'll keep an eye out for this article. Thanks for the heads up.

[JAD3703]

Yep, read the article and found it a bit strange that Rolex, Omega and Seiko were not included. Apparently the watches were donated by the manufacturers (if I am extrapolating correctly from reading between the lines of the article), which might explain why neither Rolex or Omega divers were included. Not sure why Seiko wasn't represented, though.

A couple of the more well-known divers certainly did not fair well, and the article was pretty up front with high-lighting failures, etc. Not a bad read at all, actually.

James

[bwalkerVintage]

One could always scan the article for us if they were inclined.

[Subfiend]

Maybe these brands were left out because they refused to provide free watches for the testing? It's not like they NEED the publicity to be accepted in the dive community.

DEMA, the largest international trade show for the recreational diving industry, is next month. If you go, you would not be able to swing a cat without hitting somebody wearing a Rolex Submariner.