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  1. ChuckMK23 divorced caveman / modern sugar daddy Jun 16, 2016

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    Is it all really nonsense? It's just simply another screw down crown/valve to a hole in the watch case right? Is it really purely ornamental and zero practical use? It seems so...
     
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  2. ahsposo Most fun screen name at ΩF Jun 16, 2016

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  3. Spy You know my name. Jun 16, 2016

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    If you dive deep enough and spend much time under, you need to hang out in a diving bell. That is when the HEV actually needs to function. It is for saturation divers. 99.5% of us do not need it. On SMP's and PO's the watch is still waterproof to 50 meters if left unsecure. Best to not unscrew it since most of us consider decompression relaxing on a couch with an alcoholic beverage.
     
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  4. ChuckMK23 divorced caveman / modern sugar daddy Jun 16, 2016

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    Ha - my point is clearly this thread is tongue and cheek hi-jinx :) And the thread is hilarious.

    My question is truly - are these valves simply ornamental - in all seriousness. I believe they are and just wanted confirmation.
     
  5. Spy You know my name. Jun 16, 2016

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    Somehow I forgot to include that when decompressing in a diving bell, gas is being releases from your blood because if you ascend without decompression you get the bends; air bubbles in you blood veins. Ouch!

    The crystal on your SMP or PO could pop off because of the pressure being released. Therefore the HEV is a sort of back door for the helium gas to exit safely.


    I have read that unscrewing the crown will achieve the same results but the HEV does it more efficiently and quickly. Kind of like taking off the caseback to adjust the time when using the crown will do the trick better.
     
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  6. Foo2rama Keeps his worms in a ball instead of a can. Jun 16, 2016

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    Ohh the arguments. Such as a diving bezel on a deep sat watch is not needed... But makes a screwed up sense for diving chrono.

    Then the fact that anyone in a position to need an HE valve would not even be wearing a watch... If they where a GMT Chrono would make the most sense.
     
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  7. drainaps Jun 16, 2016

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    All has been said, it's a useless gizmo.

    1) If you're really into saturation diving, you'll have a dive computer attached to your wrist while in the water. You might have a second dive computer as a backup on your other wrist, not a mechanical watch. As said above, if you still insisted on a mechanical watch as a backup, a chronometer would make far more sense.

    2) Ok, now you're back to the diving bell after your diving. Actually, you might want to wear a mechanical watch after your day's diving while you rest . There a watch with a helium valve might make sense, as you're breathing a pressurized gas mixture that contains helium, to avoid decompression after your work in the water.

    Actually, the valve is not needed while in the water (there's no helium in water) but when the diver is breathing the same gas mixture in the diving bell. The diving bell has a pressurized atmosphere that contains helium that's also surrounding the watch. That's when helium (a far smaller molecule than nitrogen, or water) entered the watch case in the old days. It could squeeze itself through joints and screws where nitrogen or water were too big to pass.

    So, in conclusion, how many saturation divers in the mechanical watch community? 0.01% at most? How many would want to use a mechanical watch? Probably not all of them?

    The gadget is useless for the remaining 99.99% of us.

    By the way, Seiko already rendered obsolete the need for a helium valve in a watch case as far back as 1968 with heir monocoque cases for the 6159 watches, but for sure watch marketing departments kept it, as it's easier to tell a compelling story about a watch with one more gadget than without it.
     
    Edited Jun 16, 2016
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  8. Spy You know my name. Jun 16, 2016

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    ^
    The original Ploprof was so secure it negated a HEV too. Too bad OMEGA did not make the Ploprof reissue the same.
     
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  9. Kazyole Jun 16, 2016

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    As others have said, they used to be important for a very small population of professional divers who do saturation dives.

    They have really no use or purpose to recreational divers, and any professional diver who works in an environment where a helium release valve would be useful is now using a dive computer instead. Some might wear a mechanical watch as a backup in the event of both of their dive computers failing (a lot of serious recreational divers will have a backup computer, so I'd imagine professionals do the same), but even at the recreational level, dive watches are pretty superfluous at this point.

    Doesn't mean they're not cool though ;)
     
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  10. JimInOz Melbourne Australia Jun 16, 2016

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    About their only useful purpose is assisting in identifying replica/fake/counterfeit SMPs, most fakes had the valve directly aligned at 10, not closer to the lug like the real item, although the fakers are even getting that right now so I hear.
     
  11. ulackfocus Jun 16, 2016

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    The HEV does have a practical purpose - you can tell naive women in bars that it's necessary for your deep dives. Only astronauts, pilots, and firemen get more macho points than saturation divers. Of course, you're totally lying your ass off to try to pick up these women, but they won't find out 'til later if ever at all.
     
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  12. JimInOz Melbourne Australia Jun 16, 2016

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    (apologies to @Mad Dog and all other fantastic rotorheads).
     
    Edited Jun 17, 2016
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  13. STANDY schizophrenic pizza orderer and watch collector Jun 17, 2016

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    1000m dive watch and no HE crown needed


    image.jpeg
    image.jpeg
    image.jpeg image.jpeg
     
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  14. STANDY schizophrenic pizza orderer and watch collector Jun 17, 2016

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  15. Archer Omega Qualified Watchmaker Jun 17, 2016

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    Well first, taking the case back off a watch does nothing to access what's needed to set the hands to a different time, so that analogy doesn't really fit. But I get your point anyway. :)

    But for the crown allowing the escape of helium, this would depend very much on the condition of the seals in the crown and the condition of the case tube. Omega screw down crowns still seal, even when not screwed down. For example, this is a 22545000 that came in recently - ironically (given the subject of this thread) for a leaked HEV and condensation inside...

    [​IMG]

    Movement was serviced, case back seal, HEV, case tube, and crown were all replaced, and above the watch has the crown fully unscrewed to the winding position. Note that when you unscrew the crown and have it in any of the 3 positions for winding, quick date setting, or hand setting, the seal inside the crown is still in contact with the OD of the case tube. With the crown unscrewed it goes to the dry pressure testing machine - since I did this for another post on another forum, I only used a program with a -0.4 bar vacuum, and a +3 bar pressure:

    [​IMG]

    Watch passed these tests, so you could take this swimming in a pool and not have a leak:

    [​IMG]

    If I get time I'll see if I can test it at a higher vacuum, which would be the relevant test here, and see what happens. But I would not count on the crown letting the pressure out...hence the HEV.

    I do agree that so few people would ever use this, it's pretty much a useless thing for most.

    Cheers, Al
     
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  16. Stgo2019 Jun 17, 2016

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    I would love to see something that could replace the He valve. Something that would screw into its place and be flush with the case. That would be awesome!
    It would no doubt void the warrantee, but if you're already out of warrantee, who cares..
     
  17. al128 unsolicited co-moderation giverer Jun 17, 2016

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    My take:

    They are the equivalent of fake-aluminum skid-plates of your neighbours Hyundai Tucson .

    They don't do Shit for the vast majority. ...they are just there for SHOW

    extra kudos if the valve is gold like on the big-daddy-dark side of the PO
     
    Edited Jun 17, 2016
  18. drainaps Jun 17, 2016

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  19. Foo2rama Keeps his worms in a ball instead of a can. Jun 17, 2016

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    He said crown not valve ;)
     
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  20. al128 unsolicited co-moderation giverer Jun 18, 2016

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    that is the bellybutton :D