The current world record for scuba diving is 342 metres or 1012 feet. There are at least 15 watch brands that go Kraken deep (1000 metres plus) according to worn and wound. Seems to be a big time pissing contest... Even The Omega Planet Ocean Deep Black goes down to 600 metres...Why exactly ? So when you snag it underwater and watch it glide down to the inky depths you can rest assured it'll keep going?

 

These 1000m watches go back to the 1960s, and I have a few (e.g. Jenny Caribbean, Sandoz Typhoon, etc.). You're right that it was (and is) primarily a marketing tool to show how well-made the watches were. Not really necessary, but more relevant than a watch with 100 jewels.

 

Horological equivalent of :

 

This type of marketing reminds me of what my realtor once said “granite countertops; hardly anyone needs them, but everyone wants’em)
I say this as I wear my divers watch in the subterranean depths of basement

 

Deep sat divers work down to about 2,000 feet. There are multiple reasons for an He valve and multiple reasons why a dive bezel makes the least sense. Currently the way deep sat diving works a gmt with an He makes the most sense.

 

...Sense.



There is that word again!

 

There ya go, fixed it to make it watch industry appropriate.

 

Should not say it, but does the speedmaster fall into this category?....I could have used to time how long it took my kid to take out the trash after I politely asked, but there probably is not a pusher for "in a minute".
I've decide not to ask, I'm gonna get out the speedmaster and time some stuff later today. Next watches on the radar are dive watches or chronos

 

My number one use of the speedy chronometer is timing my oldest daughters "time outs" or as well call it the quiet corner.

 

Just don't do it 300 meters deep.

 

I bought a Speedmaster years ago precisely because it could be used as a tool for my work in commercial TV production, very handy for timing takes and solved my total inability to remember the stopwatch.
It is still relevant in this phone timer age as the Speedmaster simply does not run out of juice when the nearest free power point is ten kilometres away with four hours of filming to go.
However that does not mean I really need or have genuine use for the other 12 or so chronographs I now seem to own....

 

Short answer.....because they can.

 

Since I was looking at the dive watches
These two are pretty interesting and they combine the modern and vintage look. Was looking at blue, now I am drawn to these fine specimens

 

They're the AR-15's of dive watches but nobody gets hurt.

 

Well, there might be a few people that actually need it. Doesn’t mean the rest of us won’t want it because we don’t need it.

 

I dunno... one of these in the wrong hands...

 

You're right, I'd hate to meet up with that in a dark alley... unless I was wearing this

 

So how does it work? Why a GMT?

 

Don’t we all have “stuff” we don’t need
I don’t need a dive watch but I will end up with a new one/gently used sooner or later

 

Why do Lamborghini,s exist !

People still use dive watches, I don't always use a dive computer if it's a short dive.






Mate I fish with is a professional diver and runs a company with a heap of divers that still dive crazy depths for gas and oil rig work, large vessel surveys etc. he had a call out a few weeks ago and he made a months wage removing a rope from a propeller the size of a 2 story house which saved the vessel millions.