Text from vintage Bulova catalogue ...
This Bulova Oceanographer is brought to you fresh from 666 feet underwater.
Before it leaves the factory, every single Bulova Oceanographer Snorkel is tested under 666 feet of water pressure in our special pressure tank, where it stays “down” a minimum of five minutes.
It goes from the tank straight onto a hotplate for another torture period. If even the least bit of moisture gets in, it shows up as for on the crystal. So in testing the Snorkel’s water resistance, we learn how it stands up to dust and the desert heat as well.
Bulova Oceanographer watches must pass other tests. A drop test for shock. A final check to see if the knocking around has caused it to vary more than 60 seconds in 24 hours. If it has, we go back and start over.
An ordinary watch would never make it through the tests a Bulova Snorkel has to pass before we’ll call it new.