In addition to its beautiful shape and durability, the diving watch is interesting for its rotating bezel. The rotating bezel can also be said to be a signature feature of the diving watch.
Specifically, the rotating bezel of the diving watch serves to remind the diving time. The common rotating bezels are usually marked with scales of 15, 30 and 45, as oxygen bottles for general diving can only hold 30 to 45 minutes of dive time. There are some diving watches with a color or special logo 15 minutes before the rotating bezel, because the diver will strictly follow the 15 minute safety stop when climbing, to do the diving decompression, so when the time is over, you can Going home.
The use of the diving bezel is also very simple. Usually, just rotate the bezel during the dive, align the 0 mark on the rotating bezel with the minute hand, and then watch the minute on the rotating bezel to know the time spent on the dive.
The rotating bezel of the diving watch is reverse-rotating and must only be able to rotate in the opposite direction. Some bezels with two-way rotation on the market are not strictly diving watches. Why do you say that? For example, if the reverse rotation of the bezel is mishandled during diving or because the touch turns the bezel, it is nothing more than reminding you to come out in advance. However, if you wear a two-way rotating bezel watch, a clockwise bezel misoperation during the dive will cause the already started dive countdown to be zero, which is very fatal for the diver. The bi-directional rotating bezel is mainly used to calculate the time, such as calculating the distance between the two buoys, etc., not for diving.
In 1953, Blancpain launched the Fifty-Five Diving Watch, which was also patented on the previous model with a reverse-rotating bezel. At about the same time, Rolex launched the former Rolex submariner type, but the submersible really replaced the reverse rotation bezel after the end of the 1980s Blancpain patent protection period.
As an important part of the diving watch, each brand can be described as a subtle work on the diving bezel, from material to craft. For example, the well-known Rolex "Water Ghost" series, the bezel is made of high-tech ceramic material, because the ceramic has corrosion resistance and scratch resistance and the quality is very light, it has become the standard of modern diving watches. This year, Omega's new marine cosmic rubber and ceramic bezel fusion process and Blancpain's new Fifty Fathom Basthyscaphe bezel are made of ceramic bezel and liquid metal scale fusion process, which is more complicated and more beautiful.
Of course, the reverse rotation of the outer ring is also disadvantageous. After all, it is not integrally formed with the case, but is fixed on the case. The slight gap makes it easy for the watch to be used underwater, and the tiny sand is drilled into the gap between the case and the bezel, causing great damage to the watch.
The appearance of the reverse rotation of the inner ring has eliminated this hidden danger. For example, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Dive Chronograph puts the reverse rotating bezel into the mirror and blends it into the dial. The specially set crown adjusts not only the sediment, but also the rotating waterproof crown. After the crown is locked, the underwater bezel rotation misoperation is avoided, which is safe and reliable.
In addition, there is a case design for rotating the bezel inside and outside. It combines the advantages of rotating the inner ring with the ease of operation of the outer bezel. It is also more convenient to operate, even when wearing diving gloves or when your fingers are cold, you can set the time in minutes. Also for safety reasons, only the counterclockwise rotation is allowed. In this way, even if the bezel is inadvertently misaligned, the time at the zero position can be ensured, that is, the time required for the diver to safely rise to the surface without decompression is not exceeded. (Figure / text watch home Dong Hang)