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have you ever worn a real watch ... underwater (MC diving chrono goes deep) part1
A while ago, when I attended a nice event at the JLC boutique in Dubai mall, I could discuss about diver's watches with the president of the company.
I got the occasion throw a friendly technical challenge to the brand: to test a diver's chronograph (Master Compressor Diving Chrono) in real diving conditions.
Some may wonder: why a diving chronograph. Simply beause nowadays,the diving chronograph is one of the rare (if not the only) complication
that is useful to go along the diving computer that every diver has on his wrist today. The good old diver's watch and the diving deco tables are surely from the past when it comes to our safety underwater.
There is a twist. The large majority of mechanical chronographs water resitant to 100m or more equipped with a unidirectional bezel have screwed down pushers and crown, and, even when the pushers are not screwed the brand indicates in its manual " do not operate the pushers underwater". In summary, you buy a diving chrono and the brand in its manual tell you not to use it underwater?!
(here is the manual of the MAster compressor Diving chrono)
This manual also contains a strange note, warning the owner that he can dive from the edge but cannot dive from a boat??
Evidently, this manual describes several sport watches with various rating of water tightness. THis may explain this note.
However, in the case of the Master Compressor, they are equipped with a patented system: the compression keys for the crown and the pushers. 3 orings for the pushers and 4 for the crown (if my info is correct).
The president of Jaeger-Lecoultre, after thinking half a second, decided to commit to the challenge, and told me he would be happy to help me perform the test of a master compressor diving chrono in realisic diving conditions.
Thanks to the help from the management team of Jaeger Lecoultre, I could set an appointment to borrow a Master Compressor Diving Chrono from the recently inaugurated boutique JLC in Cannes in the south of France. I would do the test in july during my vacation.
I will do a specific post about the boutiques JLC of Cannes.It has a rather small entrance, but has the entire first floor full of horological marvels.
The attention and the service I received at the boutique when collecting the watch was well above my expectations.
I felt at home very quickly in this place.
the watch I will use for the test is a master Diving Compressor Chrono, titanium case and bezel, 44mm, on a thick nylon strap with velcro. as soon as you unlock the compression keys to start and stop the chrono, the pushers let you feel that the mechanics is of high quality: start/stop is soft and precise, reset is firm but not too much.
The dial is "busy", lots of indication including a tachymetric scale.
The indications of the chronograph are with numbers every 2minutes on he minute dial of the chrono, and every hour for the hours. It is a lot of numbers!
The indexes and hands are very easy to read. The small second is in the shape of a semi-circle and requires some time to get used to. But, in another hand, I don't really expect the watch to stop inadvertently.
On the wrist, at surface, the strap is VERY sporty and very comfortable, but most likely still less comfortable than other straps available for this model.
The velcro is very strong,and, a system of a metal square ring with a metallic rectangular "stop piece"at the end of the strap prevent the watch to leave the wrist even if the velcro was accidentally opened.
A nylon "ring" on the stap perfects the system, which cannot be released accidentally, as far asI can see.
I was really impressed by the quality of this strap: high quality, full confidence!
Obvisouly, this was very important for me, planning to dive with an expensive watch, and, on top of it, borrowed from a JLC boutique and that I have to return in "as good as new" condition after the test dive.
I will make an extra protection in form of a sleeve made of neoprene material (used for wetsuits) to protect the watch 100% when going in the water and coming back onboard after the dive.
The objective is clear: no scratch on the watch
When I came out of the boutique,I felt proud but also a bit scared. Now the ball was on my side. I had to perform the test and things had to work. The technical drawing of the red o-rings was jumping in front of y eyes. It should work,and It will.
have you ever worn a real watch ... underwater (MC diving chrono goes deep) part1
