Water Resistance Mark

What do water resistance markings on watches mean and how to read them correctly?

Are watches water resistant?

Summer has arrived, with sea, pool parties, and plenty of water, and you want to know if your watch will stand up to the task?

A few tips on water and watches: what is water resistance? What does the depth stamped on the back of the watch mean, and is it accurate?

Let's not get confused, watches and water are not meant to be together for too long. A watch is an expensive, tiny object containing a delicate mechanism that works best when dry. To immerse a watch in water, a durable and sealed case must be built around the mechanism to prevent water from entering it.

Where can water penetrate a watch? From the connections of the case parts, the crown, the pushers, the back cover, and also from the front crystal connections. To prevent water ingress, rubber gaskets are used as barriers at the connections.

So how do we know how water-resistant our watch is?

Water-resistant watches usually have a "water resistant" or "waterproof" marking with some measure, in meters (M) or in pressure (BAR / ATM), reflecting a certain depth or pressure for which they were tested.

There are two main standards that address water resistance:

ISO2281 - for standard water resistance

ISO6425 - for diving watches

However, if you're with friends at the pool, enjoying yourselves and wanting to go for a short swim or dip, you're not going to read standards and resistance levels according to the international standards organization. Here's a brief guide to what each marking means.

Water resistant is a mark stamped on the back of watches to indicate how sealed the watch is against water ingress, using pressure units such as:

* Pressure / Bar - BAR

* Atmospheres - ATM

* Feet / Meters - METERS

In the watch industry, this refers to water resistance pressure!

Water resistance and pressure chart for wristwatches

• No marking - Stay away from water. It's likely there are no seals, and the moment the watch enters water, it will stop working, and you'll be on your way to buying a new watch.
• 1BAR / 1ATM or WATER RESIST - When this is written on a watch, it does not indicate 10m depth resistance, but only hand washing (we recommend avoiding contact with water altogether).
• 3BAR / 3ATM / 30M Again, this refers to safely washing hands in lukewarm water only, splashes of water or rain only! - Not resistant to showering, bathing, swimming, water related to work, and certainly not diving.
• 5BAR / 5ATM / 50M This refers to use up to a lukewarm shower (not hot/boiling, and not advisable due to future damage to sealing components) with no excessive steam or sauna, swimming in shallow water - not suitable for diving.
• 10BAR / 10ATM / 100M This refers to entering a hot shower (not boiling, and not recommended due to future damage to sealing components), free swimming, and diving up to 5-15m depth regularly, surfing, boating, and water sports - not suitable for deep diving.
• 20BAR / 20ATM / 200M or
• 30BAR / 30ATM / 300M These watches are suitable for light diving, water sports, and professional marine activities.
• 100BAR / 100ATM / 1000M and more - These are watches for deep diving, deep-sea work, built like a tank and often look like one, designed for long dives in harsh conditions.

Most companies operate according to these recommendations. It is important to consider that if a watch does not have a screw-down crown or if it has a transparent case back that exposes the watch mechanism, then the watch becomes even less resistant than stated, and therefore, a greater "safety margin" than what we have written should be taken.

It is not recommended to press the watch buttons or open the watch crown underwater!

It is important to ensure the watch crown is securely closed before contact with water!

The regular crown (the round part used to wind and set a watch) is mounted on a tube through which the stem passes for winding and setting the watch. Inside the crown, there is a rubber/silicone loop that seals the tube opening against water. This solution is simple and effective but not resistant to very high pressures. A simple solution is to add a screw-down mechanism to the crown. This solution is common and very effective. A screw-down crown ensures high water tightness even at extreme depths. There are also various patented solutions, such as in Panerai watches in the Luminor series or Omega's famous Ploprof model, which features a unique pressure mechanism for pressing the crown against the watch case.

The question of wetting a watch in the context of showers, jacuzzis, or saunas often arises. In these situations, depth resistance is largely misleading. This is because there is a difference in the response of sealing materials in the open water of the sea or a pool, versus showers and the like. In the domestic situations described, there are two components that a watch built for diving should not have to contend with. Rapid transitions between cold temperatures and extremely high water temperatures in a shower or jacuzzi. In addition, there is the issue of soaps, which directly dry out and damage the quality of the seals.

All of these can compromise the watch's water resistance. Ultimately, the main vulnerability of a water-resistant watch is its maintenance level. Seals wear out over time, and a lack of timely maintenance and replacement of seals is the primary reason watches suffer from water ingress.

It is important to note that manufacturer specifications vary from one manufacturer to another, so it is necessary to follow the instructions of the manufacturer to which the watch belongs!

Should water penetrate the watch or if there is condensation inside the watch, it is recommended to bring it to a lab immediately to minimize damage and costs!

For your information:

Not all watches are water-resistant. For a watch to be water-resistant to a certain depth, it must meet very high technical requirements to ensure that not even a single drop of water penetrates it.

Most watches currently on the market have their water resistance level tested under pressure for a certain period of time.

For more details regarding watch water resistance or repair in a professional, cutting-edge laboratory, please contact us, and we will be happy to assist with any problem or question.

It is important to emphasize:

The water resistance and pressure chart for wristwatches that we published above is for recommendation only!

Manufacturer specifications for water pressure vary from one manufacturer to another, so you must follow the instructions of the manufacturer to which the watch belongs.