Diver's Watches

Before a dive, divers preset the rotating bezel to the target dive time so they can easily see their elapsed diving time. (The bezel, in other words, functions as a sort of timer.) The unidirectional bezels found on diver's watches only rotate in a single direction: anti-clockwise. The last thing a diver wants is for the bezel to be accidentally pushed forwards in a clockwise direction, making you think you've been under water for less time than you actually have. A unidirectional rotating bezel helps keep divers safe.

Rotating the crown on a normal watch is easy. However, one of the specifications for a diver's watch is to have a crown that screws tightly into the case—a so-called screw-down crown. In addition to preempting operational errors during dives, a screw-down crown ensures a higher level of water resistance. Screw-down push buttons perform the same function.

Because it attaches the watch so safely and securely to the wrist, the double-folding buckle frees the wearer to concentrate on diving and nothing else. This safety-conscious design deliberately makes undoing the buckle into a two-step process. On top of that, at CITIZEN we only use high-strength watch bands tested to stay snugly on the wrist even when 20kg of force is applied. The double-folding buckle with ratchet can be extended by a further 20mm for easy wearing over a wetsuit. At CITIZEN, we take the safety and usability of our diver's watches extremely seriously.

Visibility declines as soon as you get into the water. The sea is often darker than it looks and moving currents can confuse the eye further. At CITIZEN, we design our watches for maximum readability even in dim light. The lume we apply to the hands and indexes stores energy and glows in the dark. We make sure that both the time and the elapsed diving time are visible and legible. In addition, the lume we use is neither toxic nor radioactive; it's friendly to both people and the environment.

You never know what will happen to your watch during a dive. You might bang it against a rock or against a piece of diving kit. Already built tough in order to withstand routine knocks and shocks, some CITIZEN diver's watches are equipped for even heavier impacts. When a shock is detected, the shock detection function instantly stops the hands to prevent them getting out of position. At CITIZEN, we are serious about making timepieces that fulfill the essential function of a watch: always telling the correct time.

Helium is the arch-enemy of saturation diving watches. (Saturation diving involves staying at extreme depths for extended periods, usually to perform deep sea work.) Helium atoms are so tiny that they can easily penetrate plastic, driving up the interior pressure of the case and risking damage to the glass and the movement. We put CITIZEN's saturation diving watch models through helium-pressure testing to guarantee diver safety. Some of our saturation diver's watches feature a helium relief valve which automatically opens and closes based on the internal/external pressure difference, expelling the invasive helium gas and protecting the watch from damage during decompression.