Water resistant to 30m, safe for swimming?

[cerbfan]

Hi,

Bought my wife an Omega Constellation Mini for Christmas which is water resistant to 30m. The question is what is it safe to do with the watch, wash up, take a shower, splash around in a pool on holiday? The splashing around in a pool is the main one as I don't fancy leaving the watch in an apartment in one of those crap safes when we are out for the day. She would not be doing any diving or snorkeling with it so it is unlikely to go any deeper than a couple of meters maximum.

[cableguy]

I'm sure someone will post soon but i've read a chart recently and i'm pretty sure that 30m is only good for wearing in rain, washing up etc.

Google it.

C.

[EffreneLapin]

I've worn my 50m Water Resistant Rotary when I've been diving down to about 6m with no problems or leaks.

[aeropilot]

cableguy said:

I'm sure someone will post soon but i've read a chart recently and i'm pretty sure that 30m is only good for wearing in rain, washing up etc.

Correct, 30m is not really ideal for pool swimming, you probably can use it if you are prepared to get the watch serviced on a regular basis to renew seals etc.

Remeber this rating is under lab conditions, for example a 50 Meters water resistance means it was tested in the laboratory under ideal conditions (i.e.. MOTIONLESS) withstanding a pressure of 5 ATM under water (i.e. water used in laboratory at a certain temperature).
Obviously these conditions are never met in the real swimmer's or diver's circumstances:

Water of rivers, swimming pools, seas and lakes will contain various levels of chemicals, salt and other minerals. Swimming pools may contain chlorine.

The movement of the wearer's arm through the water increases the pressure on the watch dramatically.

Over time chemicals may deteriorate the gaskets and sealants.

Hot air, sun and colder water cause expansion and shrinking, the 0 ring seals may be deformed.

Ratings approx:-

Water resistant = Withstanding splashes of water during washing hands, rain. Should not be submerged.

50m rating = Suitable for surface swimming

100m rating = Suitable for snorkeling

200m rating = Suitable for recreational scuba diving (not below 40 meters)

1000m rating = Made for deep sea diving with gaskets withstanding the helium used in decompression chambers. Possibly with over-pressure valves that let release the helium that has seeped into the watch when surfacing, so as to avoid that the watch case explodes.

[uktrailmonster]

It would be VERY risky for swimming with a 30m rating. Don't use it in the shower either. Hot water, steam and soap are a very bad combination for seals. As discussed in many similar threads, water resistance ratings are very misleading. Even a 50m rating is a game of Russian Roulette for swimming, depending on age of seals and contamination etc. You really need a watch with a 100m+ rating and a screw down crown for guaranteed safe use in water.

[cerbfan]

Ok cheers for the answers, I think I'll get her to stay away from the pool with it then.

On another point with regards sat diving watches I work on a sat boat, in fact where I am posting from now and the value of Rolex watches on here must be huge with 18 plus divers on here. Many of them are Comex watches as well that were given free in the good old days. I believe these are worth quite a bit now.