When watchmakers talk about how water resistant your watch is, we will often use “bars” or “atmospheres” and if you’re lucky enough to come across a down to earth watchmaker, we might even use feet!
Here is a broken down list of water resistant measures we use in the industry.
1 bar = 1 atmosphere = 33 feet = 10 meters = 14.7 PSI
- Standing at sea level, your watch is already experiencing 1 atmosphere.
- Only safe for accidental splashing such as washing your hands.
- Can wear in rain but be cautious
- Do not submerge in water
3 bars = 3 atmosphere = 100 feet = 30 meters = 44.1 PSI
- Safe for accidental splashing such as washing your hands
- Can wear in rain and snow
- Can briefly submerge in water (keyword here is BRIEFLY)
5 bars = 5 atmosphere = 165 feet = 50 meters = 73.5 PSI
- Worry-free accidental splashing
- Can wear in rain and snow
- Can submerge in water
- Safe to swim in the pool and ocean
10 bars = 10 atmospheres = 330 feet = 100 meters = 147.0 PSI
- Worry-free accidental splashing
- Can wear in rain and snow
- Can submerge in water
- Can swim in the pool and ocean
- Can briefly wear in a hot tub, sauna, and steam-room
- Safe to snorkel with and wear during water sports
- Safe to scuba-dive recreationally
100 bars = 100 atmospheres = 3300 feet = 1000 meters = 1470.0 PSI
- Worry-free accidental splashing
- Can wear in rain and snow
- Can submerge in water
- Can swim in the pool and ocean
- Can wear in a hot tub, sauna, and steam-room
- Can wear for snorkeling and water sports
- Can scuba-dive recreationally
- Can professionally-dive with