Big thing for some, in the past, as Dive watches made the market interesting a few years back. A good Dive rated watch has a tested case and then gets assembled, vs a marketing derived water resistance rating that is often vaporware.

For those buying them, the helium release was added for saturation diving, which is gilding the lily for desk wear. But they were a thing at one time. When I finally read into their actual need it became obvious - the watch design was mechanically "incompetent." A dive watch resists a lot of external pressure, helium in a saturation environment gets past the seals and pressurizes the inside of the watch.

Then on decompression it pops the crystal off. Which points out only the crystal seal keeps it on. The back gets screwed on gasketed and water tight, the stem has it gaskets (screw down crowns are a cheap value engineered solution) but the crystal gets nothing more than a gasketed fit.

I remember a Rolex ad from the '80's (?) which described their lock down ring for the crystal assembly which sealed the machined edges of the glass against the case and ring. The "Oyster" case, IIRC. Nobody much does that now. Seems it would solve the helium problem too.

Like screw down crowns I think we are getting the value engineered solution instead of the real mccoy. If you pay for a dive watch that is for saturation diving, you should get a secure crystal - instead of a little cheap valve. It certainly can be done - but apparenty the marketing of the watch for status is more successful than an appropriate technical construction. If we screw on the backs we should screw on the crystals. If there is no back then it goes double for the front. And for all that, why doesn't the valve work automatically? Shotguns do.

Nobody is really buying the engineering anymore, just the image.

It's a problem looking for a solution.

It is mostly marketing.
Just look at Omegas new Planet Ocean 6000M Co‑Axial Master Chronometer 45.5 mm Ultra Deep. I do not know anyone going down 6000 meters. I don't even think their is a Helium escape valve on it.

I would guess 98% of people who buy diving watches do not dive,I don't.

As far as Helium getting into the watch in a saturation situation,yes the valve when properly operating will relive the internal pressure.
Some watches are automatic like my Breitling Avenger II Seawolf and some are manual like my Omega Seamaster Chronograph.

Even if the crystal was installed with a screw down system you still need a way to relive the pressure. I am not sure if not having the Helium escape valve helps also protect the crown gasket and the case back gasket where Helium can by pass. It can get in it can get out eventually.

With all that said I have never met anyone who is a saturation diver.

quote:

Originally posted by 71 TRUCK:
It is mostly marketing.
Just look at Omegas new Planet Ocean 6000M Co‑Axial Master Chronometer 45.5 mm Ultra Deep. I do not know anyone going down 6000 meters. I don't even think their is a Helium escape valve on it.

I would guess 98% of people who buy diving watches do not dive,I don't.

As far as Helium getting into the watch in a saturation situation,yes the valve when properly operating will relive the internal pressure.
Some watches are automatic like my Breitling Avenger II Seawolf and some are manual like my Omega Seamaster Chronograph.

Even if the crystal was installed with a screw down system you still need a way to relive the pressure. I am not sure if not having the Helium escape valve helps also protect the crown gasket and the case back gasket where Helium can by pass. It can get in it can get out eventually.

With all that said I have never met anyone who is a saturation diver.

I have big wrists so the size of most dive watches works much better for me. The only time I have ever had a scuba suit on is water skiing in cold water. I would guess 98% of the buyers not diving might even be high.

I have Dive watches, too, and prefer them because they can at least survive taking a shower with them - lost one at the Grand Canyon years ago when I took it off - and have very legible dials in the dark. Getting up frequently now at 2AM you'd like to know the time when you cannot turn on the lights. That was also a thing in the military - a luminous dial is a lot less "untacticool" than a flashlight in the field.

At least a helium valve is designed to be inherently water resistant. The concept overall tho is something techy pushed forward as a sales gimmick - yes, it very much IS marketing, and the market happily bought them up taking it all in, hook line and sinker. It's much the same as a screw down crown: seals alone can do that job, even with a 200M rating, yet it's now considered by a new generation of Dive watch buyers to be a mandatory feature, when in reality the maker can delete the more expensive seals, use one under the crown and require it be screwed down for water resistance. Saves them money - but its really value engineering.

Goes to, why aren't helium valves automatic? That would be the upgrade, sensitive valving which releases the pressure at a certain level to keep it within the capability of the watch - and with a crystal secured in place, that would be done better. And since we don't know any saturation divers, how often do they forget to loosen the valve during decompression? We just don't know. It would be nice to see a printed list of required actions to take after the bell door is locked down for that decompression cycle. It's bad enough it takes days for that.

Paperback library in there?

The Helium valve came along when the working depth of Dive watches suddenly got into a race and makers started coming out with huge chunky models - ISO testing means they were pressurized before assembly, so if it's a 10,000 meter watch, somebody is shoving them into a pressure vessel and monitoring the gauges. Yet if SCUBA is any sort of profession, it's a matter of how far can humans go realistically, and that is about 40 meters, or 120 feet. A 200M rated Dive watch, including it's engineering redundancies, is far more than needed.

Anything more than that isn't functional, its adornment ie jewelry. I've got a BN0000 rated for 300M, those were MoD issue water watches in the day. None of mine go any deeper than the pool or Gulf surf.

In comparison it would be similar to needing a firearm for protection, and then carrying an M60 MG. It's getting that silly seeing accessorized handguns rigged up with lights and optics already. Navy SEAL assault pistols are now getting normalized. We are already prepared to accept it - massive Dive watches, 1 ton commuter trucks, 34 foot trailers sitting at home 50 weeks a year, competition bass boat next to it, and a 50 acre lease with heated hunting cabin on stilts on a managed game preserve.

Are we compensating for something?

While I agree it’s unnecessary, I also don’t care.

My 44 year old Seiko, rated at 150 Meters, is still chugging along.

It's only been down to 110 feet, though.

Mine has a helium release valve. If it is ever needed, I sure as hell won"t be wearing it!

Tim

I notice that Helium release valve is often used in Swiss made brands (Omega, Rolex...). The Japanese counterpart does not use it. All of my Seiko diver watches (Tuna, Marinemaster) don't even have hrv. My Omega Proplof 1200m has a HRV, but it's not an actual screw down crown.

It doesn't matter. I am not a diver. As long as the water won't make it way inside the case, I am happy.

I don’t think I’ll ever come close to utilizing the max water resistance on my Doxa Sub 5000T Sharkhunter or it’s helium release valve. Heck my Seiko 5 sports 100m resistance has been great at the pool or beach but it doesn’t bother me that Doxa and others occasionally put a helium release valve on their watches.

On a watch like the Omega Seamaster Professional I have come to like the look of the extra crown/He release even though it isn’t automatic kind like on Doxa and many others.



It’s pretty understated on the Doxa compared to the Seamaster. Watch manufacturers choosing to include them on their divers is probably driven more by heritage, nostalgia and aesthetic value these days than anything else.

I think my diving days are over... last time was the maximum I'd ever been down... 110 ft... seems I use a lot of air at that atmosphere.... ran out and the dive master was not happy... had to buddy breath for about 10 minutes while coming up.

I like dive watches but as noted don't think I need the that helium release valve.. Still having a hard time wrapping my head around the concept.

I'm not sure it's correct to say the design is incompetent. It's a solution. You don't like it? You don't have to buy it.

My watch has one. I don't use it; I don't even swim much less do saturation diving.

quote:

Originally posted by BlackAgnes:
Mine has a helium release valve. If it is ever needed, I sure as hell won"t be wearing it!
[IMG][/IMG]
Tim

I know nothing about expensive watches (I wear Movados), or the topic being discussed. Just wanted to say your watch is beautiful.

If opening a regular old screw down crown let’s water in, why would it not also let helium out? Why the need for a second screw down crown to let helium out?

Thanks, Skins! I think so too!

Tim

I have a dive watch. It does not have a He value. Mine works fine when I dive to the bottom of the pool.


Yes its pretty much a gimmick.

My guess is that the He valve has never been used as needed.

I'm a watch collector. My only dive watches are a vintage Seiko 6309, and a quartz Seamaster 200M. The only water they see is at the pool and while being scrubbed in the sink. A moderm Seamaster, Submariner, or Blancpain FF is usually wrapped in 3 layers of bubblewrao. God forbid it get splashed with water in the restroom.

Doubt many are sitting in a chamber breathing hileiox over a period of days, so the need isn't there.

In fact in all the tech diving I've done over the years, I never saw anyone wear a dive watch. They really went out of existence for anyone even doing rec diving back in the 80's.