Water Resistant

Able to withstand contact with water without suffering damage. Watches have various degrees of water-resistance. A water-resistance level of 30 meters means the watch can withstand splashes of water. A level of 50 meters means that it can be worn for swimming in shallow depths. A level of 100 meters means it can be worn snorkeling and a level of 200 meters or more means it can be worn scuba diving. The numbers “50,” “100,” etc., refer to the amount of water pressure the case can withstand, not the depth to which the watch can actually be worn. That’s because wearing a watch underwater subjects it to far greater pressure, due to the motion of the wearer’s arm through the water, than the watch encounters when it is absolutely stationary, as it is when its water-resistance level is determined.

Water resistant

Click here to go to the Watchmaking Glossary main page

All items in W: