Which Watch?
Posted By Linden Wolbert on 2 August 2007
Both feature the one-way ratcheted timing bezel, which is tight and smooth so it won’t move if accidentally rubbed or bumped during your giant stride entry. They also have the date on the face...an essential when you’re on a dive trip and the days melt blissfully into one another and you just can’t keep track (or don’t want to). Rated to 200 meters, the Immersion and The Aquanaut can more than satisfy the depth needs of any recreational diver. My deepest dive on the trip was only about 85 feet, so I didn’t even come close to testing the 656 - foot depth limit. Another great design consideration is the strap holder. The strap won’t slip out and flop around because of the small oval notch that fits snugly into a hole on the strap-keeper. It works so well, it’s almost difficult to pull out when you want to remove the watch! But this also means the chances of it falling off accidentally are near impossible. We like that!
The first leg of my dive trip was in the Pacific off Southern California, and then we traveled east to the Atlantic and Key Largo, Florida. Naturally, I had to compensate for the three-hour time difference. To my dismay, the Aquanaut’s seemingly cool “oversized locking crown protector” was more fun to look at than to use. The protector worked so well, I found it difficult to change the time and date even with my tiny, nimble fingers after unlocking it. I can only imagine a man with tough, callused fingers trying to accomplish this same task. The other downside is these models were too large for me to wear on my bare wrist. Over a wetsuit sleeve they were fine, but men and women with smaller wrists may have to punch some extra holes on the polyurethane band for best results. These two watch models are not gender-specific, and it seems they may run a bit large for some women.
Twenty-one dives, two oceans and several dive boats later, my cohorts and I concluded that these timepieces will do exactly what they are meant to – keep time in and out of the water in simple analog fashion. Oh, and in case you aren’t satisfied with the bezel as a classifying feature, there is a telltale dive flag imprinted on the face to confirm your identity as a depth-defying adventure seeker! Which watch did I prefer? The Immersion was the best fit for me.
To see Freestyle’s full collection of Dive Watches, visit their website.
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