dive watches in the desert

when I first explained my idea of doing articles about dive watches in the desert, a common initial response from the aBlogtoWatch editorial team was, “Where are you going to go diving in the desert?” Chuckling, I responded that actual diving wasn’t the point. Rather, it will be a discussion into how effective the world’s favorite sport watches (diving-style) have reached being useful wrist tools in extremely warm weather. Finally, the ability for a good drive into one’s heart of our warming planet presented itself, and I made my method to the famed Red Rock Canyon National Park outside of Las Vegas, Nevada. Armed with three popular diver’s-style timepieces with me, here is what I discovered dive watches in the desert.

 

We have lots of beautiful pictures of dive watches in aquatic environments.

 

Many of us don’t live near, or arrive at a large body of water often. Dive watches needless to say are made for water; however, I locate them invaluable in the desert. There are plenty of rough, sharp rocks, sand, and dust everywhere. I find the extra seals are great at keeping out dirt and dust. Most of my time is allocated to rugged terrain with large temperature swings. Hiking and rock climbing are necessary for what I do. A dive watch appears to serve me very well. So think about you? Have any pictures of dive watches in the desert? Here really are a few pictures of my newer dive watch companion.

 

The Practical Considerations For Desert-Worn Watches

First, several important assumptions and notions so that the reader can understand just why taking dive watches to the desert is even a fascinating intellectual exercise (aside from being fun), to start with. In a nutshell, there really aren’t many tool watches with a hot-weather survival theme. It’s possible to venture out and buy diver’s watches, pilot’s watches, driving watches, boating watches, etc… There isn’t a lot of an established sounding timepiece product for anyone seeking utility in a hot-weather, expansive outdoor environment. More so, with the world gets warmer (or perhaps I’ve been sensitive to it with all the hiking in the sun I’ve done over the last few years), more and more those who like watches could need to adapt their wristwatch wearing strategy.

When evaluating a wristwatch in the desert, you will find three main things that one thinks of for me: comfort, legibility, and environmental resistance. Let’s discuss comfort first. Desert watches need to suit securely and not wobble around with the motion of one’s arm. Meaning the best strap material, in addition to the one that handles sweat correctly. In humid environments, moisture is the greatest problem since sweat is far worse a problem — as are things such as dials fogging up when and if water enters the case. Leather straps and water do not mix well since sweat or moisture won’t only cause natural leather to feel uncomfortable against your skin, but it can make the strap stink and deteriorate over time.

 

In the desert, water is less of a problem, but if you are moving you, is likely to be sweating, and you almost certainly don’t want your watch to be uncomfortable — reducing annoyances is really a major part of a happy hike. Metal bracelets may be useful, but there is a variety of reasons you might want to avoid a steel bracelet over my desert preference, which really is a rubber strap. Wrists often expand in size when it’s warmer (making sized bracelets a challenge). Metal bracelets also can