Credits: Article and images by Ian Skellern @ Quill & Pad. See the original article here - https://quillandpad.com/2023/12/17/diving-with-the-ball-watch-engineer-master-ii-diver-chronometer-reprise/
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Problem number two: no matter which watch I test, they rarely, if ever, have a strap that fits over my drysuit. The best available are those that come with an extension. But rubber straps feature pin buckles, which only work if the band is self-tightening (going down) and self-expanding (going up).
If they don’t do this (and I know of none that really do it the way I like) one needs to tighten and loosen it via the buckle. With camera equipment and scooter in hand as I dive this is totally impractical. And that’s exactly why dive computers have Velcro on their wristbands.
Velcro is perfect for diving, but quite ugly on a fashionable wristwatch. And this is the reason why I use leather NATO straps on mine and had one custom made to fit on the Ball Engineer Master II Diver Chronometer I tested. Not a cheap replica with a pin buckle but one with a real double-D ring.
With its steel buckles it even matches the technical appearance of our dive gear, and with the double-D ring for tightening and loosening with one hand, it works for almost all technical divers who want to use instruments on their arms.
And, yes, it took me some time to have a fitting leather wristband manufactured for my Ball Watch test. And I know what you are thinking regarding the leather, but rest assured I use hydrophobic leather that works fine for divers like me. And, yes, specialized wristbands for divers will be another story here on Quill & Pad soon.
Two out of three problems solved ahead of time; the third problem would have to wait until the dive. And the dive had to wait until air filling was possible again, my drysuit was back from maintenance, and we could stay in a nice hotel with lake access (Corona made that impossible for a while).
The dive
For an appropriate surrounding fitting the watch, we chose Schlosshotel Fernsteinsee with its two private Alpine lakes – Fernsteinsee and Samaranger See – both in walking distance from the hotel and both excellent for diving in cold water, picture taking, and providing quite a fashionable setting to show off a luxury watch.
This setting was ideal for testing a diver’s watch and documenting the dive. Not good for deep diving, but if a watch remains water resistant in shallow water it will definitely be water resistant in the depths that divers roam.
And the lake is cold as it has its own spring. We measured 13°C in late September, which necessitates the full drysuit I would wear going very deep.
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Credits: Article and images by Ian Skellern @ Quill & Pad. See the original article here - https://quillandpad.com/2023/12/17/diving-with-the-ball-watch-engineer-master-ii-diver-chronometer-reprise/