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During WWII, many people believed that diving was impossible without a dive watch. But is this really true? Did Jacques Cousteau really invent the first dive watch? Or was it Richard Habring, Favre-Leuba, or Omega Marine? Or were they just trying to impress people during their first dive? Here is the answer to that question. Read on to discover the real story behind the evolution of dive watches. Find out why diving watches are expensive.
One of the most popular accessories worn by recreational divers is a dive watch. These watches are precision-crafted and elegantly designed. Many watch magazines feature advertisements for the latest models, with prices running into the thousands of dollars. Jacques Cousteau is credited with inventing dive watches. In order to preserve his memory, here's a look at some of his favorite dive watches. Listed below are some of the most popular models.
Jacques Cousteau was a famous explorer and a pioneer of the modern diving industry. His expeditions required him and his team to spend a considerable portion of the expedition under water. The timepieces they wore had to be precise, and this made them an invaluable measuring tool in the days before computers and mobile phones. Luckily, modern dive watches are more than just waterproof. A special helium-release valve means that the watch can withstand the pressure in water without wearing down and breaking.
Richard Habring, a Swiss watchmaker, was born in 1934. He is best known for his creation of the rattrapante chronograph module, which is still in use today. The Habring2 collection, which he created in 2004, is a limited-production line devoted to high-quality diving watches. The Habring2 brand is produced in small batches by a small team of craftsmen. The company's history is rich in innovation and tradition, but the name of the watches is not just a gimmick.
One of Habring's earliest watches was made of pink gold and sold for $45,000 by an Australian distributor. This piece was valued at $2500 to $3500 by Sotheby's Australia. While the Habrings are small Austrian watchmakers, they do have serious watchmaking weight behind them. The Habring2 tourbillon 3D in pink gold was sold at $45,000 in 2015.
In 1908, Henri Favre-Leuba assumed leadership of the family business and remained president of the board of directors until 1961. The brand continued to grow steadily, with new designs and materials introduced to the market every year. Henri Favre-Leuba was the seventh generation of the family to lead the business. The company has had several major acquisitions over the years and grew to be a leading luxury watchmaker in Switzerland.
After launching two diving watches in the 1960s, Favre-Leuba developed aneroid barometers to measure underwater pressure. In 1968, Favre-Leuba launched the Bathy wristwatch, which became the world's first mechanical watch to indicate depth and dive time. During the 1970s, Favre-Leuba added automatic winding to double-barreled calibers and added a calendar function to the movements.
A few years after the first divers wore watches, Omega Marine was born. This company was in the business of making watches and they were not interested in replicating the design of the Rolex watch. Consequently, they sought the help of a French designer to come up with a new design. In 1932, they came up with a watch called the Omega Marine Standard. This watch had a double case of 18-carat red and white gold. It was limited to 135 pieces and commemorated the official certification of water resistance to 135 metres.
The first dive watch was Rolex, but there were many other innovations in the market. Rolex had already patented the Oyster case in 1926, but it wasn't tested for deep diving until 1954. Rolex was the first company to make a waterproof watch, but it wasn't until Omega created the Submariner that this design came to life. Since then, the quest for perfecting the dive watch has continued. Check out the cost of Rolex diving watch.
In the early 1950s, Captain Robert Maloubier and Blancpain began working on a new type of diver's watch. Their Fifty Fathoms was the first dive watch and met the NIHS 92-11 and ISO 6425 standards. Maloubier died in 2015 at age 92. Today, his invention lives on. Many people wear them while they're on the ocean floor.
The first diver watch was called the Fifty Fathoms, after the maximum depth in which oxygen mixtures are safe. The 'Fifty Fathoms' was the maximum depth of any dive watch, and Maloubier's sketch of a fifty-fathoms-deep watch was the inspiration for the modern dive watch. Its automatic winding system was introduced in the 1950s, making it easier for divers to keep track of time under water.
