As soon as my parents gifted me my first ever luxury watch, which is a chronograph Panerai Luminor, one of the very first thoughts that popped up in my mind was “Is it fine to swim with this watch and use it underwater?” At first, I didn’t really look into it, but once I actually did some research and finished listening to a podcast that talked about this, I finally answered my question.
As a general rule, you should not use a chronograph watch underwater because water can seep into the gaps in between the chronograph buttons. Unless the watch has screw-down crowns and is specially made for underwater use, the water entering a chronograph watch will damage its interior movement.
In the rest of this article, I am going to go more in-depth about when it’s fine to bring a chronograph underwater, which chronograph watches can go underwater, and my thoughts about bringing chronograph watches underwater.
When Is It Fine To Bring A Chronograph Luxury Watch Underwater?
Generally, you should never bring a chronograph underwater because the water can penetrate the watch and completely ruin the watch’s internal movement, and the only time it would be okay to bring a chronograph watch in the water is if it has screw-down crowns or is a special chronograph model for underwater use.
Matt Farah, an avid watch collector and well versed in watches, says that
“You cannot bring a chronograph underwater because if you push the buttons, water will go in, and that’s sort of just how life works.”
-Matt Farah (watch and listen podcast, episode 4)
Matt makes a great point here that those just getting into watches may not understand. Most chronographs are just not designed to go underwater, and a person who is completely new to watches may think that all watches with water resistance are capable of swimming and diving when it’s not the case. Chronographs need those screw-down crowns for substantial water resistance.
Right after Matt Farah said this, Cameron Weiss, a professional watchmaker who manufactures his own watch brand and is highly educated about all watches, replied to him,
“But there are buttons you can press on a chronograph underwater. There are certain chronograph watches that have buttons for underwater use.”
-Cameron Weiss (Watch and listen, episode 4)
Watchmakers and manufacturers obviously took into account that using a chronograph watch underwater will completely ruin its internal movement, so they made dive watches with screw-down crowns and specialized buttons to counteract this problem.
Which Chronograph Watches Can and Cannot Go Underwater?
While the mass majority of chronograph watches cannot go underwater, popular watch manufacturers created specialized chronograph models that can prevent water seepage by using screw-down crowns or unique chronograph crowns.
Omega Seamaster Chronograph
The Omega Seamaster is a classic and timeless Omega luxury watch model that is specifically built for waterproofness and water damage prevention. The base of the integrated chronograph crowns on this Omega is completely screwed in, which allows it to be waterproof up to 300m.
The Seamaster Chronograph is one of the most durable and waterproof watches on the market right now. If you’re a regular diver looking for an amazing investment to keep you safe and time your dives, then the Omega Seamaster Chronograph is an outstanding timepiece that would be perfect.
Rolex Daytona Chronograph
While the Rolex Daytona is specially made for racers and driving, it also has great waterproofness because its winding crown and chronograph crowns are all screwed down, which guarantees its waterproofness up to 100 meters.
The Rolex Daytona has a triple waterproof system with a crown guard in the middle of its case. Even though the Daytona is not a good choice for diving, it would be totally feasible to swim with it. The Daytona is such a highly collectible and desired watch and having it in your collection is simply class.
A Chronograph That Cannot Go Underwater: Omega Speedmaster Chronograph
The Omega Speedmaster Chronograph is an absolutely beautiful and versatile luxury watch, but it is only water-resistant up to 50 meters, which is not suitable for swimming or diving.
On top of that, the chronograph crowns on this specific Omega are not screwed down, which means you are depending on the seal of the chronograph crowns to not let any moisture into the watch. If the seal of the regular chronograph crown fails to prevent water infiltration, you would have to spend even more money to get the watch serviced and fixed.
You can kind of see the pattern that’s going on here with which chronograph watch models can and cannot go in the water: chronographs with screw-down crowns are better suited for swimming and underwater use, while chronograph watches with no screw-down crowns are timepieces that are not built for underwater use.
Bringing A Chronograph Watch Underwater: My Thoughts
Personally, I would not even consider bringing a chronograph watch underwater unless it is specially made for diving and has screw-down crowns. I would never run the risk of damaging a chronograph watch with water infiltration: I would have to deal with the headache of getting the watch fixed. I would rather be safe than sorry.
If I were on vacation and I had the choice of bringing my luxury watch in the pool and swim with it, I would choose to leave it in the hotel safe 100% of the time unless I have a diving watch or a chronograph watch with screw-down crowns. I would never have the anxiety of depending on the seal of a regular chronograph crown to prevent the infiltration of water. It would be awful to have to spend more money servicing a chronograph from water damage.
If I were to get a chronograph watch made for underwater use, I would have to go with the Omega Seamaster. It has special screw-down chronograph crowns and a winding crown built for deep diving. Also, it has a sleek and fashionable design, is extremely well crafted, and has a rich history behind them as well.