Easy Reading Dive Watches

Recommendations For Older Eyes

It’s just a fact of life for most people, eyesight diminishes with age. Usually around late forty-something it starts becoming apparent. Not much to be done, so one might as well accept the inevitable and adjust accordingly. For divers, this visual adjustment includes paying more attention to readability of their instruments, including their dive watch.
This issue really has little to do with vision correction. That is as easily addressed for divers as for anyone else. Using contacts or a mask with properly ground lenses works just fine. Older eyes are a different matter, because they don’t seem to focus consistently all the time. Probably doesn’t help any that we spend so much time working on a computer screen either.
For whatever reason, it is very much an issue and I continue to get asked from time to time for recommendations about watches that provide the best clarity – especially underwater. Most divers realize, once they stop to think about it, that everything else being equal, dials are actually more readable underwater, due to the magnification characteristics of water. However, they also realize the importance of being able to read them to dive safely, so it’s a very good question.
Obviously larger dials and markings are most useful. Contrasting color helps as well. Simple black and white for faces and markers work best, with red as a highlight on hands and bezel set points. Many folks find that a white watch face is the most useful. This is hardly a surprise, since despite much experimentation, the easiest images to read are still black on white.
Chronograph dials are going to be harder to read due simply to their small size, so one might think about the added clarity inherent in a less cluttered watch face. Pay attention also to the differences in length and width between the hands. Oftentimes, a minute hand that’s not much longer than the hour hand makes it difficult to distinguish at a glance.
Related to the clutter issue is the use of actual numerals versus hour markers. Some folks find them helpful, while others feel their absence reduces clutter. Few watches use all 12 numerals anyway, but the presence of a couple may help. Your best option for numerals is on a few of the Citizen models. Seiko seems to ignore them altogether.
Luminescent markings make a big difference too, especially in low light conditions. Most watches made for diving utilize an adequate amount and are easy enough to read. The best include those made by Luminox for Navy SEALs. They provide luminescence via micro gas capsules which don’t need any external light source. The only trade-off is that most of these watches have smaller faces.
Though this discussion covers most all the points one should consider when trying to optimize clarity, it usually still comes down to individual preferences. Things that work for one person may not help another. Best thing to do is consider the issues while studying several watch types and decide what works best for you.

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