Customer evaluation CWC SBS for a PADI diving course portugal sept 2019

September 13, 2019 1 Comment

CWC SBS DIVER ISSUE (QS120-DD)

Going to Portugal was to get my PADI open water, not to see anything specifically, as visibility was absolute zero and the Atlantic isn’t know for great diving.

Prior to departure, I was torn between using my Tudor Pelagos or my Seiko Turtle, or the CWC SBS.. (I know, a bit of a first world problem).

Well guess what? the night before my flight, I was running to get an uber and the Seiko flew off my wrist (faulty pin?) and crashed to the ground. That ruled that one out.

First lesson learned:

Nothing beats a NATO strap for redundancy of losing a watch. With that lesson learned, and the replacement cost of the Tudor being quite high, and relying only on a rubber strap with pins, I ruled out the Pelagos as well.

So with that, the SBS reported for duty.

Second lesson learned:

Life on a boat as you scuba is rough. Your watch will likely get hit or hit something. Luckily nothing hit my SBS or (was hit by anything).. but with as much tanks and heavy stuff that needs to be moved around, it is only a matter of time until you scuff any watch, and the less clunky watch is, the less likely to get a bezel popped off or damaged. Another point for the SBS, it’s just the right size... big enough, but not too big.

Third lesson learned:

Before diving, I was warned that some of the aggressive fish are attracted to flashy jewelry.. so as wanted to avoid getting eaten, the PVD helped comfort I'd come back with my arm intact. Likely this is me just exaggerating fears, but hey.. you can never be too careful.

Fourth lesson learned:

Suited up, jumped in for my dives and learned that your wetsuit gets compressed quite a bit at depth!!! You have to tighten the strap ALOT at the top so that it's not a bracelet at the bottom. I understand now why Seiko straps have those waves in the strap, cause they allow you to tighten it so they 'flatten out' and when you go under water they release a bit without going too loose. I used a Zulu NATO strap from MKS, which was quite good quality-wise, but just couldn’t tighten it enough at the top without having it be too loose at the bottom. Will have to experiment with other straps that can weave through fixed lug bars.

Fifth lesson learned:

When you can’t see anything, counting down time keeps you sane. As part of my diving exam, one of the things I had to do was wait around for others ‘to get done’ with their bit, but I was waiting with zero viz by myself... as such, having something to look at was a salvation... and the visibility of the watch was better than that of my digital dive computer! On the subject of timing, I found that having the day/date complication also helps on holiday where you can lose ‘track of the real world’!

So there you have it... a win all across the board for the SBS!

Crispian Barlow

October 04, 2019

I have been wearing CWC watches since my first issue in the late ’70s. I still work in the ulu, and two years ago got the SBS watch because, with the day & date, it helps me keep track when miles & days separate me from “the world”. Neat. Easy to read. Accurate. Good looking. And the dependable quality I’ve relied on for 40 years!

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