What is ATM water resistance? 

ATM is a standard commonly used to measure the water resistance of watches, including smartwatches, fitness trackers and traditional watches. 

An abbreviated version of the word ‘atmosphere’, ATM describes the amount of pressure a device can withstand when placed underwater. 

Like the IP ratings assigned to measure the protection afforded to devices like smartphones and speakers, ATM ratings use numbers to convey water resistance. Common ratings include 1 ATM, 3 ATM and 5 ATM, with higher numbers used to represent devices that are capable of withstanding greater amounts of pressure. 

One atmosphere of pressure (1 ATM) is equal to 10m (33ft) in depth, while 3 ATM equals 30m (98 ft) in depth. 5 ATM, meanwhile, represents an ability to withstand 50m (164ft) of pressure. 

If you’re looking for a watch that can be taken swimming or snorkelling, you’ll want to look out for a rating of 10 ATM or 20 ATM, with 10 ATM equalling 100m (328ft) of depth and 20 ATM signalling 200m (656ft) of depth.

The official criteria and test conditions for each ATM standard are determined by the International Organisation for Standardisation in ISO 22810. 

A screw down crown creates a seal when the crown locks with the cases internal threads and gaskets, fastening it into place securely. Adjusting the date and/or time on a watch with a screw-down crown is still simple, simply unscrew the crown counter clockwise until it springs open then gently pull it out to the first or second click position. When you have finished setting the watch, the crown must then be pushed and screwed back in tightly. This step is very important as it ensures the water-resistance of the watch, not doing so may result in flooding. Overall, this process should not require a lot of effort or force.

Plastic / Acrylic: These used to be the norm. The plastic material is relatively soft, so as you would expect, is the least expensive. Because it is quite soft and flexible, it is also the least likely to shatter and the most likely to become scratched. One advantage is that, if it does get scratched and you have a polishing machine, then smaller scratches can often be buffed or polished away.

Mineral Glass: These are common on most mid-range watches. They are a little more expensive than plastic or acrylic crystals but are significantly more scratch resistant. They are made of glass. Almost all Mineral Glass Watch Crystals nowadays are “Tempered” Mineral Glass. This just means that the surface of the glass is “heat-tempered” (heated to a high temperature), giving the surface of the glass increased scratch resistance and making it less likely to “splinter”. If a mineral crystal is scratched or chipped, then it cannot be polished and “repaired”, it needs to be replaced.

Sapphire Crystal | Sapphire Crystal vs Mineral Crystal

Synthetic Sapphire: A synthetic sapphire crystal or “glass” is actually not glass at all. It is a very hard, transparent material made of crystallizing pure aluminium oxide at very high temperatures. Synthetic sapphire has the same hardness as natural sapphire gemstones, but without the coloring agents that give the gems their various hues. When it is heated, the synthetic sapphire forms round masses, that are then sliced into pieces with diamond-coated saws. These disks are then ground and polished into watch crystals. (One reason sapphire crystals are relatively expensive is that the tools required to cut and polish this extremely hard material are very costly.) Sapphire (whether natural or synthetic) is one of the hardest substances on earth. It measures 9 on the Mohs scale, which is a system for rating the relative hardness of various materials. (Diamond measures 10, the highest rating.) Watch crystals made of synthetic sapphire are often marketed as “scratch resistant” or “virtually scratchproof” because they are very difficult - but not impossible - to scratch. Diamond can scratch them; so can man-made materials that incorporate silicon carbide, which, with a MOHS rating of between 9 and 10, is harder than sapphire. So, if you accidentally scratch your watch on a simulated-stone surface or a wall that incorporates some of these silicon carbide materials, it could scratch the crystal.

Single Domed vs Double Domed Crystals-Single Domed crystals are flat on the bottom and domed at the top. Double domed crystals are domed on both the inside and outside. Single domed crystals will cause distortion of the dial, perhaps magnification. Double domed crystals cause no distortion from any angle. 

Low Domed vs High Domed Crystals-Low domed and high domed crystals are both double domed and have no distortion. There are 2 reasons to consider them;

1. Making sure there is enough room for the hands.

2. Style

Automatic Movement

Automatic movements are favorites of watch connoisseurs the world over. To buy an automatic watch is to celebrate the heritage and craft of fine watchmaking.

An automatic movement refers to a self-winding mechanical watch, where the action of the wearer's wrist generates the energy to power the watch. The watch's mainspring, or the primary power source, is wound by a rotor that spins when the watch is worn, making a battery unnecessary.

The Swiss invented automatic movements in the 1770s, so many people associate automatic watches with being Swiss, though other countries also produce automatic movements. Japanese automatic movements have gained popularity in recent years, thanks to their balance of precision and cost-effectiveness.

Automatic movements are intricate pieces of machinery and quite labor-intensive to produce. This makes automatic watches quite a bit more expensive than quartz watches, but watch lovers appreciate the work involved in making them and show their automatic watches off with pride.

Mechanical Watches-

Manual watches, like Automatic watches, do not need batteries to stay powered. However, unlike an Automatic watch powered by movement, a Manual watch needs to be wound... manually.

Besides this difference, Manual watches work identically to Automatic watches.

Like Automatic watches, the energy stored in the power reserve can keep the watch ticking for some time before it requires winding again. A full power reserve might hold 24-48 hours of energy, depending on the watch.

Quartz Watches

Battery powered: Unlike Mechanical watches, Quartz timepieces use a battery to power movement.

Most common watch type: These days, Quartz watches are one of the most common.

Quartz crystal: Quartz crystal keeps time based on its vibration.

How They Work

Mechanical watches use intricate movements to store energy in a mainspring and use that energy for power.

A Quartz watch uses batteries and a quartz crystal to source its energy.

The first thing to know is that quartz has an interesting property: When an electrical current is applied to quartz, it vibrates at a constant rate of 32,768 times per second. This is where a Quartz watch gets its reliability.

A circuit within a Quartz watch applies constant electrical currents to a quartz crystal. The oscillations of the quartz are timed, and an electric pulse is created each time the quartz reaches its 32,768th oscillation – one second.

This electric pulse is what powers the movements of Quartz timepieces (like the Nixon 51-30 Chrono).

How to Use Them

Watches with quartz are easy to use because they are battery powered. Simply make sure your battery is charged, your time correct and you’re good to go!

Bands & Straps: 

Watch Bands consist of bracelets and straps. Bracelets can be either removeable links joined together, solid or mesh. Straps are leather, cloth or rubber and have a buckle.

On link bands, the links can be removed  or added for perfect sizing . The bracelet clasp, seen here, also has adjustment holes which can be easily adjusted by moving the spring bar to another position.

Bracelet Extenders: 

Some watch lugs are case specific, meaning a replacement band cannot be used. Also finding links can be costly or even impossible. If you have a watch that is too small, and you cannot find matching links or replace the band, you can simply extend the bracelet with a bracelet extender. We carry these in stock.