We’ve been spoiled by a plethora of watches. There is one for, nearly, every niche of professional field: dive watches for the water, aviator watches for the sky, and sports watches for the ground. That’s not all. There are surfing watches for surfers. Afterward, a thought pops up, do surfers need watches for surfing?
Talking about surfing, we can agree with this statement. The ocean is unforeseeable. Yet, two things are for sure. It is strict and, sometimes, not so kind. You can’t go against its waves. Absolutely not in the situation when it’s so hell-bent on beating you up. And, what do we do in such a situation? It’s to find the surface and repeat the same beating over and over again. We might not win against the ocean but, yeah, we are always eager to head in the water. The shrewish ocean waves may give in after copious amounts of wipeouts and hold-downs, albeit a little.
To face such salty water, we are in need of reliable gears. Surfboards, wetsuits, and surfing watches are my personal gears before coming close to the ocean shores. It’s pretty obvious for the first and second gears. Yet, again, do surfers need watches for surfing? For me, yes. I have to know the right time and condition of the moody ocean. To have the best beatings for every surf if it’s possible. Smartwatches or mechanical timepieces are enough to do the deeds. A repetition of surfing with the right watch helps me to time my maneuver and check the tide.
The time under the water
There is a trick that I learned. Instead of moving in haste, try to count the time when the waves hold you down. It won’t last long, only a brief few seconds. Sometimes, I open my eyes to see the little yet luminous dot of the watch’s hand. It calms me down. This trick also works for other occasions. Try to see the tick of the watch whenever you feel like you’re in a rush. It helps to give you a short time to take a breather. Relax. Then, you go up to the surface.
Mechanical watches are the answers for the trick to work. Seiko Prospex “Save The Ocean” King Samurai Ref. SBDY081 is one of my partners on this. The watch is resistant to water up to 200m. The outer shell is strong enough to persist the shocks from the waves. Further, Seiko’s LumiBrite of the watch markers gives a remarkable glow in dark conditions. There is no need to worry about the Ref. SBDY081’s legibility. The anti-reflective sapphire crystal shows a clear view of the watch’s blue dial.
If you want another one, Steinhart Ocean Titanium 500 GMT Premium does the job well. The Super Luminova reveals a great brightness in dark environments. It isn’t that dark under the surface of water yet it’s good to have another source of personal light. The watch also has a 500m resistance to water with clear legibility on the black dial. This one is robust yet light with the case and bracelet made of satined titanium. Both surfing watches can withstand the pressure of being worn while you’re riding a big wave.
The ocean’s conditions
While mechanical surfing watches give a sense of classic view, smartwatches cover the necessary complications for knowing the ocean’s condition. The Master of G Frogman GWFD1000B-1 is solar-powered. Also, it’s a triple sensor watch. The indispensable functions are a digital compass, depth gauge, and thermometer. In addition, it covers the information of the tide graph and moon phase. For surfers, the tide indicator and moon phase are useful details. It helps us know when the waves will be going up or down. Of course, we can’t solely rely on just a watch. However, it’s always nice to have quick access to the information at hand. And, yes, this one is durable as well with a DLC-coated stainless steel case. It has a 200m water resistance.
Another worth noting digital piece is the Rip Curl Rifles Tide watches for surfing. The watch has information on 500 pre-programmed surfing locations around the globe. It also shows the facts, in a graph or detailed view, of the current and future tides. You can set a plan for a specific day to surf while knowing the local conditions of a certain beach and when the low and high tide is. The watch is made of polyurethane with a 100m resistance to water.
A fact for your surfing watches is to rinse each and every dirt from the seawater with plain water. They have high resistance to water yet try not to wear one while in bath or humid areas. You don’t want a slip of moisture to get into the inside of your favorite watch, right?
