Are Casio Watches Suitable For Swimming Or Diving?

Casio’s are popular watches and they are worn by a lot of people and are often worn when people are being active, which also includes swimming, but are Casio’s suitable for this, and what about diving?

Most Casio’s are actually going to be okay to swim with and even dive with, but I will get into this in more detail below.

Casio Are Conservative With Their Water Resistant Ratings

When it comes to Casio and their water resistant levels, they are very conservative.

The watch will say it is capable of one thing, but the reality is that it will be able to handle a lot more.

I guess they do this to be sure they can live up to the claims they make, they want to under sell and then over deliver and to be honest, I would rather it was like this than the other way round.

I have a few watches that say they can handle 100m of water …and I just don’t trust it. When it comes to Casio, I would be happy to go way past that rating without any concerns.

Although, I guess officially I have to say you need to trust whatever the watch dial says. If you go past the depth they suggest, then you do run the risk of damaging your watch.

Many Casio’s Are Only Rated As “Water Resist” …Which Isn’t A Lot   

When you look at a lot of the more affordable Casio’s you will see they just say “water resist” or just “WR” on the dial, which is kind of vague.

The reality is that this means they are not really water resistant at all and are at best splash proof and can handle some rain and washing your hands and that is about it. 

I don’t think most people know this is actually the case. If you look at these watches, like the F91w, they are some of the most sold watches in the world, which means a lot of people have them …which also means the majority of Casio owners are not into watches, they have just bought a cheap watch to tell the time.

I was one of these people. I bought a Casio as it was cheap and looked cool. It said “water resist” on the dial, so that that meant I could do what I want right?  Well, technically no, but I didn’t know this only meant “splash proof” and I just jumped in the pool and went in the sea and whatever else …did my watch break …of course not, it’s a Casio, they are awesome.

The whole understanding of water depth ratings and terms like “water resist” are not really understood by the average person, and this is probably another reason why Casio are quite conservative. They know people will just jump in a pool anyway, so they kind of make their water resistant stronger than it needs to be …even if they don’t officially claim to. 

Plenty Of Casio Models Will Have A Proper Water Resistant Rating

While many of the models only have “water resist”, there are still plenty of Casio’s that have an actual water rating.  You will see 50, 100 and 200m on the dials of these watches

On some models it may be displayed as 20 bar, which means 20 atmospheres of pressure …which you will find at 200m depth of water, so really it’s the same thing. Also for reference, on dry land, the atmosphere should only be 1 bar of pressure, so some of these watches really can take a lot.

Water Resistant Is More About Pressure, Rather Than Depth

As I just mentioned, there are some watches that say 200m and some that say 20bar and while these are the same thing, it can be a little confusing.

This is really because the depth rating is more to do with the amount of pressure that a watch can take, rather than actual depth that it can go …it’s just that pressure and depth are linked. Basically the deeper you go underwater, the more intense the pressure will get.

The confusing thing is that a lot of these pressure tests are carried out in completely sterile conditions, such as in a laboratory pressure test tube. In reality you can have significant pressures at quite shallow depths. If you think about how the water is moving, or how your arm (and the watch) might be moving through the water, the pressure around the watch might be a lot higher than the depth you are actually at.

So things can get a little confusing, but really if your watch is 200m water resistant it means it can handle 20 atmospheres of pressure before it will break …which is roughly the amount of pressure you will find at 200m depth of water, but not always.    

Swimming Is Going To Be Fine With Pretty Much All Casio’s

When it comes to swimming, most Casio are going to be rated high enough that they can cope with any sort of leisure swimming.

As I mentioned already, the “water resist” watches technically can’t handle much water, so you shouldn’t swim with these models of Casio’s … but we all do and it never ends badly.

I would be happy to take any model of Casio swimming, even if it was just “water resist” …I know that goes against what Casio suggests, but I trust their products, their watches can handle it.

(Also I am a poor swimmer and just kind of doggy paddle on the surface, so really my watches shouldn’t really get to stressed out by this)

Diving Will Be Okay With Some Models Of Casio’s

When it comes to diving, this does require your watch to be a little tougher. While most people do not really go that deep when diving, the fact they are a little deeper than the average swimmer would mean that your watch is probably going to be subject to a bit more pressure than average, especially compare to swimmers like me who are just splashing around the surface.

I would maybe be a little more cautious using one of the “water resist” watches for diving, but I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if they could handle diving, even though they are only “splash proof”.

I would try and use one of the watches that had an actual depth rating, just to be safe. Most of these models are going to be fine for the average amateur diving, especially if they are the 200m ones, as this is a decent rating.

However, if you are actually going quite deep, or are taking things a little more seriously or regularly, I would suggest that you get one of the ISO certified watches, which basically means it has been individually tested to handle 200m of depth.

Not a lot of Casio’s have this certification, but if you look at the G-shock Frog masters you will see they have “divers 200m” which shows it actual good enough for proper diving.

If Your Casio Watch Is Old, Be More Careful Around Water

In general, the older your Casio is, the more careful you should be around water.

The gasket seals that help keep them waterproof can degrade over time, so your watch may not remain waterproof forever.

I have a few Casio’s that are over 10 years old and a few that are getting close to that, and I would be a little more cautious about getting them wet, I would now treat them as if they were actually “water resist” and really only splash proof.

Maybe the seals are still nice and fresh and in good condition, but I don’t really want to risk it like I would when the watch was new.

(You can read more about – How Durable Are Casio Watches?)

Opening The Case Back Can Effect Water Resistance

You also need to remember that opening the case back can affect the water resistance.

You may not tighten the back down correctly, or damage the gasket seal, so if you have had the batteries changed on your watch, you should treat it a little more carefully.

Most times this should be fine and it shouldn’t make a difference, but it is always good to be aware of the risks.

How Does Casio’s Water Resistance Compare To Luxury Dive Watches?

I think it is kind of fun to compare Casio’s water resistance to that of a luxury watch.

If you look at probably the two most popular/ famous dive watches, the Rolex Submariner and the Omega Seamaster, they both have 300m of water resistance …and they are both ISO dive certified.

So it seems these watches are probably a little more water resistant than a Casio, but then they are also many, many times more expensive, so you would kind of expect this.

I think Casio stands up well compared to these, given their price and when you look at Rolexes or Omegas that are not water resistant … I would make sure they didn’t get wet. They will certainly get damaged, which isn’t the case for the “water resist” Casio’s that can handle a lot more water than expected.

Conclusion

As you can now see, most Casio’s are going to be okay to swim with and even dive with.

The majority of the watches are going to be absolutely fine and even those that are maybe not as robust and only hold a splash proof level of protection …are also going to be fine in most cases.

Casio’s are really tough and they can handle the water, and literally anything else you might want to do with them, they are just great watches.

(You can read more about – Frequently Asked Questions About – Casio Watches)