Pics of the new Omega Seamaster

Point44 said:
Somehow i think a large percentage of people who actually buy the watch don't ever use the helium escape valve. How does it work anyway? I asked the guy at the watch shop and he didn't really explain it well. I doubt he knows how to use it either.
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To my knowledge you just need to open it before ascent.
 
It's in teh manual, but I don't feel like diggin mine out. IIRC, you open it only after getting to a certain depth (quite deep). It's function is to allow the helium that penetrates the watch under pressure at great depth to escape while you're ascending. As you rise and the external pressure eases, if the helium isn't allowed to escape, the internal pressure built up in the watch will pop out the crystal. If you're diving that deep, it's going to take you long enough to decompress coming up that you'll have plenty of time to open the valve. I don't know of any watches rated for this depth that have an auto helium release valve.
 
Hey Brewthunda,
brewthunda said:
I see the Helium escape valve is knurled - does this mean that you have to manually fiddle with it while coming up from a helium deep sea environment? I'm not sure I want to deal with that hassle.
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The Helium escape valve is very seldomly used. On one site, I read that it's only used in something like 1/1,000,000 dives...making it more of a conversation piece to divers (and even more so to those who don't...a conversation that might go something like this: "What's that?" ... "Hum, I don't know.") than anything else. Here's another quote from www.chronocentric.com that you might find helpful.
 
If the vent is open, wont water rush in, after the He comes out? I prefer the Seiko MarineMaster's method. Don't let it in in the first place
 
The watch is waterproof, even with the Helium escape valve open.

"The seamaster is targeted at saturation divers who work from a bell
and live in a pressurised habitat. Over a period of time He will diffuse into
the air spaces in the watch due to the light nature of Helium and the
pressure differential. As the habitat is slowly equalised to
surface pressure when the divers come out of sat, pressure builds
inside the watch which is subsequently release by the valve."
 
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