|
THEY LOOK GOOD BUT DO THEY PERFORM?
The best verdict on a piece of equipment is the one given by independent
testers putting it through the everyday use to which they subject
their own kit. Dive International has recruited teams of ordinary
divers to put each piece of equipment we test through its paces.
How it works: five divers each take the equipment on five dives,
allowing them to become completely familiar with it. A rigorous
trial by 25 dives, with five jurors, is one way of looking at it.
All the divers are observed throughout the dives, complete a detailed
questionnaire and are interviewed afterwards.
The baseline criteria of the tests will ensure the testing of similar
products can take place months apart and still be uniform, allowing
consumers to draw direct comparisons. In this, the second in the
series, the test team is again from the Gibraltar Sub Aqua Club,
a BSAC branch.
Dive International has been swamped with offers to join the test
teams and we are gradually getting in touch with all who have applied
as we start new test cycles.
In a decade that has seen computer diving become the norm, is there
still a market for watches including depth gauges? Emphatically,
yes. One of the market leaders is Citizen's Aqualand range which
continues to expand - we decided to test some of the latest available.
There are divers who choose not to use computers. Some believe
tables to be safer. Others feel computers are expensive and use
unauthorised adaptations of ordinary tables or special multi-level
tables to get the benefits of stepped dive times. Some people make
primarily square profile dives for which computers offer little
advantage.
Many divers insist on a good watch as a back-up if a computer crashes
- it could save your life. Dive rental centres also like Aqualands
as, unlike most computers, they can be used by different divers
in the same day.
And let's not forget one of the most important reasons for owning
an Aqualand - a dive computer looks daft on your wrist when you
go down the pub. The five we tested were the:
Hyper Aqualand £345
All the information is digitally displayed. It automatically begins
timing the dive from the moment you begin your dive. It reads depths
to 80m. The Hyper logs 30 dives. It displays elapsed dive time,
maximum depth and current depth together with water temperature.
It has acoustic and visual alarms for ascent rate violation (18m
per minute exceeded). After the dive you can recall average depth,
maximum depth and dive time. It also logs the date of the dive and
the surface intervals.A PC interface permits dive information to
be downloaded for a more permanent record.
Analogue Aqualand £395
Displays all time and depth data using conventional hands. It indicates
elapsed time, maximum depth, current depth. It features pre-set
audible alarms for depths to 55m/180ft and ascent rate violations.
Digital Aqualand £345
The depth information is digitally displayed, recording current
depth, maximum depth and dive time, Audible alarms indicate pre-set
depth limit (to 80m/260ft) and time violations. Hands indicate real
time.
Digital Aqualand I1 £345
This version displays current and maximum depth and elapsed dive
time digitally in two windows at 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock. It features
audible alarms for ascent rate, pre-set time and depth violations.
Chronograph Aqualand £295
Uses chronographs for specialist timing requirements. It measures
in increments of minutes, seconds and 1/20th of a second. It provides
an analogue readout of maximum depth, current depth and elapsed
time. It reads depths to 50m/164ft.
All of the test watches have stainless steel cases, which are rated
to 200m/660ft, that is the industry standard for scuba diving, and
have straps that are long enough to be worn over the thickest suit.
Apart from the Hyper Aqualand, all the watches have screw-down crowns
and uni-directional bezels usefully marked in one minute divisions
throughout the scale, not just the first quarter hour. Faces are
either luminous with dark batons or dark with luminous batons. All
have a date display. The Hyper does not require an adjustment crown
or bezel as it is purely digital. It has a built-in backlight.
Instructions: These are sophisticated instruments.
Often such equipment, while well-designed, is badly let down by
poorly worded instructions. We asked each tester to evaluate their
instruction manual, assessing clarity and taking into account any
parts they found confusing.
Hyper Aqualand 95%
Analogue Aqualand 75%
Digital Aqualand 95%
Digital Aqualand II 95%
Chronograph Aqualand 80%
Aesthetics: Not only must dive watches perform
vital timekeeping functions, they must also look the part. We asked
our team to consider their Citizens' appearance. We had a pretty
macho test team, including a fireman, a racing driver and a 16-year-old
with a new girlfriend. The appearance of the watch was very important
to them.
Hyper Aqualand 80%
Analogue Aqualand 100%
Digital Aqualand 95%
Digital Aqualand II 100%
Chronograph Aqualand 100%
Displays: It is essential that the watch is easy
to read under a range of conditions, such as in poor visibility,
low light or when a diver is under stress. The watches were dived
to 38m, where light levels were virtually nil. We asked the test
team to assess the ease of reading time and depth displays. Some
divers were slightly affected by narcosis.
Hyper Aqualand 85%
Analogue Aqualand 90%
Digital Aqualand 80%
Digital Aqualand II 96%
Chronograph Aqualand 66%
Bezel: Though all of the Aqualands have automatic
functions to record elapsed time, which is activated upon descent,
we also tested the traditional user-set bezel. We asked our team
to test the ease of setting the bezel. Some of the crew used gloves,
others prefer to dive without them. Overall scores were:
Hyper Aqualand no bezel
Analogue Aqualand 100%
Digital Aqualand 80%
Digital Aqualand II 100%
Chronograph Aqualand 60%
Modes: All of the Aqualands have modes. For example,
some have alarms that must be pre-set to warn a diver that he is
exceeding a depth or time boundary. The Test Team were asked their
opinions of how easy the modes were to set.
Hyper Aqualand 90%
Analogue Aqualand 60%
Digital Aqualand 90%
Digital Aqualand II 100%
Chronograph Aqualand 100%
Alarms:The Aqualand range feature alarms to warn
a diver of violations in the dive plan. These warn of exceeding
the US Navy tables standard ascent rate of 18m/60ft per minute and
of exceeding user pre-set maximum time or depth ranges. Hyper Aqualand
80% (audible/visual) Analogue Aqualand 100% (audible for ascent
rate and exceeding target depth, audible and visual for exceeding
55m/180ft).
Digital Aqualand 85%
Digital Aqualand II 100%
Chronograph Aqualand 80% (visual alarm for exceeding 50m only).
An overall score was given to each watch after five days dive testing
and normal land use.
Hyper Aqualand 88%
Analogue Aqualand 87%
Digital Aqualand 85%
Digital Aqualand II 98%
Chronograph Aqualand 81%
These scores reflect the individual assessment of the divers concerned.
These individuals were not paid and none has any professional connection
to the dive industry. Scores are based on all of the information
we recorded and not just the criteria selected for publication.
CITIZEN'S REPLY Citizen are pleased to hear that
all the Aqualand watches performed to the tasks for which they are
designed. Manufacturing watches that are suitable for all divers,
from professionals to occasional leisure divers, means that we undertake
a lot of research so objective feedback of this type is very useful.
The only small comments we have are:
1.The modes in the Analogue Aqualand work in a similar way to other
watches. Therefore we assume its relatively low score in this category
was due to the individual preference of the tester.
2.The performance of the watches is affected by extreme temperature:10c
to 40c is the temperature range that we can guarantee the depth
sensor should work accurately. This does not mean it will not operate
below 10c, but that for safety reasons it should not be relied on.
For further information on the Aqualand series call Citizen on
01734 890333.
|
