I know this question has been asked many times, so I thought I'd give back to the community on what I've discovered. I'm surprised that more don't actually don't know about this, though glad I can give back as I've soaked in much of the knowledge shared here.
The freediving watch to buy is the Aeris F.10 but if you can't afford this.. then what? The cheapest one is the Pyle Snorkel Master ($90), but who wants to buy something that will last only a year or 2 once the battery dies, no surface time, and has annoying ascending alarm? Personally I'm the type of person who buys things that will last, especially considering I travel overseas and items can be hard to find once abroad.
There are two basic things a freediver needs on a watch. Depth meter and a stop watch. The cheapest depth meter one can find, is a depth meter by Suuntu or Dacor found on ebay +/- $30. I was fortunate enough to get nearly a brand new one at that price! They come new for around $80 or so and never require batteries and last a super long time. Many comment on how these depth meters are bullet proof! Granted they are a little bulky like those scuba puck watches, but it gets the job done on a budget. The one I purchased comes with a max depth gauge, and that too will come in handy if I don't want to look at it during my dive.
So now the simple part is finding another watch to keep track of how long one's been underwater or doing their breath-ups. The watch I got for $30 again on ebay, but could have easily got one cheaper. Mostly got it cause it can go down 200m and the heart monitor can go down 30m. Wanted to do some experimenting with keeping track of how to slow my heart rate down on dry statics and possible on dives (if I keep the watch close enough to the sensor during the dive. Not to mention, it will be handy in the gym and pool!
For $60 bucks I've got the basics of every other dive watch at the exception of no alarms (good or bad if ascending alarms) and kind of bulky. Probably doesn't need to be mentioned, but I'll say it anyways...I have to reset the stopwatch by clicking and holding a button upon surfacing and diving. I believe some of the cheaper dive watches like Pyle don't even have a surface time as it considers everything as one dive once it's wet. So that extra effort isn't much of a sacrifice, but rather a greatly appreciated feature that should be required!
The freediving watch to buy is the Aeris F.10 but if you can't afford this.. then what? The cheapest one is the Pyle Snorkel Master ($90), but who wants to buy something that will last only a year or 2 once the battery dies, no surface time, and has annoying ascending alarm? Personally I'm the type of person who buys things that will last, especially considering I travel overseas and items can be hard to find once abroad.
There are two basic things a freediver needs on a watch. Depth meter and a stop watch. The cheapest depth meter one can find, is a depth meter by Suuntu or Dacor found on ebay +/- $30. I was fortunate enough to get nearly a brand new one at that price! They come new for around $80 or so and never require batteries and last a super long time. Many comment on how these depth meters are bullet proof! Granted they are a little bulky like those scuba puck watches, but it gets the job done on a budget. The one I purchased comes with a max depth gauge, and that too will come in handy if I don't want to look at it during my dive.
So now the simple part is finding another watch to keep track of how long one's been underwater or doing their breath-ups. The watch I got for $30 again on ebay, but could have easily got one cheaper. Mostly got it cause it can go down 200m and the heart monitor can go down 30m. Wanted to do some experimenting with keeping track of how to slow my heart rate down on dry statics and possible on dives (if I keep the watch close enough to the sensor during the dive. Not to mention, it will be handy in the gym and pool!
For $60 bucks I've got the basics of every other dive watch at the exception of no alarms (good or bad if ascending alarms) and kind of bulky. Probably doesn't need to be mentioned, but I'll say it anyways...I have to reset the stopwatch by clicking and holding a button upon surfacing and diving. I believe some of the cheaper dive watches like Pyle don't even have a surface time as it considers everything as one dive once it's wet. So that extra effort isn't much of a sacrifice, but rather a greatly appreciated feature that should be required!