Ideal Freediving Watch

[laminar]

Ideal Freediving Watch

Ok folks, let's let all the freediving watch-making computer (or resourceful inventors) hear what we want in a freediving watch! I've been waiting to buy "the watch" to end all watches, but so far I haven't been impressed.

Here's my list of must haves:
-sampling rate at 0.5/sec (or less)
-metal casing (plastic just seems to lead to malfunctions)
-audible depth alarms that can be set for multiple depths on one dive (ie. 30m, 45m, 60m, etc)
-colored LED or lights for reading guage at depth in dark water
-two chronometers on the watch (one for zero time at a competition, the other for timing warm-ups)
-a chronometer that continues to run even if you go underwater
-small (not like the Apneist!)
-no scuba capabilities (if I'm not a scuba diver, why do I want to pay for scuba functionalities?)
-congratulatory jingle that automatically plays after you make a personal best
-dive memory of up to one year

Is this too much to ask?

Pete
Vancouver, BC

 

[Will]

Emphasis on the audible. I want this thing to talk with whales!
(Interesting fact: whales are the loudest animal - they communicate at 188 decibels. If you stand next to a jumbo jet taking off then I think you might get 130 dB...)

- Scratchproof
- The chronometer should be able to countdown as well as up.
- Would it be too difficult to be able to program training tables into it?

 

[Jon]

What about adding a heart rate monitor into it as well?

Jon

 

[Longfins]

I want better than 0.1% accuracy to 150m. Resolution better than 0.1m

Also how about some kind of electronic trigger to activate external devices such as gas cartridge or other safety devices if an depth and/or time is reached?

Peter S.

 

[Bill]

1 A D3 that does what it's supposed to and an alarm that I can hear or feel. Maybe Suunto knows what they are doing. Wal solved the problem by tucking a second D3 under his hood. I don't know why he needs an alarm anyway, he just keeps going until he hits bottom.
Aloha
Bill

 

[Walrus]

Come on guys,
where's the imagination ?
How about heads up display built into the mask with depth, time, speed etc.

Actually one thing I'm keen on, instead of just beeping alarms, how about someone telling you the depth !
ie 30m, 40m, 50m....
Plus you could have your coach reminding to do the mouthfill at a certain depth, encourage you on the way up etc. You can get MP3 players rated to 66m, atach to a CPU & depth gage and that's all. The technology exists, the problem is freedivers are just too small a market. I may have a go at building one myself.

Oh yeh and Bill, that's only when I have my fin on, love to hit the bottom without but not sure if I would make it back

Cheers,
Wal

 

[DeepThought]

Originally posted by laminar
-sampling rate at 0.5/sec (or less)

Actually, I don't see the point for that... but since it's designed to fit more than just one freediver, I rather it'll have the possibility to sample slowly also, or atelast display the dive profile on display with longer intervales, otherwise looking at a 60m dive from the watch display will just take you too long. And while talking about watching profiles, a PC interface that doesn't make you pay 100$ for a cable would also be nice.

-no scuba capabilities (if I'm not a scuba diver, why do I want to pay for scuba functionalities?)

Well, some of us freedivers get around scuba every now and then, and buying a device for scuba is defenitly not worth it. So it'll be nice to have some tables on it as well... it's not like it makes the computer that much more complicated. And since it's designed to fit more than just one freediver...
Another thing is that it'll be hard to make a freediving only computer profitable enough, but for a few more tables you open another HUGE market.
The R&D for such a computer, eventhough all the technology exists and checked already, also building a factory line (not to mention marketing it) will cost. And if it sold only for freedivers, how many pieces can you expect to be sold? I wonder how many D3's have been sold - 2000 maybe? let's say it'll cost 500$, you get 1,000,000$ back (there might be also a small future income from replacing battaries), but I wonder if that'll be enough to cover the assembly line, R&D and a minimum of marketing.
So either paying even more for the watch, or opening it to scuba, which increases the market potential exponentially.

-congratulatory jingle that automatically plays after you make a personal best

or an alarming jingle for some of us..:duh

Is this too much to ask?

No!

Jon: What about adding a heart rate monitor into it as well?

don't forget blood O2. -ok, that might be too much to ask, but if fantsizing...



10x Will, I didn't know that about whales. Ever got to freedive with those?

 

[DeepThought]

Originally posted by Walrus
How about heads up display built into the mask with depth, time, speed etc.

Now that's inovative!

You can get MP3 players rated to 66m, atach to a CPU & depth gage and that's all.

Then I'de be happy if I can d/l some songs from my computer to it instead of the alarm. Cordless underwater headphones would also be nice, I would'nt wanna disturb the other divers/fish.