• A well-done watch that’s solidly constructed, the Ratio FreeDiver Helium Safe 1000M Black Dial Stainless Steel Automatic is an all-around instrument for marine enthusiasts and desk-divers alike. This one joined the hit parade immediately after the 200m Freediver made to the scene and became an instant hit.

• This excellent tool/diver watch makes you aspire for deeper underwater realms. It has amazed everyone with its wide depth range and features. It surfaces for everyone who looks forward to newer experiences perilous yet pleasurable.

• The Ratio FreeDiver Helium Safe 1000M Black Dial Stainless Steel Automatic 1066KE20-33VA-BLK is a heavy watch. The heavy-gauge surgical steel construction (case, screw-down crown, engraved case-back w/image of a free diver and the deployment clasp) gives it the weight. It pleasantly assures its presence with its heft while increasing the momentum of your hand’s movements, rather than tying you down with its weight. The thick gauge, surgical-grade stainless steel and the sapphire crystal offers high resistance against tremendous water pressure; physical impacts and violent tugs. The crystal, the case and the case back protect the Japanese mechanical movement (with its own shock/magnetism resistant features) within entirely against knocks, bumps and drops.

• A large sized dial made of brass and painted using silkscreen technique; a big date window and prominent hands and hour markers offer maximum visibility under murky environments and when under pressing situations, you do not have to squint to focus on the dial to read the time (or the bezel/timer reading). A big advantage is the non-radioactive lume-filled prominent hour markers (especially at 12, 6 and 9); they are big, bright and with an almost infinite longevity. It also ensures longer hours of illumination.

• The serrated bezel, the grooved crown and the knurled helium-valve cover – All facilitate a firm grip with wet fingers, with or without the diving gloves on. It is advised not to operate the crowns under wet conditions. Note: You’ll need the helium valve in your watch for times when you are in a chamber filled with breathing mixture; not necessarily diving bells. You open the valve to let the trapped helium out, which got past the gaskets and seals due to their very fine dimensions. A decreasing external/environmental pressure would make the helium to expand fast and damage the seals, crystal and gaskets in an attempt to escape. The helium valve provides an outlet for the built up pressure to escape.

• The hour and minute hands of the Ratio FreeDiver Helium Safe 1000M Black Dial Stainless Steel Automatic 1066KE20-33VA-BLK are unique in their shapes. The hour and minute hands are a mix between arrow and sword shapes while the seconds-hand is an improvisation on the sword-style. The red-border on the minutes hand ensures you do not miss out on its position while using the bezel as an elapsed-time indicator.

Ratio FreeDiver Helium Safe 1000M Black Dial Stainless Steel Automatic: A sum up of time and personal experiences

The Ratio FreeDiver Helium Safe 1000M Black Dial Stainless Steel Automatic is a great tool watch to which anyone who takes freediving seriously should give a thought. Its specs match that of any pro-grade diver watch but the cost doesn’t. The Ratio FreeDiver Helium Safe 1000M Black Dial Stainless Steel Automatic wears a tag that’s unbelievably lower than the rest in its league. You’ll be hard-pressed to find another watch from another brand that offers the same at the cost.