Protek Dive Watch Review

Protek Series 1000 Carbon Dive Watch Review

UPDATE: 20% Off Protek, Use Discount Code: JoeScuba
Visit the Protek Website: Protek Watches

Before I get into my Protek dive watch review, let me explain the 20% discount code. First, I have been scouring the Internet for a better deal and I can’t find one. The best discount I’ve seen for Protek watches is 10%. I want to point out that I have nothing to gain by you using the “joescuba” discount code. Protek reached out to me and I am excited to make the code available. I don’t get a commission or any other benefit when you buy a Protek watch.

I do hope to be able to sell them in my JoeScuba “shop” one day, but that’s a separate thing. The bottom line is use discount code “joescuba” if you buy a Protek dive watch because it’ll save you $100!

On to My Protek Dive Watch Review

You may have noticed, dive gear reviews feature prominently here on JoeScuba. I write reviews because I am a gear hound and enjoy testing dive equipment and writing about my experience. A lot of diving equipment review websites really exist to get you to click on affiliate links. On the other hand, I mostly write about the gear that I buy, and like enough to share with other divers. This review is a bit of a departure, but still about dive gear.

A few years ago while exhibiting at a DEMA show, I discovered a dive watch brand I had never heard of. The company is Protek and their dive watches are fantastic. I love dive watches. I have loved dive watches since I was a kid. Aside from looking cool, a dive watch announces to the world that you are a diver.

Ironically, I don’t wear a dive watch for diving anymore. Like most divers, it’s all computers these days (see my Shearwater dive computer review). For the most part, divers don’t need to monitor time and depth independently like we did in the old days.

Say you’re a diver without saying you’re a diver…

In spite of dive computers, choosing a dive watch makes sense because they look good and are waterproof and durable. We divers tend to be rather enthusiastic about our sport. Wearing a dive watch shows you are part of the club.

To my eye, the Protek Series 1000 Carbon dive watch falls in the same category as the Luminox Navy Seal dive watch. But, there is a 100M difference in the depth rating. The Protek Series 1000 Carbon dive watch is rated water resistant to 300M, vs 200M for the Luminox. Realistically, no one is going that deep, but it does speak to durability.

As a final comparison, Protek offers several color variants, which to me, make the Series 1000 Protek a more personalized choice.

I actually didn’t choose. I simply saw the Protek Series 1000 and wanted one. It looks tough and I love the orange color scheme. It wasn’t until I decided to write a review that I sought out comparable

Luminox dive watches, as well as other dive watch brands.

In my research, I learned that premium watch companies like Breitling and Doxa also offer carbon dive watches, but these cost $2,500 to upwards of $4,000. Protek screams, “I’m a diver,” for under $500. I personally think the Protek looks better, and also offers a tritium illuminated face and hands.

Tritium Illumination in Watch Faces

Okay, I’ll admit I didn’t know anything about tritium before I noticed Protek making a big deal about it. We’ve all had watches with glow-in-the-dark faces, numbers, hands, etc. The routine is you expose them to light, after which, they glow brightly for some seconds to several minutes and then dim significantly before going completely dark.

All of my submersible pressure gauges work like this. It’s fine if the glowing fades during a night dive because we’re carrying a light anyway. A dive watch is different, especially considering what I mentioned earlier—that very few divers use their “dive watches” for diving. While a dive watch is made to function as a bottom timer, we mostly use them topside to look cool and to tell time.
Sometimes we even want to know what time it is when it’s dark. Very few people run around with a flashlight. I suppose most mobile phones count, but when I want to know the time, I’d rather glance at my watch than reach for my phone.

I learned that tritium is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen, which has the same number of protons and electrons as hydrogen, and 2 (count ‘em) neutrons… By the way, regular, plain ol’ hydrogen doesn’t have any neutrons, but who doesn’t know that?

Back to the point. After learning about tritium, I couldn’t wait to find a dark place to bask in the resplendent glow of my freshly procured horologe.

As a kid, anytime I needed a dark space during the day, I could count on the bathroom. So, I summoned my inner 10 year old and off to the bathroom I went. With my watch in one hand, I closed the door and… the damn light came on. It’s on a switch with a motion sensor, so I either had to hold still for several minutes or find another dark room.

I found a closet instead. This time, it stayed dark and I was able to experience the tritium watch face in its full luminous glory. “Glory” might be an overstatement. Tritium provides a constant glow similar to non-tritium, glow-in-the-dark watch parts, but with one HUGE difference. Tritium glows on its own, and it keeps glowing for 25 years, without any “charging” from an outside light source.

The Best Tritium Dive Watch

Having done some research I am captivated by tritium. Being radioactive, one obvious question is, “how radioactive?” I mean, let’s be honest, few among us want a glowing watch bad enough to sprout extra limbs or experience the effects of radiation we’ve all seen in WWII movies.

It seems tritium has a half life of about 12 and half years—hence the 25 year glow on the watch face and hands. That said, the radiation “dose” from tritium is extremely low, and can’t penetrate your skin.
While I’m on the subject of radiation and wristwatches, a few of you may be thinking, “Hey Joe, what about radium? Isn’t tritium basically the same?”

Well, I’m glad you asked. Radium was used for watch dials during the early 20th century (and as recently as 1978). It glows brightly, but has a reputation for being harmful to humans. The reality is that radiation exposure from radium watches is also extremely low. Radium radioactivity also doesn’t seem to penetrate human skin, and mostly remains contained in the watch case anyway.

Concerns about radium stem from the fact that watch faces were painted by hand. Many of the workers that applied radium paint (remember, manufacturing techniques were way different back then), used their lips and tongue to keep the finely pointed paint brushes sharp. If you want to know more, search “radium girls.”

I only mention radium to avoid confusion with the tritium dive watches mentioned thus far. Basically, this whole discussion of radiation is just a byproduct of me going down a research rabbit hole. In any case, tritium lume is amazing and your tritium watch will remain illuminated for 25 years. It’s amazing!

Protek Series 1000 Carbon Dive Watch

There are several things I love about the Protek Series 1000 Carbon Dive Watch:

• It is waterproof to 300M. By contrast, most competitor’s dive watches are water resistant to 100M or 200M. On one hand, it’s a flex, but I actually do dives to 100M, so there is a practical concern for some watches on the market.
• Protek makes the best looking dive watch. Between the styling and the colors, the Protek Series 1000 Carbon is the best choice. I realize that’s my subjective opinion, but I seriously love the look of this watch.
• Tritium. It glows for 25 years! I’ve beaten that point to death by now, but you can’t list features without including that.
• The Protek Series 1000 Carbon Dive Watch is light and comfortable to wear.
• The accent colors are included on the watch face and crown, not just the color of the watch band.
• The pricing is great. Retail is $495. Many of the watches I mentioned are several times that for what’s honestly just about status.
• You look like a diver when you wear a Protek dive watch. Usually I don’t care about that sort of thing, but it’s a conversation starter. I have only worn the Protek Series 1000 Carbon a couple times in public and have been approached by divers asking about it.
• The watch uses the ultra-dependable Japanese Citizen/Miyota 2S60 Quartz 3-Hand and Date Movement (10-year battery).

The only thing I would change about the watch is to make a longer band available. I am planning to take mine to 200+ feet (39 degrees F) the first chance I get. However, the band, not surprisingly, is too short to wrap around my drysuit. I’m not sure the best way to get around that.

The next warm water trip I have planned won’t be for a while, but I don’t want to wait that long to get my Protek dive watch below 200 feet. I like the “torture test” component of taking the watch deep and into extremely cold water. I’ll figure something out.

The bottom line for your bottom time

Whether you are shopping for a dive watch to actually time your dives, or because you are a diver and want to look like one, the Protek Series 1000 Carbon Dive Watch belongs on your short list.

The bottom line for me is that I love this watch! I love the way it looks. I love how it feels. I love when other divers notice it. I love that the orange styling extends to the crown and watch face. I love that it is available in orange in the first place.

I’d love to hear your thoughts, so don’t hesitate to comment below.

20% Off with Protek Discount Code: JoeScuba