Apple Podcast
Gear Patrol
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Gear Patrol
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Gear Patrol
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Gear PatrolThe Gear Patrol Podcast is our weekly roundtable discussion focused on products, their stories, and the culture surrounding them.
In this episode, Staff Writer Zen Love reveals what that hole in your Rolex dive watch is, and also discusses why watch enthusiasts are especially enamored by watches with complex and “unnecessary” functions. Fittingly, this topic is from an online Gear Patrol series we call Further Details, in which our writers and editors explore single, often overlooked elements of all kinds of products. Special thanks to Benjamin Lowry, a commercial diver and Gear Patrol contributor, who provided extra research for this episode.
Show Notes:
Episode Navigation:
- 1:50 – What is a Helium Escape Valve (HEV), and Where on Your Watch Is It?
- 3:30 – Why Helium Escape Valves Are Needed
- 4:12 – HEVs Are Needed Specifically for Saturation Diving
- 8:54 – HEV Watches Aren’t Actually Used That Often, Even by Sat Divers
- 12:48 – Manual and Automatic HEVs, How They Work, and Some Issues
- 17:10 – Why Buy a Watch With Unnecessary Features?
- 26:00 – Other Watch Brands that Feature HEVs, like Doxa
- 28:45 – Are Dive Watches the Pinnacle of Watch Style Statements?