zOwie Omega Discussion Forum

: When changing time zones, is it advisable to
: change the time in an aircraft i.e. at high
: altitude or on land, where the pressure
: inside and outside of the watch should be
: the same. - Will changing the date/time at
: altitude cause some destructive pressure
: differential within the SMP or is it
: perfectly safe?

Airplanes have pressurized cabins that simulate the air pressure near the ground. So it really makes no difference. Any dramatic pressure difference extreme enough that would damage the insides of the watch would surely implode your heart or brain long before the watch was affected.

The only airplane related issue for watches I know of is the emergency case of sudden cabin depressurization may cause the crystal of a diving watch to pop out. Diving watches are so well sealed that the pressure has no where to go (unless in the emergency, you happen to think to open the helium relief valve)!

There are also *extremely* rare cases of a diving watch crystal popping out when on an airplane that has the cabin pressure way too low. This can occur if the cabin pressure equipment is significantly misadjusted, or the plane has a change in altitude that is faster than the system can compensate for. These unbalanced pressure changes can also trigger seizures in certain sensitive people.