Patented Helium System
The helium release valve
BALL Watch has been able to incorporate an automatic helium release valve directly into the crown to allow gases to escape as the watch resurfaces from the crushing pressure of the depths. This patented BALL innovation has eradicated a potential surface liable to warp under the effects of water pressure, thereby improving the timepiece’s water resistance even further.
Depth pressure
One of the many requirements imposed by deep-sea diving to the watchmaking instruments is the escape of helium gas. During their descent into the depths, deep-sea divers are generally placed in a diving bell where they are exposed to an air that is enriched with helium. The pressure is also gradually increased to reach the depth pressure. The watch is then penetrated by tiny helium molecules. When going back to the surface, the divers need to stay in the diving bell during a determined time in order to be put under the pressure of standard atmospheric levels. The excess of internal pressure in the watch due to the helium molecules needs to escape. Otherwise, it could generate irreparable damages to the watch.
