What in the world is a diving bezel?

When I first got my ToyWatch I made a few observations. The bezel (the outer piece with the numbers/dashes on it) was not numbered by hours but by minutes. The bezel spun around but only counterclockwise. I couldn't figure out what the purpose was! After a few Google searches such as "why does my ToyWatch spin" I decided to just check out their website. I found this page and started reading through it. After scrolling down a bit, I found the phrase "diving bezel." What's so special about this spinning bezel and why is it named after divers?

This bezel was designed for scuba divers in 1932 (Omega came out with the first one). It allows divers to calculate the amount of time they've been underwater without needing to remember the exact minute they entered. ToyWatches were not actually designed to be used for diving so this is purely an aesthetic thing. However, it's still fun to know how to use them!

Usually we tell time by looking at the location of the minute hand in relation to the 12 markers on the watch face. If the minute hand is at the 5, we know that it's 25 minutes past the hour. However, the diving bezel allows us to tell time in a different way. The diving bezel doesn't care how many minutes past the hour you are--it simply cares about how many minutes have passed. All you have to do is line up the 0 on the bezel with the minute hand and leave it there. Now you have marked the time that you started at (for divers it's the time that they went underwater). The reason it only spins counterclockwise has to do with the safety of the diver, but I will explain more after you understand how to use it.

Here's a visual to help you understand. The time in this picture is 2:26. Say I told someone I'd meet them in 30 minutes, but for some reason I didn't want to calculate when 30 minutes would be. I'd simply turn the bezel so that the 0 on the bezel lines up with the current location of the minute hand, labeled as the start point. Then I look on the bezel for the 30 minute mark, which is labeled as the end point. When the minute hand moves from the start point to the end point, I know that 30 minutes have passed. Twenty minutes would've passed when the minute hand hits the 20 on the bezel. It's kind of confusing at first, but once you get the hand of it (no pun intended) it's quite fun!

Back to the counterclockwise issue. First of all, if you get your clockwise and counterclockwise confused, I drew an arrow on the picture indicating the way that the bezel DOES turn. So let's use the same example I just used--I'm going to meet someone in 30 minutes from 2:26. I look at my watch and I know that I will be meeting them when the minute hand hits the 30 on the bezel. Easy enough, right? What if I moved the bezel clockwise accidentally? This would move the 30 mark to the right a little, giving me a few extra minutes before I'm supposed to go meet my friend. I would be a few minutes late and have no idea. Now imagine a scuba diver in the same position. Those few extra minutes they think they have could put their life in danger. If the bezel moves counterclockwise, it will only make you think you have less time than you do. It's safer for a diver to think they have less time, and that's why the bezel only moves in one direction.

I hope you're not completely confused! It's one of those things that is so simple once you understand it, but so difficult to explain. Let me know if you have any questions. I hope everyone has a lovely weekend!