JAEGER-LECOULTRE: DIVE: EXPERIENCE: TESTIMONIALS: TOM PADO

If Tom Pado, General Manager of TMT (Total Marine Technology) can see the funny side of being in a disintegrating diving bell at 800 metres under the ocean, it means he knows a lot about handling pressure. In a 40-year career under pressure, he's been to record-breaking depths, seen creatures that man might never see again, and he builds the undersea robots that work to titanic depths for the offshore oil industry around the world.

He's thus more qualified than most to take Jaeger-LeCoultre's Master Compressor Diving on a little reality test - to 1,000 metres on a specially built Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV). He did just that with the Master Compressor Diving GMT off the Hawaiian coast in June 2007 and off the Manado coast in November 2007, to the delight of the journalists who were able to watch live coverage on a boat right next to the action. Speaking of the Master Compressor Diving Pro Geographic he wears for real tests as well, he says "I've been wearing the watch all the time. It's a real talking point and it's the best watch for real diving."

For all these reasons and more, Jaeger-LeCoultre is proud to present the man behind the underwater accomplishments: a multi-faceted individual who is passionately dedicated to diving and to oceans in general.


Tom's diver career started being fun in the US Navy School, in the sixties. 'While at school I built a couple of underwater devices, a diving helmet and an underwater scooter out of wood', says Tom. A friendly race for diving inventions was open: the head of the diving department and his team "W.J. and his Hairy Cohorts" against "Captain Fireplug (his nickname) and his Faithful Companion". W.J. James Woodberry was the man who invented the "Cryogenic diving system". Another was the world record holder of the deepest dive in a compression chamber (Lenny Whitlock, 2300 feet, who later made his first lockout dive from a submersible with Tom Pado). They are all friends today.

Later, enlisted sailor on the USS Becauna, in New London Connecticut, where were the largest nuclear submarine in the world, Tom Pado worked on developing submersibles to have fun with his mate George Hallek. One of them weighed 1000lbs and they decided to test it down a secluded pond. An unsympathetic officer, who was exercising his dog, came across them to know what they were doing. "We're here to get the yellow submarine out of the swamp," they replied, donning their Scuba gear. "You can imagine the look on his face when George and I surfaced with a full-blown yellow submarine. His mouth is still open!" recalls Tom. The Beatles' hit of the time meant there could only be one colour for the experimental submersible that the young men had been testing in the pond.


It was when he left the navy that Tom put his life most at risk. Now a civilian dive-master, he had to lead the search for a boy who had gone through the ice into a fast flowing river. "The currents were very strong and there were all kinds of dead trees down there. It was hard work and cold. We feared for our lives as well. We were there for several days. Sorry to say, we never found the boy."

The most terrifying underwater moment came in 1978, when he and a colleague, John Fike, were testing a brand-new diving bell off Canada, achieving a world record: "We took the system down to 2,842 feet," he recounts. "We saw many different kinds of marine life. It is possible that man may never see them again." Then at 2,400 feet, the awed silence in the diving bell was abruptly broken. "All of a sudden we heard an unbelievably startling noise that sounded like gunshot. As we got deeper, it was like a machinegun going off." To their relief, the sounds stopped. It turned out that the pressure was imploding marble-sized reinforcing spheres in the outer layers of the buoyancy foam. Despite the scare, it was a world record for that type of submersible.


After graduating (Physics in Indiana University, Oceanographic technology degree from Florida Institute of technology, and Ocean engineering study at Florida Atlantic University), Tom Pado worked in deep diving research at the Smithsonian Institute's research programmes for the oil industry. His team experienced the greatest depths, using 'Biomarine Rebreathers' to dive. Tom was one of the early residents of the undersea Hydrolad in the seventies, in Freeport Bahamas, living in saturated atmosphere, using normal air holding depth 60' and working depth 245'. Famous divers worked with him at that time: Dr Silva Earl (the first woman to dive in a JIM suit attached to a submersible to 1200' in Hawaii), Jordon Klein (an underwater filmmaker), Al Giddings, Dr Joe McGinnis, and others.


There's also the lighter side of getting stuck in sub-sea pipeline trenches during inspection trips in mini-sub. "Sometimes the mud would almost cover us completely. It was a hoot! And pretty scary trying to get out - blowing ballast and running the thrusters at their max."

Yet you don't get old in this line of work unless you're thoroughly professional. Since 1983, Tom has run own business building and operating ROVs - mainly for offshore oil production around the world. He has recovered "a very expensive torpedo" in the Mediterranean down 2000 meters for the Italian Navy, and had one of its ROV chasing Great White sharks for a Cousteau movie. "One of my great times is when I had the honour of working for Jean-Michel Cousteau (the son of explorer Jacques-Yves)." Today, his company, Total Marine Technology, is based in Western Australia. "And now I'm excited to work with Jaeger-LeCoultre, taking their watches around the world showing their great technology."

Last year he became a finalist in the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award.


NameTom Pado
Age60
NationalityUSA
ProfessionOcean Engineer
When did you begin working with Jaeger-LeCoultre?November 2006
Professional profile?US Submarine Service, electronics and diving
University : Florida Institute of Technology "Oceanographic Technology", Florida Atlantic University "Ocean Engineering", Smithsonian institution " Deep diving research"
Oil Industry : Diving, Submersibles ( world record dive 1978 2842'), ROV'S
Started my own sub-sea company in 1983
2006 Finalist in Ernst & Young's "Entrepreneur of the Year" award
Favourite fish?A snapper to eat; a cuttlefish to look at
Which sea or ocean do you prefer?Indian Ocean
What sort of books do you prefer?Science fiction
Which weather suits you?Mediterranean
Which watch model do you prefer?Master Compressor Diving Pro Geographic
Which watches have you worn before?Rolex Daytona
What is your relationship with time? Are you generally late, early, or just on time?Fashionably late
How would you define precision?Repeatable accuracy
Could you be a watchmaker?No
Which drink do you prefer?Vodka and soda
Which values do you share with Jaeger-LeCoultre?Integrated structure achieving to manufacture 90% of our products in-house
Did you know Jaeger-LeCoultre before?Yes
How many dives have you made?Over 2000
Your favourite place?Nigaloo reef (North West Australia)
Any life philosophy?Now is the most important time
Be honest with yourself
The most valuable thing in life is a friend
Favourite phrase or saying"No worries, mate!"
Your best experience at sea?Playing Cat Stevens at 1000m depth in a submersible
And the worst?Cape Hatterus sea sick in a big storm
How different are Jaeger-LeCoultre's models from other watches?They are striking. I get asked a lot of questions about my Master Compressor Diving watch.
Do you like cats?Yes
Languages spoken?English, some Spanish, Polish, Chinese, Indonesian, Nee how ma
What is your vision of time?Fast and slow
Do you like mechanics?Yes
Is your watch early, late or on time?Late
The sailor or explorer you most admire?Auguste Piccard
The ship or boat you prefer?Any submarine
Favourite film?Star Wars
What were you doing for your twentieth birthday?I got drunk