How to Buy a Dive Watch
On the lookout for your very first dive watch? This can be an intimidating plateau on which to find oneself.
Even a decade ago, the horological landscape was quite different: Though it was once almost entirely the purview of luxury brands and huge conglomerates, the market in the 2020s now includes myriad small companies (“microbrands”) as well as direct-to-consumer businesses that simply didn’t exist when many Gen Z buyers were growing up. Slightly older millennial and Gen X buyers are no doubt dazzled by the sheer variety of available marques and models suddenly available on the market. And baby boomers who learned to dive in the 1970s—or may have interest in getting recertified or simply picking up a cool new watch—would no doubt find the market largely unrecognisable.
Don’t sweat. This is what we’re here for. Whether you’re looking for a sub-£500 everyday watch that simply looks cool and tells the time or a £20,000 luxury watch that you can—with some bravado—wear with black tie to an awards ceremony, we’re gonna show you the good stuff and offer some useful advice along the way. And while we can’t turn our attention to every single make, model, and reference on the market, we’ll still cover a wide swath of pricing territory to make sure that no matter your budget, there’s something here for you. But first, a dive into the past…
A (Very) Brief History of Dive Watches
Mankind has always been called to the sea, but before the mid-20th century, it was largely only specialists who had the opportunity to breathe beneath it. While shore-fed air supplies and closed-circuit rebreather systems allowed engineers to build structures on the seabed or frogmen to engage in early special operations, open-circuit systems—those that vent a diver’s exhaled carbon dioxide directly into the water—weren’t yet in recreational use. (Closed-circuit systems, which scrub carbon dioxide and turn it back into breathable air, leave no tell-tale bubbles, which is why they’re the preferred breathing system for clandestine military use.)
During the Second World War, French naval officer Jacques-Yves Cousteau and engineer Émile Gagnan designed and tested the world’s first successful open-circuit underwater breathing device, which they named Aqua-Lung. At roughly the same time an American officer, Major Christian J. Lambersten, invented a rebreather for military use that he would later dub SCUBA, or “Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus.” It was the open-circuit system, now also called “SCUBA,” that would take off following the War, allowing recreational divers across the globe to experience the incredible world beneath the waves.
In these early days of recreational SCUBA, there were a few items that, in addition to the breathing apparatus itself, were absolutely essential: Fins—which are significantly more efficient for underwater locomotion than one’s feet—as well as a face mask to prevent the ingress of saltwater into one’s eyes seem obvious. What is perhaps less obvious is the need for a sturdy, waterproof timing device. Because while the SCUBA rig alerts you to the amount of remaining gas in your tank, it does not tell you how long you’ve been at the ocean floor, or how much time has passed during a safety or decompression stop. These stops—where one simply hovers for a given amount of time at a prescribed depth—are a necessary part of the ascent during a SCUBA dive. If one skips this process or miscalculates it, built-up gasses within the bloodstream might not be able to dissipate before resurfacing. This can lead to decompression sickness—aka “the bends”—which can be fatal in extreme cases.
But back to the need for a timing device. What might the requirements for such a device be? Well, it should naturally be highly water resistant, which necessitates the use of some kind of specialized case with either a screw-down crown and caseback or other unique system. Additionally, it should be automatically wound, which lessens the need to loosen the crown and wear down the threads and gasket. Furthermore, it should be highly legible beneath the water and in the darkness, which necessitates the use of some kind of luminous material. (Back in the 1950s, said material would have been highly radioactive radium, and later, tritium.) Finally, some kind of time recording device is a must, which was taken care of via the use of a rotating bezel with a luminous pip: Line this pip up with the minute hand, and one can quickly and easily track elapsed time.
The birth of the first dedicated, serially produced diving watches is generally pinned to a particular year: 1953. While Panerai and Rolex had collaborated on specialist watches for Italian and German frogmen during the War and Omega had built a unique waterproof watch in the form of the Marine in 1932, these watches don’t fulfil the aforementioned dive watch criteria. It was Rolex with its Submariner, Blancpain with its Fifty Fathoms, and Zodiac with its Sea Wolf that are generally credited as the first commercially available, serially produced dive watches with automatic movements, luminous dials, rotating dive bezels, and water-resistant construction. Once these brands led the charge, countless others followed with similar timepieces, many of which are still in production today. Fascinatingly little has changed in their basic design.
Beginning in the 1980s, digital dive computers—which can track elapsed time in addition to depth, breathing gas mixture, depth, and more—began taking over market share from analog dive watches. Today, these miniature, wrist-worn computers are so advanced that said diving watches are almost completely unnecessary: While some people still wear them, many (particularly younger) divers are completely unfamiliar with the idea of one, and will ask you sincerely if the one on your wrist is waterproof and will survive the dive. Much as a mechanical dive watch might be seen as an vestigial appendage of a bygone era, however, one would do well to keep the old quote from General James Gavin about paratroopers in mind: “Show me a man who will jump out of an airplane, and I’ll show you a man who will fight.” A convenient modification might be, “Show me a watch that will work underwater, and I’ll show you one that will keep time anywhere.”
While the diver—the prototypical “tool watch”—is now largely a luxury item, its effectiveness as a take-anywhere, do-it-all timekeeper remains as strong as ever. Whether worn on the bottom of the ocean floor off the coast of Cannes or on the red carpet within the town itself, there’s no denying the tremendous appeal of this most enduring of timepieces.
What to Look For in a Dive Watch
Once you understand that a dive watch is largely an unnecessary bit of diving kit in 2024, you can relax that shoulder tension a bit and just enjoy the buying process. However, if you want to take your watch underwater with you—as many of us enjoy doing—you should keep certain things in mind as you do your research and select the appropriate watch:
Water Resistance: According to ISO standard 6425, a true dive watch must have a minimum depth rating of 100m (330 ft.). Functionally, many dive watches will have rating in the 200m or 300m range, though 100m is plenty. (Most recreational SCUBA diving takes place at depths less than 30m.) If you see a depth rating of less than 100m, the watch probably isn’t meant for diving.
Rotating Bezel: Dive watches have rotating bezels in order to track elapsed time underwater. (Or above it, for that matter.) While these were once bidirectional, they are largely unidirectional today to prevent accidental under-calculation. You should buy a watch whose bezel action is comfortable in your hand and whose insert—the bit of metal that you actually read—is legible and clear.
Lume: A true dive watch must have a luminous seconds hand or tail to indicate that it is running in complete darkness, and it must also be visible from a distance of 25 cm in total darkness. Functionally, you want a watch with a highly legible dial, which probably means the use of ample luminous material within the indices, hands, and bezel pip. If possible, test your potential purchase in a dark environment to make sure that it glows sufficiently.
Movement: While dive watches were once entirely mechanical objects, this is no longer the case, and hasn’t been for decades. Brands such as TAG Heuer make battery-operated watches powered by light, and others make conventional quartz divers. So long as it’s easy to tell that the watch is operating underwater, it doesn’t particularly matter what’s powering the movement. (The more accurate the movement, the better, of course.)
Comfort: Comfort in watches is highly subjective—and highly important. Buy a watch too big for your wrist, and it’ll be uncomfortable underwater, which is not an environment in which one wants to be distracted. Where possible, test a potential watch purchase on the type of strap or bracelet on which you intend to wear it. Don’t assume that a watch that measures a certain way on paper will necessarily be uncomfortably on-wrist: While 42mm might not be your cup of tea for an everyday watch, it might be perfect for a dedicated underwater tool.
Ergonomics: This point dovetails somewhat with that of comfort, but a dive watch should be easy to handle, both underwater and above it. The bezel should be grippable both with naked as well as gloved hands; the crown should similarly be easy to grip and operate. (Though not underwater! Leave that thing in place once you dive.) The bracelet should be easy to size—see the below section—and the dial should be easy to read. TL;DR: The watch should be simple to use.
Bracelet/Strap: Wearing a watch on a rubber dive strap makes sizing and drying of the whole package easy. Nylon NATO straps, while they can be used in water, tend to come loose and require a lengthy drying period; leather straps are a no-no. Dive bracelets can be a good option, provided the bracelet is easily sizeable. (Many modern bracelets have quick-adjust systems for sizing them without the use of a dedicated tool. This is especially useful for when wearing the watch over a wetsuit, or when one’s wrist swells in the heat.) Make sure you understand how your bracelet works before you purchase the watch.
Where to Buy a Dive Watch
The location and method by which you make your purchase depends upon the brand, your access to boutiques and stores, your comfort level using e-commerce, and other factors. As you may have gathered, we believe that buying a dive watch should be conducted in the same manner that one purchases a mask or fins: Namely, by going to the damn store and trying a bunch of them on! (See the “What to Look For” section above.) There are still many brands—particularly luxury brands such as Rolex and Tudor—that simply don’t offer e-commerce, so you’ll have to head to an authorised dealer. (Don’t be intimated. Read this guide and then go in armed with knowledge, that most wondrous of currencies.)
Besides monobrand boutiques—those that sell watches from a single-company—there are also reputable multi-brand authorized dealers such as Boucherer or Watches of Switzerland, each of which carries numerous marques. Some more affordable brands such as Citizen or Hamilton might be carried in department stores at your local mall; do lots of research before buying one of these watches, as there’s a healthy chance you’ll out-knowledge the sales associate behind the counter. Finally, many microbrands attend shows such as the WindUp Watch Fair where you can actually speak to the brand principals and try on the watches. (We don’t recommend buying from forums or online until you’ve actually tried the watches on, but these can be compelling options once you’re an experienced buyer.)
Dive Watches Under £1,000
Seiko SRPE99
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Ask 100 watch guys for a recommendation for a sub-£1K dive watch, and there’s a healthy chance that 99 of them will recommend a Seiko. (And that the last one will be underwater and unable to answer you.) The SRPE99 is not a small watch, but its cushion-shaped case diffuses somewhat its 45mm diameter, and its large dial and bezel—whose first 20 minutes are coloured red for easy tracking—are highly legible. Equipped with a matching steel bracelet and boasting a day-date display and 200m of water resistance, it’s plenty useful for everyday wear, too.
SPECS:
Diameter: 45mm
Movement: Seiko Cal. 4R36 automatic
Water Resistance: 200m
Price: £450
Baltic Aquascaphe Classic
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Mircobrands offer a great way to get into a cool dive watch for under £1K. The Aquascaphe from French firm Baltic is a perfect example: Measuring a modern (yet highly wearable) 39mm in stainless steel and featuring all kinds of vintage-inspired touches, it looks like a prop from a Jacques Cousteau documentary. And though it might not be the most appropriate strap type for diving, we’d recommend snagging one on the optional beads-of-rice bracelet and swapping it out for a rubber Tropic when you go diving. (The Acquascaphe is so good looking—in every iteration—that you’ll want to wear it day-in, day-out.)
SPECS:
Diameter: 39mm
Movement: Miyota Cal. 9039 automatic
Water Resistance: 200m
Price: ~£480
Marathon 36MM SAR Auto
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Like the idea of a smaller, tough-as-nails automatic watch with serious military creds? Then you need a 36MM SAR Auto from Canadian company Marathon—having built watches for various countries’ armed forces since the Second World War, these guys know what they’re doing. The SAR Auto features a tall, easily manipulable bezel and a dial with tritium-tube technology: The little gas-filled tubes that flank the Arabic hour indices glow perpetually and don’t need to be “charged” with light in order to attain maximum legibility. Add in an excellent rubber dive strap and a large, knurled crown, and you’ve got yourself a winner.
SPECS:
Diameter: 36mm
Movement: Sellita Cal. SW200-1 automatic
Water Resistance: 300m
Price: £935
Wren Diver One Snow
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Another pick from microbrand land, the Wren Diver One Snow recreates a vintage “skin diver”—a ’60s/’70s-era dive watch type that pared back some of the vertical’s fancier features and was widely adopted by many brands—but adds a striking blue and white fumé-style dial and a cool flat-link steel bracelet. (Plus your choice of rubber FKM dive strap.) With its crown guard-less case, sapphire box crystal, and pared-back look, it perfectly mixes midcentury tropes with more modern specs. (Think: 41mm diameter, 200m water resistance, and a sapphire bezel insert.)
SPECS:
Diameter: 41mm
Movement: Sellita Cal. SW200-1
Water Resistance: 200m
Dive Watches Under £5,000
Doxa SUB 200T
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For years, fans of Doxa’s classic, 42.5mm SUB 300 dive watch had been begging for a smaller version—early 2024, the brand delivered in the form of the SUB 200T. Measuring 39mm, it wears like a dream and looks the classic DOXA part: Cushion case, beads-of-rice bracelet with ratcheting wetsuit extension (or rubber dive strap), brightly coloured dials, and the famous “no-decompression” bezel calculated according to U.S. Navy dive tables. Highly idiosyncratic, the Doxa SUB line is a veritable dive watch legend, and at under £1,500, this one’s a steal. (Furthermore, each color is available in matte or sunray finish.)
SPECS:
Diameter: 39mm
Movement: Sellita Cal. SW200-1
Water Resistance: 200m
Price: £1,450-£1,590
Oris Divers Date
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A refresh of Oris’s famed Divers Sixty-Five, the new Divers Date—available in black, blue, and beige—offers heaps of charm via a vintage-inspired dial, bezel, case, and faux-riveted bracelet design. However, this is no slouch of a watch: With 200m of water resistance and a ceramic bezel insert, it can roll with the best of ‘em, while new typography and a simple dial design is sure to excite the design set. While those whose taste runs more classic can choose the black or blue dial, the beige colourway is unique and perfect for those who desire a well-made watch with a certain je ne sais quois.
SPECS:
Diameter: 39mm
Movement: Oris Cal. 733 automatic
Water Resistance: 200m
Price: £2,210
TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional Solargraph 200
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Sometimes the lack of fuss—not to mention the increased accuracy—of a quartz-powered watch is just the ticket. The TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional Solargraph 200 takes this concept to new heights with the addition of its Solargraph technology, which charges the watch via ambient light through its semi-translucent dial. Measuring 40mm in stainless steel or titanium, it’s available in several handsome dial colours—the forest-green version is particularly fetching—and comes with a matching bracelet with an expandable clasp. Once charged, it offers an impressive 10 months of autonomy and a 15-year battery life.
SPECS:
Diameter: 40mm
Movement: TAG Heuer Solar Quartz
Water Resistance: 200m
Price: £2,800
Tudor Pelagos 39
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Released in 2023, Tudor’s Pelagos 39 pares down its flagship, hardcore dive watch into a slightly more wearable package via a smaller case and a simplified bracelet. Machined from lightweight Grade 2 titanium, its undeniable good looks are courtesy of a black satin dial with a pair of “snowflake” hands, a sunray-finish bezel insert, and a matching titanium bracelet with “T-fit” clasp. (It also comes with a black rubber dive strap.) Powered by a COSC-certified movement with 70 hours of power reserve and measuring 39mm x 11.8mm, it’s perhaps the perfect modern analog diver.
SPECS:
Diameter: 39mm
Movement: Tudor Caliber MT5400 automatic
Water Resistance: 200m
Price: £4,040
Dive Watches Under £15,000
Omega Seamaster Diver 300M
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The freshly released update to Omega’s flagship Seamaster Diver 300M borrows elements from both its classic ‘90s-era dive watches as well as the timepiece worn by Daniel Craig as 007 in No Time to Die: Measuring 42mm in stainless steel, it features a helium escape valve, an aluminium bezel insert, and a handsome black dial with a miniature wave pattern. The skeletonised sword hands will be familiar to Omega fans, as will the “twisted-lug” case and large round and rectangular dial indices. The stainless steel take on the titanium mesh bracelet from Bond’s watch in No Time to Die is a fine touch, too.
SPECS:
Diameter: 42mm
Movement: Omega Caliber 8806 automatic
Water Resistance: 300m
Price: £6,500
Rolex Submariner
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The Submariner is a classic for a reason. Way back in 1953, it emerged as the preeminent modern diver’s watch due to its simple yet beautiful design: A black dial with luminous indices and hands, a black bezel insert, a highly water-resistant case, and a matching steel Oyster bracelet have been at the centre of every Sub for over 70 years. (Or nearly every Sub—some of them are available in precious metals and special colourways.) The current-gen reference 124060 has everything you need and nothing you don’t: Machined from 904L steel, it features a scratch-proof Cerachrom bezel insert and bulletproof built quality. “One and done,” as they say.
SPECS:
Diameter: 41mm
Movement: Rolex Caliber 3230 automatic
Water Resistance: 300m
Price: £9,100
Panerai Submersible PAM 02683
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Panerai’s lineage comes from specialist watches and equipment made for Italian frogmen in the early 20th century. Today, many of the brand’s pieces are influenced by those early watches but wouldn’t be ideal for diving—the Submersible, on the other hand, is well equipped for underwater adventure. While it’s got the brushed steel cushion-shaped case and special crown-protection device for which the brand is famous, it also has a unidirectional dive bezel with a ceramic insert, 300m of water resistance, and an automatic movement with an impressive three-day power reserve. At 42mm, it’s small by Panerai’s standards, but excellent for everyday wear.
SPECS:
Diameter: 42mm
Movement: Panerai Cal. P.900 automatic
Water Resistance: 300m
Price: £9,100
Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Automatique
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Looking for a “go-big-or-go-home” dive watch right out of the gate? Check out the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Automatique. A solid red gold version of the brand’s flagship tool watch from 1953, the Automatique boasts a movement with a whopping five-day power reserve, plus a gorgeous black dial accented with applied, lume-filled gold indices and a handsome, domed sapphire bezel insert. Once you’ve experienced the simpler joys of stainless steel tool watches, it’s tough to deny the sensation of a sumptuous, heavy, solid-gold tool watch on the wrist. (Just don’t let any barracuda get too close to it—they’re attracted to shiny objects…)
SPECS:
Diameter: 42.3mm
Movement: Blancpain Cal. 1315 automatic
Water Resistance: 300m
Price: £34,300
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