WristReview’s Top 5 Dive Watches

By Jovan Krstevski

Here at WristReview, we pride ourselves with awesome watches although we always include pretty much all types of watches in all price levels. We love horology and when it comes to dive watches, we just can’t help ourselves trying to find the best of them all. So please enjoy the following top 5.

5. Oris Aquis

When it comes to professional diving, we can always bet with a tried diver watch brand, Oris. Oris makes mechanical watches only and for us, this is quite a big deal and to put it bluntly, Oris knows their stuff. The Aquis collection offers the best and most functional diver watches we’ve ever seen such as the Oris El Hierro Limited Edition, Oris Aquis Chronograph, and Oris Aquis Date (there are more models to this collection). We like them for their innovative designs and of course their quality materials. Among our favorites is the Aquis Date sporting black dial and black uni-directional bezel which are the main distinctions of a real diver watch. Its steel folding clasp on the strap is very functional and comfortable. Powering it is the Oris caliber 733 delivering 38 hours of power reserve. The movement can be seen through the display caseback which is then protected with a crown guard and of course screw-down crown. It’s 300 m water resistance is impressive.

4. Seiko Prospex Turtle

Seiko has always been the practical choice among the professional divers due to the brand’s extensive choices and tested performance. Seiko sports plenty of great divers and the Prospex diver that we’re covering here is also available in the PADI version. The Prospex diver is not just practical but it is a handsome diver. We’ve always been fond of the blue elements of the Seiko divers and in the Prospex Turtle, this simply aids to perfect legibility. The 200m water resistance may be a hindrance to those looking for 30 bars offered by high-end divers, but in reality, that depth is reserved for technical diving.

Aiding the extreme legibility of the Prospex Turtle is its large hour markers so that Seiko’s Lumibrite coating has plenty of surface to cover, neat and practical design. It’s also worth noting that the screw-down crown (screw-lock) at the 4 o’clock position prevents accidental adjustments during diving session.

The Prospex is powered by Caliber 4R36 beating at 21,600 vibrations per hour with 24 jewels. It wears on a stainless steel bracelet with three-fold clasp with secure lock and the practical push button release with extender.

3. Omega Seamaster Diver 300M

 

The Seamaster Diver has been at the forefront of pro diving and of course diving with style. It also helps that the brand is closely related to the world’s favorite spy, 007. This stainless steel diver ranges from a purely basic diver to a diver with multitude of functions (13 models in this collection). The new ones are already equipped with Co-Axial calibres and latest functions. If you’re deep into diving, you probably are looking for water resistance as high as 30 bar (300 meters), and the OSD 300M is perfectly capable of that. The watched is well-loved for its ceramic bezel and reliable movements like the classic Co-Axial calibre 2500 and the more complicated Co-Axial calibre 3330 sporting chronograph, 30-minute recorder, and a 12-hour recorder.

2. Blancpain Fifty Fathoms

The Blancpain Fifty Fathoms watch is all about style and function and we love it in black. Its one-way rotational bezel is classic but where it truly deserves recognition is on its arsenal of large antimagnetic cases and the high-end self-winding Caliber 1315 with 120 hours of power reserve. It has amazing variants such as the Bathyscaphe and Chronographe Flyback. The sail-canvas strap of the Fifty Fathoms is ready for any occasions and it looks so cool in black

1. Rolex Submariner

Suprcase-Ceramic-Submariner

As for our first choice, we can all agree that the Rolex Submariner is tough to beat for a diver watch. For everyday use, it denotes elegance and sophistication but once you’re ready for adventure, this watch won’t let you down. The iconic watch is hugely popular for its robust and functional design such as the Oyster case, the distinctive dial with large luminescent hour markers, the graduated rotatable Cerachrom bezel and the solid link Oyster bracelet. The collection has seen lots of variants but the latest generation Submariner No-date and Submariner Date are still sporting design elements found on the original model launched in 1953. Unlike other luxury dive watches, the Submariner features a functional rotational bezel wherein its 60-minute graduations allows for accurate monitoring of dive time and decompression stops. Pro divers love its comfortable grip even with gloves on. However, in the end, it will always be the perpetual, mechanical, self-winding Calibre 3135 that truly captivates the Rolex Submariner fans.