Dip Into Your Wallet for These Best Dive Watches

Do you want to know which brands make the best dive watches? We’re throwing you in at the deep end with these fin-tastic options.

Today’s engineering means that a dive watch can be anything from a colossal 50mm+ model to a more tidy 40mm one. They can be dressy, or simple, or neither. 

Heck, they can be absolute monstrosities! But if you’re following a guide like this, you’re sure to find something that hits the spot.

Admittedly, collectors don’t buy dive watches purely for diving these days (or diving at all, for that matter). They’re collectible investments that impart a very distinctive style on the wrist.

If you love that style, dip your toes into this list of the best dive watches to own right now.

Best Automatic Diving Watches

Dive Watches powered by mechanical movements are a great investment. They’re not only functional but stylish, too. The best automatic diving watches are models like the Seiko Prospex 1965 Heritage Diver’s watch. It’s a modern reinterpretation of an older design released back in the 1960s.

Now, with more power, the watch can run up to 72 hours while off the wrist, thanks to the Caliber 6R55. What’s more, it promises 300 meters of water resistance, a black unidirectional rotating bezel, and a compact 40mm diameter for daily wear.

I love the fact that the watch comes with shorter lugs. They promise a high degree of wearability, whether you love to dive or not.

I can’t talk about automatic dive watches without mentioning DOXA. The brand has an outstanding reputation for building dove watches and was a leader in the market during the 60s. 

DOXA put itself on the map for its bold and punchy dive watches. Like this model, the iconic orange dial stands out in the darkness, chosen for its visibility in low-light situations.

This DOXA SUB 300 Professional watch measures 42mm and features a vintage beads-of-rice bracelet. Capturing all the traits of the famous dive watch DNA echoes the brand’s earliest models.

Best Digital Dive Watch

If you’re looking for state-of-the-art dive watch features housed in a wearer-friendly smartwatch, consider the Descent™ Mk3 – 43mm. In my opinion, it’s the best digital dive watch out there right now.

The Garmin Descent™ Mk3 43mm launched last year, but it still gets my vote for the best digital watch. Not merely because of its super sleek and cutting-edge design but because it’s accessible for professionals and amateurs. 

Just a few things to note about this watch: It has a simple and colorful user interface and performs exactly how you’d expect it to.

While Garmin watches are not the cheapest, this dive computer is certainly worth the money. No matter what the conditions underwater, the screen is easy to read. This is down to Garmin’s Lume Mode. The ambient light sensor brings a green luminescence to the watch face.

Aside from the brand’s usual health and fitness features, you get the Dive Compass and Surface GPS features. You also get Tide Data and the Garmin Dive App. The latter can sync with your computer to upload and log your dive details in real-time. 

With a robust steel case and fog-grey silicone band, you’d be crazy not to wear this smartwatch out of the water, too.

Best Dress Diver Watch

Are you suiting up with a dressy diver? Here’s one for you. 

The Longines Legend Diver Watch can pass as a dress watch because it doesn’t carry the archetypal “dive tool” look. Instead, it benefits from an internal rotating dive bezel that sheds the bulky external bezel load. 

On top of that, you get an undiluted vintage feel — retro elements taken from dive watches of a bygone era feature in the dial.

It’s those subtle features like the off-white Super-LumiNova material on the hands and markers that make this watch special. They look worn and full of character. 

Longines fits the best dress diver watch on a blue leather strap, pairing it beautifully with a gradient blue-black dial.

Best Professional Dive Watches

If you’re serious about diving, only the best professional dive watches will suffice. The choice is rather overwhelming out on the market, so I’ve selected a couple to help.

For me, the Omega Seamaster PLOPROF 1200M Titanium ticks every box possible. With case dimensions of 55 x 48mm, it’s about as wide as it can be. This confident dive watch for professionals packs a water-resistant capability of 120 meters! It also features a lightweight titanium case with a retro mesh-type bracelet.

A shot of orange in the minute hand will help you measure elapsed time against a glossy black ceramic unidirectional bezel. a matching orange helium escape valve protects the automatic Calibre Omega 8912 from damage.

You’ll also notice that Omega experts have relocated the crown to the left side of the case. This reduces the risk of the crown snagging on diving gear or digging into the back of the hand.

A more affordable professional dive watch is the Citizen Promaster 1000m Professional Diver. With a 52mm diameter, it’s a monster of a watch. Citizen unapologetically overengineers this design, boasting an elaborate locking mechanism for the bezel.

Rest assured, there is no way this bezel is going to shift accidentally. No matter how rigorous and challenging the dive, the Citizen Promaster 1000m Professional Diver is fun and sporty. 

The brand outfits the watch with its Eco-Drive technology, converting light into energy and eradicating the need for a battery.  

Best Swiss-Made Dive Watch

Blancpain upholds the greatest watchmaking traditions within its Swiss-based manufacturing facilities in the Vallee de Joux. The brand has specialized in dive watches for many years, releasing the Fifty Fathoms watch in 1953.

The Fifty Fathoms is a true diving watch with mass appeal. It’s one of the best Swiss-made dive watches out there. Even collectors with zero diving aspirations can appreciate the 70-year story behind this watch. 

The Blancpain Fifty Fathoms X Fathoms watch stands tall at 24mm in height. It imparts a bold wrist presence with a staggering 56mm diameter.

This mechanical dive watch, released in the early 2010s, comes outfitted with a mechanical depth gauge. 

Packed to the brim with vintage charm, the dive watch features two depth indicator scales and a retrograde five-minute counter. It also features a sapphire crystal bezel to assist with the model’s 300-meter water-resistant rating.

Best Dive Watches Under $2000

If you’re shopping for the best dive watch under $2000, here’s my choice.

I’ve chosen the Tissot Seastar 2000 Professional watch. To start with, it features the Powermatic 80 movement. The movement features a silicon balance spring for exceptional resistance to magnetic damage.

Secondly, its gradient blue-black dial is perfect for wearing with sporty, casual attire at the weekend. You don’t just have to wear this Tissot watch for diving. It’s also a great sports watch. A see-through sapphire crystal glass case back also enables you to admire the movement as it performs.

Tissot has a solid reputation for creating tough, durable dive watches with purpose. Backed by an impressive heritage in Swiss watchmaking, you can’t go wrong with Tissot — least of all their Seastar series.

Best Dive Watch Under $3000

For under $3000, you can get your hands on a pretty respectable dive watch. For one thing, at this price point, you’re spending enough that you should be able to bag yourself a reputable name.

The Oris Aquis Date with a cherry dial embodies all the fundamental dive watch features. It’s the brand’s best-selling model, and there are no prizes for guessing why.

Fans of the dive watch like the way the Oris Aquis wears smaller on the wrist. That’s down to its integrated bracelet design with end links that meet the lugs seamlessly.

Another option for this “best dive watches under $3000” category has to be the Rado Captain Cook. The Automatic watch with a blue dial sits on a solid steel bracelet. It’s even better if you can find it on the retro beads-of-rice stainless steel bracelet.

Its unidirectional rotating bezel combines with luminous dial elements, a sapphire crystal glass front, and a reliable ETA movement. 

In a nutshell, this is an all-round dive watch that you know will stand the test of time. After all, Rado has specialized in some of the toughest materials in watchmaking. It even uses its high-tech ceramic in the design of the bezel.

The Takeaway

Whether you’re looking for an affordable dive watch or have some extra cash to splash, the choices are endless. This guide to the best dive watches has hopefully given you some food for thought for your next purchase.

What are your dive watch recommendations, and why do you love them? Leave your top picks in the comments below.