Dive watches are just great. As arguably the most versatile watch type of all, they combine everyday ruggedness with sporty elegance, making them the go-to candidate for your one-watch collection. Although some purists might slightly gasp when they spot a diver’s watch with a suit, we would definitely advise you to get a diver any day of the week, in particular if you currently only have room for one watch in your life.
For this reason, we have selected five models for you that not only meet all the requirements of a modern diver’s watch, but also feature very wearable case sizes and wallet-friendly price tags.
Let’s dive right in.
Certina has been around for over 130 years already, but trust us when we say the brand is far from old news. With the new DS Action Diver dive watches, the brand with the turtle logo has created an affordable as well as powerful Submariner homage that should fit pretty much any wrist thanks to its 38mm diameter.
As a Swatch Group watch brand, the watch gets to enjoy the Powermatic 80 automatic caliber (Powermatic 80.611), which has a super solid 80-hour power reserve and features an anti-magnetic Nivachron hairspring. The ISO 6425-certified watch is also water resistant to 300m, which is certainly not a given considering its called price.
There is probably no need to further elaborate on Baltic’s crazy success story. In fact, since the launch of the first Aquascaphe in 2018, the French brand led by Etienne Malec has been considered one of the microbrand high-flyers out there.
Enthusiasm was correspondingly high for the new Aquascaphe GMT, which expands the popular design of the first Aquascaphe with an additional time zone and a two-colored sapphire crystal bezel. Available in three color options, the watch comes either with a Tropic strap or Beads of Rice stainless steel bracelet and relies on the same 39mm case of its predecessor.
By the way, you can check out our Aquascaphe review here.
The brand with the winged hourglass has been producing high-quality watches in Saint-Imier since 1832 and is therefore a true industry veteran. Not least because of Charles Lindbergh’s record-breaking flight in 1927, Longines is nowadays often associated with aviation, but diving watches also play a role that should not be underestimated.
Longines Legend Diver is a watch in Super Compressor design – recognizable by its inner diving bezel and the two grippy crowns. In addition to the classic 42mm Legend Diver, we were particularly taken with this 36mm variant, which is water resistant to 30 bar (or 300 meters) and has a power reserve just shy of two full days thanks to the L592 automatic caliber.
Christopher Ward is a comparatively young watch brand. Founded in England in 2004, the watch brand was considered a pioneer in terms of direct-to-consumer watch sales, which allowed Christopher Ward to offer high-quality mechanical watches at unprecedented low prices. Although it has since shed the image of a microbrand, the company’s leitmotif has not changed to this day.
A perfect example of this is the new C60 Trident Pro, which is available in three sizes (38, 40, 42mm) as well as numerous dial color combinations. In addition to the ultra-reliable Sellita SW200-1, the models feature plenty of Grade X1 Super-LumiNova as well as a respectable 600 meters of water resistance. Oh, did we mention the ceramic bezel?
The diving watches in the Sixty-Five collection are named in reference to one of the company’s first diving watches, launched in 1965. Although the collection has become a real playground these days (see here for the current model overview), Oris has gone all-out to retain the retro look of the original and skillfully translate it into the 21st century.
For all the smaller-wristed watch enthusiasts, the numerous 36mm models should be of particular interest, such as the reference shown here on a Nato textile strap. If you’re not so keen on textile straps, you can alternatively opt for leather, rubber or stainless steel bracelets, the possibilities are almost endless. Under the hood, the brand relies on the Caliber 733 with a signature red Oris rotor, which is Oris parlance for a Sellita SW 200-1.
Are you currently in the market for a new diver? Then you might like what we have in store for you.
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I just wished the Certina had a more original design, because otherwise it would tick all the boxes for me.
I’d go for the CW, it’s really a lot of money you get for your money.
(Although I do prefer their old logo tbh.)