Best Dive Watches of 2024 That Can Go the Distance

Nicholas Hegel McClelland

Thu, October 6, 2022 at 6:00 PM UTC

12 min read

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Not long ago a dive watch was a crucial component of scuba gear. Divers needed a reliable, highly legible wristwatch to gauge how much oxygen they had in the tank and time decompression stops to fend off “the bends” as they made their way back to the surface. Today’s oceanic explorers use dive computers for these calculations and only wear a dive watch as a backup. But they're still some of the most sought-after technical timepieces around like field watches and sport watches.

Watches like Rolex Submariner—our top pick for best dive watch in this year's Watch Guide—Blancpain’s Fifty Fathoms, and Zodiac Super Seawolf launched the commercial diver category more than 70 years ago and have since inspired generations of watch enthusiasts' passion with tool watches.

Today nearly every major brand—like Seiko, TAG Heuer, Timex—offers a dive model. So, If you’re a diver looking for a mechanical backup, or you’re the kind of person who wants a rugged, day-to-day watch, here's a selection of the finest divers you can buy now.

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Best Dive Watches at a Glance

Best Dive Watch Overall: Rolex Submariner
Best Chronograph Dive Watch: Glashuette Sea Q Chronograph
Best First Dive Watch: Seiko Prospex “Turtle”
Best Retro Dive Watch: Zodiac Skin Diver
Best Dive Watch for Left-Handers: Doxa SUB 300T Aristera
Best Gold Dive Watch: Rolex Deepsea
Best Serious Dive Watch: Zenith Defy Extreme Diver

Best Dive Watches of 2024

Best Dive Watch Overall: Rolex Submariner

Rolex Submariner Watch<p>Courtesy Image</p> — Rolex Submariner Watch
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The watch that launched a thousand imitators, the Rolex Submariner is probably the most iconic wrist watch of all time. Even people who know nothing about watches can easily recognize the Sub. It hasn’t changed all that much since it launched in 1953, but Rolex has made a few tweaks along the way. Today’s reference 124060 is larger, 41mm up from the original’s 37mm. But it still features a 120 click unidirectional bezel, now in a nearly impossible to scratch ceramic, a flawlessly designed dial and 300 meters of water resistance, up from 100.

The hands and indexes are filled with Rolex’s proprietary, stunningly blue Chromalight lume. Inside the corrosion-resistant Oystersteel (904L stainless) case beats the modernized 3230 caliber, which is accurate to -2 to +2 seconds per day and offers 70-hour power reserve. There’s no such thing as perfect, but the Submariner is impossibly close.

CASE: Oystersteel stainless steel
MOVEMENT: Rolex 3230; perpetual, mechanical, self-winding
DIAL: Black
SIZE: 41mm
STRAP: Oystersteel stainless-steel bracelet

Best Chronograph Dive Watch: Glashuette Sea Q Chronograph

Glashuette Sea Q Chronograph Watch<p>Courtesy Image</p> — Glashuette Sea Q Chronograph Watch
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Anyone looking for a luxury timepiece that flies under the radar should consider Glashuette’s Sea Q Chronograph. The German brand’s automatic caliber 37-23 movement, which can be seen through a sapphire caseback, features a column wheel, flyback chronograph, for timing events in quick succession. Applied indexes and a pair of sub-dials adorn the radiant blue face. There’s also a large date window at six o’clock and a 70-hour power reserve. Anti-magnetic and good for 300 meters of water resistance, it’s a heavy-hitting dive watch few outside of the watch community will recognize.

CASE: Stainless steel
MOVEMENT: Caliber 37-32
DIAL: Blue
SIZE: 43mm
STRAP: Stainless steel, synthetic, rubber

Best First Dive Watch: Seiko Prospex “Turtle”

Seiko Prospex "Turtle" Watch<p>Courtesy Image</p> — Seiko Prospex "Turtle" Watch
Courtesy Image

Seiko is often the first stop on any watch collecting journey (or a list like this one). The brand makes a number of rugged, versatile, cool watches for those who are not quite ready to empty their checking accounts. Even bona fide watch snobs love and respect the brand, especially its diver models like the iconic “Turtle.” Nicknamed for its 45mm cushion-case, the piece runs a 24-jewel automatic movement with a 41-hour power reserve and day-date complications. Water-resistant to 200 meters, the watch's LumiBrite hands and markers are a cinch to read in low light. The tri-fold clasp features a locking push button release and a wetsuit extension in case you actually want to take it diving.

CASE: Stainless steel
MOVEMENT: Caliber 4R36 automatic
DIAL: Black
SIZE: 45mm
STRAP: Stainless-steel bracelet

Best Retro Dive Watch: Zodiac Skin Diver

Zodiac Skin Diver Watch<p>Courtesy Image</p> — Zodiac Skin Diver Watch
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In the beginning, there were three OG dive watches—the Rolex Submariner, the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms, and the Zodiac Super Sea Wolf. This faithful recreation of the latter has been juiced up with modern watchmaking and now boasts 200 meters of water resistance, up from 100. The case has swollen from 34mm wide to a more modern 39mm. The modern STP1-11 movement is more reliable and can take more abuse and the three-link stainless steel bracelet features a quick release system that makes swapping it out for a strap a breeze.

CASE: Stainless steel
MOVEMENT: STP1-11
DIAL: Black
SIZE: 39mm
STRAP: Stainless steel bracelet

Best Dive Watch for Left-Handers: Doxa SUB 300T Aristera

Doxa SUB 300T Aristera Dive Watch<p>Courtesy Image</p> — Doxa SUB 300T Aristera Dive Watch
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A little love for the lefties, the Doxa Sub 300T Aristera is designed with the crown on the other side of the case so it can be more easily worn on the right hand. With the brand’s iconic orange dial, the watch is water resistant to 4000 feet and comes with all the usual accouterments - a s scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment, Super Luminova painted on all the all dive-related indications and a 28,800 vibrations per hour Swiss automatic movement with a power reserve of around 38 hours. Pre-orders are open now, but any southpaw who is keen to get on their wrist should move quickly as production is limited to 300 pieces.

CASE: Stainless steel
MOVEMENT: ETA 2824-2
DIAL: Orange
SIZE: 42.5mm
STRAP: Stainless steel bracelet and nylon strap

Best Gold Dive Watch: Rolex Deepsea

Rolex Deepsea Dive Watch<p>Courtesy Image</p> — Rolex Deepsea Dive Watch
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Yes, a massive gold dive watch may seem absurd, and well...it is. But the added weight doesn’t really matter under the sea and Rolex’s latest Deepsea looks like a gift from King Midas himself. At 44mm, it’s a beefy watch perfect for large wrists and is water resistant to 12,800 feet, thanks to a monobloc middle case, screw-down case back and crown, Rolex’s ringlock architecture and helium escape valve. Sure it’s limit is deeper than any human has ever gone beneath the surface, but the word ‘has’ is past tense and who knows what the future will hold.

CASE: Yellow gold
MOVEMENT: Rolex 3235
DIAL: Blue
SIZE: 44mm
STRAP: Yellow gold bracelet and nylon strap

Best Serious Dive Watch: Zenith Defy Extreme Diver

Zenith Defy Extreme Diver Dive Watch<p>Courtesy Image</p> — Zenith Defy Extreme Diver Dive Watch
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Zenith’s DEFY Extreme Diver is everything you could want in a dive watch. The 42.5mm angular, titanium case is highly wearable for most wrists and good for 600 meter dives. The blue star-patterned dial with luminescent applied markers and hands is arresting from across the room and the El Primero 3620 SC automatic movement offers a 60-hour power reserve. The DEFY comes with a titanium bracelet, rubber strap and single-piece fabric strap made of recycled fishing nets all fit with Zenith’s quick release system. So, it’s almost like you’re getting three watches in one.

CASE: Titanium
MOVEMENT: El Primero 3620 SC
DIAL: Blue
SIZE: 42.5mm
STRAP: Titanium bracelet and nylon strap

More Dive Watches We Love

Skeleton watches can be incredibly beguiling, especially ones that display a movement as elegant as the UN-372 found in the Ulysse-Nardin Diver X Skeleton Azure. The 200-meter water-resistant case is cast in titanium and coated in DLC while the bezel is made from what the brand calls carbonium, a material with a 40 percent lower environmental impact than other carbon composites. Obviously, there isn’t a dial, but the hands and indexes are coated in a bright, white lume and a DLC titanium “X” finished with both satin brushing as well as polishing floats above the movement as a design flourish. So, you could say, it’s a piece with great bones.

CASE: Titanium
MOVEMENT: UN-372
DIAL: Skeleton
SIZE: 44mm
STRAP: Rubber

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While TAG Heuer is better known for their motorsport-inspired chronographs, the brand also makes a helluva diver ala the Aquaracer Professional 200. As you've likely gleaned from the name, the 40mm steel watch is water-resistant to 200 meters and uses the brand’s Caliber 5 movement (a modified ETA 2824-2), giving the piece accuracy rated between -4 to +6 seconds a day. Interestingly, the brand uses green lume on the indexes and hour hands and blue on the minutes and seconds, easing legibility in the dark. The piece comes in four dial colors. Traditionalists might opt for blue or black, but TAG offers a pair of options for the more stylistically daring—deep-green sunray or ruby red, for a pop of color on the wrist. Tough enough to handle a bit of adventure, this piece offers the versatility to handle the daily drudge.

CASE: Stainless steel
MOVEMENT: Calibre 5 automatic
DIAL: Smoky red, sunray green
SIZE: 40mm
STRAP: Stainless-steel bracelet

<p>Courtesy Image</p><p>What good is a dive watch as a safety tool if you forget to look at it. To remind those challenging the depths of sea how long they’ve been under, <a href="https://www.jaeger-lecoultre.com/us-en/watches/polaris/polaris-mariner-memovox-stainless-steel-q903818j" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:Jaeger-LeCouture;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">Jaeger-LeCouture</a> has added an additional, and rather obvious complication—an alarm. Good to 300 meters, this watch uses three crowns: the top for setting the time and winding; the center for controlling the internal diving scale; the bottom for setting the mechanical alarm function. The 42mm-wide and 15mm-thick case also features a sapphire crystal back, which provides a good look at the caliber 996 and its alarm chime. But if you’ve forgotten why it’s going off, remember it’s your watch and it only tolls for thee.</p><ul><li><strong>CASE:</strong> Stainless steel</li><li><strong>MOVEMENT:</strong> Automatic</li><li><strong>DIAL:</strong> Blue sunburst</li><li><strong>SIZE:</strong> 42mm</li><li><strong>STRAP:</strong> Rubber and stainless-steel bracelet</li></ul> — Courtesy Image
What good is a dive watch as a safety tool if you forget to look at it. To remind those challenging the depths of sea how long they’ve been under, Jaeger-LeCouture has added an additional, and rather obvious complication—an alarm. Good to 300 meters, this watch uses three crowns: the top for setting the time and winding; the center for controlling the internal diving scale; the bottom for setting the mechanical alarm function. The 42mm-wide and 15mm-thick case also features a sapphire crystal back, which provides a good look at the caliber 996 and its alarm chime. But if you’ve forgotten why it’s going off, remember it’s your watch and it only tolls for thee.
**CASE:** Stainless steel
**MOVEMENT:** Automatic
**DIAL:** Blue sunburst
**SIZE:** 42mm
**STRAP:** Rubber and stainless-steel bracelet

<p>Courtesy Image</p><p><a href="https://www.omegawatches.com/en-us/watch-omega-seamaster-diver-300m-co-axial-master-chronometer-42-mm-21030422003001" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:The Seamaster;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">The Seamaster</a> is the preferred wrist watch of one of England’s most famous sons—and we’re not talking about a fictional British super spy and his movie franchise’s branding exercise. Rather, heir-to-the throne William Prince of Wales. His highness’s Seamaster was a gift from his late mother and he’s been wearing it for more than 25 years. Today’s version retains the signature helium escape valve and wave dial, though it’s now laser etched. The upgraded caliber 8800 automatic movement features both a co-axial escapement and a silicon balance spring making it both accurate to -4 to +6 seconds a day and resistant to interference from magnetic fields up to 15,000 gauss. The watch’s skeleton hands and raised indexes are rhodium-plated and are filled with white Super-LumiNova for low light situations. All in all, it’s an excellent choice of diver, whether you’re a future king or a democratically elected man of the people (President Biden has one too).</p><ul><li><strong>CASE:</strong> Stainless steel</li><li><strong>MOVEMENT:</strong> Omega master chronometer caliber 8800</li><li><strong>DIAL:</strong> Blue ceramic</li><li><strong>SIZE:</strong> 42mm</li><li><strong>STRAP:</strong> Stainless-steel bracelet</li></ul> — Courtesy Image
The Seamaster is the preferred wrist watch of one of England’s most famous sons—and we’re not talking about a fictional British super spy and his movie franchise’s branding exercise. Rather, heir-to-the throne William Prince of Wales. His highness’s Seamaster was a gift from his late mother and he’s been wearing it for more than 25 years. Today’s version retains the signature helium escape valve and wave dial, though it’s now laser etched. The upgraded caliber 8800 automatic movement features both a co-axial escapement and a silicon balance spring making it both accurate to -4 to +6 seconds a day and resistant to interference from magnetic fields up to 15,000 gauss. The watch’s skeleton hands and raised indexes are rhodium-plated and are filled with white Super-LumiNova for low light situations. All in all, it’s an excellent choice of diver, whether you’re a future king or a democratically elected man of the people (President Biden has one too).
**CASE:** Stainless steel
**MOVEMENT:** Omega master chronometer caliber 8800
**DIAL:** Blue ceramic
**SIZE:** 42mm
**STRAP:** Stainless-steel bracelet

<p>Courtesy Image</p><p>Despite the vintage cues, French microbrand <a href="https://baltic-watches.com/en/products/aquascaphe-sb01" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:Baltic’s Aquascaphe;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">Baltic’s Aquascaphe</a> manages to feel distinctly modern on the wrist. It displays all the hallmarks of a classic dive watch, including a robust 39mm wide and 13mm thick case with 200m of water resistance, Super-Luminova indexes, and a 120-click rotating bezel. But that diving scale is fitted with a lumed sapphire bezel insert that is nearly scratch proof as is the double dome sapphire crystal guarding the face.</p><p>Inside, the Aquascaphe is powered by a shock-resistant Miyota 9039 automatic movement with a 42-hour power reserve and stop seconds feature. Baltic offers the piece in five dial-bezel configurations, but no matter which you choose, we’d recommend outfitting it with the “beads of rice” lovely bracelet and its 7 micro-adjustment positions.</p><ul><li><strong>CASE:</strong> Stainless steel</li><li><strong>MOVEMENT:</strong> Miyota 9039 automatic</li><li><strong>DIAL: </strong>Grained white</li><li><strong>SIZE:</strong> 39mm</li><li><strong>STRAP:</strong> Rubber, stainless-steel bracelet</li></ul> — Courtesy Image
Despite the vintage cues, French microbrand Baltic’s Aquascaphe manages to feel distinctly modern on the wrist. It displays all the hallmarks of a classic dive watch, including a robust 39mm wide and 13mm thick case with 200m of water resistance, Super-Luminova indexes, and a 120-click rotating bezel. But that diving scale is fitted with a lumed sapphire bezel insert that is nearly scratch proof as is the double dome sapphire crystal guarding the face.
Inside, the Aquascaphe is powered by a shock-resistant Miyota 9039 automatic movement with a 42-hour power reserve and stop seconds feature. Baltic offers the piece in five dial-bezel configurations, but no matter which you choose, we’d recommend outfitting it with the “beads of rice” lovely bracelet and its 7 micro-adjustment positions.
**CASE:** Stainless steel
**MOVEMENT:** Miyota 9039 automatic
**DIAL:** Grained white
**SIZE:** 39mm
**STRAP:** Rubber, stainless-steel bracelet

Why You Should Buy a Dive Watch

Today, vital scuba info when diving is best provided through a modern, digital, dive computer—and the only real reason to wear a watch under the sea is as a backup. But for watch lovers, they are still an alluring way to tell the time. Their simple designs look cool and are instantly legible. Plus, divers are mechanically over-engineered to take a beating, so you can knock them around a fair bit without much worry.

Why You Should Trust Me

I’ve been collecting watches for nearly as long as I’ve been able to tell time. Around the age of 10, I started disassembling pocket watches to see what makes them tick. Today, I feel naked if I accidentally leave the house without a watch on my wrist—so I’ll go back and get one. (Is it horology or is it OCD, only my shrink knows for sure.) Currently my cache includes a variety of vintage and contemporary pieces from micro brands to G-Shock. Most days I wear an Explorer II (Ref. 226570), but my grandmother’s Mickey Mouse watch will always be my favorite.

See more from the 2024 Men's Journal Watch Guide

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