Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. 5 Accessible And Capable Dive Watches, To Pick Up Before Summer Starts
A bit of cool, aquatic capacities, a touch of colour and a sweet price... that's all you need!
The arrival of May usually sounds like a relief for those who love adventure, seaside and aquatic activities. It feels like the season for a dive is opened again – at least, if the current sanitary situation clears up… It will, let’s be positive! And to enhance this positive note, it’s time to think about the right gear for the summer season. A durable, robust and capable, cool-looking, maybe even colourful watch to follow you under the sea, or next to the pool. And this, believe us, won’t require you to break the bank, even with a selection of mechanical watches only. Here are 5 recently-introduced, accessible and competent dive watches ready for this summer!
Baltic Aquascaphe Dual-Crown
Among the multiple newcomers, young and accessible microbrands that have recently surfaced, the name Baltic is one to look closely at. Indeed, in about 4 years of existence, the French-based brand has managed to make a name for itself with distinctive, greatly designed and well-executed neo-retro watches. Following its classic dive watch, the Aquascaphe, the brand now looks at the late 1960s and early 1970s with a new take on the aquatic timepiece, with the Dual-Crown. Inspired by compressor watches, it features an internal rotating bezel and a classic pair of crowns on the right side. The case, with rather compact dimensions, marks a step up in finishing compared to previous watches, with nice polished chamfers and a unique “tourbillon brushing” pattern on the bezel – something that clearly sets this watch apart. The design is cool, the overall execution is pleasant and the price, thanks to a simple no-date Miyota movement, is fair. More details in our hands-on here.
Quick Facts: 39mm diameter – stainless steel “compressor style” case – internal bezel with 60-minute scale – 200m water-resistant – blue dial with SLN – Miyota 9039 no-date, automatic – tropic rubber strap on steel pin buckle – EUR 660 (pre-order price)
Certina DS Action Diver 38mm Edition STC
I know, I can hear you already… “A dive watch should be in brushed stainless steel or titanium with a matte black dial! It is the most logical combination…” and so the debate goes on. Sure, but if you think about it, how many hours a recreational diver will spend under the sea, in an entire summer? Won’t he spend more time out of the water, doing summery stuff (pool, drinks, party, bbq, road trip…)? So why not having something that both look funky and is properly capable underwater at the same time? And that can help the environment too? Here you go, with the Certina DS Action Diver 38mm “Sea Turtle Conservancy” to support the conservancy and efforts to protect the turtles. Plus, it’s compact, it is ISO 6425 certified, it has a very capable Powermatic 80 movement inside, and all the equipment you need for under EUR 800. And if ever you want that watch in black/steel, it exists too.
Quick Facts: 38mm diameter – stainless steel case – unidirectional bezel in gold-PVD steel with aluminium insert – 300m water-resistant – blue dial, gold-coloured applied indexes and hands, with SLN – Powermatic 80.611 (ETA C07.611), automatic – Stainless steel bracelet with gold-PVD centre links, folding clasp with diver’s extension – EUR 795
Citizen Promaster Marine Automatic Diver 200m Green Dial
Clearly, if you’re looking for a robust, ultra-engineered dive watch at a (very) accessible price made by a brand with proper legitimacy… look no further, the Citizen Promaster is made for you. No concessions to design or fashion here, we’re talking about an instrument, made for action. The Promaster Marine Automatic Diver is one of the most enduring watches produced by Citizen. Packed with interesting features, such as its Super-Titanium case and bracelet, an ultra-legible dial, a fully graduated bezel with a practical grip and an in-house, tried-and-tested automatic movement, it is a watch that won’t let you down. But as you’ll still wear it once out of the water, Citizen has given it a cool-looking green dial and bezel combination recently – under the ref. NY0100-50XE. And considering the price, it is a no-brainer. More details in our introducing article here.
Quick Facts: 42mm diameter – Super-Titanium case – unidirectional bezel, 60-minute green aluminium insert – 200m water-resistant – sunray-brushed green dial, applied indexes and hands with Lume – calibre 8203, in-house, automatic – Super-Titanium bracelet, safety folding clasp with diving extension – EUR 399
Edox SkyDiver Neptunian Deep Dive Watch
Here’s a watch for the grown-ups… Sure, it is slightly more expensive than the rest of the watches here, but it is also very, very well equipped and shows impressive specifications. The Edox SkyDiver Neptunian is an instrument made for deep dives, with a massive and impressively robust 44mm case that can withstand a depth of 1,000 metres, and features a helium escape valve. Its bezel, fully graduated, is equipped with a glossy ceramic insert, there’s a 3mm thick sapphire crystal on top and the whole watch feels like a tank. Inside is a proven movement, a Sellita SW200-1, and the watch can be ordered on a steel bracelet or a rubber strap. And because this selection is also about looking cool, we’d go for this gradient blue edition that is a much more fun alternative to the serious black dial also offered by the brand. More details in our hands-on here.
Quick Facts: 44mm diameter – stainless steel case – unidirectional rotating bezel, black polished 60-minute ceramic insert – Helium escape valve – 1,000m water-resistant – Gradient blue dial, applied indexes and hands with SLN – Sellita SW200, automatic – stainless steel bracelet with deployment clasp and diver’s extension – EUR 1,250
Seiko Prospex 140th Anniversary Limited SPB213J1
It’s hard not to mention Seiko in a buying guide focused on accessible dive watches… It’s somehow the brand’s speciality. But since we wanted to talk about summery watches, this new 62MAS-inspired SPB213J1 limited edition made for the brand’s 140th anniversary comes along at just the right time. While the base is known, sharing most specification and design cues with the SPB143, SPB147 & SPB149 – modern interpretations of Seiko’s first dive watch – the brand brings here a fresh and bright colour scheme. Without compromising the aquatic vocation of the watch, it comes with a sunray-brushed silvery-white dial and multiple blue accents on the markers and, of course, on the bezel’s insert (a metallic insert with a special glossy coating on top). The whole thing looks just fun and cool. Limited to 6,000 pieces, it features a sapphire crystal and is powered by the brand’s calibre 6R35 with a 70h power reserve.
Quick Facts: 40.5mm diameter – stainless steel case with hard-coating – unidirectional bezel with blue metallic 60-minute insert – 200m water-resistant – white sunray-brushed dial, applied indexes and hands with Lumibrite – Calibre 6R35, in-house, automatic – steel bracelet, safety folding clasp with diving extension – limited to 6,000 pieces – EUR 1,250
4 responses
Those are all nice dive watches. But I just bought a blue Casio Duro for fifty bucks. Nice face and nice bezel. Even a nice case. But the strap is terrible. I found a blue silicone strap with white stitching that matches the Casio perfectly. It is a really beautiful watch for way under a hundred bucks. Beat that I say 🙂
What about Longines Hydroconquest, it is good diving and elegant at the same time.
@Žarko Litera , you are very much correct , it belongs on anyone’s short list.
For the Seiko Prospex 140th.no matter how nice the watch…It’s a joke to call it limited and tack money on the price when 5,999 other people can have the same watch.There needs to be an industry standard for the word ‘limited’.It’s become meaningless advertising used to raise the profile ( and price) of a watch!