What Is A Diving Watch & Best Luxury Dive Watches
Diving watches represent the best in robust, go-anywhere timekeeping with the added bonus of some attractive heritage-inspired designs. Whether you’re exploring a tropical reef, diving to the depths of the ocean or simply looking for an attractive diving watch, our 10 Best Luxury Dive Watches guide will help you find the right timepiece for you.
What is a diving watch?
A diving watch is a timepiece that can withstand the pressure of deep water. While dive computers have replaced the need to use a dive watch, many people choose to wear one in case of computer failure. But today’s diving watches offer so much more than water resistance, making them an incredibly popular timepiece for collectors. Let’s take a look at the key components of a diving watch.
Bezel
A bezel is a rotating ring that surrounds the watch dial. It only turns counterclockwise and features markings at least every five minutes. This is incredibly useful for divers as it allows them to line up the marker at the 12 o’clock position with the current position of the minutes hand to track the time passed on a dive. A unidirectional bezel on a dive watch only turns in one direction so it’s less likely to get knocked out of place and make the diver think they have more time underwater than they actually do..
Gasket
A gasket is a soft rubber or synthetic ring found inside a watch that creates a watertight seal, helping to keep the watch waterproof.
Helium escape valve
Not an essential part of a diving watch but useful when doing a deep dive, a helium escape valve is a feature found on some diving watches intended for saturation diving using helium based breathing gas. The valve allows this gas to escape once the diver has surfaced. If it were not there the helium could blow off the crystal from the watch case due to buildup and expansion at surface pressure.
Lume
Lume is a term used to describe the luminescent material applied to a watch dial to make the hands and numerals light up in the dark. This is useful as it can become dark underwater, especially when doing deep dives
Screw-down crown
A screw down crown is simply a crown that can be screwed in until it is flush with the watch case, creating a seal so that no water can enter the watch through the crown tube.
Best Luxury Dive Watches
Omega Seamaster Diver 300M
Known by many as the James Bond watch, the Omega Seamaster is a truly iconic divers’ watch. First launched over 70 years ago, the Omega dive watch is still in high demand today. These were modelled on watches created by the Ministry of Defence for Allied troops and matched the Rolex Submariner for its water resistance ability.
Pierce Brosnan famously wore a stunning blue dialed version of the timepiece back in 1994 and most recently, Daniel Craig wore one in Casino Royale in 2006. Last year, Omega celebrated the 25th anniversary of the watch, by introducing an improved version of this watch in Basel. Today the favourite offers a scratch-resistant ceramic bezel and a wavy dial motif.
Oris Aquis Clean Ocean
This beautiful model was launched at 2019 Baselworld, shortly after a new partnership was formed between Pacific Garbage Screening – a company that develops technology to capture plastic before it goes into the sea and Oris, which is well known for its efforts to help restore the Great Barrier Reef.
Oris has continued to demonstrate its commitment to bettering the oceans environment and this dive watch is no exception. However it will be hard to grasp one as only 2,000 of the 300-metre water resistant watches were created. Even the boxes are made from environmentally friendly algae and recycled plastic.
Rolex Sea-Dweller Deepsea
Only a few diving watches can stand up against the Rolex Submariner, and the Rolex Sea-Dweller is one of them. Based on the Submariner design, the Sea-Dweller was developed by Rolex in collaboration with the US Navy during their SEALAB research project. Designed to meet the requirements of saturation divers, the Sea-Dweller features a gas escape valve. The valve is necessary to release helium gas which is mixed in the air supply of saturation divers, and which had previously interfered with the Submariner design, causing the crystal to pop off after a dive.
The watch was named Sea-Dweller due to the impressive lengths of time that the watch can function underwater without impediment. The Rolex timepiece was inspired by James Cameron’s dive over 11,000 metres to the deepest part of the Mariana Trench seven years ago. But this stunner is far too good to be wasted under the depths of the sea. From twilight blue to midnight black, its two-tone gradient dial represents that deep dive.
Tudor Pelagos
The model 25600TN-95820T is a beautiful men’s timepiece and a traditional diving watch that is powered by an automatic movement with a titanium case. It has a round shape face, date dial and has hand dots style markers. It is completed with a titanium band that opens and closes with a deployment clasp.
With the ability to reach depths of 500m (1,640 feet) the Pelagos watch covers all the needs of the most seasoned diver. Whether you wear it in or out of water, you’re guaranteed the highest levels of efficiency, comfort and style.
Rolex Submariner
One of the most recognisable and desirable watches ever, the iconic Rolex Submariner was first created as a divers’ watch. Although the Submariner’s satisfying masculine design makes it suitable for most occasions, the Submariner boasts exceptional underwater performance, having been tested under the most extreme conditions by the US Navy.
Modern Submariners in Oyster Steel casing are water resistant up to 300 metres, and amongst Rolex divers’ watches, they are rivalled only by Rolex’s Deepsea Sea-Dweller. Rolex Submariners are also known to retain their value exceptionally well, leading many watch experts to view them as a sound investment for watch collectors.
If you would like to buy your very own dive watch then give us a call on 0203 397 1596, visit us in our Essex boutique or browse our selection of watches online.