Originally designed for underwater explorers, diving watches are very technical timepieces. Yet, this doesn’t prevent them from being appreciated by land lovers for their chic and sporty style.
Because a nice diving watch is not just waterproof, here is our selection of 10 beautiful divers from yesterday and today, perfect for taking the plunge with style.
What makes diving watches so special?
As its name suggests, a dive watch is initially designed for underwater diving. Often large, made of steel or titanium, it is also comfortable thanks to its rubber or technical fabric strap which adapts to suits.
Its muscular appearance comes from its ability to withstand strong pressures but it must also be perfectly readable in the deep and comply with the ISO 6425 standard which guarantees its waterproofness at least up to 100 meters. It also features a graduated unidirectional bezel, is resistant to salt water… All this without forgetting to be beautiful.
The highest performing models can also be equipped with a helium valve, allowing helium molecules to escape in the case of saturation diving in deep waters and during ascent, during the decompression phase.
To ensure its waterproofness as well as optimal operation of its mechanism, a diving watch should ideally be checked regularly by a watchmaker. Do not hesitate to have this check every 3 to 5 years depending on your usage.
Rolex Sea Dweller: the great classic
The Oyster Perpetual Sea Dweller from Rolex is a great classic. Perhaps even THE most iconic dive watch in the world (OK, along with the Submariner, but that was too easy!).
Launched in 1967, it is a true professional diver. If it is already guaranteed waterproof up to 1200 meters, the Ultra-technical Deep Sea version allows diving up to 3900 meters deep! Its design is as classic as it is timeless, with its Oystersteel or titanium case from 43 to 50 mm.
As with many vintage Rolex watches, its value tends to skyrocket on the secondhand market, regularly flirting with the 100,000 euros mark. Count at least 13,000 euros for a new model.
Blancpain Fifty Fathoms: The Military Icon
Created in 1953, the Fifty Fathoms is often considered the first military dive watch in history. It was actually created to meet the needs of the US Navy combat swimmers and was worn by Jacques-Yves Cousteau himself…
Some 70 years after its debut, this collection still makes for successful days at Blancpain and is no longer limited to the seabed. Chrono flyback, perpetual calendar and moon phases are among the complications highlighted by these “fifty fathoms”. And if it has long seduced true watchmaking enthusiasts, it now also addresses the “younger generation”, through the Bioceramic Scuba Fifty Fathoms resulting from the partnership with Swatch.
Omega Seamaster: James Bond’s Watch
If the Omega Speedmaster can boast of being the first (and only) watch to have gone to the Moon, the Seamaster also has some strengths to assert when it comes to exploring the depths.
Its Seamaster Planet Ocean Ultra Deep Professional version, unveiled in 2019, can go down to -10,935 meters without flinching! Even agent 007 trusts the capabilities of this Omega, as Daniel Craig wears a titanium Seamaster in the movie No Time to Die.
The Seamaster Diver range (waterproof up to 300 meters), available starting from 5000€, is one of the most desirable at the moment.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Deep Sea: The Innovative
If its name suggests the “extreme” version of Rolex’s Sea Dweller, the Deep Sea by Jaeger-LeCoultre made its appearance as early as 1959. It then became the first in the world equipped with an alarm to notify the diver that it was time to resurface.
In 2023, Jaeger-LeCoultre is bringing this iconic watch back into the spotlight through its capsule collection The Collectibles. Designed as “a new program aimed at watch enthusiasts wishing to acquire an emblematic piece from the history of the Grande Maison”, the Master Mariner Deep Sea is a potential collector’s item. Its price: 24,000 euros.
BR03-92: the original from Bell & Ross
The BR03-92 Diver from Bell & Ross is a slightly more “original” model among diving watches as it adopts a rare square case combined with a round dial and angular lines. The brand even refers to it as “the first diving watch with a square case“. A style typically Bell & Ross, which confirms that the French brand is not only comfortable in the air.
Waterproof up to 300 meters, this BR03-92 diver watch seems tailor-made to explore icy seas, polar oceans or frozen lakes. In 2024, it even offers a beautifully new limited neo-retro edition in black, green and bronze. Its price: 4990 euros.
Tudor Pelagos: the efficient
The one that was still seen as a “simple subsidiary” of Rolex, just a few years ago, has now certainly come into its own. Tudor is indeed experiencing increasing… and well-deserved success!
If its Black Bay is an iconic model, the Pelagos enjoys a very high popularity rating today. It has thus been doubly rewarded in 2022, the Pelagos 39 receiving the title of “watch of the year” while the Pelagos FXD was honored with the award for the best diving watch at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève.
Waterproof up to 200 meters or more (depending on the version), with a crown on the right or left (ideal for left-handers), in titanium or ceramic, this Tudor is one of the dive watches that offers the best quality-price ratio (starting at 4550 euros).
Calibre Diver: Cartier’s first diving watch
If Cartier marked the history of watchmaking with its Tank as early as 1917, it took almost a century for the house to show interest in diving!
Thus, it was officially launched in 2014, the Calibre Diver, with an elegant 42 mm diameter case and a water-resistance up to 300 meters. It is quickly declined in many versions (steel, pink gold, steel bracelet, leather…), before disappearing from the catalog. Too bad, because this watch conforms to the famous ISO 6425 standard mentioned above and certainly does not lack style.
Alpina Seastrong Diver 300: the most contemporary
There is no need to spend several thousand euros to find a beautiful diving watch, both stylish and durable. Alpina has already proven this on multiple occasions with its Seastrong family, born in the 1960s.
The Swiss brand has also shown that it knows how to adapt to trends and consumer demands. Over the years, the Alpina diver’s watch has thus been given very trendy variations… and even connected with the Seastrong Horological Smartwatch.
In 2022, she even equipped herself with a 100% recycled steel case and a recycled plastic strap in its version named Calanda, named after the first ship to fly the Swiss flag in 1941.
Chanel J12 Marine: the most chic
Associating the Chanel house with the seabed does not seem obvious. However, at the beginning of the 2000s, the brand unveiled a Marine version of its J12, a unisex watch equipped with a ceramic case, a rubber strap and waterproof up to 300 meters.
No doubt more in its element at high-society dinners than underwater, the J12 Marine may not have achieved the expected success. But 20 years after its launch, this Chanel watch has not lost any of its charm and elegance.
Girard-Perregaux Sea Hawk: the history
We conclude this overview of the most beautiful diving watches with another watch that has today disappeared from the landscape. At least, it is no longer accessible in the current collections… but remains highly coveted by collectors.
This watch is the Sea Hawk by Girard-Perregaux, the first generation of which dates back to the 1940s. Regularly reinterpreted thereafter, it stood out for its 4 o’clock crown, its colorful hour hand and its angles on the case.
Waterproof up to 1000 meters, it can be found today on the second-hand market at interesting prices (often less than 4000 euros), which can make it a beautiful collector’s model.
Just like aviation watches or military watches, diving watches are always very popular among men. As a result, there are many (many) references, some of which would also have their place in this list. We are thinking in particular of TAG Heuer’s Aquaracer, the Breitling Superocean, the IWC Aquatimer, the Longines Hydroconquest, Tissot’s Seastar (and why not the Citizen Promaster, the most affordable of all?). Less known models like the Reservoir’s Hydrosphere or the Humbert-Droz HD9 could also find their audience in two radically different registers.
Finally, riding the neo-vintage trend, several brands have also revived historical diving watches. The best example is probably Yema with its Superman, but we could also mention the Vulcain’s Skindiver Nautique, the 1521 from Squale, or even the Amphibian by Eska Watches, successfully relaunched on Kickstarter in early 2024.