7 Fantastic Diving Watches for Scuba Divers on a Budget
You might be surprised to hear that dive watches have been around as early as the 1950s. they are usually chunky and bold in appearance, and this is due to the fact that their essential ‘shell’ must be able to withstand the pressures of underwater exploration.
From an aesthetic standpoint, a dive watch is fairly easy to spot due to their robust, solid framework and a moveable bezel – usually external – is also a crucial giveaway. Not only do these mark the sign of a dive watch, but they serve an incredibly important function, to measure how much time you’ve been underwater for. Next are the chunky hands of the watch and the markers, big and easy to read, these are minor, though essential details that will help visibility underwater (some even has luminous materials applied to them for improved visibility).
Before we crack onto my top 7 recommendations, a quick word regarding Depth Rating will help you pick the diving watch that’s right for you.
Some of these watches claims that they can go 100 metres below the surface, whilst others claim they can go as low as 1,000 metres. Despite these the boasts of these powerful watches, the lowest ever recorded was just over 300 metres. So, unless you plan on strapping your watch onto the fin of a blue whale, I wouldn’t worry too much about depth ratings over 300 metres. In short, 100 metres will be able to easily handle your average swimming and snorkelling needs, and 200+ will do a good job for expletory diving.
Anyway, onto the watches, I’ve compiled a list of what I believe are the best scuba diving watches on the current market. Starting with the cheapest and going up:
Seiko SRP601 Price £153.99
Seiko is a brand you can trust, think of them as the Skoda of cars, relatively cheap, reliable and rarely let you down. Having made hundreds of dive watches in the past, Seiko’s SRP601 is a great choice for the diver on a budget. With its auto-movement powered battery, chunky hands and markers, and it’s very luminous design, it makes my list due to its simplicity and practical nature.
Helson Brass Shark Diver 42 Price £280
Helson is an example of a diving watch that appears to be standing the test of time, despite other competitors constantly trying to knock it off its aging pedestal. A 500-metre depth rating, and a SuperLuminova shell (very bright), the Shark Diver warrants its name. using Seiko’s NH35 auto-movement rather is also a nice addition. Plus, with a quirky brass design, and optionally jade and pearl dial options, Helson prove that they can still push the boundaries in terms of dive watch fashion.
Halios Tropik SS Price £520
Going back to the microbrands, the Halios Tropik is another limited-production brand that prides themselves on creating watches that are extremely high quality with a bespoke design. Their most recent standout watch sees a decorated in a sleek black PVD-finished Delfin diver and a bronze Tropik B. All in all, this is a brand that is forever changing their look and for the most part, it’s definitely obtaining a wider demographic to dive watches.
Megalodon Price £764
The name itself would be a major factor for purchase! You might recognise this watch’s design, as it was formally under the name of Benarus Watches, a company that has been creating variants of the Megalodon watch for a while now. This new model however, sees it in an all new bronze-titanium outfit. This is a powerful, incredibly durable piece of equipment that looks fierce and monstrous, a dive watch that definitely merits its sinister name. Image by https://www.watchreport.com/benarus-megalodon-4-titanium-review/
Oris Dicers Sixty-Five Price £1490
Stepping up the price quite a bit now! The Oris Sixty-Five was incredibly popular back in 2015 and three years on it’s still being praised. It now includes a larger case size and four new dial colours. Their attention to vintage fashion is clearly showcased as well, perfectly capturing the elegance of the past with the style of the present. Simple things such as being able to move the date window to a more practical position, using domed sapphire crystals as opposed to acrylic, and keeping the case slim and agile makes for a comfortable wear for divers and the non-divers! This is simply a classic watch that can be worn by anyone, anywhere.
Bremont Supermarine S500 Price £4,300
Despite Bremont’s collection being aimed more towards the aviation demographic, their Supermarine has crept into my list due to its classy design. It’s available in a good section of colours, and the 500-meter diver is equipped with the same multi-piece case construction as Bremont’s previous products. It’s unique anti-reflective crystals are also some of the best on the current market, which couples nicely with the very flexible and incredibly comfortable wrist-strap, made from fitted rubber.
Omega Seamaster 300 Price £7,240
Getting to the business end of the list, the Seamaster weighs in at a whopping £7,240, which takes my expensive number one spot. The Seamaster is the greatest reissue of Omega’s classic Seamaster 300. Originally built in 1957, its main competitors were Rolex, Omega and Blancpain, still arguably heavyweights of the watch world, even to this day. It also comes in many different styles, one of which includes a two-tone gold/titanium finish. This is a truly stunning and iconic watch and has been limited to a classy 7,007-unit production run. Are there any other watches that you’d like to see on this list? Perhaps you own one of these? Do let me know in the comments below, it’d be great to hear from you! Image by https://www.omegawatches.com/watches/seamaster/seamaster-300/seamaster-300/product/