I've recently taken an interest in getting a Divers watch as I'm going to be looking at diving classes at work. Its more to commemorate the occasion, my understanding is there are dive computers that are more useful but I would like to get something that would be capable.

I'm considering buying new but also I have a few nice watches I've never worn so I'm considering trading into one. I'd like your recommendations for a dive watch in the $750-500 range.

*Update*
I received a Citizen Aqualand Promaster from another member who read the thread, quite generously. It will be with me for my adventures. Please feel free to continue the thread though as I think there is always value added to people who have the same questions.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Anubismp,

Sending up the stick/vthoky batsignal. They'll be the ones to respond with some solid suggestions

try WatchGauge, they carry some nice micro brands. I've personally owned an NTH diver bought through them and found it to be an excellent watch.

I've had my eye on a Tissot Seastar 1000. Rated down to 1000 feet. At the very top of your price range if you go retail and not grey market.

There's a lot of capable dive watches in that price range. It wouldn't hurt to narrow it down a bit. Do you want day/date/any other complications? What depth rating do you need? What size range for the case? How thick of a watch do you like?

Orient, Seiko, Squale, Marathon, Hamilton, Glycine, Hemel, Certina, Spinnaker, Tissot, and a host of others make quality choices in your price range.

220 asks some important questions.

Kinda like asking us "I want a gun in the $500-$500 range".

Answers are going to be all over the place.
New Diver- First of all, CONGRATS! You'll love it!
Diving at work- You'll be beating on the watch. It's inevitable, it's gonna get banged up.
Citizen and Seiko would be my top 2 choices in that price range.
I have an old Citizen Dive-master that has lasted me through about 30 years of some really rough stuff in some bad places including under water. Outside of the sentimental value, probably one of the BEST watches out there. Long since discontinued in this style-
https://www.amazon.com/Citizen...a-338902797596&psc=1

Here's some to look at- as well as info


https://countycomm.com/collect...ver-watch-by-maratac

https://countycomm.com/collect...-bracelet-by-maratac

https://countycomm.com/collect...-bracelet-by-maratac

https://www.citizenwatch.com/u...ction/promaster-sea/

https://seikousa.com/collections/mens/products/snj035

https://seikousa.com/collections/mens/products/srpd43


Under your price range, but I beat mine like a rented mule and it's still keeping time-
https://madmodworld.com/

You can build your own as well on Madmod



Commonly Asked Questions About Dive Watches:

What is the point of a dive watch?
The primary purpose of a dive watch is to help the diver track how much time they’ve spent underwater and to align that dive time with the air from their tanks that they’ve used. As such, having high water resistance, legibility, as well as luminescent markers and hands (glow in the dark for deeper, darker depths), is crucial for a dive watches’ function.

Do people actually use dive watches?
The secret of the watch world is that most dive watches aren’t actually being used for diving. Dive watches in our current horological trends are treated as fashion pieces or possibly to give the wearer some piece of mind if they’re taking part in physical or outdoor activities.

The rigorous standards and testing that most dive watches undergo makes them great general candidates for robust, sports watches (or even just tool watches) that can be relied upon, but very rarely is that on dives. Most divers are using wrist-mounted dive computers, which make a traditional dive watch obsolete. Some divers do tend to wear a dive watch just as a form of safety redundancy in case the computer fails though.

What company makes the best dive watches?
If you’re looking to actually dive with your watch, the best recognized brands for functional dive watches are Seiko, Citizen, Doxa, CWC, Tudor, Rolex, and Omega. However, if you’re not looking for a dive watch to actually dive with (which is perfectly acceptable) then any of the brands shared in this list would be excellent options.

How much does a dive watch cost?
The price range is very large at approx. $50 to $50,000+, but the cost of the watch is often driven up if it’s a luxury watch featuring precious metals and/or a dive watch with very complicated functions. Truthfully, for the basic function of a dive watch without anything else superfluous, you don’t need to pay an arm and a leg depending on what you fall in love with.

Why do dive watches have rotating bezels?
Rotating bezels are designed for divers to easily conduct underwater timekeeping. This is crucial in order for them to time their dives and know how much time they’ve spent under water.

Are dive watches in style?
Yes – the fascinating aspect about a dive watch in regards to style is that as a canvas, the dive watch format is adaptable to many different design trends. There are minimalist divers; there are robust sporty divers; and there are dressy divers. As such, a dive watch will always be in style, regards of what “style” means over time.

How long does a battery last in a dive watch?
Approx. 1 – 3 years depending on the battery quality and the watch. If your dive watch is mechanical (meaning it requires no batteries) then you don’t need to worry about battery life.

What is a good entry level dive watch?
The Seiko Turtle and Orient Mako II are generally two very highly recommended entry level dive watches. They represent a good combination of reliable functionality as well as pricing options.

Is It OK to shower with a dive watch?
Yes – for a true dive watch that has a crown and caseback that screws down, you can shower with the timepiece. For the most part, most watches with at least a rating of 5ATM (50 meters) of water resistance are suitable for the water levels you’d see in a shower. However, what you need to be conscious of is the level of heat the watch is subject to. Watches with a WR of 100m but lack a screwdown crown and caseback, probably shouldn’t be exposed to hot water for a long period of time. The other factor to consider is shower products – if left on a watch, certain soaps and products can dry up under the dive bezel or caseback lip and can cause issues down the road. As a best practice, if you shower with your dive watch, ensure that you rinse all the soap/shampoo of it before wrapping your shower up.

What is the best iconic dive watch?
The Rolex Submariner, Blancpain Fifty Fathoms, Doxa Sub 300T, and Omega Seamaster are iconic dive watches with history, technological innovations, and classic designs woven into their DNA.

Seiko Diver's 200 is the official PADI certified.

quote:

Originally posted by P220 Smudge:
There's a lot of capable dive watches in that price range. It wouldn't hurt to narrow it down a bit.

quote:

Originally posted by CPD SIG:
Kinda like asking us "I want a gun in the $500-$500 range".

Yep. Or "I want to buy an automobile in the $25k-$50k range."

There are literally thousands of different options for dive watches in the ~$500 range, which will have significantly different features. We'll need more info before we can make any meaningful suggestions.

Personally, my favorite dive watches in the "$500 and under" range are from smaller companies like:
Vaer
Elliot Brown
Islander
Spinnaker
Phoibos
Deep Blue
Glycine* (technically no longer small since being bought by Invicta)

While I do like the "big guys" like Seiko, Citizen, and Orient, I think you get a better "bang for the buck" from smaller companies in that price range, with better quality and features at the same price as the big names. Stuff like higher quality bands/bracelets, sapphire crystal instead of mineral crystal, ceramic bezels instead of aluminum/steel, etc.

But again, there are tons of other companies out there too.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: RogueJSK,

Thank you for the info so far and great points about the complications and sizes etc.

Its not a deal breaker but I do prefer a day date or at least a date. I prefer very strong lume. I want something 40mm or above, I do not specifically prefer thick or thin but I do not want a 5lb weight that smacks into everything hanging off my arm.

So is this something that you actually want to wear/use while diving for work or something to celebrate that "yay, I'm a diver!" and wear casually/use lightly? If work then what are you going to be doing work wise: rescue, welding, recovery, clamming/fishing? Lastly, where are you diving? If up here in the PNW that's one thing, if in Florida then that's a different thing.

Not even close to that range but I bought an Invicta Dive Master from one of the members here about a month or so ago and one of the 'features' on it is a crystal on the back side so you can see the innards working.... not complaining nice watch... a little larger than I like... but still well worth what I paid but what the heck good is a crystal window on the back side of a wrist watch?

Its going to be a bit of both, I like watches so mostly its a celebration/commemoration thing but I still want it to be functional. Work will mostly be rescue and recovery in the PNW.

Blume, my understanding of the window on the back is so you can see the movement. I imagine its mostly for fun.

Anubismp,
will try to send you an email.

I second the Tissot SeaStar but prefer the older beefier version. Automatic with date and exhibition back. Great reviews as a very solid reliable watch. Services are also reasonable compared to others. I had a complete service done, with bezel replaced (had a small chip in the paint, I'm anal that way) and bracelet and case polishing done in Seattle by an authorized service center in Seattle for around 300 bucks. Just be aware the older versions go for dang near double what the newer versions go for. Depending on where in the PNW you are, you are welcome to see/wear mine. I get just as many compliments if not more than other much pricier watches I own.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Tonydec,

quote:

Originally posted by Mars_Attacks:
Seiko Diver's 200 is the official PADI certified.

Yeah, but what if he gets his C-Card from SSI?

-Rob

My favorites in this range (or maybe up to $1k) are Glycine, Oris, Alpina, Marathon, Deep Blue, Hamilton, and Seiko. Might can get a Doxa or Longines at $1k as well. Or if you can go a tad higher, Zodiac are great.

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:
Sending up the stick/vthoky batsignal. They'll be the ones to respond with some solid suggestions

Anubismp, I'll start you down the Seiko path with this link: https://www.seikowatches.com/u...e=Divers&gender=Mens

I know you mentioned automatic being in your specs, but I'll offer a solar option for additional consideration. Have a look at Seiko's PADI-marked SNE435 ( here, for instance) when you have a moment. SNE549 (also solar) is just $290 at Amazon.

Back to the automatics: I'm a big fan of the Samurai case style, which would have me point you to SRPF09, at a very affordable $550 list price. SRPG21 is another attractive PADI Samurai. SRPF09 is without the "cylcops" magnifier over the date; SRPG21 has the cyclops. In the Turtle case shape, SRPE99 can be had for under $400, and is also PADI-marked. SRPG19, another Turtle, is listed at $625, with both day and date display.

Stickman is WAY more versed than me and can dive (bad pun) into the qualities of the different movements... let's see what he comes by to offer.
And I believe someone around here has an SRPE27 Monster they could talk a little about.

- - - -
ETA: If you're a "Redditor," there's an SRPG21 here, new, for just $350.

I caught this thread late. Lots of good information and recommendations already.

In the 500-750 range I would say the Tissot Seastar offers a considerable amount of bang for your buck that is hard to beat. ETA/Tissot’s Powermatic80 movement is pretty dang accurate and visible thanks to a display caseback. The looks and water resistance are also quite good.

The Omega Seamaster is often referred to as one of the best divers on the market. I view the Tissot Seastar as the working man’s Seamaster. Tissot and Omega are owned by the same parent company Swatch.

A Seamaster would be difficult to get for $750 but you can get a Seastar and be proud of owning a fantastic watch that punches well above its weight class.

The new Seastar divers have gotten a little larger but you can find the previous 40 or 41mm case version for well under $750.

I gave my brother my silver dial Tissot Seastar as a graduation gift last year. This is the previous generation, which I like more than the larger current version.

The silver dial Seastar is IMO the best looking. Though the blue and green dial variants are nice too.



There are tons of good options in that price range.

Let us know what you get.

Citizen eco drive dive watch has been rock solid for years. Ive abused it. Im sure our resident jeweler can get a great deal for you

Don't be silly. Save yourself a great deal of time and focus on the Seiko line.

You will never regret a Seiko purchase. You may mature into more expensive watches but you will always have a place for the Seiko. It's all the watch anyone ever needs outside of making a status statement.