The 12 Best Dive Watches For The Ocean Depths Or Your Office Desk

Everyone loves a dive watch, even if — let’s be honest — they’ve never been diving. Why? Because the best dive watches are robust enough to wear on the daily, look great in almost any setting, and are comfortable to wear in rain, hail, or shine.

Here then are 12 of our absolute favourites that you can buy right now in Australia: as good in a hotdesking situation as they are 100m below sea level.

RELATED: The 11 Best Tudor Watches To Buy Right Now

Best Dive Watches Highlights:

• Most Iconic Dive Watch: Rolex Submariner Date Ref. 126610LN
• Best Affordable Dive Watch: Dan Henry 1970 Automatic
• Best Dive Watch For Everyday Wear: Tudor Pelagos 39
• Most Technically Innovative Dive Watch: TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 200 Solargraph
• Most Cult-Followed Diving Watch: Seiko “Turtle” SRPE93

BH Approved: Our Favourite Dive Watch

The Rolex Submariner is, unquestionably, the most recognisable timepiece on the planet.

First produced in 1953, the Rolex Submariner was one of the very first properly waterproof watches and effectively set the template for almost all diving watches that followed, featuring a unidirectional rotating bezel, high contrast dial, robust steel bracelet, and a screw-down crown. All of these features are found in the other watches on our list, highlighting just how much of a pioneer the Rolex Submariner was.

Today, more than 70 years later the Rolex Submariner remains one of the most coveted timepieces in existence. From city traders blowing their first pay packet to the world’s most discerning collectors, almost everyone with a passing interest in watches has owned, currently owns, or wants to own a Rolex Submariner.

The latest generation of is the ref. 126610LN, with a 41mm steel cast, black ceramic bezel and impressive 300 metres of water resistance. Beneath the inky black dial is the Rolex calibre 3235 with 70 hours of power reserve and an accuracy of -2/+2 seconds per day.

If you only ever own one watch — let alone a diving watch — the Rolex Submariner will serve you from the moment you leave the boutique to the moment you draw your last breath. It’s simply that good.

The Best Dive Watches Money Can Buy

Seiko “Turtle” SRPE93

SPECIFICATIONS:

• Case Diameter: 44.3mm
• Case Thickness: 13.4mm
• Case Material: Steel
• Bezel Material: Aluminium
• Bracelet/Strap Material: Urethane
• Dial Colour: Black
• Water Resistance: 200m
• Movement: 4R36
• Power Reserve: 41 hours

The “Turtle” SRPE93 isn’t the most highly specced dive watch in Seiko’s current catalogue, nor is it the cheapest, but is nevertheless a legend within the watch community thanks to its ultra-robust case that collectors have nicknamed the “turtle”.

Inspired by the original Seiko 6309-series divers from the mid-1970s, it’s affordable, wears nicely on a range of wrist sizes (smaller than its specs suggest due to the short-lugged case shape); and comes paired with a super comfortable classic dive strap.

Omega Seamaster Diver 300M

SPECIFICATIONS:

• Case Diameter: 40mm
• Case Thickness: 13.6mm
• Case Material: Steel
• Bezel Material: Ceramic
• Bracelet/Strap Material: Steel
• Dial Colour: White
• Water Resistance: 300m
• Movement: Omega 8800
• Power Reserve: 55 hours

Omega is another watchmaker with a long history in the world of dive watches (making the first “waterproof” example in 1932) and the current Seamaster Diver 300M is the Bienne-based brand’s flagship model.

It offers a reliable 300 meters of water resistance, featuring a helium escape valve at the 10 o’clock position for saturation divers, a scratch-resistant ceramic diving bezel, and symmetrically placed date window on the dial at 6 o’clock.

Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Automatique

SPECIFICATIONS:

• Case Diameter: 42.3mm
• Case Thickness: 14.3mm
• Case Material: Titanium
• Bezel Material: Ceramic
• Bracelet/Strap Material: Titanium
• Dial Colour: Black
• Water Resistance: 300m
• Movement: Caliber 1315
• Power Reserve: 120 hours

While Rolex is widely regarded as the maker of the first modern dive watch, there’s vigorous debate within the watch-collecting community about whether Blancpain’s Fifty Fathoms actually beat the Coronet to the punch in 1953.

A descendant of this first Blancpain diver, the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Automatique, which is as undeniably attractive as it is contemporary, features a titanium construction, glossy ceramic bezel, and a marvel of a movement that is capable of storing 120 hours (i.e. 5 days) when fully wound.

TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 200 Solargraph

SPECIFICATIONS:

• Case Diameter: 40mm
• Case Thickness: 10.96mm
• Case Material: Titanium
• Bezel Material: Titanium
• Bracelet/Strap Material: Titanium
• Dial Colour: Grey
• Water Resistance: 200m
• Movement: TH50-00
• Power Reserve: 3yrs battery life

One of the newer additions to the TAG Heuer catalogue, the Aquaracer Professional 200 Solargraph is an impressive watch with a dial doubling as a solar cell; while the case and bracelet are made from a dark shade of titanium.

This watch is super lightweight on the wrist and offers a solid 200m of water resistance, while the blue highlights accent the rest of the colour scheme, marking an innovative new direction for TAG.

Grand Seiko SBGH291

SPECIFICATIONS:

• Case Diameter: 43.8mm
• Case Thickness: 14.7mm
• Case Material: Titanium
• Bezel Material: Hard-coated steel
• Bracelet/Strap Material: Titanium
• Dial Colour: Black
• Water Resistance: 200m
• Movement: 9S85
• Power Reserve: 55 hours

A true diver’s watch in every sense — and one that nods to the earliest high-performance models under Seiko’s watchmaking umbrella — the SBGH291 stands as Grand Seiko’s definitive response to the legion of Swiss-made competitors.

Featuring a lightweight high-intensity titanium case and powered by a “Hi-Beat” movement that ticks 10 times per second, the SBGH291 is a brilliantly executed diver from every angle. From the gold-tone ‘GS’ logo to the boldly shaped hands, in our eyes it’s a winner.

Tudor Pelagos 39

SPECIFICATIONS:

• Case Diameter: 39mm
• Case Thickness: 11.8mm
• Case Material: Titanium
• Bezel Material: Ceramic
• Bracelet/Strap Material: Titanium
• Dial Colour: Black
• Water Resistance: 200m
• Movement: Manufacture Calibre MT5400 (COSC)
• Power Reserve: 70 hours

The Tudor Pelagos 39 is one of the best dive watches on the market today. In a nutshell: it’s a timepiece built to last, highly equipped on the technical front, and — in the grand scheme of luxury watchmaking — relatively affordable. (This I know, for a fact, since I happen to own one.)

The proportions of the titanium case are excellent, the micro-adjust system of the bracelet means it’s always comfortable, and with a COSC-certified movement that delivers 70 hours of power reserve, it’s very much a set-it-and-forget-it type timepiece.

Longines HydroConquest GMT

SPECIFICATIONS:

• Case Diameter: 41mm
• Case Thickness: 12.9mm
• Case Material: Steel
• Bezel Material: Steel
• Bracelet/Strap Material: Steel
• Dial Colour: Green
• Water Resistance: 300m
• Movement: Automatic L844
• Power Reserve: 72 hours

The Longines HydroConquest GMT collection made its debut in 2023 and has already garnered a lot of fans thanks to the combination of a practical diver-led design and the user-friendly GMT complication.

It’s not too large at 41mm in diameter, is available in a run of different dial colour/strap options, and houses a reliable automatic movement promising 72 hours at full wind. What’s not to love?

Gucci Dive Watch 40mm

SPECIFICATIONS:

• Case Diameter: 40mm
• Case Thickness: Unspecified
• Case Material: Steel
• Bezel Material: Ceramic
• Bracelet/Strap Material: Steel
• Dial Colour: Blue
• Water Resistance: 300m
• Movement: Automatic
• Power Reserve: 58 hours

Gucci might be a fashion house first and foremost, but with the launch of its High Watchmaking collection, the brand’s horological credentials have been elevated; with this Gucci Dive Watch being one of the more illustrative examples.

Beyond its vivid blue dial (kept symmetrical without a date window) and black ceramic bezel, the case is secured to a very reliable 300m of water resistance, while the automatic movement delivers a reasonable 58 hours of power reserve.

Dan Henry 1970 Automatic

SPECIFICATIONS:

• Case Diameter: 40mm
• Case Thickness: 14.8mm
• Case Material: Steel
• Bezel Material: Steel
• Bracelet/Strap Material: Rubber
• Dial Colour: Black
• Water Resistance: 200m
• Movement: Automatic Seiko Caliber NH35
• Power Reserve: 41 hours

Dan Henry isn’t a name that’s known as widely or Omega and Longines. Nevertheless it commands respect within the enthusiast community: as an affordably focused brand whose mission is to democratize great watch design.

The 1970 Automatic Diver boasts a distinctive throwback-style super-compressor case; dual crowns; an internal rotating bezel; automatic movement; and 200m of water resistance, all for a price that almost everybody can afford.

Benrus Type 1-C

SPECIFICATIONS:

• Case Diameter: 42.5mm
• Case Thickness: 15mm
• Case Material: Steel
• Bezel Material: Steel
• Bracelet/Strap Material: Rubber
• Dial Colour: Black
• Water Resistance: 300m
• Movement: Soprod P024
• Power Reserve: 38 hours

Many dive watches have their history rooted in military application and the the 42.5mm stainless steel case of the Benrus Type 1-C Reissue is one such watch, created originally at the behest of the United States Military for combat troops in Vietnam.

Featuring one of the greatest dive watch case designs ever, it delivers 300m of water resistance and is powered by the Soprod P024 with 38 hours of power reserve. For the minimalists out there, this one definitely should be on your radar.

Breitling Superocean Automatic 42 Kelly Slater Edition

SPECIFICATIONS:

• Case Diameter: 42mm
• Case Thickness: 12.5mm
• Case Material: Steel
• Bezel Material: Ceramic
• Bracelet/Strap Material: Rubber
• Dial Colour: Orange
• Water Resistance: 300m
• Movement: Breitling 17
• Power Reserve: 38 hours

Breitling is arguably best known for its pilot’s watches, but that doesn’t mean the luxury watchmaker isn’t more than capable of making a top-shelf diver, with this rather special Breitling Superocean Automatic 42 created in collaboration with 11x World Surf Champion Kelly Slater.

Boasting a bright orange dial, it’s eye-catching and is paired with a green rubber strap that nicely completes the look.

If you’ve enjoyed this round-up of the best dive watches, here are a few more of our favourite horological stories to keep you reading:

• The 11 Best Patek Philippe Watches For Your Endgame Dreams
• The 11 Best Audemars Piguet Watches — And Not All Of Them Are Royal Oaks
• The 12 Best Rolex Watches To Buy
• The 33 Best Affordable Watches
• The 12 Best Omega Watches To Own
• The Self-Taught Aussie Watchmaker Crafting $50,000 Timepieces