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Diving watches come with the promise of helping to keep you safe underwater. However, most people will never dare enjoy any more action beyond their beach holiday. This is completely understandable. Statistics show that two-thirds of Americans are afraid of open and deep water bodies. Also, 46 percent say they feel terrified of going to the deep end of a pool. A surprising 37 percent cannot swim to save their lives. However, there is a great percentage of individuals who face their fears head-on and engage in adventures like deep sea diving.
If you are one of the adrenaline and adventure junkies, safety should be your main priority. One way to ensure safety while diving or engaging in water activities is by buying a high-quality diving watch. Diving watches are designed to help you know how long you’ve been underwater. This allows you to know when to go back to the surface. However, to get the most out of diving watches, you need to ensure that you invest in a top-notch brand that has all the features you need.
What You Should Know About Diving Watches
Whether you’re a beginner or experienced diver, you can’t afford to be hasty when it comes to purchasing diving watches. You need to take your time and compare different watches in order to make the right choice. However, with all the options available in the market today, this is easier said than done. Nonetheless, after reading up on diving watches, you shouldn’t have a hard time picking the best watch for your diving needs. Here are some of the most important things you should know about a dive watch.
What is the purpose of a dive watch?
The primary purpose of diving watches is to record the amount of time a diver spends under water. This allows them to know when it’s time to return to the surface. However, over time, these watches have found a place on many water sports enthusiasts’ wrists.
Are diving watches waterproof?
The majority of diving watches are water resistant. However, they differ in depth limits. The best diving watches have depth limits of up to 1,000 meters (3,300 feet). This is deeper than the recommended depth for recreational scuba diving.
What is the rotating bezel on a watch for?
The rotating bezel on diving watches serves a critical role. It helps a diver to know the amount of time they’ve spent under water. Before the diver descends, they align the bezel marker with the minute hand, allowing the elapsed time, which is up to 60 minutes to be computed by the bezel. This is why most diving watches feature a prominent minute hand.
How do diving watches work?
Diving watches have several features that make them useful for deep sea diving. First, they require a rotating bezel to compute the amount of time spent underwater. Dive watches also have luminous tips to enable the diver to see clearly when they are deep in the sea or ocean. Most digital dive watches also have a ring around the face of the watch that allows the diver to take note of five-minute increments of time.
Who made the first dive watch?
Several household names in the watch industry claim to have made the first dive watch. Rolex claims to have invented the first dust and waterproof wrist watch. Blancpain boasts about being the first to create the “first modern dive watch” in 1953. Omega declares that they were the first to “create the first true modern watch.” Today, there is still some debate over who created the first dive watch.
How We Reviewed
To come up with this list of the top diving watches to consider in 2019, we checked what customers are saying about these watches, compared their ratings, and also analyzed their features. In addition, we compared the diving watches that experts recommend most.
Overall Price Range of Diving Watches
The overall price range of the best diving watches is $55 to $350. The price depends on the features as well as the brand. However, as you will see, price doesn’t necessarily determine the quality or durability of the product.
Top 9 Diving Watches in 2019
If you’re in search of the best analog or digital dive watch, this list will prove very useful. In this list, we have included the best inexpensive dive watch, the best luxury dive watch, and the best looking dive watch.
Phoibos Men’s PX005B 1000M dive watch
Phoibos Men’s PX005B 1000M dive watch is one of the top-rated diving watches on Amazon. This dive watch has several incredible features that make it great for deep sea diving. First and foremost, it features a polished and brushed 316L stainless steel case which enhances durability. It also has a 120-click unidirectional bezel that allows you to know how much time you’ve spent underwater. This diving watch also features a helium release valve on the 2 o’clock position. The purpose the helium valve is to allow the watch to decompress under extreme external pressure, thereby protecting the watch crystal from getting damaged. The Phoibos men’s diving watch is also water-resistant with a depth limit of up to 1,000 Meters (3,300 Feet). This makes it perfect for snorkeling, scuba diving, and swimming. Last but not least, the watch features Super-LumiNavo C3 luminous hands and markers.
Overall, this watch is great for diving. It has a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars on Amazon, and it goes for $180 to $200.
Henry Jay men’s stainless steel “Specialty Aquamaster”
Henry Jay men’s stainless steel “Specialty Aquamaster is an Amazon’s Choice dive watch. This diving watch features a large round steel case mounted on a robust solid stainless steel bracelet for enhanced durability. It also features an electric blue dial that allows you to read the watch easily even in limited light conditions. In addition to this, it features a three-hand function and luminous hands and markers. The watch also has a date display at the three o’clock region. The dial of the watch is capped with a high-quality mineral crystal that is scratch resistant and highly protective. It’s also framed by a unidirectional steel bezel that has silver-tone markings and coin edge detailing. It has a diving depth limit of 100 Meters (330 Feet). The watch has a rating of 4.0 out of 5 stars on Amazon an, it sells for $75 to $80.
XXL 52mm, 1000m military diver watch
The XXL 52mm, 1000m military diver watch is quite similar to the Phoibos men’s PX005B 1000M dive watch. It features a helium valve on the nine o’clock position that enables the watch to withstand excess external pressure. It also has a date indicator at the three o’clock postion and a professional one side rotating bezel system. The hands of the watch feature special coating that enables you to see clearly even in minimal light conditions. This has a water resistance of up to 3,280 feet, making it a great choice for snorkeling, scuba diving, and swimming. Amazon users rated this watch 4.7 out of 5 stars. It goes for $95 to $100.
Phoibos men’s PX002C 300M dive watch
This diving watch is very similar to the Phoibos Men’s PX005B 1000M Dive Watch. It features a polished and brushed stainless steel case that enhances its durability. It also has the 120-click unidirectional bezel that computes dive time and Super-Luminova BGW9 luminous hands and markers that allow you to see the watch clearly underwater. The only difference between this watch and Phoibos Men’s PX005B 1000M is the dive rating. While Phoibos Men’s PX005B 1000M has a dive rating of 1,000 meters, Phoibos men’s PX002C 300M dive watch has a dive rating of 300 meters. Despite this difference, the watch can also be used for swimming, snorkeling, and scuba diving. Amazon users gave this watch a rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars. It sells for $115 to $120.
Luminox men’s 3001 quartz Navy Seal dive watch
If you are in the market for luxury diving watches, this is a great option. Luminox men’s 3001 quartz Navy Seal dive watch is one of the highest priced watches we are covering. This watch stands out from other diving watches on this list for several reasons. First and foremost, it features the Luminox self-powered illumination system that makes the hands and dial markers of the watch glow 100 times brighter than most diving watches on the market. It also features a unidirectional rotating bezel with five-minute Arabic numerals engravings and coin-edged detailing that offers improved grip.
The diving watch also has a date function on the three o’clock region. What’s more, the watch has a four-year battery and comes with a one-year warranty. Last but not least, this watch has a water resistance that allows you to go up to 200 meters underwater. This makes it good for surface water sports.
This Luminox dive watch goes for $300 to $350. Amazon users gave this watch a rating of 4.2 out of 5 stars.
Invicta men’s “Pro Diver” quartz stainless steel diving watch
Invicta men’s “Pro Diver” quartz stainless steel diving watch is another example of a watch that is suitable for water surface activities and professional marine activities. It has a water resistance of up to 200 meters (660 feet). The watch features a blue and red unidirectional bezel to help you compute how much time you have been under water. It also features luminous hands, dot hour markers, and a date display function. One thing that makes this watch stand out from the rest is that it has a five-year warranty. This shows the manufacturer’s confidence in the product. The watch sells for $55 to $60 and has a rating of 4.0 out of 5 stars on Amazon.
Seiko SKX007J1
Seiko SKX007J1 is also a great option if you are looking for a dive watch for water surface activities or professional marine activities. This watch has a depth rating of 200 Meters/660 feet, which makes it perfect for water surface activities. It also features a unidirectional turning bezel and luminous hands and markers. In addition to this, the watch features Japan 21 jewels automatic self-winding movement, a stainless steel cap, and resin straps for durability. Although this watch is not suitable for deep diving, it can prove every useful for recreational water surface activities. Amazon users rated it 4.3 out of 5 stars. It goes for $220 to $230.
Pantor Nautilus dive watch
Pantor Nautilus dive watch is also among the top-rated watches on Amazon. This watch features Japanese original self-winding capability with 21,600 vibrations per hour. Secondly, the watch features high-quality sapphire glass and a stainless steel case. It has a depth rating of 200 meters (660 feet), which means it is great for water surface activities. Deep diving in this watch might not be the best idea because the water resistance capability of the watch doesn’t allow it. The straps of the watch are made of high-quality leather and rubber to enhance durability. The watch’s price is $200 to $210, and it has a rating of 5.0 out of 5 on Amazon.
Orient Men’s “Ray II” Japanese automatic stainless steel diving watch
Orient Men’s “Ray II” Japanese automatic stainless steel diving watch is also a great choice if you want a dive watch for water surface activities. This watch has a depth rating of 200 Meters (660 Feet). Additionally, it has a 120-click unidirectional bezel for increased precision. It also has exceptional luminesce for increased visibility in low light conditions. What’s more, this watch has a hand winding feature that’s very easy to use. Last but not least, it has a stop seconds feature that allows you to sync time without any hassle. Amazon users rated this dive watch 4.5 out of 5 stars. It goes for $140 to $150.
Did We Find The Best Diving Watch in 2019?
You won’t go wrong with any of the diving watches listed above. However, if you are in search of a luxury diving watch, the best choice would be the Luminox because it has a very stylish appearance and comes with several unique features. If you want quality without a heart-attack-inducing price tag, the Henry Jay “Specialty Aquamaster” is a great option. It is fairly priced and also has excellent features you can rely on. For deep sea divers, the Phoibos is the best because it has the highest depth rating. Pick one and let the adventures begin!
