Best Dive Watches: Top Rated and Reviewed Scuba Dive Watches
Mid-range, Inexpensive, Budget, Cheap and Very Cheap (Yes, You Read That Right) Categories
Which are the best dive watches for you to buy? As you know, there are lots of options out there when going to buy a dive watch. You can spend anywhere from $20 to $20,000 (OK, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration but you get the point).
You have to decide what features you want the watch to have. What price range you are targeting. If you will wear it out of the water (some really do look cool). And on and on.
To help make your buying decision easier, we have picked some diver watches for you to consider in the mid-range, inexpensive, budget and yes, cheap and very cheap categories.
Of course, which of the following picks from our list of best dive watches will suit you depends on your budget and what you want in a watch.
First, to qualify as a top pick, they all had to be water resistant to 660 feet.(See our buyers guide (link above) for an explanation of why 660 feet). After they met this criteria, we read through the feedback, ratings and reviews of all contenders. A watch had to receive over 4 stars out of 5 to even be considered. If the vast majority of users had positive reviews of the watch, we figured the odds were good that you would like it also.
We spent many hours combing through websites and reviews to pick the ones we believe will be worth your hard earned money. We recommend only those that we think would fit your needs and we would be proud to own ourselves.
The links for the recommended watches will open in a new window to our partner's website. From there, you can read more of the detailed reviews and features and see if that scuba watch will fit your needs.
We updated this list of best dive watches in November 2011. Since dive watches can get discontinued and new models are introduced, we wanted to make sure we are considering all that is currently available. To that end, we will be updating our picks for best dive watches every 6 months to ensure you get the benefit of the most current selection. So if you are in the market for a dive watch for 2012, these picks are for you. Some on the list made the cut last year (as we note below) but most are new picks from us. We hope you enjoy the selection and find one that will work for you.
If you want to jump to the category you are interested in, just click on the link:
We have a couple picks in this category. For this price, you can get a very good and very sharp looking watch without spending a fortune. The watches are of high quality and should last a very long time.
Our first pick in this category is this good looking Citizen model. I think this dive watch does everything but wash the dishes.
This watch is water resistant to 660 feet and looks good both in and out of the water. The case, band and bezel are all made of stainless steel. This watch charges in natural or indoor light so you never have to worry about changing the batteries. Which is a great feature since you don't want batteries dying if you are using it as your timing device while scuba diving.
Other features include atomic timekeeping, perpetual calendar and a 1/100 second chronograph that measures up to 24 hours. And if you are on a whirlwind tour, this pick for best dive watch can give you the world time in 43 cities!
Pros:
Looks high quality; gets lots of compliments
No batteries to change
Keeps perfect time
Lots of features
Easy to read at night
Cons:
Somewhat heavy since it is made of stainless steel
Takes a bit of time to set up initially
This watch has been around for a little while and has garnered some great reviews from users. Reviews include:
Choice #2: For our next choice of best dive watches in this category, we have another Citizen model.
This dive watch has a sportier look and boasts a rubber strap. The rubber strap also helps lighten the load on your wrist when compared to a stainless steel strap. Some people complain about the heaviness of an all stainless watch and if you agree this might be a good choice for you.
The case and unidirectional bezel on this model are made of 2 tone stainless steel. It is water resistant to 660 feet so it should meet all of your recreational scuba diving needs.
This model has full chronograph function and since it is powered by light, you never have to worry about the batteries dying on you.
Our first pick for best dive watches in the inexpensive category is a repeat winner from last year's pick. It continues to be a best seller and has rave reviews from many users. It is a Seiko model.
I love the look of this watch and judging from its' reviews, I am not alone. It is rated to 660 feet and is made of stainless steel. It functions automatically with the movement of your arm and does not need a battery. It has a screw down crown and a Hardlex crystal face. This particular model is in orange so it really makes a statement (it is also available in black if you prefer).
Pros:
Striking looks; very unique
Keeps accurate time
Very durable and rugged
Nice easy sweep on second hand (as opposed to "ticking")
Wetsuit link for divers
Cons:
Might have to have band adjusted to fit your wrist properly
Could be a bit heavy since it is made of stainless steel
Choice #2: We have another repeater in this category for best dive watches. Why mess with a good thing? This great looking watch is an Orient model.
This is a sharp looking dive watch and the case and band are both made out of stainless steel.
This watch is made for scuba diving and is rated to 660 feet. It is an automatic watch so it functions with the movement of your arm and doesn't need a battery. It also features a blue unidirectional bezel and a screw down crown for added protection while you are diving.
Pros:
Nice solid construction; looks more expensive than it is
In house movements for higher quality (Orient makes and assembles all of its parts, no outsourcing)
If you need a dive watch but don't want to spend alot of money (or don't have alot of money to spend), you can find some pretty good values in this category.
I had to eliminate some very good watches in this category since they were only rated to 330 feet. As I previously mentioned, 660 feet is the preferred depth rating for a scuba diving watch. However, once you reach this category, you might be more comfortable using one rated to 330 feet since it is not that huge of an investment.
For the time being, I am sticking to the 660 feet recommendation here.
OK, this first pick for the best dive watches in the budget category are for all of you out there who like to stand out from the crowd. This is a new entry on our list and is a 2011 model year. As you can see from the picture - this is a dive watch that will get noticed. It is a Casio model.
(Of course, if you don't want something so stand-out, they also have similar watches in black.)
This watch has some really cool features - like tide and moon data and world time with 29 time zones. And in case you are a late person, it has five alarms. No sleeping in anymore. You get alot of watch for this price point. If you are an outdoor person, this watch has proven to be extremely durable and can stand up to alot of wear and tear.
Pros:
Stand out color and design
Lots of features
Durable and rugged
Light on wrist; very comfortable
Cons:
Can take some time to set up all the functions (don't lose the instructions)
Choice #2: Next up for our pick of best dive watches between $50-$100 is actually another Casio model.
This pick is a different style than our prior choice and is quite a bit more "subdued". However, this does not take away from its functionality and durability.
This watch is water resistant to 660 feet with a resin-stainless steel case. This is a shock resistant watch and the manufacturer boasts that it can withstand pretty much anything you want to throw at it.
And according to the reviews, the watch stands up the claim. If you like to get rough and tumble out there, this is a watch for you at a great price.
Other features include world time from 29 time zones, 1/100-second stopwatch, 3 time modes (elapsed time, split time and 1st/2nd place mode), 5 alarms and a battery life of up to 3 years.
Pros:
Solid construction; very durable
More moderately sized than other G-shocks
Lots of features
Analog and digital with sweeping hands
Cons:
More moderately sized than other G-shocks (depends on your perspective)
Light on dark can be harder to read; backlight doesn't stay lit for long (have to press button again)
I have a few choices of best dive watches for you here. There are alot of budget scuba diving watches available, actually it is quite amazing how many are out there. From all that I have read though, I have narrowed our picks down to three. Hey, they are pretty cheap - so maybe you can buy more than one!
I am still sticking to the requirement that the watch be rated to 660 feet to be chosen as a best dive watch. Despite the cheap price point in this category. If you want to get a watch that is rated to 330 feet instead, you will have even more choices but I chose not to go that route (I do in our next category though - the very cheap dive watches; see below).
Our first pick is one of the grand-daddies of cheap dive watches. This type of model has been around for quite awhile but it still remains on our list as one of the best bets for a cheap dive watch. It continues to get great reviews so I feel it has earned its place on the list for another go round.
This "classic" is a Casio G-shock model.
Both the black-tone case and stationary bezel are made of resin. It is a quartz movement watch and is rated to 660 feet. This watch gets high accolades from almost all its users.
Choice #2: Our second choice for a best dive watch under $50 is another Casio model. Casio has alot of models to choose from in this category and the quality of the watches offered at this price point has earned them many repeat customers.
This second pick, as they all are, is water resistant to 660 feet and has a resin case with a stationary metal bezel. This particular model also features temperature and direction readings which makes it pretty unique among watches with similar pricing.
You will also have 29 time zones, 5 different alarms and a stopwatch (perfect for timing those safety stops).
Note: You have to calibrate the temperature setting on this watch to take into the account the heat from your wrist (included in instructions). Some reviews say it reads high but I believe this is since they did not calibrate the watch (they just take it off their wrist which works also but you will have to wait 10 minutes or so for a correct reading).
Pros:
Solidly built and comfortable
Accurate time
Easy to set up
Nice set of functions, especially compass
Easy to read
Cons:
Have to calibrate compass and calibrate for more accurate temperature reading
Choice #3: We are going to post a third choice in this category of best dive watches. It made our list last year and is still winning new converts. It is very reasonably priced and continues to shine in performance.
And, drumroll please, our last pick for best dive watches is yet another Casio G-shock model. This one is less expensive than our previous recommendation but still receives rave reviews.
The case and the band are all made of resin on this model. Like all our other picks, it is rated to 660 feet. This model is also a quartz movement.
Pros:
Shock resistant and very durable
Simple, easy to use
Lightweight and comfortable
Price
Good backlight
Cons:
Alarm can be difficult to hear
Adjust button is recessed; can be hard to push for some people
I am going to add another category this year - best dive watches under $25 (or almost free :)).
For this though, I am going to have to loosen my rule of being water resistant to 660 feet. These watches are all water resistant up to 330 feet. In my research, I wasn't able to find a good watch in this category that was water resistant to 660 feet - guess I was just being too optimistic.
For the record, my husband and I have both dove with watches that have less water resistance than 660 feet (they were, however, our secondary timing devices) and they have held up very well (I have had my current one for a couple years now).
And the way I look at it, if it serves you well for diving for quite awhile and then quits on you, you will still have gotten your money's worth out of it. Not that we expect them to fail, but if they do it won't be a significant loss. But remember, these should only be your secondary timing devices - not your primary or only source of logging your dive time.
Our first pick for the best very cheap dive watch is an Armitron model. I think this is a great looking watch and I was surprised to see how cheap it was.
This model is rated water resistant to 330 feet and has a resin case and band and a stationary resin bezel.
Although this watch is cheap it is not without significant features. This model boasts chronograph functions, an alarm and both a lap timer and a countdown timer. These functions, along with the price point, has earned this watch many stellar reviews.
Pros:
Good looking watch; sporty
Easy to setup and use (note: instructions are in the watch holder)
Choice #2: This second pick comes in at just under $25. It is a Casio model but has a much different look than the previous Casio's recommended.
This dive watch has both analog and digital displays with the digital display located separately and below the analog face. In my opinion, this makes the functions easier to read.
This model is water resistant to 330 and features a resin case and band with a stationary resin bezel. It may not have all the bells and whistles but it has all the basics that make it a useful everyday watch. You will find chronograph functions, an alarm and day-date-month display.
If you just want a basic watch that is durable, looks good and is inexpensive, this might be the watch for you.
Pros:
Good looking watch for the price
Analog and digital configurations
Easy to use and setup
Very accurate
Comfortable to wear
Bright backlight
Cons:
Digital window is small; may be hard to read for some people
We hope our research for best dive watches makes your choice easier. I know what a pain it is to wade through thousands of picks and thousands of reviews when I am looking to purchase a product. Hopefully our wading will cut down on yours! Please let us know how you like your new dive watch if you purchase one of our recommendations. We would love to hear from you.
Looking for more scuba diving equipment? Check out our other picks for best scuba gear. We give you our picks for best dive computer, BC's, regulators, masks, snorkels and more.
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