Reality check: your watch doesn’t need to be submersible to 300 meters. Hell, Ahmed Gabr’s scuba diving record is 318 meters, and if you really think you’re in the running to beat it, odds are you’re using an actual diving computer, not a $9,000+ Rolex Submariner.
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Dan Henry 1970 Read More
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Orient Kamasu Read More
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Seiko Prospex "King Turtle" Read More
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Lorier Neptune Read More
To stand firmly by that argument, though, would be missing the point. We love dive watches because they’re overkill. They make great daily wearers because if they can handle 20 or 30 atmospheres of pressure, they can probably handle your day-to-day life. We love dive watches because our favorite world-saving lush wears one. We love dive watches because, in the horological hierarchy of tool watches and complications, dive watches are actually really approachable.
Want proof? For under $1,000 there’s a myriad of great divers, so much so that we had to narrow down this list to 16. There are divers here from watchmaking powerhouses in Japan and even Switzerland, though there are a few micro-brands thrown in for good measure. These watches mostly have a depth rating of 200m or more, though claim to be able to go to depths well beyond human limits. Some are classy and understated, others are big and brash, but there are options to appease pretty much any watch lover with a $1,000 budget.
What to Look for in an Affordable Dive Watch
Many of the features to look for in any watch under $1,000 also apply to dive watches. Those include the likes of a respectable movement (be it mechanical or quartz, Swiss or Japanese), legibility, sapphire crystal, a solid build and comfortable fit. But for dive watches, specifically, there are a couple of points to consider.
Every watch should prioritize legibility, but it's especially important for a legit dive watch. If it's easy to read the time underwater, it'll be more so above water. Even if you don't plan on actually diving with your watch, avoiding unnecessarily decorative or otherwise less-than-hyper-legible dials will make sure you get a dive watch that feels genuine.
What about water resistance? Just about anything that calls itself a dive watch will be rated to at least 200m. There are exceptions, and there are examples on this list that are rated for significantly deeper, but watch out for products that are styled like dive watches but don't offer decent water resistance.
Citizen Promaster Dive Automatic "Fugu"
- Water Resistance: 200m
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Diameter: 44mm
- Movement: Miyota 8204 automatic
Affordable, reliable and true examples of diving equipment, Citizen’s Pro-Master Dive family of ISO-certified dive watches offer a 200-meter depth rating as well as options of automatic or solar-charging movements. This "Fugu" version features a basic but rugged automatic and it's the kind of watch you want to actually take diving (we've done so) when you don't want to fuss with a fancy watch. Handsome and highly legible, it's available in a range of color schemes, and there are simply few dive watches at this price that offer this kind of bang-for-buck.
Dan Henry 1970
- Water Resistance: 200m
- Diameter: 40mm
- Movement: Seiko NH35 automatic
Dan Henry is a small independent brand that offers classic vintage-style watches at affordable prices. This one is a little different from other dive watches on this: its case mimics super compressor watches of decades past, with a rotating inner bezel controlled by one of the two crowns while the other crown performs the typical time-setting duty. The 1970s diver has a Seiko NH35 automatic movement, 200m of water resistance, and it’s available in versions with case sizes of 40mm or 44mm wide.
Read our full review of the Dan Henry 1970.
Orient Kamasu
- Water Resistance: 200m
- Diameter: 41.5mm
- Movement: Orient F6922 automatic
Sporting a classic dive watch design, a 41.5mm case and a 200-meter depth rating, the Orient Kamasu seems to get everything just right, especially considering its ultra-affordable price tag. Sweetening the deal is an in-house automatic movement and a sapphire crystal, two features you don't see too often at this price point.
How to Maintain a Dive Watch
Seiko Prospex "King Turtle"
- Water Resistance: 200m
- Diameter: 45mm
- Movement: Seiko 4R36 automatic
The awesome value, look, quality and comfort of the Seiko “Turtle” easily earns it a place on this list. If you like the Turtle with its circa-$500 retail price, however, you might also consider spending about a hundred bucks more for the premium features of the “King Turtle“: Now you’re getting sapphire crystal, a ceramic bezel and a “cyclops” magnifier over the day/date display. It otherwise shares the Turtle’s same solid specs, like the Seiko 4R36 automatic movement and 200m of water resistance, but some cool dial textures help make it look more premium, too.
Lorier Neptune
- Water Resistance: 200m
- Diameter: 39mm
- Movement: Miyota 90S5 automatic
Automatic watches under $500 that'll actually survive submersion: it's not a crowded field. Even many microbrands cross the $500 mark when they start building robust cases rated for diving, and the cases often get chunky. But Lorier avoids both pitfalls. They offer not only a legit dive watch but keep it democratically priced and moderately sized at just 39mm.
Baltic Aquascaphe
- Water Resistance: 200m
- Diameter: 39mm
- Movement: Miyota 9039 automatic
Baltic is one of our favorite boutique watch brands and boasts a refreshingly simple and well-proportioned take on vintage-inspired designs. The Aquascaphe boasts a handsome look, a solid 200-meter depth rating, vintage-style “box” sapphire crystal, a Miyota 9039 automatic movement and Super-LumiNova. Baltic watches are assembled in France and offer a remarkable value — and this Aquascaphe is available with a rubber strap or cool beads-of-rice-style steel bracelet.
Seiko SKX007
- Water Resistance: 200m
- Diameter: 42mm
- Movement: Seiko 7S26 automatic
Seiko’s cheap dive watches have an ardent following for good reason: it was hard to find a better value for the money. The SKX007 looks great, has a 42mm case, is ISO-certified with a 200-meter depth rating and comes with a Seiko automatic mechanical movement. No longer in production (but available online), the price that helped give it such a cult following has more than doubled in recent years. Add collectibility to its list of attractive features.
Yema Navygraf Marine Nationale
- Water Resistance: 300m
- Diameter: 39mm
- Movement: YEMA2000 automatic
Yema is an interesting brand from France with a long history of producing tool watches for serious adventurers. The Superman dive watch kickstarted the brand's modern resurgence, but the Navygraf made for France's Marine National is a handsome sleeper hit. With the brand's own automatic movement inside, it presents a rare balance of classical and modern appeal while remaining true to its tool watch roots.
Marathon MSAR Quartz Medium
- Water Resistance: 300m
- Diameter: 36mm
- Movement: ETA F06 quartz
Built to U.S. Military standards, the Marathon MSAR is a tough watch in a small package. Coming in at only 36mm, it’s the smallest diver on this list, but it’s still super tough and submersible to 300 meters. It also features tritium gas tubes for luminescence, which is a nice bright, colorful touch.
Victorinox I.N.O.X. Professional Diver Titanium
- Water Resistance: 200m
- Diameter: 45mm
- Movement: Quartz
Victorinox aims to compete with the likes of G-Shock, subjecting its INOX series of watches to extreme testing. It made perfect sense when the brand expanded on the line with a dive watch iteration, offering the chunky 45mm case in lightweight titanium. (You won’t find too many dive watches under $1k using this premium material.) A Swiss quartz movement inside not only keeps the watch light and affordable, but it’s also the more practical choice for durability.
Squale 1521 Classic
- Water Resistance: 500m
- Diameter: 42mm
- Movement: ETA 2824 automatic
Squale was once a small watchmaker and watch case producer (used by the likes of Heuer and Blancpain, among others) that relaunched in 2010 as a maker of affordable divers. The 1521 is undoubtedly retro-looking, but it has an impressive 500-meter depth rating. Powered by an ETA 2824 automatic movement, it’s cased up in a matte stainless steel case that differentiates it from many other polished divers on this list.
Casio G-Shock Frogman GWF-1000-1
- Water Resistance: 200m
- Diameter: 50.3mm
- Movement: Casio Tough Solar quartz
The “Frogman” is the only digital watch to grace this buying guide, but it’s one hell of a timepiece nonetheless. Originally launched in 1993, it’s also the only ISO-compliant diver in G-Shock’s lineup. Aside from its shock-resistant build and time function, the watch also features a world-time function, a moonphase indicator and even a tide graph.
Mido Ocean Star 200
- Water Resistance: 200m
- Diameter: 42.5mm
- Movement: Caliber 80 (ETA C07.621) automatic
For a sub-$1k dive watch from a big Swiss brand, you'll be pleasantly surprised by the level of quality and refinement you get from Mido. Rated to 200m, you also get all the goodies like sapphire crystal and a modern ETA movement with an excellent 80 hours of power reserve. You can spend a little less for a version on a strap or a little more (just breaching the $1k mark) for titanium and even GMT versions.
Doxa SUB 200
- Water Resistance: 200m
- Diameter: 42mm
- Movement: ETA 2824 automatic
Not many mainstream Swiss brands are offering divers as solid as Doxa’s Sub 200 in the sub-$1k price range. Though the brand is famous for its professional dive watches, this is Doxa’s entry-level option, but it’s still got all the right specs as well as retro cues like its box-style sapphire crystal. It comes in the brand’s range of often vibrant dial colors and runs on the ETA 2824 Swiss automatic movement. That beads-of-rice steel bracelet only sweetens the deal.
Citizen Promaster Dive Automatic "Fujitsubo"
- Water Resistance: 200m
- Diameter: 41mm
- Movement: Miyota 9051 automatic
This modern Citizen is based on the brand's vintage Challenge Diver watch from the '70s and inspired by a lost example discovered off the Australian coast, covered in barnacles but still functioning. The current version is unusual in the Citizen catalog for its smaller diameter, higher-grade automatic movement and just its toned-down vintage looks. In the brand's Super Titanium, we can confirm that this is an extremely comfortable watch — and an excellent alternative to something like, say, the Black Bay 58.
Christopher Ward C60 Trident Pro 600
- Water Resistance: 600m
- Diameter: 38mm
- Movement: Sellita SW200 automatic
Christopher Ward has been around since 2004 and helped pave the way for the online microbrand movement. A showcase of what makes this British brand's bang-for-buck reputation, the C60 Trident Pro 600 is the only watch on this list that's water-resistant to 600m — and yet, whereas dive watches tend to be bigger, the brand manages to offer it in a 38mm case. Pretty impressive. Powered by a Swiss automatic movement, the 300m-water-resistant Trident Pro 300 collection is also a solid option.
