11 great dive watches that are as stylish as they are practical

Sometimes you just need to get away from the day-to-day grind and find some adventure to reinvigorate your life. Humans weren’t made to sit in cubicles in a windowless existence. We are driven to explore and find beauty in the world around us. And whether you are climbing mountains, jumping out of airplanes, or getting lost in the jungle, you need a great watch to help you keep your bearings. But there is one place on Earth that is more terrifying than anywhere else: the deep blue sea. And there is one tool you can use to help you get through — dive watches.

Sure, nowadays, dive computers will do a lot more for your excursion into the deep, but until recently, divers only had their air and watch. So picking the right one was almost a situation of life and death.

What makes a dive watch?

When dive watches were developed, they needed to make sure that divers could calculate the time they have been submerged (you really don’t want to run out of air) and decompression stops (you really, really don’t want your lungs to explode). So watchmakers started developing timepieces to help these adventure seekers alive, and they came down to these innovations.

1. Water Resistance: This part is pretty important; in order for a watch to be considered a dive watch, it must be water-resistant to at least 100 meters. That has advanced in recent years so we can get deeper into the big blue ocean, but that is the minimum.
2. Legibility: Thicker numerals and wider hands make it easier to read, and luminosity helps as you get deeper, where the sun doesn’t reach.
3. Rotating Bezel: This lets the wearer know how long they have been underwater and sometimes even shows the diver’s depth.
4. Durable Strap: Most dive watches have rubber or stainless steel straps, which are the most adaptable to seawater and can withstand pressure, direct sunlight, and humidity. These also dry quickly, so they can be worn outside the water as well underneath it.
5. Helium Escape Valve: This isn’t required, but it sure goes above and beyond for the most serious divers. This feature releases trapped helium as you surface to protect the watch, allowing for the deepest dives without worry.

Tudor Black Bay

The Tudor Black Bay is nearly the stuff of legend, famed for its durability, its handsome style, and its place on the stylish wrists of guys like David Beckham. For your own pursuits on the water, you can’t go wrong with this refined luxury dive watch. You’ll have it for years and years to come. It embodies the dive watches of today that work just as well out of the water as beneath it.

Luminox Pacific Diver

When we mention a dive watch to wear, well, anywhere, we’re thinking about a dive watch that can do well in the Pacific Ocean (note the name) and perform at the same rate back on land, on a camping trip, or a secluded, off-the-grid beach trip. This watch is the watch we have in mind, and it helps that it packs in a rugged 44mm case diameter and Swiss-made precision. Being one of the choices for the Navy Seals makes this watch one of the ones you can trust above all others.

Phoibos Wavemaster Dive Watch

We’ll admit it: We have a soft spot for dive watches that are as cool as they are functional, and if that’s what you’re seeking in your next dive watch, you can’t go wrong with the Phoibos Wavemaster. We love the innovative dial design, the highly visible markings, and the fact that it’s rated down to 1,000 feet. Time to hit the water, folks.

Omega Seamaster James Bond 60th Anniversary

How many different ways can we say that James Bond is cool? Well, here is one more. Omega dive watches have graced the wrist of 007 for years. If you want to find a classic piece of movie history rated to 30 ATM (professional diving suitable), along with a watch that will keep up with your every step while you chase down Blofeld, this is the watch for you.

Citizen Promaster Automatic

Citizen is one of the pioneers of timepiece technology as they have partnered with some of the best people in multiple industries, including watch gurus like La Joux-Perret and celebrities like Tony Hawk, to bring you the best watches on the market. From shock resistance to light-powered watches, their innovative work brings the Promaster the number one companion for meeting the challenge.

MTM Black Gray US-744X

MTM watches are made for service members by service members—the people who know what it means to take action. They are some of the best tactical watches on the market. The US-744X was designed to look like a watch in the boardroom and function like a tool under the surface. Inspired by the U.S. Navy’s Virginia Class Attack Submarine, this watch is expert-level in kick-ass.

Mido Ocean Star GMT

Since its appearance on the market for the first time in 1959, the Mido Ocean Star has been a beacon of dive watch ingenuity with its revolutionary single-shell case. With the ability to withstand the most severe environments, the legacy of the Ocean Star lives on in Mido’s Commander watch collection, one of the many timeless pieces the company makes. And definitely, one that will take you from the surfboard to the submarine.

Glashutte Original SeaQ

From long-lived legacies to debuts of the newest chapter, you have the Glashütte SeaQ. While Glashütte itself can be traced all the way back for nearly two centuries, the SeaQ is their first diver. It inspires you to dive deep, not just literally in the ocean, but figuratively into yourself to find your greatest fears and most curious wonders.

Breitling Superocean

Since the sport of diving became all the rage in the swingin’ sixties, watch companies discovered that timing was everything. So to give them the best timing in the world, Breitling stripped away everything that wasn’t focused on the new passion of diving. What was left was called the Slow Motion. Their new Superocean builds on everything that their original masterpiece had, only modernizing it for the most dependable work in their arsenal.

Bremont Submarine Descent II

In 1800, half of the world’s watch market came from inside the borders of London. That is an incredible statistic that feels unheard of today with all the focus in Switzerland and Japan. Today, Bremont is keeping that legacy alive with the newest in their exclusive dive collection — the Supermarine Descent II.

Mido Ocean Star Decompression

We couldn’t help but add one more Mido product to the list, mostly because it has one of the most striking faces you will ever see on a dive watch. With the face displaying the depth levels and the bezel allowing you to choose from 24 cities around the world, you’ll never be out of time no matter where on land or sea you are.

There you have it. Summer is in full swing, which means that all of your favorite activities on and below the water are waiting for you to ditch the office. Call in, take a vacation, or sneak away early. But whatever you do, don’t even think about getting wet until you have one of these masterpieces on your wrist.