Our Best Divers’ Watches Reviewed
The first divers’ watches appeared in the 1920s and were intended for military use. It was not until the 1950s that this genre of watch became available to civilians. The prerequisites for a divers’ watch are robustness, superb readability (even when in deep water), a unidirectional bezel (used for monitoring dive times) and, of course, an appetite for getting its hair wet.
Some divers’ watches are fitted with a helium valve; however, this is only relevant if the wearer engages in saturation diving. Most purchasers of divers’ watches seldom use them in anger, hence the term ‘desk diver’. Nevertheless, many of the aforementioned attributes of divers’ watches are equally valid on terra firma.
TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 1000 Superdiver
The TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 1000 Superdiver is incredibly robust as if it were hewn from granite. It has all the necessary attributes for extreme underwater use.
- Incredible nocturnal appearance courtesy of blue and green luminescent treatment
- Water-resistant to 1000 M and helium valve
- Rotating unidirectional bezel with ceramic insert
- Robust crown guard
- COSC-certified movement
Tudor Black Bay GMT
In 2013, Tudor won the ‘Revival Prize’ at the Grand Prix d’Haute Horlogerie with a stunning divers’ watch endowed with a burgundy-coloured bezel. The brand has since released numerous variants embracing different colourways, sizes and complications. While some competing watches have greater water-resistant to than the Tudor Black Bay GMT and a unidirectional bezel, few can match this GMT for its overall versatility. Tudor does offer bonafide divers’ watches which may be better suited to subaquatic action, but on balance I would opt for this model.
- GMT function makes it ideal for frequent flyers
- Water-resistant to 200 M
- COSC-certified movement with 70 hour power reserve
- Bidirectional bezel with aluminium insert
- Available on a strap or bracelet
Delma Shell Star Titanium
Founded in 1924, Delma has gained an enviable reputation for making robust divers’ watches that proffer a competitive blend of quality and value. The brand offers several Divers’ watches which could have easily featured here; however, given the Delma Shell Star Titanium delivers so much for comparatively little, I felt compelled to name it in my list of best divers’ watches.
- Not unduly cumbersome, measuring a modest 41 mm in diameter and with a height of 13.6 mm
- Water-resistant to 500 M
- Sturdy construction and a unidirectional ceramic bezel with luminescent markings
- Titanium case and bracelet – lightweight, hypoallergenic, not liable to corrosion
- Exhibition caseback grants sight of the movement
