Best Dive Watches Reviews 2021– What Matters

Looking for the best dive watches for yourself or as a gift in 2022?

A dive watch will definitely make an exceptional gift for your man if he has a passion for diving or underwater photography. It is not just a simple time piece. It reminds him of you whenever he checks his time or prepared his dive.

A dive watch is specially designed to withstand the underwater pressures and harsh conditions while scuba diving. It could also be a symbolic object for your relationship.

Although dive computers are more popular now to manage the dive time, most people still see the trusty dive watch as a backup in case the computer fails and moreover, a dive watch always looks good and masculine in any occasion with its timeless design.

You can get simple dive watches at less than 500 bucks or even top quality dive watches from reowned Swiss watchmakers. 

If it is for yourself, you will need to choose which dive watches are more appropriate for you based on your style preferences and budget.

If you are getting for your loved ones, if budget allows, and you want your man to look good in front of his friends. You can probably look at the better quality watch dive watches from the Swiss watchmakers.

That's what this guide is all about, we are going to share with you what to consider and a list of best dive watches available right now for you to choose from.

In addition, we are going to show more details on the top 10 best dive watches and completes with our editors' top favourite dive watches.

A quality dive watch is an investment that can be passed down through generation, so choose wisely.

Before we dive into the topic, as an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you for your understanding and support especially during this difficult testing pandemic period for everyone.

Thank you for visiting Aqua Junkies. We've done our best to provide you with the most in-depth consumer guide with honest and accurate information relating to the best dive watches currently on the market. A significant amount of time has been invested in providing you with this information, so we do hope you find it useful.

Most Recommended:  If you haven't got the time to read our entire buyer's guide then I would suggest that you check out our editors' choice, Tudor Pelagos Diving Watch, our favourite choice  because of:

1. Water resistant to 500 metres - Suitable for all levels of divers to use as a time keeper.

2. MT5612 Automatic Movement (COSC-certified) - Time accuracy of -4/+6 seconds per day

3. 70 Hours Power Reserve - Generous power reserve storage

4. Automatic Helium Valve -  for professional divers that dive for an extended period of time of depth more than 250 feet.

5. Made of Titanium - That is as tough as steel but weighs half as much for a 42mm steel watch.

6. And Many More..

How To Choose The Best Dive Watches for You

1. Water Resistance

For a watch to be considered as a dive watch, it needs to have a minimum water resistance of 660 feet (200m). Anything below this resistance level is not really suitable for scuba diving.

Watches will need to pass numerous underwater rigorous tests to be classified as dive watches. The higher the depth rating, the more stringent the tests.  

Do note that, even though a dive watch is rated to go to a certain depth, it does not mean it will survive a dive to that depth. Remember, it's water "resistance". That's  why it is the best idea to invest in a high quality dive watch if it is your primary timekeeper.

2. Movement

Dive watches comes with two type of main movements in the market right now. There are the automatic movement and the quartz movement. 

Automatic Movements

This movement is more common in higher end, better quality luxury dive watches. A lot of time is committed to build just a single watch with craftsmanship that is only make possible with experienced and skilled watchmakers.

Every minuscule detail is scrutinized to perfection with precision engineering. These are one of the many reasons why many watch collectors and even divers are looking to own a prize automatic dive watch. 

Quartz Movements

Quartz movements functioned with a battery. It is very accurate and requires minimal maintenance (replacement of battery every 2 -5 years). Quartz diver watches are very affordable than automatic divers watches.  

3. Bezel

A bezel on a dive watch helps a diver to calculate the elapsed time during the dive. It is often designed as an anti-clockwise rotating bezel in unidirectional.

It is an important feature on an analog dive watch and you could easily identify if the watch is designed for diving based on this feature and the water resistance.

4. Luminescence

Visibilty underwater is usually much lower than the surface due to characteristics of light waves. Therefore, it's is important to have a watch that glows brightly in the dark. Luminous paint or tritium are used on the dial to make them glow.

Luminescence paint needs to be charged under the light for it to glow in the dark and it will slowly goes dull after a prolong period of time.

Tritium glows without the need to charged it under the light. It is usually much brighter than luminescence paint.  

However, it has a lifespan where it will gradually dim over time.

5. Style

Dive watches are often associated with confident, masculine, sporty and outdoor adventures due to its design. It displays the wearer as an adventurer and explorer.

Style is a very personal choice. Generally, if you like to have a sporty image, you can go for wider and bigger case. If you prefer a more classy dive watch, choose smaller diameter and thinner case.  

6. Type of Dive Watches

There are many different kinds of dive watches in the market. The two main broad categories are analog dive watches and digital dive watches.

Depends on personal style preferences, some prefer digital dive watches because there are the best cheap dive watches around with backing light. 

7. Helium VALVE 

Another quick way to identify a diver watch is the present of helium valve. The helium escape valve is used by professional divers that are diving to a depth of more than 250 feet (76 metres) for an extended period of time.   

How To Take Care of Your Dive Watch?

It doesn't take much effort to take care of your watch so that it will last for generations. Follow these 5 simple steps.

1. After each dive, Rinse it with fresh water at home to remove any salt contents or chemical remains.
2. Turn the unidirectional bezel to remove the debris from the dial of the watch.
3. Stay out of sauna, hot tubs, jacuzzi as the heat will expands the rubber seals inside the watch that make it water resistant, thus degrading them.
4. Make sure the crown are secure before the dive and don't meddle with it during the dive.
5. Keep the dive watch away from chemicals that could damage the dive watch plating and make it less resistant to corrosion.

Dive Watches Reviews

Top 10 Best Dive Watches Qualifiers

Aqua Junkies Favourite Dive Watches

A dive watch is more than just keeping time during your dive. It can serve as a personal style statement and characteristics, a showcase of your passion for diving and is often suitable as a wearable for most occasions. As a gift, it is one of the best options available.

It's not an easy decision with so many decent and quality dive watches vying for our attention. Here's our favourites and maybe they are your favourites too.