Best Scuba Diving Watches
Jon Whittle
Gear

Best Scuba Diving Watches

By Scuba Diving Magazine | March 30, 2020
Our 2020 Scuba Diving magazine Gear Buyers Guide will help you find the best dive watch for you.

Your dive watch is the only piece of scuba gear you can wear 24/7. Our 2020 Scuba Diving magazine Gear Buyers Guide will help you find the right dive watch for you.

 

CRESSI SEA LION  

Cressi Sea Lion Dive Watch
Limited-edition watch inspired by vintage underwater timepieces. Credit: Jon Whittle


A no-nonsense quartz dive watch that is waterproof to 300 meters, the Sea Lion features a screw-down crown and a unidirectional rotating bezel for tracking dive time. The casing is made of stainless steel and features a silicone strap. The dial is protected by sapphire glass. The dial features a date window and uses luminous material on the hands and markers.
cressi.com | $649.50  


SEIKO PROSPEX SLA023 

Seiko Prospex SLA023
Dive-specific movement vibrates at eight beats per second for precision performance. Credit: Jon Whittle


Displaying its credentials inside and out, this saturation diver features a precision movement designed specifically for dive watches. With date display, and automatic and manual winding capabilities, it has a power reserve of approximately 50 hours. The one-piece 44.3 mm stainless-steel case and bracelet have a super-hard coating to stand up to the most demanding conditions.  
seikoluxe.com | $3,100  


SEIKO PROSPEX SNE541  

Seiko Prospex SNE541 Dive Watch
Cool and capable, with 200-meter ruggedness and the ease of solar power. Credit: Jon Whittle


This fashionably cool solar-powered Prospex is part of Seiko’s Street Series—time-pieces for the urban adventurer combining style with dive watch durability. The watch has a 10-month power reserve when fully charged, and it is water-resistant to 200 meters. It has a lightweight matte-black case, patterned dial and silicone strap with contrasting silver bezel and accents.
seikoluxe.com  | $400 


SEIKO SNJ028

Seiko SNJ028 Dive Watch
Cool look and advanced features with real movie-star cred. Credit: Jon Whittle


This is a new interpretation of the first hybrid analog/digital diver, known for decades as the “Arnie” for its prominent place on the wrist of a certain action-movie star and governor. This update remains true to the spirit of the 1982 original while adding solar power with a six-month reserve when fully charged. With a power-reserve display function, it includes a chronograph and alarm.  
seikoluxe.com | $550    


SEIKO PROSPEX SPB071  

Seiko Prospex SPB071 Dive Watch
A faithful reissue of the Automatic Diver that became an icon. Credit: Jon Whittle


In 1965, Seiko made an international splash with the introduction of Japan's first dive watch. More than 50 years later, Seiko has recreated that iconic Automatic Diver. The 200-meter reissue has updated technology but remains faithful to the original— a design so tough and accurate it would be selected for a grueling four-year Japanese Antarctica research expedition.  
seikoluxe.com | $850


SEIKO PROSPEX SNR029  

Seiko Prospex SNR029
Award-winning style, with strength and performance to match. Credit: Jon Whittle


A 2019 winner of the prestigious Grand Prix d'Horlogerie award, this Prospex LX diver combines elegance and style with superior durability and performance. Water resistant to 300 meters, it has a titanium case and bracelet with a locking clasp. With automatic and manual winding, it features a proprietary Seiko Spring Drive movement for accuracy to within 15 seconds a month.  
seikoluxe.com | $6,000 


SEIKO PROSPEX SPB051

Seiko Prospex SPB051
Locking stainless-steel bracelet with built-in extender. Credit: Jon Whittle


The compact case, wide hands and narrow rotating bezel mark this Prospex as a descendant of Seiko’s 1965 Automatic Diver. With a stainless case and bracelet, this reinterpretation has automatic and manual winding capability, with a power reserve of about 50 hours. With LumiBrite hands and markers for legibility in the toughest conditions, it offers water resistance to 200 meters.  
seikoluxe.com  | $ 1,000

  

SEIKO PROSPEX SPB079  

Seiko Prospex SPB079 Dive Watch
A design inspired by Seiko's 1968 Diver's Watch. Credit: Jon Whittle


A new take on Seiko’s cutting-edge 1968 Diver’s Watch, this Prospex features a sleek stainless steel case with super-hard coating, luminous hands and markers, and blue one-way rotating elapsed timing bezel. Powered by a precision automatic movement, with water resistance to 200 meters, it includes an accordion-style silicone strap designed to provide a snug fit during dives.  
seikoluxe.com | $850    


SEIKO PROSPEX SPB101  

Seiko Prospex SPB101 Dive Watch
This Automatic Diver is at home on the reef or in the boardroom. Credit: Jon Whittle


This Prospex Automatic Diver is known as Sumo—a nickname reflecting its generous 45 mm stainless-steel case, wide bezel and thick hands. The graceful, sweeping curves of its case and the rich, deep black of the dial and rotating bezel give it an understated look that's at home anywhere. With auto and manual winding capability and date display, it is water-resistant to 200 meters.
seikoluxe.com | $850 

 

SEIKO PROSPEX SPB105

Seiko Prospex SPB105 Dive Watch
A contemporary take on Seiko’s famous 1968 Diver’s Watch. Credit: Jon Whittle


This Prospex features a deep-green dial with a shimmering sun-ray finish and luminous gold-accented hands, surrounded by a black bezel.  At its heart beats a robust movement with manual or automatic winding. With a stainless case and bracelet with super-hard coating, this stylish watch offers water resistance to 200 meters. 
seikoluxe.com | $1,050 

 

SEIKO PROSPEX SRPD21 

Seiko Prospex SRPD29 Dive Watch
Special edition lets you wear your love of the ocean for all to see. Credit: Jon Whittle


This special-edition Prospex features a dial of dancing blue waves, a distinctive case shape known as the “turtle” by its fans and a second hand in the shape of a great white’s fin. With automatic and manual winding, this durable watch features a power reserve of approximately 41 hours. Water-resistant to 200 meters, it has a stainless-steel bracelet with a built-in extension for wear over a wetsuit.
seikoluxe.com | $525 


SEIKO PROSPEX SRPD29

Seiko Prospex SRPD29
The Monster line gets a cool monochromatic treatment. Credit: Jon Whittle


The latest in what Seiko fans refer to as the “Monster” line ups the ante on the series’ aggressive aesthetics with a black sun-ray dial and black stainless-steel case and bracelet. The wide rotating bezel is boldly marked, and the markers and hands feature LumiBrite coating for high visibility. It has automatic and manual winding, and a power reserve of about 41 hours.
seikoluxe.com | $550  


SEIKO PROSPEX SRPD23

Seiko Prospex SRPD23 Dive Watch
A warrior for the sea, this Samurai wears the deep blue of the ocean. Credit: Jon Whittle


Bearing a blue wave-patterned dial and shark fin-shaped second hand, this rugged special edition Prospex includes a gradient blue and grey one-way rotating elapsed timing bezel. It has automatic and manual winding capabilities, a date display, rotating bezel, and locking crown. The stainless-steel bracelet offers a tri-fold clasp with lock and a push-button release.  
seikoluxe.com | $525
 

 

Text and photos originally appeared in the March 2020 issue of Scuba Diving magazine.

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