From Deck to Deep, Six Luxury Dive Watches for a Carefree Summer

Whether you’re the type to pull up a deck chair and lounge by the pool, or aim to be more adventurous and go for deep-sea cave diving, you need something fitting on the wrist for summer. With an abundance of new dive watches introduced throughout the year, it can be cumbersome to narrow down your next summer-fresh wrist companion. Not to worry, though, as we’re here to help! To make life easier, we’ve listed some of this year’s finest new dive watches – so far!

Longines Legend Diver 39mm White

It’s compact, robust, handsome, and an absolute icon: the Longines Legend Diver. While originally released in 42mm, the addition of a 39mm version was recently welcomed with open arms. You could go for a classical black or a splash of colour, but there’s something serene about a bright white dial. The black markers, numerals and hands provide a strong contrast, and Super-LumiNova lights everything up at night. Inside, we find Longines’ calibre L888.6, which packs up to 76 hours of power reserve. Worn on the signature 7-row beads-of-rice bracelet with a folding clasp, it retails for EUR 3,750.

For more information, please visit Longines.com.

Quick Facts – 39mm x 12.7mm – stainless steel case, brushed & polished – compressor-style construction – dual crowns – sapphire crystal – solid caseback – 300m water-resistance – white dial with black markers, numerals and hands with SLN – crown-operated inner rotating bezel – calibre L888.6, automatic – 25,200vph – 72h power reserve – 7-row BoR bracelet with folding clasp – EUR 3,750

Tudor Pelagos Ultra

The Pelagos Ultra is Tudor’s next-level diver, an ultra-robust tool watch that happens to come with the most over-engineered (yet practical!) folding clasp imaginable. It retains the more contemporary look the all-titanium Pelagos is known for, but doubles the water-resistance to 1,000 meters. The clean look is highlighted by teal green “Pelagos” writing, a colour that’s also found in the clasp. This, by the way, not only has Tudor’s on-the-fly adjustable T-Fit system but also a spring-loaded extension slider, as well as a foldable diving extension! Retailing for EUR 5,960, it’s certainly not the most affordable diver, but it’s built like a tank!

For more information, please visit TudorWatch.com.

Quick Facts – 43mm x 14.5mm – grade 2 titanium case, brushed – uni-directional titanium rotating bezel – sapphire crystal – solid titanium caseback – screw-down crown – 1,000m water-resistance – matte black dial – luminous ceramic composite monobloc hour markers – snowflake hands with SLN – date indication – calibre MT5612-U – automatic – 28,800vph – 65h power reserve – Master Chronometer certified – titanium bracelet & black rubber strap with multi-adjustable T-Fit clasp – EUR 5,960

Laventure Marine Type 3

Rooted in the 1980s, in terms of inspiration at least, is Laventure’s latest dive watch, the Marine Type 3. The stoutly shaped diver has a full titanium case, with a very distinct profile. The broad bezel, sloping lug sections, protruding “bumpers” on either side and the relatively large crown give it plenty of character. It’s available with either a black dial with white luminous markings and hands, or a fully luminous white dial with black markings and hands. Power comes from calibre 4, based on the Sellita SW300 automatic, which is shielded from magnetism by a soft-iron inner case. It’s limited to 100 pieces per colour, with a range of strap options, for a price of CHF 4,200.

For more information, please visit Laventure.swiss.

Quick Facts – 38mm x 11.2mm (8.9 without crystal) – grade 23 titanium case – unidirectional rotating bezel – screw-down crown – chimney-like sapphire crystal – solid caseback – 300m water-resistance – amagnetic two-layer dial in black or luminous white – white or black markings & hands – calibre 4, Sellita SW300 base – automatic winding – 28,800vph – 56h power reserve – FKM rubber strap with pin buckle, complimentary textile strap – 100 pieces per colour – CHF 4,200

Blancpain Fifty Fathoms 38mm

Another iconic dive watch that should not be overlooked, and which has recently undergone a size reduction, is the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms. Available in stainless steel, titanium, or 18k red gold, it retains the classical style and proportions for which the Blancpain FF is known. It comes with either a sunray-brushed blue or black dial and a matching sapphire crystal bezel insert. The calibre 1150 delivers a sturdy 100 hours of running time, thanks to the two-barrel construction. Depending on the case material, you can get a three-link bracelet, a tropic rubber strap or a textile NATO strap. Prices range from CHF 14,000 to CHF 28,500.

For more information, please visit Blancpain.com.

Quick Facts – 38mm x 12mm – 18k red gold, titanium or stainless steel case – unidirectional rotating bezel with sapphire crystal insert – sapphire crystal front & back – 300m water-resistance – sunray-brushed blue or black dial – luminous markers & hands – calibre 1150, in-house automatic – 21,600vph – 100h power reserve – hours, minutes, seconds, date – three-link bracelet, tropic rubber strap, textile NATO strap – CHF 14,000 to CHF 28,500

Certina DS Action Diver 40.5

One of the best new dive watches of the year so far is hands-down the Certina DS Action Diver 40.5. It was already available in 43mm and 38mm; this mid-sized version also introduces the latest generation of Certina’s rough-and-tough DS system. Surpassing the 10,000 impact capacity of testing machines during development, this 300m water-resistant beast is guaranteed to survive the most extreme dives. It comes in either stainless steel with a black or white dial, or titanium with a blue dial. The ceramic bezel inserts match the tone of the dial, and it’s driven by the Powermatic 80.611 automatic. Priced between CHF 785 and CHF 895, this is a true performance bargain!

The caseback of the steel version, for reference.

For more information, please visit Certina.com.

Quick Facts – 40.5mm x 14.10mm – stainless steel or titanium case, brushed & polished – unidirectional rotating bezel with ceramic insert – 300m water-resistance – sapphire crystal – solid caseback – black, blue or white dial – luminous markers & hands – Powermatic 80.611, automatic – anti-magnetic Nivachron hairspring – 21,600vph – 80h power reserve – two-tone textile strap or three-link bracelet with folding clasp – CHF 785 to CHF 895 (depending on material and strap/bracelet)

Seiko Prospex 1965 heritage diver spb501 Padi special

Seiko has a long-standing relationship with PADI, one of the two leading diving organisations, and as a result, there have been many PADI Specials. One of the latest is the cool emerald green Prospex 1965 Heritage Diver SPB501. With this one, it’s not just about colour, as the dial has a cool wave-like pattern as if you’re looking from underneath the water. It’s fitted in a 62MAS-style case, and uses Seiko’s in-house 6R55 automatic with 75 hours of running time. Supplied with a stainless steel three-link bracelet and a green NATO-style strap, it costs EUR 1,700.

For more information, please visit SeikoWatch.com.

Quick Facts – 40mm x 13mm – 46.4mm lug-to-lug – stainless steel case, brushed & polished – sapphire crystal – solid caseback – unidirectional rotating bezel with green insert – screw-down crown – 300m water-resistance – green dial with wave patterns – LumiBrite markers & hands – calibre 6R55, in-house – automatic winding – 21,600vph – 72h power reserve – hours, minutes, (hacking) seconds, date – three-link steel bracelet with folding clasp – upcycled green nylon NATO-style strap – EUR 1,700