There are a lot of automatic dive watches out there on the oceans of the world. Automatic watch movements aren’t for everyone. If you leave one on your dresser for a few days when you pick it up you have to wind it, reset the time, and reset the date because the spring has wound down. Most automatic watches only have a reserve of two or three days.
The point is you need to wear it to keep it wound, or wind it manually. Automatic watches aren’t for everyone.
The beauty of the quartz movement is it keeps on ticking whether you wear it or not.
Now there are two types of quarts movements, they both have batteries, but one has a solar cell under the dial. Or, put more accurately, the dial is the solar cell. The solar cell charges the battery.
Most solar quartz movements can last for months without being in light. Yes, you don’t need to be in actual sunlight, any light will do for charging the battery, even indoor light.
For a detailed explanation of what a quartz watch movement is, how it operates and the benefits and drawbacks vs. an automatic watch movement please see my blog post here.
There are a lot of great quartz dive watches on the list below, I believer these are the best quartz dive watches for every budget and style.
Casio Duro
The Casio Duro has long been a budget favorite of mine. You can read my entire review about it here.
Basically you get a hell of a watch for about $50 USD. This watch isn’t probably going to win any awards, but as I stated in my review I think everyone should own this watch. For the price it cannot be beat.
Addiesdive Submariner
Addiesdive is a relative newcomer to the market. There aren’t many sub $100 USD dive watches on the market, but this is one of them.
I was initially impressed by the sapphire crystal at this price point. That and the fact this watch is WR to 200M make it a bargain. For a little over fifty bucks you get a capable dive watch, that’s saying something. Add in the stainless bracelet and it’s a downright bargain. For years the only thing close to a $50 dive watch was the Casio listed above, Casio Duro, you have a challenger.
The clasp leaves something to be desired, but for $50 you can’t compain about that.
Citizen Promaster
I personally own this watch and have been on at least a hundred dives with it. You can read my full review of the Citizen Promaster here. Altough it measures in at 44mm wide, it feels and looks a little bit smaller than that on the wrist.
This Promaster is probably the best value for dollar dive watch. It is certainly the best dive watch you’re going to find at a hair over $200. This is an ISO rated solar powered quartz diver. I’m not getting ird of mine.
Luminox Navy Seal
Luminox watches are worn by a lot of military operators. Luminox actually makes watches for specific military units with their insignia on the dial. These are tough watches.
Luminox uses tritium tubes to illuminate their watches instead of luminous paint. Tritium doesn’t need to be charged with a light source to glow. It is always glowing. If you’re looking for a military inspired watch, this could be the one for you.
Seiko Prospex
Seiko is the maker of loads of dive watches. For a lot of people the venerable Seiko SKX was thier first dive watch. The Prospex line is considered a step above the SKX, but is still a very reasonable price point. You get a lot of watch in this Quartz Prospex. Most of the Prospex lineup consist of automatic movements.
This one has a great bracelet, sapphire crystal and a 316 grade stainless steel bracelet.
Phoibos PX002C
Phoibos only makes dive watches, and they’re great watches. Most are around $400+ USD. The PS002C is just over $100 if you can find one. This is a bargain. They could easily charge 3 – 4 times that amount. If you want a great dive watch at an excellent price, this is probably the best deal out there.
The Phiobos PX002C is WR to 300M and has a sapphire crystal. I find myself asking why I don’t own one.
Citizen Ecozilla
The Citizen Men’s Eco-Drive Promaster Sea Dive is its formal name, but Citizen calls it the “Ecozilla.” I’m guesing they nick named it the Ecozilla because it is an oversized version of the Citizen Promaster. And it’s big, measuring a whopping 48mm across, for me it’s too big to wear aound town. You either need large wrists or have to wear it over a wetsuit, which is what its designed for.
The Ecozilla has a solar powered quartz movement and an ISO rating. I fear if I bought it I would only wear it while diving, and although I love watches and diving, I want to be able to wear my watches all the time.
Momentum M50
Momentum isn’t a widely known watch maker, but they make a quality dive watch. The M50 is a great size at 44mm wide. It features a sapphire crystal, Japanese quartz movement, and the battery is purportedly good for 10 years. Not sure if it would really last that long though.
For what you get, this watch is a nice value at roughly $300, a little more for the version with a bracelet. The M50 has a whopping 500M depth rating. 99.99% of divers will never go near that depth.
Citizen Promaster Aqualand Depth Meter
You will notice there are several Citizen Promasters on this list. Citizen makes and sells a lot of dive watches, and they all have quartz movements. This Promaster is a behemoth at 53mm wide. It also has a depth gauge, maximum depth indicator, solar powered quartz movement, and a power reserve indicator.
My only problem with this watch is that it’s too big for me unless I’m wearing it over a wetsuit. It’s big.
Citizen Promaster 1000M Professional Diver
This is another massive Promaster from Citizen. It it one mm smaller at 52mm, but largely the same size and footprint. The main two differences between this Promaster and the Aqualand Depth Meter listed above is that this one is rated to 1000M and it doesn’t have a depth gauge.
This one is also $1000 more expensive. I really cannot think of a reason to get this watch over the Aqualand Depth Meter listed above. The only thing I don’t like about the Citizen Promasters is none of them feature a sapphire crystal.
Alpina Seastrong Diver GMT Quartz Movement
Alpina was founded in Switzerland in 1883, so they’ve been making watches for a few years. The Seastrong is an excellent dive watch. It’s 44mm wide, has a sapphire crystal, Swiss quartz movement with a date complication and is WR to 300M.
This is a seriously good looking watch that you can use with a suit or on a dive boat. Lots of dive watches are huge tool divers but are so big they’re tough to wear in every day life. This watch bridges those two gaps.
Tag Heuer Formula 1 Quartz
The Tag Heuer Formula 1 is one of the more refined watches on this list. Tag Heuer is a world reknowned Swiss watch maker. They are definitely more known for their automatic movements, but the Formula 1 has a great Swiss quartz movement.
The Tag Heuer Formula 1 is 43mm wide, has a sapphire crystal, stainless case and is WR to 200M.
Marathon Watch Swiss Made Military Medium Diver’s Quartz
The nickname for this watch is the TSAR (Tritium Search and Rescue). It features tritium lumination instead of luminous paint. These are generally military watches, but anyone can buy them. Marathon makes tool divers, and this one fits the bill to a T.
Marathon is a Swiss watch maker and these SAR watches are rugged and durable. They are made to be abused.
Longines Hydroconquest Quartz
Longines is a Swiss watch maker. If you’re not looking for a tool diver in a quartz watch, the Longines Hydroconquest in Quartz movement may be just what you’re looking for. Most of the watches on this list are purpose built for diving, but you’re not going to get them under a suit. The Longines Hydroconquest will do everything. You can wear it to a business meeting in the morning and go lobster diving with it in the afternoon.
It’s not just a pretty watch, it’s water resistant to 300M and sports a sapphire crystal. It’s 41mm wide, so not super huge. Some may find this actually too small for thier liking.
