If James Bond can wear a dive watch with a tuxedo I think it’s probably ok to wear a dive watch with a suit. And, if it’s not ok then too bad. If Bond can do it so can I. I used to wear a suit a lot for work, and I only own dive watches. But there are a few things you need to know about wearing a dive watch with a suit.
First of all, if you wear a dive watch with a dress shirt cuff, whether it is a barrel cuff or a French cuff, the watch needs to be slim enough to fit under the cuff. So a chunky dive watch is not going to work well.
OK, if you have a huge tool style dive watch, there’s no way you’re going to fit that under a dress shirt cuff. It’s going to catch all day long and bind under your shirt cuff. For me the watch I wear with a suit needs to be less than 12mm thick, anything thicker and it’s just not going to work for me. I have a huge Jacques Lemans dive watch that is impossible to wear with a suit, it’s just too big.
Second, it needs to be somewhat dressy, see this Citizen with the NATO strap, this is going to look like garbage with a suit. Bracelets are more dressy than a rubber or NATO strap. I am a huge fan of a stainless steel oyster bracelet to dress up the watch. I’m not really a fan of gold, but it’s much better than rubber or nylon. Leather could work as well, but I’m not a big fan of leather straps on a dive watch for obvious reasons.
Third, you probably want to keep the width of the watch somewhat reasonable, for me that’s less than 40mm. If you have a large wrist you can go bigger and if you have a small wrist you probably want to keep it to less than 38mm.
To summarize, if you are shopping for a dive watch you can wear with a suit, keep it slim, not too wide and get one with a bracelet.
Here are ten dive watches that would work well with a suit.
Neymar 300M Diver
The cheapest watch on this list, is an homage to a watch listed a little further down the list that is much more expensive. The Neymar can be had for around $100. This Neymar is an excellent watch to wear with a suit, it is thin and light. The 44mm width is a little much, but not too bad. I would prefer a 42mm watch, but because this one is so thin it works out.
Glycine Combat Sub
The Glycine Combat Sub is a lesser known dive watch that if you aren’t aware of you should be. First, the reason why it fits under a shirt cuff is it’s only a hair over 10mm thick. The Glycine Combat Sub comes in a bunch of colors and your choice of a bracelet or strap. Go with the bracelet for formal wear.
Rolex Submariner
What can you say about the Submariner, at home with jeans and a t-shirt, worn over a wetsuit with its expandable bracelet, and yes with a suit. The Submariner can just about do it all.
I have a good friend who has a Submariner, and it lives this piece of art in his dresser drawer while he wears his crappy Apple watch as a daily driver. It’s a travesty, but I digress.
He let me borrow it for a review which I still have yet to post, and I was very surprised at how slender and dainty the Submariner is. Most of the watches I wear are pretty chunky because I rarely, maybe never, wear a suit anymore. The Submariner is really too small for my liking, but it is perfect for use under a suit.
Nove Trident
The slimmest dive watch on this list is also one of the most reasonably priced one as well. The Trident only measures 6.8mm in thickness. It is the thinnest dive watch on the planet. This is not a chunky tool diver. I would go so far to say this is the most streamlined dive watch around, thinner than just about any other watch you would wear with a suit. It really doesn’t even look like a dive watch. Don’t hold that against it.
Omega Seamaster
For my money, this is the most beautiful watch on this list. I know, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but for me, the Omega is the bees knees. The case is just a little thick at 13.7mm, but it just works with a shirt cuff. I particularly like the exhibition case back.
Swiss watchmaker Omega has a long storied history that rivals just about any brand in Switzerland.
Tudor Black Bay
The Tudor Black Bay is a great watch to wear with a suit, especially if you don’t have huge wrists. It is 39mm in diameter, and a scant 11.9mm thick. Tudor has deep Swiss roots, and the automatic movement in the Black Bay has a genuine Swiss movement. This is an heirloom watch that will definitely outlast you and me.
Longines Hydroconquest Quartz
This is one of several quartz movements on this list. Most of these dive watches with quartz movements have a sibling watch with an automatic movement, but the quartz variants are nearly always thinner. The Longines Hydroconquest with quartz movement is 13mm thick, just on the thicker end of being able to work with a suit, but it works.
The Longines is a classic looking dive watch, at home as much in the board room as 100 feet underwater.
Seiko Prospex Quartz
Coming in at just 10mm thick, the Seiko Prospex is one of the more reasonable watches on this list, and it will easily slide under a shirt cuff. A friend of mine who wears a suit every day wears one as his daily driver. It’s a great dive watch. If you had to own only one watch for the office and ocean, this one would be a pretty good choice without breaking the bank.
Tag Heuer Formula One
The Formula One has an automatic movement that clocks in at 12mm in thickness, so for me it works ok. This is another Swiss classic that will last a lifetime. The case diameter is 42mm so this would work for someone with a roughly seven inch wrist.
Mido Ocean Star
One of a few select Japanese watchmakers on this list, the Mido Ocean Star is a looker. It’s available in several color and configurations, nearly all of them are good in my opinion.
