There is a lot to think about when buying a dive watch. It can be a little overwhelming. Here are the things I look at when considering a dive watch.
Waterproof Rating
Go for 200 meters. There are a ton of watches rated to 200m water resistance. If you are going to take the watch diving there is really no need to look at anything water resistant to less than 200 meters.
I have a full blog post about ISO 6425 ratings and what to look for as well as a complete list of ISO 6425 watches if you are interested in more information on this subject.
The bottom line is this, o-rings and gaskets are primarily responsible for keeping the water out of the watch. They degrade over time. I have been rebuilding dive equipment for nearly 30 years. I have seen what normal use does to o-rings. I stick to 200m water resistance.
Does it need to meet ISO 6425 specs and have the word Diver’s on the dial? Not in my opinion, for all of the details, look to my ISO 6425 post.
Crystal
The crystal is the clear glass looking piece over the dial and hands. It is one of the things keeping water out of the watch when you are diving.
There are generally two types of crystals found in dive watches, mineral crystal and sapphire.
A mineral crystal is made of hardened tempered mineral glass. The reason for this is it is not as hard as sapphire. A mineral crystal is the less desirable of the two. On the mohs hardness scale a mineral crystal measures a five.
A sapphire crystal is obviously the more desirable of the two. All watch crystals are synthetic sapphire, which is expensive to make because it is so hard. It is made into a cylinder and cut with diamond saws and then polished. On the mohs scale it measures a nine, the only thing harder on the mohs scale is a diamond.
Obviously a sapphire crystal is going to be a lot harder to scratch or chip than the mineral crystal.
In my opinion any dive watch over about the $250 mark should include a sapphire crystal. I have a dive watch I purchased for $80 that has a sapphire crystal. For a watchmaker to not include one at $250 is criminal in my opinion.
There is a third type of crystal produced by Seiko. The only reason I bring it up is that Seiko dive watches are pretty popular and many of them include this type of crystal. It is called Mineral Hardlex. It is proprietary and only used by Seiko. The hardness of this crystal falls somewhere in-between mineral crystal and sapphire.
Finally, although the sapphire crystal is harder and considerably more scratch resistant than a mineral crystal, a mineral crystal is still very hard and difficult to scratch. The sapphire crystal is more brittle than the mineral crystal, thus the mineral crystal is harder to shatter than sapphire. I still prefer the sapphire, but this is interesting to not.
Lume
Luminous paint glows in the dark once it has been exposed to bright light. Luminous markers, hands and perhaps even the bezel or bezel pip are standard on dive watches. You can generally see what parts of the watch have luminous paint, or lume for short.
The easiest place for a watchmaker to skimp and cut down costs is by not applying very much lume. If you are in a jewelery store it’s generally pretty bright, so difficult to tell how much lume is on the watch.
Other than brightness, we also want to find out how much staying power the lume has. So when you shine a light on the watch, does the lume last for only a few minutes, or does it stay for hours?
Movement
I am not a movement snob, some people only want an automatic movement, but I find quartz movements work just fine. The thing I do really look for in a quartz movement though is that it is a solar watch.
I don’t want to have to crack open the case back every three years or so to replace the battery. Now if I was on a strict budget I would be fine with a normal quartz movement, but I tend to sticks with the solar if I can afford it.
Screw Down Crown
Any legitimate dive watch you purchase is automatically going to have a screw down crown. The crown is the part of the watch where you adjust the time, and wind an automatic watch. If you see someone trying to sell you a dive watch without a screw down crown run away. It is a fake. All dive watches have screw down crowns.
One thing to note is if there are crown guards present on the case. The crown is a vulnerable part of the watch. I like to have beefy crown guards, or at the very least a crown that screws down partially into the case. You want to see that the crown is somewhat protected from slamming it into a door jamb or scuba tank.
Strap/Bracelet
If the option to purchase a particular model of watch comes with the option of a bracelet or strap I always choose the bracelet.
You need to think about how you are going to use the watch. If you are diving in warm water anything should be ok. If you are using a thick wetsuit or a drysuit you need a strap that has a lot of length. A bracelet with a divers extension may work ok for a 7mm wetsuit, but it’s probably not going to work for a drysuit.
If at all possible I want to find a bracelet with a milled clasp as opposed to a pressed clasp. The milled clasp is going to be much more durable, better quality and last a lot longer. On anything in the $200 range I want a milled clasp. It’s going to be tough to find a milled clasp under $100.
Bezel
When you actuate a bezel you want to be able to grip it relatively well. It should turn relatively easily with some pressure on it. If it is smooth to turn, but a little hard that may be ok. I have noticed most bezels do get a little easier with use. If you can barely turn it that’s probably one I would steer clear from.
Ideally it would have 120 clicks, but lower end watches might have 60 clicks, this isn’t a deal breaker for me. There should be little to no back play, and no wiggle on the bezel overall.
Weight
I like a heavy watch. Although I think watches made from titanium are really cool, I mean who wouldn’t want a watch made from a metal that is stronger and lighter than steel. The Russian’s build submarines out of titanium, that ups the cool factor significantly. The thing is, it’s too light for me.
I like to feel the weight of the watch on my wrist. For this reason I tend to gravitate towards heavy watches. I like the tool divers; heavy, robust watches around the 44mm size. I’m not a huge guy, and I have a 7 inch wrist, but I prefer these larger watches.
My point of this section is to find what you like. A lot of people do not like large watches. There is no standard telling you what size watch you should get, it is all personal preference.
This is a great time to buy a dive watch. There are so many good options out there it is a panacea for dive watch consumers. There are luxury brands, great budget options, new boutique brands popping up what seems like every week. The more competition the better it is for the consumer.
Final Thoughts
What I have laid out above are the main components of a dive watch and what I am generally looking for when I purchase one. Now if you are looking for a very basic budget dive watch you aren’t going to have many options. But as you get above the $150 – $250 area many of these components should be getting better and more refined.
There are some watches in the $300 range that compare to $1000 watches. If you are in the $1000+ range of luxury dive watches the fit and finish should be flawless. You should demand perfection at that price point. That’s a lot to spend on a watch.
The good news is you should be able to buy a dive watch for a few hundred dollars that will last the rest of your life with proper care and maintenance.
If you are interested in a much greater in depth explanation on all of the dive watch components click here.
Please drop me a line if you see anything I missed in this blog post. My goal is for this site to be a great resource for people looking for a new dive watch or just trying to understand different parts of the watch.
