I have been scuba diving for more than 30 years and been an Instructor for 25 of those years. I know a lot of dive professionals, both in the recreational and technical scuba diving realm as well as the commercial side of diving. I also worked at PADI for a number of years and a large amount of the employees there were dive professionals before their time there.
Through casual observation as well as a poll I posted on a well respected dive professional group I came up with a healthy list of the most used watches for scuba diving professionals.
Now I’m not sure these watches are any better than a whole mess of other dive watches out there, there are a lot of really good dive watches on the market these days. These just happen to be, through my research and observation, what most dive professionals wear.
The reality is that most dive professionals as well as recreational divers use a computer for actual timing a dive and monitoring nitrogen absorption, but we all teach divers how to use a watch and dive table. I wear a dive watch as a backup timing device and always set it.
Citizen Aqualand Promaster
Citizen came out with the Aqualand Promaster in 1985, it was the first dive watch with a digital depth gauge. It was an instant hit with dive instructors and divemasters around the world. It is a big chunky dive watch, you cannot mistake it.
You can still buy the original JP2000 model, but since the original came out, there are a lot of variants from Citizen. The newest is the Promaster Aqualand 200M Depth Meter and the Promaster Aqualand.
Citizen Promaster Eco-Drive
Citizen has been making quality quartz dive watches for decades. The Promaster Eco-Drive has been around for quite a while, and while it isn’t the most beautiful or innovative dive watch, it is rugged, ISO rated, and not very expensive.
The one innovation is that it is solar powered. I absolutely love this feature. You don’t have to change the batteries every few years. I’ve had mine for close to five years and it’s still going strong.
You can read my full review of the Citizen Promaster Eco-Drive here.
Rolex Submariner
A lot of people believe the Rolex Submariner is the gold standard of dive watches. It is the most recognizable watch on the planet. It is a status symbol, some would say an investment, and a work of art. It is the most copied and impersonated watch you will find. If you buy one today it will be worth more in ten years no doubt. I know a few commercial divers who own one, they tell me they just wear it on the beach and out to dinner.
While I’m not going to question the Rolex heritage or it’s place in the dive watch community, for my money there are better watches for the money in the marketplace. If I were going to buy a Rolex, it would probably be the Sea Dweller.
A lot of dive professionals do wear the Rolex Submariner, and it will last your life and probably your kids life. This is a watch you buy and have forever.
Seiko SKX
The venerable Seiko SKX has been around for a long time and is one of, if not the most, popular dive watches ever built. An entire community of dive watch aficionados groaned in misery when Seiko discontinued the model. It has been known around the world as a reasonably priced workhorse. The Seiko SKX has a cult like following and it is highly popular amongst dive pros worldwide.
I personally have one. I love mine and will never sell it. There are still a few new ones around on the market, but they have nearly tripled in price over the past few years.
Word of caution, Seiko replaced the SKX with the Seiko 5. The Seiko 5 is not a dive watch, it is a sports watch, maybe ok for snorkeling, but it’s not intended for diving.
You can read my full Seiko SKX Review here.
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