Luxury Dive Watches
June 2007
Photography by Joseph Byrd
There was a time when wearing a dive watch meant one thing-you were a diver about to get down to business. Your watch was a no-nonsense tool necessary for safe diving. That it also looked pretty darn cool on your wrist above water, well, that was just a bonus.
Fast-forward to today and there has been a role reversal of sorts. Analog dive watches have largely been replaced by digital dive computers for the prosaic task of tracking bottom time, but thanks to timeless styling, dive watches are more popular than ever. Even those poor unfortunate souls who don't know a deco stop from a decaf latte look upon them with admiration and envy, because you don't need a C-card to appreciate the genius of a well-crafted timepiece that's ready for whatever life throws at you.
Ball Engineer Master II Diver
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| Ball Engineer Master II Diver|
There are two features sure to get people on the dive boat talking about your Engineer Master II Diver. One is the internal rotating bezel. Using the top screw-down crown, you can dial the bezel into position against the minute hand, then lock it into place. The second is the military-spec GTLS illumination system, which uses 53 individual tubes of tritium gas as an alternative to luminous hand and face markers. The tubes provide a constant light source that is 100 times brighter, doesn't need charging and lasts for 25 years. Retail price: $1,599.
Citizen 20th Anniversary Aqualand Eco Drive
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| Citizen 20th Anniversary Aqualand Eco Drive| Citizen 20th Anniversary Aqualand Eco Drive - D-ring|
Available in both round and distinctive D-ring versions, this light-powered analog/digital hybrid comes loaded with features. It tracks and records your depth, maximum depth (to 300 feet) and dive time, as well as water temperature. The Aqualand even has a user-programmable depth alarm, and it logs information for up to 20 dives. Bonus for world-traveling divers: Choose the city nearest your destination from the digital menu and the watch hands automatically set themselves to the correct local time. Retail price: $600.
Victorinox Swiss Army Dive Master 500
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| Victorinox Swiss Army Dive Master 500|
Clean lines, classic features and an uncluttered display mark the new Dive Master 500. With the watch movement packed inside a durable casing made of corrosion-resistant 316L stainless steel and a scratch-resistant, anti-glare sapphire crystal, it's water-resistant to 1,650 feet. The stainless-steel bracelet features a double-locking clasp for a secure ride on your wrist whether you're exploring a reef at 60 feet or giving a 60-page presentation in the boardroom. Retail price: $525.
Oris Der Meistertaucher Regulateur
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| Oris Der Meistertaucher Regulateur|
Oris touts this as their professional diver's watch and they aren't kidding. Rated to more than 3,000 feet, it includes a helium release valve to equalize the pressure that can build up in the case when you're inside a saturation dive chamber. For recreational diving, the oversized minute hand works with the one-way rotating bezel for easy, at-a-glance reads on your bottom time. It's a sizeable watch, but light on the wrist thanks to a corrosion-free titanium case and bracelet. Retail price: $1,995.
Tag Heuer Aquagraph Auto Chrono
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| Tag Heuer Aquagraph Auto Chrono|
The Aquagraph starts with classic dive watch styling and adds a few innovative twists. The one-way rotating bezel, for example, must be pushed down to rotate. Once released, it stays locked in place. Smart. There's also a push-button chronograph function useful for timing safety or deco stops. One click centers two big yellow hands; another sets them in motion to count out the seconds and minutes independent of the traditional minute and hour hands. Retail price: $2,995.
Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner Date
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| Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner Date|
With the introduction of the original Submariner in 1953, Rolex defined everything that makes the traditional dive watch functional and beautiful-one-way rotating bezel, water-tight crown, and luminous hands and hour marks. The Oyster Perpetual Submariner Date, shown here with the 18-karat gold bezel and a fliplock-clasp bracelet, retains the clean, classic lines of the original and the status as "the ultimate" in luxury dive watches. The 40mm case is machined from a solid block of 904L stainless steel, and is waterproof to 1,000 feet. The best part of owning this watch? For the rest of your life you can enjoy telling your dive buddies, "Yes. It's a Rolex." Retail price (as shown): $7,825.
June 2007
Photography by Joseph Byrd
There was a time when wearing a dive watch meant one thing-you were a diver about to get down to business. Your watch was a no-nonsense tool necessary for safe diving. That it also looked pretty darn cool on your wrist above water, well, that was just a bonus.
Fast-forward to today and there has been a role reversal of sorts. Analog dive watches have largely been replaced by digital dive computers for the prosaic task of tracking bottom time, but thanks to timeless styling, dive watches are more popular than ever. Even those poor unfortunate souls who don't know a deco stop from a decaf latte look upon them with admiration and envy, because you don't need a C-card to appreciate the genius of a well-crafted timepiece that's ready for whatever life throws at you.
Ball Engineer Master II Diver
Ball Engineer Master II Diver There are two features sure to get people on the dive boat talking about your Engineer Master II Diver. One is the internal rotating bezel. Using the top screw-down crown, you can dial the bezel into position against the minute hand, then lock it into place. The second is the military-spec GTLS illumination system, which uses 53 individual tubes of tritium gas as an alternative to luminous hand and face markers. The tubes provide a constant light source that is 100 times brighter, doesn't need charging and lasts for 25 years. Retail price: $1,599.
Citizen 20th Anniversary Aqualand Eco Drive
Citizen 20th Anniversary Aqualand Eco Drive| Citizen 20th Anniversary Aqualand Eco Drive - D-ring Available in both round and distinctive D-ring versions, this light-powered analog/digital hybrid comes loaded with features. It tracks and records your depth, maximum depth (to 300 feet) and dive time, as well as water temperature. The Aqualand even has a user-programmable depth alarm, and it logs information for up to 20 dives. Bonus for world-traveling divers: Choose the city nearest your destination from the digital menu and the watch hands automatically set themselves to the correct local time. Retail price: $600.
Victorinox Swiss Army Dive Master 500
Victorinox Swiss Army Dive Master 500 Clean lines, classic features and an uncluttered display mark the new Dive Master 500. With the watch movement packed inside a durable casing made of corrosion-resistant 316L stainless steel and a scratch-resistant, anti-glare sapphire crystal, it's water-resistant to 1,650 feet. The stainless-steel bracelet features a double-locking clasp for a secure ride on your wrist whether you're exploring a reef at 60 feet or giving a 60-page presentation in the boardroom. Retail price: $525.
Oris Der Meistertaucher Regulateur
Oris Der Meistertaucher Regulateur Oris touts this as their professional diver's watch and they aren't kidding. Rated to more than 3,000 feet, it includes a helium release valve to equalize the pressure that can build up in the case when you're inside a saturation dive chamber. For recreational diving, the oversized minute hand works with the one-way rotating bezel for easy, at-a-glance reads on your bottom time. It's a sizeable watch, but light on the wrist thanks to a corrosion-free titanium case and bracelet. Retail price: $1,995.
Tag Heuer Aquagraph Auto Chrono
Tag Heuer Aquagraph Auto Chrono The Aquagraph starts with classic dive watch styling and adds a few innovative twists. The one-way rotating bezel, for example, must be pushed down to rotate. Once released, it stays locked in place. Smart. There's also a push-button chronograph function useful for timing safety or deco stops. One click centers two big yellow hands; another sets them in motion to count out the seconds and minutes independent of the traditional minute and hour hands. Retail price: $2,995.
Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner Date
Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner Date With the introduction of the original Submariner in 1953, Rolex defined everything that makes the traditional dive watch functional and beautiful-one-way rotating bezel, water-tight crown, and luminous hands and hour marks. The Oyster Perpetual Submariner Date, shown here with the 18-karat gold bezel and a fliplock-clasp bracelet, retains the clean, classic lines of the original and the status as "the ultimate" in luxury dive watches. The 40mm case is machined from a solid block of 904L stainless steel, and is waterproof to 1,000 feet. The best part of owning this watch? For the rest of your life you can enjoy telling your dive buddies, "Yes. It's a Rolex." Retail price (as shown): $7,825.
