2014 Gear Guide: Best Dive Watches
Today’s dive watches combine classic styling with practical functions — and, not surprisingly, are on the must-have lists of many divers. And why not? Dive watches can be an indispensable tool underwater, and they are also a symbol of the rugged explorer in all of us.
Carrie GarciaBall Watch Engineer Hydrocarbon NEDU
All chronograph functions accessible underwater.Ergonomic rotating safety bezel ensures precise handling.
Drawing its name from the Navy Experimental Diving Unit (NEDU), Ball’s Hydrocarbon NEDU features Ball’s signature gas-tube luminosity, oversize numerals and graduations, and a unidirectional dive-time bezel in a timepiece guaranteed water resistant to 600 meters.
CONTACT: ballwatch.com MSRP: $4,599
Carrie GarciaBall Watch Engineer Hydrocarbon DeepQUEST
Case machined from a single block of titanium.Dial and hands fitted with high-luminosity micro-gas tubes for deepwater visibility.
It would be rude to suggest the elegant Hydrocarbon DeepQUEST is more beautiful than you. But we’re confident it’s tougher than you are. Pray you never test its limits: water resistant to 3,000 meters, shock resistant to 7,500 g.
CONTACT: ballwatch.com MSRP: $4,099
Carrie GarciaCitizen Eco-Drive Scuba Fin Chronograph
Screw-down crown and screw-back case for watertight security to 200 meters.Light-powered Eco-Drive means no battery replacement.
With its one-way rotating bezel and high-visibility hands and markings, the Scuba Fin has the feel of a classic dive chronograph, along with some sporty touches and Citizen’s Eco-Drive power system.
CONTACT: citizenwatch.com MSRP: $399
Carrie GarciaCitizen Eco-Drive Promaster Depth Meter Chronograph
Depth display with maximum depth memory and 50-minute chronograph.Cool styling with lots of features for divers.
Powered by Citizen’s Eco-Drive, this stylish chronograph features a depth display to 125 feet that records max depth, along with an indicator that displays the watch’s power reserve. Waterproof to 200 meters.
CONTACT: citizenwatch.com MSRP: $695
Carrie GarciaLuminox Deep Dive Automatic 1513
ISO 6425 certified to meet dive-watch standards for highest performance.Double-thick, anti-reflective sapphire crystal.
The Deep Dive 1513 offers all the features that make the Deep Dive series rugged, practical and dependable: patent-pending bezel lock, high-visibility markings, self powered illumination, strap extender to fit over a wetsuit, and water resistance to 500 meters.
CONTACT: luminox.com MSRP: $2,100
Carrie GarciaLuminox Deep Dive Automatic 1511
Innovative bezel lock also protects the crown.
Self-powered illumination for dependable high visibility.
The Deep Dive’s distinctive, patent-pending lock ensures the divetime bezel stays where you put it; the helium release valve is another valued feature. SuperLuminova markings and Luminox selfpowered illumination guarantee a reliable glow in the dark for up to 25 years.
CONTACT: luminox.com MSRP: $2,200
Carrie GarciaOris Aquis Depth Gauge
Equipped with a new mechanism that expertly measures and displays depth.Automatic winding with 38 hours of reserve power.
Known for offering Old World precision in elegant timepieces, Oris adds an innovative twist with a tiny channel, milled along the outer rim of the sapphire crystal, which allows water to enter and indicate depth to 100 meters. Don’t worry — this good-looking timepiece is still waterproof to 500 meters.
CONTACT: oris.ch MSRP: $3,500
Carrie GarciaOris ProDiver Pointer Moon
Tracks the tidal range and moon phases.Titanium case with rotation-safety system on the dive-time bezel.
The graceful arcs inscribed on the face of the ProDiver Pointer Moon might remind you of an astrolabe —and for good reason. Inspired by Oris ambassador and commercial diver Roman Frischknect, this timepiece elegantly tracks the tidal range. Water resistant to 1,000 meters.
CONTACT: oris.ch MSRP: $3,600
