I'm a watch enthusiast and have a small collection, but I'm still hunting for the right dive watch. I love the idea of using a watch for it's (historical) intended purpose (and of course still using a computer), but really enjoy when the desk diver watch goes for a dip. I've got my eye on a Christopher Ward C60, but it'll take a while to save up for.
Do you wear a dive watch? (not computer)
- Thread starter jay040
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I have been diving for 35 years, and for a long time, watches were a thing with diving (then bottom timers came out). Once I got a watch sized PDC (which is a back-up), I stopped wearing a dive watch. I occasionally will wear one when the only critical element is time.
I used to always wear one but like Bob says they are pretty much obsolete and now I rarely have a dive that is an hour or less.
The C60 is a good watch as are Squale but the Apple Watch is a lot more useful .
The C60 is a good watch as are Squale but the Apple Watch is a lot more useful .
You'll be hard pressed to find anyone who only uses a watch, depth gauge, and tables to dive. It's just such a suboptimal approach that it makes no sense anymore given how good dive computers are. Some people say it's good to have a watch as a backup in case of a computer failure, but that doesn't make a whole lot of sense either. You'd still need a depth gauge. Better to just buy an inexpensive backup computer. But to each his/her own.
That said, I still love my dive watch collection (Doxa, Squale, Mido, G-SHOCK, Citizen, and a bunch of Seikos) and wear them all the time. They are mostly desk divers, but my watches do see plenty of water time when I'm on vacation and swimming and snorkeling with my wife (who isn't a diver). For what it's worth, Seiko and Citizen make some of the best bang-for-the-buck dive watches on the market (although the lower-end Seiko's have increased in price over the last few years). The Seiko 4R35 and 4R36 movements in my collection are all running about +2-6 spd, which is pretty damn amazing at this price point. If you like solar quartz movements, the Citizen EcoDrive is exceptional. And, if lume is a big deal to you, both Seiko and Citizen absolutely nail it.
That said, I still love my dive watch collection (Doxa, Squale, Mido, G-SHOCK, Citizen, and a bunch of Seikos) and wear them all the time. They are mostly desk divers, but my watches do see plenty of water time when I'm on vacation and swimming and snorkeling with my wife (who isn't a diver). For what it's worth, Seiko and Citizen make some of the best bang-for-the-buck dive watches on the market (although the lower-end Seiko's have increased in price over the last few years). The Seiko 4R35 and 4R36 movements in my collection are all running about +2-6 spd, which is pretty damn amazing at this price point. If you like solar quartz movements, the Citizen EcoDrive is exceptional. And, if lume is a big deal to you, both Seiko and Citizen absolutely nail it.
Rob9876
Contributor
You can certainly spend your money however you want, but for diving purposes you'd be much better off buying a 2nd dive computer. This can be for an upgrade, as a backup, or as a redundant computer needed/recommended for solo diving (if you start to dive more often, it's nice to have a solo cert as it can be hard to line up schedules with dive buddies).
I have cheap but functional Seiko and Invicta watches that have been diving with me a few times, but these days I just wear 2 computers. I have an Omega Seamaster that I've not wanted to get banged around on a dive boat, and there's really no reason I would need it. I have used a watch and dive tables years ago, and don't miss it a bit.
Seiko dive watches are my kryptonite. I think I have around 14 now and actually wear them all on rotation.
Now it would just be for posing, maybe swimming or snorkelling or the pool. I always lusted over a Rolex submariner but could never warrant the cost.
Stopped carrying tables about 2 years ago after my last cheap plastic 200m watch died. Time to remove the depth gauge from the console. Missed out on a dive timer and went straight from watch/depth gauge/tables to computer. Not long after getting the computer my Seiko went for a dive by itself, so back to a cheap plastic 200m watch. I actually preferred the cheap watch over the seiko for diving, but the seiko was better for posing on the street.
Stopped carrying tables about 2 years ago after my last cheap plastic 200m watch died. Time to remove the depth gauge from the console. Missed out on a dive timer and went straight from watch/depth gauge/tables to computer. Not long after getting the computer my Seiko went for a dive by itself, so back to a cheap plastic 200m watch. I actually preferred the cheap watch over the seiko for diving, but the seiko was better for posing on the street.
Yes. I dive with analog gauges, an automatic diver's watch, and tables. (I don't use a PDC.) I returned to doing recreational diving exclusively about twenty years ago. My diving is local (Midwestern USA), solo diving, generally.
I wear my dive watch daily.
rx7diver
I wear my dive watch daily.
rx7diver
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