Under $200 Dive Watch Recomendations

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

chauncy19

Contributor
Messages
495
Reaction score
43
Location
Cape Cod MA USA
# of dives
200 - 499
My "new" St Moritz Momentum Dive Watch was stolen from my luggage on recent trip to Bonaire. Should have taken out of luggage and put it in my carry on bag. oversight on my part. anyway liked the watch but now get to choose again.

Had the stainless steel band and lime face. Liked the lime face but not so crazy about the stainless steel band.

Thinking rubber band.
Any thoughts about good dive watches and any particular features you would recommend?
Not looking to spend a lot of money under $200.

I have been diving with my casio g-shock for many years and its been great. never got the Momentum in the water, but had concerns about the band fitting over a wetsuit if I needed to wear one :shocked2:

Not a big knock but the watch was heavy. maybe all "real"
dive watches are?

anyway again appreciate any thoughts about dive watches.

Have found St Moritz Momentum Dive Watch Lime face with rubber band for good price at joe's diver america--anyone heard or used them?
Not in a big rush as just returned from Bonaire and not sure when I'll get to dive again. Ofcourse it doesn't mean I can't wear the watch :D
thanks
 
IMO, you've probably got the best dive watch available in your house right now ie the "casio g-shock"........what more do you need??----For diving IMO, it's a great one & if lost, stolen or smashed to death by some tank or whatever, you haven't lost much moneywise......Now if you really want to look pretty UW & impress folks, I hear Rolex makes a nice one:)
 
I bought 4 of the St. Moritz watches exactly like the one you describe: 2 men's, 2 ladies. I equipped the whole family, my wife, my 13 year old daughter, and my 15 year old son and me. (That was their ages at the time.) I love them all....I like the wife and kids too. We all got ours for Christmas 3.5 years ago. My wife's and mine are doing fine, on the second battery. Both kids had batteries replaced after about the 2 year mark. My son's was the first to loose the numerals on the face. They were just floating around in there. This was some time after he somehow got water in it. I sent it in to St. Moritz. They said it was a total loss, and would have to replace the "head." (This is a new watch except the band.) A couple of months ago, my daughter's numerals fell off. Sent it to St. Moritz, and got the same story. Long story longer, I replaced both of their "heads." St. Moritz gives a new (2 year) warranty, but advises not to let the mall guy change batteries. It must be done by them. Then you get a new warranty for a couple of years after that (I think there is a charge of about $25.)
Bottom line: for the money, this is a great watch. I love the lime dial as it glows like crazy at night. I use a computer for diving, so the watch is more to say to the world that I am a diver. I do wear it when I dive, and I have never had a problem with mine. (I have had the back off of it too. Don't tell St. Moritz.)
I think I could keep this watch for a hundred years if I keep the warranty up and every two years get them to service the battery.
I usually only complain about poor customer service, but I must be fair to St. Moritz; they are reasonable. The watch heads were about 60% of the cost of a new watch. I do wish they had an expandable bracelet though.
 
Free Style - Cheap (i.e. under $50), basic, good to 300 m and very good customer service.
 
Freestyle, St. Moritz, Casio, Pulsar (Seiko off brand I think), Seikos, are all good. So many brands to choose from.
I recommend for education an Ebay search under jewelry-wrist watches-dive-200m-buy it now-sort low to high by price.
You can learn a lot there, and then buy from whomever you like. There are hundreds of options below $200
I own about 6 St. Moritz watches, 4-5 Freestyles, and my Dad's Seiko purchased in Vietnam circa 1965.
I am....a certifiable watch junkie...but it better have a bezel!

Chug
 
thanks for ideas! I do plan on keeping my G-Shock! Been a great watch and wear it all the time. Having said that still interested in a "dive" watch.
think i may have found one:Invicta Men's Pro Diver Automatic Black Rubber
has orange face, seems like great watch no batteries. although did really like the lime face on St. Moritz. anyway check out ewatches.com if interested. said watch is now listed at $100.

Invicta Men's Pro Diver Automatic Black Rubber INVICTA-6067 from eWatches.com

if anyone had any insight into Invicta watches would love to hear what you have to say!
thanks again
 
Invicata is a swiss watchmaker that mass produces several different models, using either Swiss or Japanese movements (aka inexpensive and time proven). I am not familiar with your model but I have an older "Men's Pro Diver Automatic Stainless Steel" (you can see it on the Invicata page on the link you provided) that I have owned for the last 5 years. It's kind of a poor man's Rolex in looks and seems to function pretty well (dived several times to 130ft) - never had any issues. Invicta seems to have quality control issues (based on reports here on SB and on other watch forums), especially on the lower priced models. Not sure about the model you are looking at but I would rate mine as being comparable with Seiko dive watches.

They are not too well known in the US, selling mainly on TV shows and networks like HSN and QVC (which is where I got mine).

With regards to steel band vs. tropical rubber band, keep in mind that most diver watches (including Invicta) with steel bands have an expansion joint on one side of the clasp that most owners don't even know about. On the opposide side of the usual clasp mechanism there is a smaller clasp that expands the band by and additional 1/2 to 3/4 inch (depending on manufacturer) which allows for use over many wetsuits (but not necessarily a drysuit). Of course with a steel band, you always want to keep the band slightly loose (when initially sizing and removing links).

Finally, I should point out that I do not dive with my Invicta on a regular basis. Some time back I "took the plunge" and bought a Doxa. I've never looked back since. :)

Regards,
Ltstanfo
 
Last edited:
Finally, I should point out that I do not dive with my Invicta on a regular basis. Some time back I "took the plunge" and bought a Doxa. I've never looked back since. :)

Regards,
Ltstanfo

Doxa, great watch that it is, is a weeee bit over the $200 limit, methinks.:wink:

Personally, I'd rather wear my Seiko automatic for diving over Invicta or any other pseudo/quasi dive watches. Seiko automatic dive watches have a proven history of solid performance at dirt cheap prices.
 
fnfalman,
curious why you're so high on seiko. does it have a superior bevel etched vs painted? Does it have better ( more scratch resistant ) glass? Better automatic winding mechanism? Just from web search found invecta and liked its simple straight forward look. Not that the seiko i was looking at didn't have similar characteristics. anyway appreciate any added insight.
although the seiko seems more expensive they do fit my arbitrary budget.:)
thanks
 

Back
Top Bottom