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Dive Watches

Created for diving professionals, dive watches boast high water resistance, highly legible dials and help tell divers how long they’ve been submerged for via a rotational bezel. They’re loved for their distinctive and robust design, making them one of the most popular watch genres around.

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Popular Brands
  1. Rolex Rolex
  2. Omega Omega
  3. Breitling Breitling
  4. Panerai Panerai
  5. Tag Heuer Tag Heuer
  6. IWC IWC
  7. Tudor Tudor
  8. Cartier Cartier
  9. Hublot Hublot
  10. Patek Philippe Patek Philippe
  11. Jaeger-LeCoultre Jaeger-LeCoultre
  12. Vacheron Constantin Vacheron Constantin
  13. Audemars Piguet Audemars Piguet
All Brands
  1. A. Lange and Sohne A. Lange and Sohne
  2. Audemars Piguet Audemars Piguet
  3. Ball Ball
  4. Baume et Mercier Baume et Mercier
  5. Bell and Ross Bell and Ross
  6. Blancpain Blancpain
  7. Breguet Breguet
  8. Breitling Breitling
  9. Bremont Bremont
  10. Bvlgari Bvlgari
  11. Carl F. Bucherer Carl F. Bucherer
  12. Cartier Cartier
  13. Chanel Chanel
  14. Chopard Chopard
  15. Christian Dior Christian Dior
  16. Corum Corum
  17. Eterna Eterna
  18. F.P. Journe F.P. Journe
  19. Franck Muller Franck Muller
  20. Frederique Constant Frederique Constant
  21. Girard Perregaux Girard Perregaux
  22. Glashutte Original Glashutte Original
  23. Graham Graham
  24. Grand Seiko Grand Seiko
  25. H. Moser and Cie H. Moser and Cie
  26. Hamilton Hamilton
  27. Hermes Hermes
  28. Hublot Hublot
  29. IWC IWC
  30. Jaeger-LeCoultre Jaeger-LeCoultre
  31. Jaquet Droz Jaquet Droz
  32. JeanRichard JeanRichard
  33. Laurent Ferrier Laurent Ferrier
  34. Longines Longines
  35. Maurice Lacroix Maurice Lacroix
  36. Montblanc Montblanc
  37. Nomos Glashutte Nomos Glashutte
  38. Omega Omega
  39. Oris Oris
  40. Panerai Panerai
  41. Parmigiani Parmigiani
  42. Patek Philippe Patek Philippe
  43. Perrelet Perrelet
  44. Piaget Piaget
  45. Porsche Design Porsche Design
  46. Rado Rado
  47. Raymond Weil Raymond Weil
  48. Richard Mille Richard Mille
  49. Roger Dubuis Roger Dubuis
  50. Rolex Rolex
  51. Romain Jerome Romain Jerome
  52. Tag Heuer Tag Heuer
  53. Tissot Tissot
  54. Tudor Tudor
  55. U-Boat U-Boat
  56. Ulysse Nardin Ulysse Nardin
  57. Vacheron Constantin Vacheron Constantin
  58. Zenith Zenith
Series
Case Size
The size of a watch is very important for style and comfort. If you prefer an oversized watch like a Panerai Luminor, you’ll probably want Large. If you’re looking for something more discreet like a Rolex Lady Datejust, you’ll want Small. For everything in between, Medium.
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Stock Type
  1. Stock Stock
Case Material
  1. Aluminium Aluminium
  2. Bronze Bronze
  3. Carbon Carbon
  4. Ceramic Ceramic
  5. Platinum Platinum
  6. Rose Gold Rose Gold
  7. Rose Gold Plated Rose Gold Plated
  8. Silver Silver
  9. Steel Steel
  10. Steel & Rose Gold Steel & Rose Gold
  11. Steel & Rose Gold Plated Steel & Rose Gold Plated
  12. Steel & White Gold Steel & White Gold
  13. Steel & Yellow Gold Steel & Yellow Gold
  14. Steel & Yellow Gold Plated Steel & Yellow Gold Plated
  15. Titanium Titanium
  16. White Gold White Gold
  17. Yellow Gold Yellow Gold
  18. Yellow Gold Plated Yellow Gold Plated
Dial Colour
Black
Blue
Bronze
Brown
Champagne
Diamond
Green
Grey
Ivory
Mother of Pearl
Orange
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Red
Salmon
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Specialised
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Strap
  1. Bracelet Bracelet
  2. Fabric Fabric
  3. Leather Leather
  4. Rubber Rubber
Box and Papers
  1. Original box Original box
  1. Original papers Original papers
Movement
A mechanical watch is powered by a spring. Manual mechanical watches must be hand wound. Automatic watches are also mechanical, and are wound by a weight that spins with the wearer's movements. A quartz watch is battery powered and extremely accurate.
  1. Automatic Automatic
  2. Manual Manual
  3. Quartz Quartz
Promotion
Limited Edition
  1. Limited Edition Limited Edition
Reset Results (2127)
Results (2,127)
Sort
Breitling SuperOcean Heritage A13320 275699

Breitling
SuperOcean Heritage
A13320

Box
Papers
Year 2016
£1,735
Rolex Datejust Lady 179173 275374

Rolex
Datejust Lady
179173

Box
Papers
Year 2005
£4,990
Rolex Sky-Dweller 326935 275373
Manufacturer's Warranty

Rolex
Sky-Dweller
326935

Box
Papers
Year 2023
£34,970
Rolex Datejust Lady 31 178241 273451

Rolex
Datejust Lady 31
178241

Box
Papers
Year 2015
£7,745
Breitling Premier A13315 273437

Breitling
Premier
A13315

Box
Papers
Year 2020
£4,025
Rolex Yacht-Master II 116680 275509

Rolex
Yacht-Master II
116680

Box
Papers
Year 2017
£12,885
Rolex Datejust Lady 179171 275197

Rolex
Datejust Lady
179171

Box
Papers
Year 2011
£6,825
Rolex Datejust Lady 31 178274 274612

Rolex
Datejust Lady 31
178274

Box
Papers
Year 2019
£7,570
Rolex Datejust II 116333 276796

Rolex
Datejust II
116333

Box
Papers
Year 2015
£8,515
Rolex Datejust Lady 79174 275350

Rolex
Datejust Lady
79174

Box
Papers
Year 1999
£2,985
Rolex Datejust Lady 79173 275203

Rolex
Datejust Lady
79173

Box
Papers
Year 2004
£4,160
Rolex Datejust 126233 275302
Manufacturer's Warranty

Rolex
Datejust
126233

Box
Papers
Year 2021
£6,935
Rolex Datejust 16200 275326

Rolex
Datejust
16200

Box
Papers
Year 2005
£5,315
Rolex Datejust Lady 79173 276065

Rolex
Datejust Lady
79173

Box
Papers
Year 2001
£4,475
Rolex Datejust 16234 274178
Vintage

Rolex
Datejust
16234

Box
Papers
Year 1996
£4,865
Rolex Datejust 16238 275953
Vintage

Rolex
Datejust
16238

Box
Papers
Year 1989
£12,185
Rolex Datejust 116233 275518

Rolex
Datejust
116233

Box
Papers
Year 2016
£8,420
Rolex Datejust 116233 275240

Rolex
Datejust
116233

Box
Papers
Year 2011
£5,520
Rolex Datejust 16233 275348
Vintage

Rolex
Datejust
16233

Box
Papers
Year 1991
£4,540
Rolex Datejust 116200 275852

Rolex
Datejust
116200

Box
Papers
Year 2017
£5,435
Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date 115210 274751

Rolex
Oyster Perpetual Date
115210

Box
Papers
Year 2007
£4,090
Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date 15200 275357

Rolex
Oyster Perpetual Date
15200

Box
Papers
Year 2000
£3,840
Rolex GMT Master II 116718 LN 276218

Rolex
GMT Master II
116718 LN

Box
Papers
Year 2006
£22,770
Rolex Yacht-Master 268621 276357

Rolex
Yacht-Master
268621

Box
Papers
Year 2019
£9,380
Rolex Lady Oyster Perpetual 76080 275360

Rolex
Lady Oyster Perpetual
76080

Box
Papers
Year 1999
£3,100
Rolex Oyster Perpetual 114300 275858

Rolex
Oyster Perpetual
114300

Box
Papers
Year 2018
£6,570
Rolex Oyster Perpetual 114300 275664

Rolex
Oyster Perpetual
114300

Box
Papers
Year 2019
£6,540
Rolex Oyster Perpetual 116000 273919

Rolex
Oyster Perpetual
116000

Box
Papers
Year 2019
£6,155
Rolex Day-Date 18038 275828
Vintage

Rolex
Day-Date
18038

Box
Papers
Year 1985
£12,350
Rolex Day-Date 118205 273785

Rolex
Day-Date
118205

Box
Papers
Year 2005
£20,405
Rolex Daytona 116503 275270

Rolex
Daytona
116503

Box
Papers
Year 2016
£16,345
Rolex Daytona 16528 275378
Vintage

Rolex
Daytona
16528

Box
Papers
Year 1997
£31,825
Rolex Air-King 14000 275335

Rolex
Air-King
14000

Box
Papers
Year 2001
£4,320
Rolex Daytona 16523 275695
Vintage

Rolex
Daytona
16523

Box
Papers
Year 1996
£14,190
Rolex Air-King 14010 276084

Rolex
Air-King
14010

Box
Papers
Year 2005
£3,410
Rolex Air-King 14000 275342

Rolex
Air-King
14000

Box
Papers
Year 1999
£3,520
Rolex Air-King 14000 275201
Vintage

Rolex
Air-King
14000

Box
Papers
Year 1996
£3,305
Breitling Navitimer 8 A13314 269967

Breitling
Navitimer 8
A13314

Box
Papers
Year 2019
£2,880
Hamilton Khaki Pilot H64615135 269327

Hamilton
Khaki Pilot
H64615135

Box
Papers
Year 2023
£630
Bremont Solo SOLO-37/SI-RG 271232

Bremont
Solo
SOLO-37/SI-RG

Box
Papers
Year 2015
£1,445
Bremont Pilot Arrow 273092

Bremont
Pilot
Arrow

Box
Papers
Year 2019
£2,450
Ball BMW CM3010C-SCJ-BK 269648

Ball
BMW
CM3010C-SCJ-BK

Box
Papers
Year 2019
£1,590

Dive Watches

History

The dive watch, a symbol of adventure and resilience, has a rich and exciting history that stretches back to 1927 when Rolex launched its Oyster model. This innovative watch, with its screw-down case and crown, is considered the first fully water-resistant wristwatch.

Famously, it was worn that year by a young swimmer called Mercedes Gleitz who was the first woman to swim the English Channel. To advertise the feat—and the capabilities of its latest watch—Rolex bought the front page of the most widely read British newspaper of the time, the Daily Mail.

Rolex went on to supply movements to Panerai, who developed the dive watch further with the specialist timepieces they made for the frogmen of the Italian navy in the late 1930s. These early dive watches had a water resistance of 30 metres—unimpressive by today’s standards which requires a dive watch to have a minimum water resistance of 100 metres.

By the mid-1950s, scuba-diving was a popular worldwide pastime due to the invention of the aqualung a decade earlier. This led to a spate of similar-looking dive watches like Blancpain’s Fifty Fathoms, which featured the first rotating bezel—enabling divers to accurately measure immersion time—and the Rolex Submariner. Both these watches were water-resistant to 100 metres, while the Zodiac Sea Wolf, released shortly afterwards, doubled this to 200 metres.

In the decades since, dive watches have become more and more capable of withstanding extreme water pressure. In 2012, Rolex launched its Deepsea Challenge model which boasted an incredible 12,000 metres water resistance. In the same year it was attached to a submersible that Hollywood director James Cameron piloted to the deepest part of the world’s oceans—the Marianas Trench—to a depth of 10,898 metres, surviving the ordeal unscathed.

Key features

Today, dive watches continue to push boundaries, incorporating advanced technologies and materials such as helium escape valves, luminescent dials, and enhanced water resistance.

What sets dive watches apart from other timepieces? Let's look at what makes a dive watch unique, designed specifically for the rigours of underwater exploration.

Firstly, their exceptional water resistance is critical. Unlike standard watches, dive watches can withstand the extreme conditions of deep-sea diving, with a water resistance rating of at least 100 metres and many capable of depths up to 300 metres or much more.

Additional features of a dive watch include a unidirectional rotating bezel for tracking immersion time, bold luminous markers and hands for good visibility in murky conditions, and a helium escape valve to prevent damage during decompression. Most dive watches don’t have the latter as they are only of use in saturation diving when a diver spends time in a decompression chamber.

Some diving watches even incorporate helium-filled cases and built-in depth gauges, allowing divers to monitor their current depth without the need for additional equipment. These features make dive watches a useful tool for underwater exploration, although in an age of wearable dive computers they are more often now used as a back-up option.

One thing every mechanical dive watch must have is a constantly running seconds hand, or some kind of display indicating the watch is running that can be viewed in total darkness.

The science of water Resistance in dive watches

Water resistance is a vital feature of a dive watch. Special seals and gaskets prevent water infiltration, while robust materials like stainless steel or titanium ensure durability and resistance to corrosion. Rigorous testing verifies a dive watch's ability to withstand different pressures and temperatures, simulating the conditions encountered underwater.

Water resistance is measured in metres or bar units, indicating the depth to which the watch can be submerged safely. It's worth noting that factors such as water temperature and movement can affect a diving watch's performance underwater.

Popular dive watch models

The Rolex Submariner is a classic choice, renowned for its robustness and precision, and capable of withstanding depths of up to 300 metres. It was famously worn by James Bond until the 1990s when he swapped one dive watch for another: the equally iconic Omega Seamaster.

Other enduring models that are as timeless as they are stylish include the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms, Breitling Superocean, Panerai Luminor and IWC Aquatimer. Fellow Swiss brands Tudor and TAG Heuer offer more affordable choices like the Black Bay and Aquaracer, respectively.

At Watchfinder, we offer a vast selection of pre-owned luxury dive watches from all of the aforementioned brands, from Rolex to IWC, catering to every budget and taste. Explore our collection and discover the exceptional craftsmanship and performance of these remarkable watches.

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