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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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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
Rolex Datejust Lady 79174 269746

Rolex
Datejust Lady
79174

Box
Papers
Year 2004
£5,140
Rolex Datejust 16220 269867
Vintage

Rolex
Datejust
16220

Box
Papers
Year 1991
£5,975
Rolex Datejust Lady 79174 273312

Rolex
Datejust Lady
79174

Box
Papers
Year 2004
£4,015
Rolex Datejust Lady 31 178274 271364

Rolex
Datejust Lady 31
178274

Box
Papers
Year 2012
£8,125
Rolex Datejust 126233 272765

Rolex
Datejust
126233

Box
Papers
Year 2020
£10,265
Rolex Datejust Lady 179174 271965

Rolex
Datejust Lady
179174

Box
Papers
Year 2008
£4,205
Rolex Datejust Lady 179174 272848

Rolex
Datejust Lady
179174

Box
Papers
Year 2016
£5,880
Rolex Datejust Lady 179383 273167

Rolex
Datejust Lady
179383

Box
Papers
Year 2014
£6,650
Rolex Datejust 116234 272265

Rolex
Datejust
116234

Box
Papers
Year 2002
£8,250
Rolex Datejust Lady 79174 273099

Rolex
Datejust Lady
79174

Box
Papers
Year 2000
£3,010
Rolex Datejust 126200 273308

Rolex
Datejust
126200

Box
Papers
Year 2019
£6,245
Rolex Datejust Lady 179384 270337

Rolex
Datejust Lady
179384

Box
Papers
Year 2016
£8,075
Rolex Datejust 116201 270630

Rolex
Datejust
116201

Box
Papers
Year 2009
£8,670
Rolex Datejust 16234 272677

Rolex
Datejust
16234

Box
Papers
Year 2001
£6,760
Rolex Datejust 16233 270350
Vintage

Rolex
Datejust
16233

Box
Papers
Year 1989
£5,270
Rolex Datejust 116233 270864

Rolex
Datejust
116233

Box
Papers
Year 2010
£7,485
Rolex Datejust 126200 269868

Rolex
Datejust
126200

Box
Papers
Year 2021
£5,705
Rolex Turn-O-Graph 16264 273302

Rolex
Turn-O-Graph
16264

Box
Papers
Year 2004
£4,970
Rolex Datejust 126234 273273

Rolex
Datejust
126234

Box
Papers
Year 2020
£8,070
Rolex GMT Master II 16713 272221
Vintage

Rolex
GMT Master II
16713

Box
Papers
Year 1996
£8,185
Rolex Lady Oyster Perpetual 177200 272271

Rolex
Lady Oyster Perpetual
177200

Box
Papers
Year 2016
£4,525
Rolex Oyster Precision 6426 269752
Vintage

Rolex
Oyster Precision
6426

Box
Papers
Year 1984
£3,060
Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date 15200 273077

Rolex
Oyster Perpetual Date
15200

Box
Papers
Year 2002
£4,185
Rolex Submariner 126618 LN 273008
Manufacturer's Warranty

Rolex
Submariner
126618 LN

Box
Papers
Year 2021
£20,615
Rolex Lady Oyster Perpetual 76193 270355

Rolex
Lady Oyster Perpetual
76193

Box
Papers
Year 2009
£3,340
Rolex Yacht-Master 168622 272781

Rolex
Yacht-Master
168622

Box
Papers
Year 2005
£4,730
Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date 15200 271942

Rolex
Oyster Perpetual Date
15200

Box
Papers
Year 2005
£4,060
Rolex Explorer 214270 271720

Rolex
Explorer
214270

Box
Papers
Year 2013
£5,990
Rolex Sea-Dweller 126600 271300

Rolex
Sea-Dweller
126600

Box
Papers
Year 2018
£10,030
Rolex Explorer 1655 270269
Vintage

Rolex
Explorer
1655

Box
Papers
Year 1981
£22,585
Rolex Oyster Perpetual 67480 269807

Rolex
Oyster Perpetual
67480

Box
Papers
Year 2009
£3,525
Rolex Oyster Perpetual 116000 271939

Rolex
Oyster Perpetual
116000

Box
Papers
Year 2008
£5,165
Rolex Oyster Perpetual 77080 272835

Rolex
Oyster Perpetual
77080

Box
Papers
Year 2001
£2,880
Rolex Daytona 116515 LN 271821

Rolex
Daytona
116515 LN

Box
Papers
Year 2014
£27,115
Rolex Oyster Perpetual 116000 272417

Rolex
Oyster Perpetual
116000

Box
Papers
Year 2010
£5,335
Rolex Daytona 116523 270278

Rolex
Daytona
116523

Box
Papers
Year 2005
£13,695
Rolex Air-King 14000 273198
Vintage

Rolex
Air-King
14000

Box
Papers
Year 1997
£3,010
Rolex Daytona 116523 269801

Rolex
Daytona
116523

Box
Papers
Year 2002
£11,025
Rolex Air-King 114200 271248

Rolex
Air-King
114200

Box
Papers
Year 2010
£4,160
Hublot Big Bang 601.NM.0173.LR 267480

Hublot
Big Bang
601.NM.0173.LR

Box
Papers
Year 2022
£10,725
Grand Seiko Heritage Collection SBGJ203 268180

Grand Seiko
Heritage Collection
SBGJ203

Box
Papers
Year 2021
£3,360
Vacheron Constantin Overseas 5500V/000R-B074 267996

Vacheron Constantin
Overseas
5500V/000R-B074

Box
Papers
Year 2023
£39,460

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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