The Best Dive Watches of 2022… so far

The dive watch. The embodiment of a product that is over-engineered for what most owners will use it for yet remains ever so popular. Admittedly, even I own dive watches that never see any action close to the limits of either of them. But there is a thought of comfort to put one on and go about your business care-free, knowing your watch will do its job and does it well. And year after year, new dive watches are presented, from affordable to luxury to high-end. And even though it’s still only March, we’ve seen a fair share of very cool, very capable new divers. And here’s six of the best of 2022… so far that is.

Longines Legend Diver

The Longines Legend Diver is a watch that defines the look of the compressor-style diver (even though technically, it isn’t one). It’s a watch that needs little introduction amongst enthusiasts and collectors. Ever since it was reintroduced by Longines, we’ve seen multiple new editions with bold, fresh new colours and materials like bronze and green. New for 2022 is the introduction of the 42mm sized Legend Diver with gradient dials in grey or beige. Of the two new dial variations, we feel the sandy beige one is definitely the winner. It just looks fresh, ready for summer and comes on a very comfortable beige coloured textile strap. Its mechanical movement, the Calibre L888.5, also doesn’t disappoint and delivers a healthy 72h power reserve. The watch retails for EUR 2,240.

For more information, please visit Longines.com

Quick Facts – 42mm x 12.7mm – stainless steel case, polished – screw-in crowns and screw-down caseback – sapphire crystal – 300m water-resistant – internal rotating diving bezel – sand beige gradient dial with beige printed markers and tracks – signature hour and minute hands with Super-LumiNova elements – Calibre L888.5, automatic – 72h power reserve – 25,200vph – beige coloured textile strap with steel pin buckle – EUR 2,240

Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Ultra-Deep Titanium 6,000m

There’s a new beast of a dive watch, and it’s called the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Ultra-Deep Titanium 6,000m. Quite the mouthful, but there’s a lot of watch to go with it. The new Ultra-Deep in Titanium (and the O-MegaSteel version by the way) are based on the Planet Ocean Ultra-Deep Professional prototype, which was developed to withstand pressures up to 15,000m of water. It has been toned down in its commercial guise but is still an impressive piece of kit. At 45,5mm wide and 18,12mm tall it’s surely a large watch, but the grade 5 titanium construction keeps the weight down as much as possible. The water-resistance is still a ridiculous 6,000m and the black dial and cyan elements work well against the monochromatic grey of the titanium. It comes with Omega’s Calibre 8912, with co-axial escapement and Master Chronometer certifications. The Ultra-Deep in titanium retails for EUR 12,900.

For more information, please visit OmegaWatches.com

Quick Facts – 45,5mm x 18,12mm – sandblasted Grade 5 titanium case with Manta lugs – sandblasted forged grade 5 titanium rotating bezel – brushed ceramic insert with Liquidmetal scale – screw-in crown – sapphire crystal – grade 5 titanium caseback – 6,000m water-resistant – black ceramised grade 5 titanium dial with applied markers with Super-LumiNova – cyan varnished Arabic numerals – brushed hands with Super-LumiNova – Calibre 8912, in-house – automatic, Master Chronometer certified – 39 jewels – 25,200vph – 60h power reserve with double barrels – anti-magnetic to 15,000 gauss – co-axial escapement with silicon balance spring – black NATO strap with cyan stripe made from 100% recycled fishing nets with titanium hardware – EUR 12,900

Tissot Seastar 2000 Professional

On the other end of the price spectrum, we find the Tissot Seastar 2000 Professional, which perfectly represents Tissot’s excellent value-for-money capabilities. We’re talking about a robust diver that can go to depths of 2,000 meters with ease. Its steel case is either brushed and polished, or coated in black PVD for a more stealthy look. The unidirectional rotating bezel has a ceramic insert and a domed and bevelled sapphire crystal. The gradient dials, black or blue, has a wave-like pattern to give them even more life. The large hands and indices have a very generous coating of Super-LumiNova. Power comes from Tissot’s Powermatic 80 Calibre, with 80 hours of autonomy and an anti-magnetic Nivachron balance-spring. It’s worn on a black rubber strap or bi-material black rubber and blue textile strap, depending on the reference. The Tissot Seastar 2000 Professional retails for EUR 995 in steel and EUR 1,095 in black PVD coated steel.

For more information, please visit TissotWatches.com

Quick Facts – 46mm x 16.25mm – stainless steel case, brush and polished or coated with black PVD -unidirectional diving bezel with ceramic insert – 2000m water-resistance – gradient black or blue dial with wave-like pattern – large applied indices and hands with Super-LumiNova – Pomermatic 80 Calibre (ETA C07.111) – automatic winding – 23 jewels – 21,600vph – 80h power reserve – anti-magnetic Nivachron balance-spring – black rubber strap or bi-material black rubber and blue textile strap – EUR 995 in steel, or EUR 1,095 in black coated PVD

Glashütte Original SeaQ Panorama Date Reed Green

Luxury dive watches are rather popular these days, mostly for their robustness and sporty looks. A recent example of a very capable and appealing luxury diver is the Glashütte Original SeaQ Panorama Date Reed Green. Colour-wise it falls in line with current trends and borrows the Reed Green dial of its little sibling, the SeaQ 39.5. The biggest difference besides size is the inclusion of the brand’s signature Panorama Date display, courtesy of the in-house made Calibre 36-13. It’s one of two watches on this list with a sapphire crystal caseback, which offers a pleasurable view of the movement. This very solidly built watch is rated at a water-resistance of 300m and is worn on a steel bracelet with micro-adjustment, or alternatively on a black rubber or grey textile strap. It’s priced at EUR 11,000 on rubber or textile, or EUR 12,200 on the bracelet.

For more information, please visit Glashuette-Original.com

Quick Facts – 43.2mm x 15.65mm – stainless steel case, brushed and polished – unidirectional rotating bezel with green ceramic insert – screw-down crown – domed sapphire crystal on top with sapphire crystal caseback – 300m water-resistant – reed green, textured dial – applied numerals, indices and hands with Super-LumiNova – Panorama Date window at 4 o’clock – Calibre 36-13, in-house – automatic winding with 21k gold central rotor – 41 jewels – 28,800vph – 100h power reserve – silicon balance spring – stainless steel bracelet with fine adjustment folding clasp – black rubber or grey textile strap alternatives – EUR 11,000 on strap, EUR 12,200 on bracelet

SINN EZM 13.1 Diving Chronograph

The Sinn EZM 13.1 Diving Chronograph is one of the most robust dive watches available, despite the fact it’s outclassed in water-resistance by several watches on this list. Nevertheless, we’re implying robustness beyond sheer depth-rating here, as the new Sinn EZM 13.1 Diving Chronograph is reliable between temperatures of -45°C and +80°C, anti-magnetic up to 100mT (80,000A/m) and has dehumidifying technology to keep the watch fog-free. Next to that, it combines its underwater capabilities with the SINN SZ02 chronograph movement (Valjoux 7750 base), and a mission-timer style dial in black. The crown and pushers are positioned on the left side of the case. It’s worn on a bead-blasted stainless steel bracelet or a black rubber or leather strap and retails between EUR 2,650 and EUR 2,850 accordingly.

For more information, please visit Sinn.de

Quick Facts – 41mm x 15mm – stainless steel case, matte bead-blasted – rotating diving bezel with black aluminium insert – sapphire crystal on both sides – left-sided screw-down crown and pushers – 500m water-resistant – matte black dial with mission-timer design – painted markers and hands with Super-LumiNova – SINN SZ02 movement (modified Valjoux 7750 base) – automatic chronograph – 26 jewels – 28,800vph – 45h power reserve – bead-blasted steel bracelet, black rubber strap or black leather strap – DIN 8310/DIN 8306/ EN250 / EN14143 compliant – EUR 2,650 on strap or EUR 2,850 on bracelet

Seiko Prospex Black Series 1970 Mechanical Diver’s Modern Re-Interpretation SLA061J1

A list of the best dive watches of any given year wouldn’t be complete without Seiko. The Japanese manufacturer has an extensive portfolio of dive watches, both affordable and more luxurious. The recent Prospex Black Series 1970 SLA061J1 is a perfect example of the latter. This limited edition has a fully blacked-out steel case and bracelet, with that cool “Captain Willard” architecture. The black theme of the exterior continues on the black dial, with a pattern mimicking sand ripples. The hands and markers have cream and orange touches for a stark contrast against the black. It relies on Seiko’s 8L35 automatic movement, which provides 50h power reserve and runs at a frequency of 28,800vph. The black coated steel bracelet has a folding clasp with a diving extension. It is water-resistant to 200m, is limited to 1,000 pieces and retails for EUR 3,300.

For more information, please visit SeikoWatches.com

Quick Facts – 44mm x 13mm – stainless steel case, brushed and polished, with black hard coating – unidirectional bezel with black insert – screw-down crown – curved sapphire crystal – 200m water-resistance – black dial with sand ripple pattern – cream-filled applied indices and hands – orange seconds hand – Calibre 8L35, in-house – automatic winding – 26 jewels – 28,800vph – 50h power reserve – stainless steel bracelet with black hard coating – folding clasp with secure lock and diving extension – additional black silicone strap included – limited edition of 1,000 pieces – EUR 3,300