Affordable, Iconic Divers
There is no denying that the dive watch is certainly one of watchmaking’s most iconic and recognizable designs. Whether it’s the timelessness and ruggedness of its design or the appeal of having a watch that can easily survive the harshest of environments, they are easily some of the most popular watches in the world. There’re plenty of divers in the market today, and practically anybody who is anybody in the industry has made or are still making dive watches. And with such a mass of watchmakers making them, there’re bound to be a few icons. Watches like the Rolex Submariner, Blancpain Fifty Fathoms, and the Omega Seamaster PLOPROF are great examples of iconic divers. But what if we want something iconic and recognizable, without having to shell out 5 figure sums for a diver? Well, that’s what we’re here to look at today, 5 iconic affordable divers that’ll certainly receive an approving nod from even the snobbiest of collectors, and might just end up becoming a staple of your collection too.
ARIES GOLD BLACK SEA G 9027 CF-BKT2 MEN'S WATCH
The dive watch is like a rite of passage for virtually all watch companies around. For a brand like Ingersoll, more well known for their complex and intricate skeleton dress watches, you’d expect something a bit more unconventional and even strange from their new dive watch. But it isn’t. In fact, the Aries Gold Black Sea is a rather handsome vintage style diver that is a pretty good attempt for a brand’s first diver.
The Black Sea is certainly one of Aries Gold’s more tamed designs, looking very much like what a vintage diver should. A bold slap-sided stainless-steel case, with a conventional brushed silver finishing and a clean legible dial with bold hands and markers too. Paired with a rather slim deep red dive bezel for a splash of colour and what you get is a rather handsome and unfussy vintage style diver. Powering the watch is an ever-reliable Japanese NH35A automatic caliber, offering a date and 41 hours of power-reserve too. With a threaded crown and 200m of water resistance, it’s not the most ground-breaking performance but it gets the job done.
Reliable, tough and handsome, the Aries Gold Black Sea pretty much offers the performance of a Seiko Prospex diver, though it may be lacking the pedigree. But then again, they are two very different watches. One of them is a serious modern professional tool watch, and the other, is a celebration of a traditional design that has now become an icon in watchmaking. If you’re looking for a casual diver that carries the design of the iconic vintage dive watches of old, the Aries Gold Black Sea is certainly the watch for you.
SEIKO PROSPEX SPB143J1 STAINLESS STEEL MEN'S WATCH
Inspired by the classic 62-MAS, Seiko’s original dive watch that made its debut in 1965, the Seiko SPB143J1 is, in my opinion, one of the nicest looking divers you can buy today for under two thousand dollars.
There’s plenty to like about this watch right off the bat. From the uniquely subtle grey sunburst dial to the immaculate finishing around the entire watch and of course, the in-house movement that is powering it.
Though it is really the look of the watch that sells it for me, harking back to the iconic 62-MAS. It’s also the best and most accessible representation of that classic piece so far.
Powering the SPB143J1 is Seiko’s proprietary in-house 6R35 automatic caliber. It operates at 3Hz (21,600 VPH) offers a hefty 70 hours of power reserve and can be hand-wound with hacking seconds as well. The watch comes in a very comfortable 40.5mm diameter which fits nicely on most wrists, it also has a water resistance of 200m and is protected by a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal as well for added sweetness.
Of course, no Seiko diver is complete without a generous application of the brand’s proprietary Lumibrite luminescent material. And this results in an incredibly legible and visually enjoyable time-telling experience when the lights go out.
The SPB143J1 exemplifies everything there is to love about Japanese watchmaking, which is often stereotyped as a very spartan and utilitarian no thrills and frills affair. With a beautifully finished dial, brightly lumed pips and the performance of a proper professional diver, the SPB143J1 is a properly excellent and iconic timepiece to own whether you’re looking to add a classic design to your collection or looking for a reliable companion for your next deep dive.
CITIZEN NY0130-83E PROMASTER DIVER MEN'S WATCH
As we’ve mentioned, dive watches have generally been some of the most iconic design of timepieces for the past half century or so, for a few really good reasons. They’re incredibly well built, very versatile and overall, they’re just really great watches to have. The Fugu NY00130-83E harks back to a time long before us, with vintage design cues from the early history of diving and an added touch of idiosyncrasy unique to the NY line of Promasters.
The principal characteristics are the rather unconventional and rarely seen left-hand crown position at 8 which is meant to prevent accidental damage from inadvertent knocks as well as to provide more ergonomic comfort to the wearer. The bezel is distinctive as well, with alternating smooth and serrated edges allowing for better grip when being operated under water especially with gloved hands. Although the one we’re looking at today might be the most ‘vanilla’ looking one of the lot, other variations are available as well, though we think this one is probably going to be one of the more popular and classic pieces. Power comes from a Miyota Cal. 8203 a proper workhorse movement with a 45-hour power reserve that beats at a respectable 21,600VPH (3Hz) and offers a useful day-date display as well.
All in all, I think the Citizen Promaster NY00130-83E is a fantastic watch, and an even better value proposition as well. At well under $500 it may not have the most ground-breaking performance, but it was never meant to in the first place. What Citizen has done with the NY00130-83E Fugu, and the entire Fugu line in general is to bring about more interesting variety into the dive watch market and with some serious competition, performance, and pedigree to boot as well.
TISSOT SEASTAR 1000 POWERMATIC 80 T1204071704100
The Seastar 1000 is a sports model marketed towards water sports lovers of course. The case of the Tissot Seastar 1000 is the nowadays-usual 316L steel. Over 43+ millimeters in diameter not including the crown or the guards, it is not exactly a small watch. But I’d rather call it contemporary. Being 13.3mm thick does not make it sit obstructively high on the wrist, it’s just a really comfortable watch to have on the wrist.
As far as the surface finishing is concerned, the top of the case is polished and the sides are mostly brushed with some polished trims here and there. The sides, as well as the case back, are all brushed. A few years ago, only the top brands had ceramic bezels, and now this incredibly technical material has become an industry standard for luxury dive watches.
The Seastar 1000 also has a unidirectional rotating ceramic bezel with a lume pip at 12 o’clock. Large crown guards make sure that the equally large crown (with the brand’s T logo emblazoned on it), remains intact. As the model’s name suggests, inside the Seastar 1000 Powermatic 80 is a now-relatively staple movement of the Tissot brand, the ETA Powermatic 80. It is a 23-jewel automatic movement with a date function and beats at 21600 VpH.
The major thing to note about this caliber is, of course, its power reserve, which is, as the name suggests, 80 hours. All in all, if you’re looking for a handsome, modern Swiss diver with respectable performance and some additional features to boot, the Tissot Seastar 1000 is certainly a great choice for you.
ORIENT SPORT KAMASU MAKO III MEN’S WATCH RA-AA0004E19B
Ask any enthusiast what the best and most iconic Japanese dive watches to get are and more often than not, you’ll hear a resounding “Seiko Prospex”. While this reputation is well earned on Seiko’s part, sometimes it’s nice to have something that’s a bit more interesting and isn’t in the norm.
Enter the Orient Kamasu, with a hacking and hand-winding movement, 200 meters of water resistance, a screw-down crown, and a sapphire crystal, the Orient Kamasu is a killer value proposition that has all of the specifications many hoped for in Seiko’s entry level Prospex line.
The Kamasu has essentially the same case as Orient’s popular Ray II model. A crowd-pleasing 40mm in diameter, this affordable dive watch is going to be right at home on a wide range of wrists. While there is nothing too fancy about the case finishing, it is well executed with a combination of brushed surfaces on the top and high polish surfaces on the sides. The lugs curve down gently which helps with the overall comfort of the watch on the wrist. The crystal is a flat sapphire, and this is where the value over Seiko really starts to shine. You won’t find a sapphire crystal in any Seiko diver at this price.
The dial of the Orient Kamasu is beautiful. A stunning oceanic blue that reveals an aquatic sunburst in direct light. The applied indices seem to float above the dial, in part due to the lack of a chapter ring. The handset is nicely legible too, with a very long minute and second hand that reach all the way out to the dashed minute markings. The lume on this watch can go toe to toe with any performance diver out there. Not only is it flashlight bright, it is also exceptionally responsive. Powering the watch is an Orient automatic movement, caliber F6922, with 40 hours of power-reserve, hacking and hand-winding too. While this may be a new movement, I have no doubts that it’ll be as reliable as any other movements made in Japan.
I think the Orient Kamasu is one of the best divers you can buy for the price. It is an absolute spec monster for its price bracket. You will be hard pressed to find another dive watch with a sapphire crystal, an in-house hacking and hand-winding movement, a screw down crown, 200 meters water resistance, killer lume, and a bracelet as good as this too.
Proper icons
It should come as no surprise that such iconic designs have to be a staple in any collection. Whether you’re looking for an entry level daily beater or a more luxurious diver to spice up your collection, there’s something for everybody in our list today. And whether it was intended or not, these watches have certainly made a mark not only in the history of dive watches, but watches as a whole.
