Dive Watches

[tony20009]

Have you ever wanted a dive watch other than a Rolex Sub or Omega PlO or Seamaster or some similarly major brand name or similarly major price? Here is a very useful list of quite a few "micro-brands" for you to consider. I'm sure there are some that aren't here, but a lot of what's available is here.

All the best.

1. Aquadive AQUADIVE WATCHES
2. Aquastar Aquastar - Regatta Watch - Home
3. Artego ARTEGO
4. Armida ARMIDA WATCHES
5. Bali Ha'i The BaliHa'i Project
6. Bathys Diver Watches Designed in Hawaii & Made in Switzerland
7. Benarus Benarus Automatic Dive Watches
8. Bernhardt Bernhardt Watch
9. Boschett Boschett Timepieces.
10. Corvus Bradley Corvus Watch
11. Crepas ::CREPAS WATCHES::
12. Dagaz http://www.10watches.com
13. Deep Blue Home
14. Dievas Dievas | Uhren Technik
15. DWatch Dwatch design your own watch
16. Erkahund Roland Kemmner eBay My World - erkahund
17. Gerlach G.Gerlach Fundacja Rozwoju Polskiej My
18. H2O H2O watch - Customization is Everything - H2O watch - Customization is Everything
19. Hager HOME
20. Halios HALIOS Vancouver - Dive + Sport Watches
21. Helenarou Marina Militare B-Uhr Pilot Flieger Submariner Watch Bose QC3 In Ear Headphones
22. Helson About Us - Helson Watches
23. Hexa HEXA WATCHES | INTRODUCING THE K500 DIVER
24. Irreantum Irreantum Watch
25. JS Iceland JS Watch co. Reykjavik
26. Kazimon HOME of KAZIMON Horloges | Uhren | Montres | Orologio | Relojes | Relogios | Wristwatches designed by Kazim Kenzo
27. Kaventsmann Kaventsmann Uhren
28. Korsbek Korsbek Watch Company
29. Kremke http://www.kremkewatches.com/
30. Limes LIMES - Mechanical Watches - Made in Germany
31. Magrette The Official Website of Magrette Timepieces, Auckland (City of Sails) New Zealand
32. Mk II Mk II Watches
33. MoVas moVas- Movements of Asia- Asian Mechanical Watches
34. NFW NFW
35. Ocean7 http://www.ocean7watchco.com/store/
36. Oliver s.Oliver Watches Wristwatches at low prices - uhrcenter s.Oliver online shop
37. Orange OWC Watch Company
38. Orbis Morgan The Offical Website of Obris Morgan Timepieces
39. ORCA H2O watch - Customization is Everything - ORCA
40. Orsa orsa watches | eBay
41. Pita Pita Barcelona - Innovation in Mechanical Watches
42. Praetorian PRAETORIAN Watches
43. Precista Time Factors Quality Watches On The Net Since 1996
44. Prometheus Prometheus Watches, men watch, automatic mens watch ,mens watch, online watches
45. Raven Raven Watches
46. RedSea RedSea Dive Watches
47. Rogue Warrior Rogue Warrior Brand
48. SAS | SAS Watch Company Ltd.
49. Squale Squale | Produzione di orologi subacquei
50. Swiss Military SWISS MILITARY - Offizielle Homepage
51. Tactico La Marca
52. UHR Uhren von UHR
53. VDB Vintage VDB - Watches: Home
54. Wilson Watch Works Home
55. Yobokies www.yobokies.com
56. Zenton Home - zenton watches
57. Zixen Zixen Watch

[ZStig]

58. Aeris F-10 - a dive watch for men who actually dive like men, and don't wear a dive watch because it looks cool and tells time
http://www.amazon.com/Aeris-F-10-Fre...freedive+watch

[finaloption]

Tony, thank you for this post.. because of you, I was able to finally remember the micro-brand I was looking for.. I was going thru so many pages on WUS trying to find this specific watch

Korsbeck Oceaneer

but, they don't sell it anymore.. I need to find something similar..

[tony20009]

Originally Posted by finaloption

Tony, thank you for this post.. because of you, I was able to finally remember the micro-brand I was looking for.. I was going thru so many pages on WUS trying to find this specific watch

Korsbeck Oceaneer

but, they don't sell it anymore.. I need to find something similar..

Not sure of the model want, but there are some around:

http://www.chrono24.com/en/all/korsb...-id2425247.htm
http://www.lionseek.com/watches/bran...ceaneer-611949
http://www.watchrecon.com/?brand=korsbek&last_days=0

Good luck.

[mbintx]

59. Sinn

[BASTOS HUMARUROT 335i]

Check out UTS dive watches. Got introduced to the brand by dive friends active in the German MIL/LE. They are IMO, one of the best dive watches to own.

[turd]

60. Suunto Dive Computers http://www.suunto.com/en-US/Dive-Col...ive-computers/

61. Marathon Dive Watches http://www.marathonwatch.com/product/divers-automatic

[tony20009]

Originally Posted by BASTOS HUMARUROT 335i

Check out UTS dive watches. Got introduced to the brand by dive friends active in the German MIL/LE. They are IMO, one of the best dive watches to own.

+100

I have to say, I love that most of the coolest dive watches are made by brands "nobody ever heard of." UTS doesn't have a lot of brand recognition, so they won't have any perceived status value either. I have said before and will repeat:

The customer does not gain status from the watch. It's quite literally the other way round: the watchmaker gains status from the customer. If you, "Mr. Accomplished or Celebrity person," didn't buy the watch and wear it, what status would the watch or watchmaker have? Not one bit. Period.

I do hope more and more folks realize that and start just buying "stuff" because it's what they think is cool, ignoring whether anyone else has heard of it or not. Your bank balance is your business and so is the watch you bought from funds that were once part of that balance.

If one is seeking UTS's look and aren't entirely settled on UTS, consider Pita and Kobold too. The modern chunky look is shared among the three. UTS make a big deal out of their watches being essentially sculpted from a hunk of metal rather than molded. I don't know how much of a difference that makes, but it's what they sing about.

They make excellent watches. I've seen a couple of them. One thing I can tell you is that a UTS feels like the horological equivalent of a tank in one's hands. There's a reason for that too: they are 1000+ meter dive watches that don't use a helium release feature. As a result, their construction takes the "brute force" approach to preventing the watch to succumbing to the destructive affects of helium entering the watch. There are other "valveless" dive watches with similar depth ratings. They too use the same "brute force" approach; there really isn't another approach if the watch lacks a HRV. So all of them will feel rock solid. The mechanical ones will feel a bit more so because they've got the metal of the movement inside rather than a quartz movement, which is considerably lighter in weight.

If one wants UTS quality at a slightly lower price, Aquadive's products are well worth considering (there are probably others). Aquadive use an automated HRV. Although I don't care too much for the aesthetics of the one Aquadive I've seen, I have to grant that the tall bezel it has makes it quite easy to rotate the bezel, even with gloves on. I suppose there could well be folks who find uses for them (outside of dive-specific uses) and for whom the larger size of the Aquadive one may be beneficial. For me the bezel ergonomics is irrelevant because even though I swim, I don't have any reason to care how well a dive watch performs when I am swimming. For regular scuba divers, I guess it'd matter; one can never have too much redundancy when it comes to making sure one ascends to the surface in a timely manner.

Between those two, I personally would choose a UTS because I like the aesthetics better, seeing as non-temporal functionality doesn't matter to me.

The bigger truth as goes dive watches, and most especially the ones that will serve only as "desk divers," all of them are incredibly well constructed and durable. The movements one is going to find in them -- in-house, ETA, Selitta, Miyota, F. Piguet, Sea-gull, etc. -- are going to be quite reliable. Choosing a good one, for 90%+ of users, is going to be a decision based on something other than pure functionality, construction quality and reliability. For the remaining 10%, I advise choosing one that meets the requirements at the lowest price that also looks good to one's eye. Some collectors will buy Bremont, Rolex, Blancpain, JLC, Patek, and other pricey ones, while others will choose UTS, Mido, Deep Blue, Obris Morgan, Hexa, Squale and others. Suum cuique.

I am willing to say in some cases X is better than Y, but I also know I'm splitting hairs when I make that sort of statement. I can even say it's better from a watch collector's point of view, but that's still just a general statement that is made with zero awareness of the actual person collecting's collection objectives.

Aquadive Bathyscaphe 100


I know for myself, I buy watches that are "just because I think they are cool" and I buy so called "collection" watches. The latter are always very expensive, but the former are almost always not. Dive watches fall into both groups and as they are so super easy to own and wear, I'm glad there're lots and lots of great ones to be had at all sorts of price points.

Bremont Supermarine -- among the pricier choices, this one is IMO superior to Omega and IWC and the only thing, from a collector's standpoint, that it yields to a Rolex Sub and JLC Master Compressor is that it's not in-house. Of course it doesn't carry the magnifying cyclops, but then that's patented/trademarked by Rolex.




Patek Philippe Aquanaut and Nautilus -- PP is all that and a bag of chips. Then again, nobody looking for this level of watch ever did or didn't chose PP because of the price. For folks into "flipping" watches, it's the one brand that keeps pace with Rolex re: resale value. Sometimes thought of a bargain Nautilus, the Aquanaut is the one I like, but they are quite similar. I just find the look of the Aquanaut to be something one wouldn't expect to find from PP and it's as rugged a thing as PP is likely to offer. Regardless of which one you like, both are among the best looking things the 1970s ever produced.



JLC Navy Seals Master Compressor (1st pic) -- a beautiful watch, but it's not the best thing JLC's put forth. I advise buying it if one loves it for one won't be disappointed, but if one wants something from JLC, the Reverso or Master Control or Master Ultra Thin (MUT) are better picks, again from a general collector's standpoint. That's a bit of a shame for me because JLC is easily one of my favorite brands. If for no other reason, I really like them because among the "holly trinity" they are far and away the bang-for-the-buck way to go, yielding only the most minor of movement decoration details to their peers. Indeed, some Patek movements start out as JLC ebauches. The list of great watchmakers to whom JLC provide movements of one or another extent of completion is not short.




Blancpain Fifty Fathoms and the Bathyscaphe (pro) version - Beautiful. Sublime really.



IWC Aquatimer - Love the look with the rubber strap


Mido - Although Deep Blue is my personal favorite among the sensibly priced options, I have to admit that Mido offers nice styling touches and make no lesser a product. In this price range the little "wave like" detail on the dial is nice to see.



H2O -- Several models -- Priced between Aquadive and Deep Blue, these guys offer great style and great functionality. Check out the bezel edges. Super cool. You can tell from some of H2O's models that they are well aware that most of their watches will never see serious functional duty on a dive. Check out the model that has no markings on the bezel and the dome on the one that does (last pic). I think it's quite cool when a serious manufacturer an yet admit that there's nothing wrong with a touch of silliness, even as they also make pieces that are very serious (first pic).





All the best.

[tony20009]

Originally Posted by mbintx

59. Sinn

I have to hand it to the Germans; they make many very nice things. I think it's safe to say that if one buys only German products, one will be quite pleased with the outcome. The worst thing I can say about anything made in Germany is that it's not inexpensive.

• Furniture and Home
  • Biedermeier antique
  • Dedon
  • Schulte Design
  • Poggenpohl
  • Gaggenau
  • Siematic
  • Liebherr
• Cars
  • BMW, MB, Audi and Porsche
• Watches
  • A. Lange & Sohne
  • Glashutte Original
  • Nomos
  • Sinn
  • Stowa
• Clothes
  • Hugo Boss
  • Jil Sander
  • Karl Lagerfeld

All the best.

[filip75]

Originally Posted by turd

60. Suunto Dive Computers http://www.suunto.com/en-US/Dive-Col...ive-computers/

61. Marathon Dive Watches http://www.marathonwatch.com/product/divers-automatic

+1 on Marathon. CSAR is my favorite. It's rather big watch though.

[Devious21]

Originally Posted by tony20009

I have to hand it to the Germans; they make many very nice things. I think it's safe to say that if one buys only German products, one will be quite pleased with the outcome. The worst thing I can say about anything made in Germany is that it's not inexpensive.

• Furniture and Home
  • Biedermeier antique
  • Dedon
  • Schulte Design
  • Poggenpohl
  • Gaggenau
  • Siematic
  • Liebherr
• Cars
  • BMW, MB, Audi and Porsche
• Watches
  • A. Lange & Sohne
  • Glashutte Original
  • Nomos
  • Sinn
  • Stowa
• Clothes
  • Hugo Boss
  • Jil Sander
  • Karl Lagerfeld

All the best.

Maybe not on the same level but my next watch will be this guy. I love the clean, minimalist feel and the red contrast.
http://www.damasko.de/de/modelle/dre...ring/da44black
http://www.ablogtowatch.com/damasko-da44-watch/

[tony20009]

Originally Posted by Devious21

Maybe not on the same level but my next watch will be this guy. I love the clean, minimalist feel and the red contrast.
http://www.damasko.de/de/modelle/dre...ring/da44black
http://www.ablogtowatch.com/damasko-da44-watch/

+1 Personally, I think most German goods that make it to the US are on the same level, varying only by price, but not really by quality.

I just didn't think of them at the moment. Damasko make great watches. I like the bold, modern look of their watches and yet they aren't so bold that they require above average levels of self-confidence from the wearer. (For a faster website, you may want to try: http://www.damaskousa.com/index.asp)

They are one of the few really good values in manufacture pieces (DK12 or 13, I think is the in-house model I like). I also like that they offer a mix of watches, most of which share a similar look, but at price points that allow folks of vastly differing price tolerances to have that look. Rolex and Tudor used to be that way, but in more recent years, Rolex have differentiated the styling between the two brands.

I don't know if either of the websites you noted mention it, but Damasko also now produces their own metal bracelets. I don't think you'll see them mentioned yet on their website, but perhaps by now they have updated it....???

http://forums.watchuseek.com/f8/anyo...ow-935691.html

All the best.

[mbintx]

Damasko makes a nice product. A bit derivative of some Sinn models, but very good designs nonetheless.

And being born and raised in Germany and now living in the States, I'll go out on a very unpopular limb and say that for the vast majority of products, German versions will be superior to American versions. A notable exception is milk.
And I said products, not services...

[Devious21]

Originally Posted by mbintx

Damasko makes a nice product. A bit derivative of some Sinn models, but very good designs nonetheless.

And being born and raised in Germany and now living in the States, I'll go out on a very unpopular limb and say that for the vast majority of products, German versions will be superior to American versions. A notable exception is milk.
And I said products, not services...

Being that you're on a BMW forum, that limb might not be as unpopular as you might think

[smyles]

My ~$130 daily beater that survived 5 seasons/50+ dives (not to mention all those hockey game I forgot to take it off) and accurate as f..k.

Just sayin...

[tony20009]

Originally Posted by mbintx

Damasko makes a nice product. A bit derivative of some Sinn models, but very good designs nonetheless.

And being born and raised in Germany and now living in the States, I'll go out on a very unpopular limb and say that for the vast majority of products, German versions will be superior to American versions. A notable exception is milk.
And I said products, not services...

I know you won't find any objection, mbintx, from me. I am very satisfied with every German product I've purchased. I don't have a 100% German-made home, but my kitchen, some indoor and all outdoor furniture and three of my cars sure are. Suffice to say, I wish I'd have bought German home furnishings sooner than I did.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showpo...41&postcount=9

All the best.

[tony20009]

Originally Posted by smyles

My ~$130 daily beater that survived 5 seasons/50+ dives (not to mention all those hockey game I forgot to take it off) and accurate as f..k.

Just sayin...

You aren't wrong by any stretch of the imagination. Any person who offers anything other than an emotional reason for why they bought a luxury watch is lying to at least one person -- you -- and maybe two -- you and themselves. I have yet to come across a pricey watch that does some functional thing -- other than deplete one's bank balance -- that a less pricey watch of some brand or other doesn't also do just as well.

I have no problem with buying pricey watches; I have several. Their being "better" than anything else had nothing to do with why I bought any of them. There are two reasons -- both emotional -- why I have them:

• I just wanted them
• I could afford them

That's exactly the reason for the saying, "to each his own." That axiom has no application when it comes to choices based on reason.



All the best.

[Nate4641]

Originally Posted by ZStig

58. Aeris F-10 - a dive watch for men who actually dive like men, and don't wear a dive watch because it looks cool and tells time
http://www.amazon.com/Aeris-F-10-Fre...freedive+watch

+1 I use an Aeris Epic. My dive watch may not have a pretty dial, but it tells me how deep I am, how much air is in my tank, water temp, when I'm going to die of on-gassing lol and logs all the info so I can see the data on my laptop

[mike the snake]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Doxa watches.

http://www.doxawatches.com/collection.htm

I've been considering the JLC Master Compressor Divers, and the Vacheron Overseas as well.

The IWC is nice too.

Presently I own a Rolex Submariner and a Seiko Orange Monster. I hope to be able to afford more watches someday.

[tony20009]

Originally Posted by mike the snake

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Doxa watches.

http://www.doxawatches.com/collection.htm

I've been considering the JLC Master Compressor Divers, and the Vacheron Overseas as well.

The IWC is nice too.

Presently I own a Rolex Submariner and a Seiko Orange Monster. I hope to be able to afford more watches someday.

Doxa are also wonderful watches.

• I really like the JLC MC diver, especially the Navy Seals one. It fits well, it looks great on, it looks a little different as a diver goes. For all that, and it's a truly respectable watch IMO, I think JLC offers much better watches -- better at least using my system of choosing among JLC's offerings and for the thing I prize most about JLC, which is the value proposition associated with their watches. Master Control, MUT and Reverso are the JLCs that really appeal to me among their bread and butter, reasonably priced offerings. (reasonable being relative) I wouldn't advise against buying the JLC diver, I would simply suggest considering other offerings from them before deciding.

• VC Overseas: Love that watch. I think of it as slightly dressier and more refined alternative to a Datejust, Day-Date, Milgauss, or AuqaTerra and as a peer to the Breguet Marine, Nautilus, Reverso and Royal Oak. All of them are more sport watches than they are divers, but one can swim wearing any of them. VC have a black (dark grey) dial version with a rubber strap that looks great. If you have reservations about the somewhat dressier feel of the Overseas on the standard bracelet, give that rubber strap option a look-see.

• IWC's diver -- Aquatimer -- is quite nice and goes toe-to-toe with the AquaTerra, IMO. There's nothing not to like about either. I think I would pick Bremont's diver -- in black or blue, not green -- over both, however. Another worthy consideration: Tudor Pelagos.

All the best.

[tony20009]

Just sharing my thoughts on a hypothetical approach to collecting a dive watches.

The problem with any the non-Rolex divers for me is that having a Sub, there's not much need to buy another top-tier dive watch unless one is just keen to collect top notch dive watches. Even were I going down the "dive watch collecting" route, I'd probably go "off the beaten path" and choose stuff like Clerc, UTS, Kobold, and Aquadive.

Putting on my curator's hat and thinking about building a dive watch collection, I'd first figure out whether I want my collection to tell the story of how dive watches evolved up to the present, or whether I want to tell the story of what dive watches as they exist today. The former takes a lot of research and a lot of money and a lot of patience because it requires buying pre-owned/vintage pieces. The latter is far easier and is more fun in most cases for the modern, casual collector.

Going down the easier route, and already having a Submariner, I'd suggest spending the same sum as one did on a Sub (~$8K is my assumption for the following) and picking up the following:

First round of purchases: ~$8k total budget -- suggestions are just what I'd choose as I write this. There are plenty of others I'd consider.

• One professional-grade diver (~$2K - $4K) - Aquadive or UTS -- UTS is an interesting choice if one wants to make case design an significant sub-element of the collection's story.
• One budget diver (~$500 ) - Orient Mako or Deep Blue (depending on how much you spent with the pro-grade diver above, you could probably buy two budget price divers. Squale is another one to consider here. If UTS above, probably just the Orient here.
• One mid-price diver ~($1K - $3K) - Kobold, Omega, Squale, Tag, Oris, or Longines -- I might consider buying pre-owned here if the right watch came along, say, a Seamaster or Pelagos. If I went with Aquadive (which is what I'd do in this plan) above, I'd do Kobold here because it would be my only Euro-modern styled diver. If UTS abovve, I'd seek the lower end of this watch's budget so I could have money left for the next one.
• Optional: One budget to mid-range priced dive chronograph -- this is where I"d probably go vintage or pre-owned to make the most of my money though there are lots of new watch options too. Luminox is one that comes to mind. Since a chrono is a complication, I'd want an inexpensive one first to see how I feel about them and to figure out what I like/don't like about them before I spent major coin on one. If I decide I like chronos, I'd want an inexpensive one to serve as a counterpoint to the pricey one I'd buy later. I can, of course, see good reason to start with a pricey one and buy the affordable one later, but that's not the approach I have structured here. I prefer this approach because, as a practical matter, if after buying the pricey one I don't feel it was worth it, I'll return it and be content with the inexpensive one I bought earlier.

Second round purchase: ~$8K total budget

• - One manufacture diver - Damasko -- yet another visual aesthetic and splashes in German fine craftsmanship and does so at an excellent price point for a manufacture watch. Indeed, the Damasko is priced where the Submariner should be priced. If this approach didn't being with the existing Sub, this would have been the first watch purchase.
• - One or more as allowed by total budget -- no specific criteria, but I'd probably go for the Charmex CX Swiss Military 20K feet diver (http://www.20000feet.com/) or pre-owned Seamaster or Pelagos if I didn't get one of those earlier.
• - Optional: One diver with a colorful/unusual dial and/strap-- yellow, red, green, etc - H2O, Red Sea or Mido. Red Sea or H2O offer nice counterpoints to the Aquadive. Mido has a nice blended counterpoint to the Seamaster and Submariner. Squale has a good option if one wants a budget counterpoint to the Submariner and didn't choose Squale above.

or, instead of the above several watches

• One "top shelf" dive chrono -- Clerc Hydroscaph Limited Edition Central Chrono (case features include articulating lugs, lateral protectors, special crown-activated rotating bezel, and special chronograph triggers) This is a must have if the case story is going to be part of the collection's sub-elements.

or

• One "top shelf" uncomplicated diver that is a direct peer to the Sub -- not many choices if staying manufacture: JLC Master Compressor, Blancpain Fifty Fathoms, Girard Perregaux Sea Hawk or Clerc Hydroscaph H1.

At this point, you just buy whatever "floats your boat" since, curatorially speaking, you have pretty well created a collection that covers the all the bases of what's out there in dive watches today:

• pricey and affordable
• super sporty looking to semi-dressy (no dive watch is ever truly a dress watch)
• colorful, black and white dials
• traditionally styled, modern styled, and in between styled
• average, typical and maximum depth ratings
• various approaches to lume ranging from typical to maximum
• bracelet and strap options, link, mesh, and rubber
• Chrono and uncomplicated
• Swiss, German, Japanese and Chinese movements
• case design and ergonomics ranging from basic, to well though out to as close as you can get to custom made for your wrist

Indeed, the only thing this collection doesn't have is a purely custom made dive watch.

All the best.

Red Sea



Orient Mako



Oris Pro Diver Date



Girard Perregaux Sea Hawk



Kobold Divers


UTS Dive Watches



Charmex Dive Watches



Luminox



Clerc



Longines, Glycine, Squale



Deep Blue

[Devious21]

I could listen to Tony talk about watches all day