Ready to dive into the world of luxury timepieces? Our guide to dive watches under $10,000 will help you find the perfect blend of style, durability, and underwater performance!
Dive watches in the world of horology is a niche that is known not only for the rugged yet stylish look of the timepieces but also for the capabilities making them great every day wear watches. Dive watches were originally designed for underwater exploration, with the timepieces being specifically built to withstand extreme conditions, such a high pressure at lower water depths, all the while being reliable and able to keep precise time.
Oris Aquis Great Barrier Reef Limited Edition IV dive watch paired nicely with a suit!
Certain criteria sets a dive watch apart from other watch categories. A true diver’s watch will meet the ISO 6425 certification, which requires water resistance to at least 100 meters, a unidirectional rotating bezel for tracking elapsed time, and easy readability of the dial during low-light conditions (lots of lume!).. There is also additional criteria which is that the watch must also be shock-resistant and magnetic resistance. Many brands, like the watches on this list, go above this criteria, especially when it comes to water resistance, as they offer 200 meters and above quite easily. Some watches also come with additional features, such as GMT functions, making them even more versatile as they can also act as a traveller’s watch!
With the advancements of modern watchmaking, the latest materials and technology have been utilised in making the latest dive watches, which make them highly versatile watches. Watches that you can wear while deep-sea diving and then wearing to boardroom meetings are one of the biggest appeals of these timepieces. It doesn’t have to be just for deep-sea diving either. The versatility of these watches means you can wear them to outdoor events and activities, accompanying you on that adventurous lifestyle!
Beyond the specifications of the timepieces, choosing the right dive watch involves choosing a watch that offers the right features to complement the wearer’s lifestyle. For example the strap choice can play a large part in the versatility of a watch. A stainless steel bracelet means that you wear the watch outdoors/diving while also wearing to formal functions and business meetings. Having a rubber strap means that comfortability is key, and the watch is used mainly for outdoors and everyday activities.
Case material also plays a large factor in the choice of watch as well. Stainless steel cases are the common choice for its corrosion resistance. However, materials like bronze and ceramic offer different specs while also completely changing the look of the timepiece! And this is a major factor when considering the right watch. Aesthetic looks are just as important as functionality as it’s a statement piece that shows your personality and character to the world. In modern-day watchmaking, we have the luxury of having many different design styles and dial colour choices that cater to a variety of different personal preferences.
Whether you’re an avid diver, a watch collector or someone that’s after a timepiece with both stylistic looks and functionality, a dive watch under $10,000 Aud an excellent balance of performance, style, and versatility that few other watch styles can match.
Bell & Ross Diver Black & Green Bronze
The Bell & Ross Diver Black & Green Bronze is a colourful take on an stand-out diver’s watch from the brand. Being a dive watch, the brand has equipped the timepiece with a uni-directional rotating bezel, along with a simple to read dial that is also highly legible even during low-light thanks to the generous amount of Super-LumiNova on both the indices and hands.
The watch comes with 300m water resistance while also being ISO 6425 compliant, which means that Bell & Ross can officially call this a dive watch. But that’s not what makes this watch “out of the ordinary”. The dial aesthetics are just beautiful. The four main colours of the watch, teal green for the dial, black for the bezel and rubber strap, white for the Super-LumiNova and bronze for the case all work together to produce an attractive looking timepiece!
Related Reading: Hands-On With The Bell & Ross Diver Black & Green Bronze
Reference: BR0392-D-LT-BR/SRB
Australian Recommended Retail Pricing: AUD $7,900
For More Information: www.bellross.com.au
Breitling Superocean Automatic 44
Breitling’s dedicating diving watch collection is the Superocean. There’s various models in this collection that come with different case sizes and dial colours to suit personal tastes. However, we have chosen this midnight blue dial one as it offers both every day wearability alongside sporting and diving activities. The watch comes with a ceramic-inlayed bezel while also having broad hands and indexes filled with Super-LumiNova for easy readability underwater. This ceramic-inlayed bezel is also scratch proof and will never fade in colour!
The Breitling Superocean Automatic 44 is water resistant to 300 m (1000 ft) and is also shock, sand, and saltwater resistant. The rubber strap that the watch comes with gives micro-adjustability of up to 15mm which is especially handy if you are wearing wetsuits. The watch’s aesthetics are done in a way that you can wear the watch to the beach, for a swim, diving and then out to dinner.
Reference: A17376211C1S1
Australian Recommended Retail Price: AUD $7,390
For More Information: www.breitling.com.au
Bremont Bamford Aurora
One of my favourite watches in this collection has to be the Bremont Bamford Aurora. Just the aesthetics alone is enough to fall in love with the piece, but it also has the mechanics to back it up as well. This timepiece was created as a collaborative project between the British powerhouse duo’s Bremont and Bamford. Not only is the watch suited for diving with a cool 500m water-depth rating, but it’s also a handy traveller’s watch with a GMT function. The GMT bezel is bi-coloured polished Sapphire with 24-hour markers to set the GMT to. The daytime hours are in green lume while night-time is done in black.
And that’s what makes this timepiece stand out beautifully. The green and black colours evoke the Aurora Borealis’ dancing ribbons of light, which the piece takes its inspiration from thanks to the handiwork of George Bamford. Another unique design feature is the hour indices, which feature a mixture of Arabic numerals, Roman Numerals, triangles, and rectangular shapes. While this design element may not be for everyone’s liking, this watch was designed to stand out, and I think these details work well to create very aesthetically pleasing timepiece!
Related Reading: Bremont And Bamford Watch Department Team Up Again To Produce The Bremont Bamford Aurora
Reference: S502 Supermarine Diver GMT
Australian Recommended Retail Pricing: AUD $8,550
For More Information: www.bremont.com.au
Doxa Sub 600T
What’s a dive watch list without a classic Doxa timepiece? I have chosen the Sub 600T as the go-to model this time as it offers a whopping 600m water-resistance while looking the part! The beautiful thing with Doxa and their watches is that there is so many customisable options for the watches!
This Doxa Sub 600T comes with various dial colours and strap options. I chose to go with the aquamarine blue dial, as it just pops beautifully. Pairing it with the steel bracelet also gives it versatility, allowing you to wear it for different occasions. The Doxa Sub 600T is also the cheapest offering on this list, making it great value for money!
Reference: 861.10.241.10
Australian Recommended Retail Pricing: AUD $2,550.00
For More Information: www.doxawatches.com.au
Omega Seamaster Diver 300M
An icon when it comes to dive watches, the Omega Seamaster Diver 300M is a staple in any dive watch collection. The modern Omega Seamaster Diver embraces the brand’s ocean heritage, while carrying a stunning design that makes its a ideal daily wear timepiece. In fact, you can even find the Seamaster Diver 300M on the wrist of a certain 007 spy!
This particular Seamaster Diver 300M comes with a 42mm stainless steel case, with a green ceramic bezel insert with white enamel diving scale along with a matching polished green ceramic dial. The dial features the iconic laser-engraved waves which is a signature design of the Seamaster Diver models. Rated to a depth of 300m, the timepiece also features a helium escape valve at 10 o’clock, which acts as a critical safeguard against the potential hazards of helium accumulation in deep-sea diving watches.
Reference: 210.32.42.20.10.001
Australian Recommended Retail Price: AUD $9,275
For More Information: www.omega.com.au
Oris Aquis Date Taste of Summer
Another dive watch that offers great value for money is Oris’s Aquis Date Taste of Summer. Oris is offering up two versions of the Aquis Date Taste of Summer. Firstly we get a red sunburst dial option with a white bezel with matching red markings, or a green sunburst dial with white bezel and matching green markings. Both versions are offered in a steel bracelet, adding to the versatility of the timepiece.
While the watch doesn’t come with Oris’s iconic calibre 400 movement, it does feature the calibre 733 movement which operates at a high-frequency of 4hz (28,800 VpH) while giving a decent power reserve of 38 hours. With the Australian summer just weeks away, this Oris Aquis Date seems like the perfect option to get a reminder of the taste of summer all year round!
Related Reading: The Oris Aquis Has Fun In The Sun
Reference: 01 733 7787 4137-07 8 22 04PEB (Green)/01 733 7787 4138-07 8 22 04PEB (Red)
Australian Recommended Retail Price: Approx. AUD $4000
For More Information: www.oris.com
Rado’s New Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic Skeleton
Rado has continuously pushed the boundaries of watchmaking by pioneering new materials into their watch collections while still keeping the timepieces affordable. The brand’s Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic collection of dive watches is a testament to this, as it features different versions of the timepiece with different materials, colours and dial aesthetics.
This version of the Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic features a skeleton dial with large hour indices and hands filled with white Super-LumiNova to stand out against the movement in the background. The watch comes with a deep navy-blue ceramic case with a matt finish, along with a rubber strap in blue to match. Rated to a water depth of 300m, the timepiece also has a open case back which allows the wearer to see the brand’s R808 calibre movement.
Related Reading: Introducing Rado’s New Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic Skeleton – This Time In Blue!
Reference: R32153209
Australian Recommended Retail Price: AUD $7,350
For More Information: www.rado.com.au
Seiko Prospex Marinemaster 1968 Heritage Diver
As Seiko celebrates its 100th anniversary this year, it has been taking a trip down memory lane by revisiting some of its classic and iconic timepieces and creating modern reinterpretations of them. One such model is the Prospex Marinemaster 1968 Heritage Diver. This model is a recreation of a classic diver’s watch from Seiko that was released three years after the brand entered the dive watch market in 1965.
The Seiko Prospex Marinemaster 1968 Heritage Diver is offered in either a black dial or white dial with styling that references the 1968 model’s aesthetics. Of course, the timepiece has been updated to modern standards, as it now features the brand’s 8L35 movement that beats at a high-frequency of 4Hz (28,800 VpH) and gives out a power reserve of approximately 55 hours, while offering 300m of water resistance.
Related Reading: REVIEW: Hands-On With The Seiko Prospex Marinemaster 1968 Heritage Diver
Reference: SLA077J (White) & SLA 079J (Black)
Australian Recommended Retail Price: AUD $4,550
For More Information: www.seikoboutique.com.au
TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 GMT
TAG Heuer’s Aquaracer is a dedicated outdoor collection designed for an adventure lifestyle. The watch features extreme durability, water resistance, and, in this case, a caller GMT function for travellers. When compared to previous versions of the Aquaracer Professional 300, the model comes with a more ergonomic case size, re-designed dials with 3D texturing, and a movement with COSC certification.
The watch is offered in either a blue dial or green dial variant, and both colour options are stunning in their own right. We had the chance to go hands-on with the green dial (which you can read Matt’s review below), and I must say the aesthetic detail is very well executed. The dial features a cyclops window at 6 o’clock for easy viewing of the date, while the hour indices are three-dimensional and contrast beautifully against the green backdrop, providing easy readability. The green dial itself features a wave pattern, which is a reference to the seafloor currents. As a bonus to this dive watch, which is rated to a depth of 300m, is the GMT function, which is used through the green hand on the dial and the 24-hour time on the bezel.
Related Reading: REVIEW: Hands On With The TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 GMT
Reference: WBP5115.BA0013
Australian Recommended Retail Pricing: AUD $6,100
For More Information: www.tagheuer.com.au
Tudor Black Bay Ceramic Blue
While the Tudor Black Bay Ceramic Blue was created for the motorsports world as it was released to celebrate the return of the Visa CashApp RB Formula One Team, the timepiece still has all the right characteristics to make it an ideal dive watch. This first is the 200m of water resistance, which is done in accordance with ISO standards. The watch also has METAS Master Chronometer certification and has been tested in six different positions. The automatic Manufacture Calibre MT5602-1U is resistant to magnetic fields and offers a power reserve of 70 hours.
With the specs aside, what I love about this watch is the colour scheme. The aesthetics of the watch mimic the livery of the Visa CashApp RB Formula One Team, and the colours as stunning! The beautiful blue dial contrasts well with the white hour indices and hands, while the black bezel and black ceramic case offers lets the dial stand out in a very appealing manner.
