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Dive watches have a special place in the history of horology and have been used for everything from shipwrecks and salvage operations to naval warfare by special ops.
Fast forward to modern day and you will rarely see dive watches anywhere near water. In fact, a luxury dive watch is more likely to be seen around the wrist of a wealthy man in a shopping mall or hotel lobby, certainly not 50 meters down in the pacific ocean.
In terms of dive watches for under $500, you are in the right place. There is a plethora of both Swiss-made and Japanese divers watches available for well within this price range. Not only this, but they are from prestigious brands such as Seiko, Citizen, Tissot, Luminox, and Casio. Whilst these brands do not have the same high quality movements of high end dive watches such as Panerai, they are durable, plenty enough water resistant and get the job done just as well.
In fact, other than movement specifications and the fact that expensive watches are made from precious metals, there is not too much else between a high end or a budget dive watch. You certainly don’t want to buy a super cheap dive watch from a questionable brand, but $500 is certainly enough to set you on the right track. In this article, we look at some of the best affordable dive watches under this price point.
If you want to learn more about dive watches, please check out our more thorough article here.
A note for those looking for a bezel-less dive watch for under $500 – they are very hard to find. Typically this style is out of fashion and has not been used for a long time, other than luxury brands. The closest thing to match this price is lum-tec watches, which are of great quality, but cost a little more than $500. They can be found here.
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Can You Wear A Dive Watch Every Day?
Yes. When computer dive watches didn’t exist and all men wore mechanical dress watches, you would have looked very out of place. However, since two tone metal watches became popular in the 1980s, a lot of things got turned upside down.
Since this period of watch history, you can now more or less wear whatever you want without anyone batting an eyelid. This is especially true for dive watches which have become some of the most popular watch models on the planet. This is particularly due to the success of both the Rolex Submariner and the Omega Seamaster. Whilst they are certainly not dress watches, it wouldn’t be out of place to see somebody wearing one in a restaurant or a boardroom.
In short, dive watches are not something that you’re going to wear to a funeral or any other niche occasion. But for everyday life, they are very wearable.
Why Are Most Dive Watches Automatic?
Part of this is tradition and part of this is for ease of use.
Firstly, if you’re wearing a dive watch water underwater (as they were designed for), you will be regularly moving your arms around to move in the water. Therefore it would make sense to have something that is powered by your wrist. In this case, a quartz dive watch is actually somewhat less reliable than an automatic watch because one day the battery will stop. You would hope that this doesn’t happen underwater, but it is possible. Granted your automatic watch could stop working underwater too, but this is far less likely.
Secondly is tradition and the emergence of luxury dive watches. Automatic watches have been around since the 1920s, whereas the first dive watches were made in the 1930s. Since quartz technology didn’t exist in watches until the 1970s, dive watches had no alternative other than to be mechanical.
As dive watches became more popular with the general population, they are now marketed as luxury watches from the highest end brands such as Panerai, Rolex and Omega. Therefore it makes sense to keep these watches as automatic models. If they were changed to quartz, its likely the popularity and price of these watches would drop substantially.
Does Anyone Actually Go Diving With A Dive Watch?
Yes, but it is somewhat rare.
Typically you will find that it is the older generation of divers who choose to use traditional divers watches. This is not a solid rule, but a pattern you will find similar to the way older people tend to use older technology in other areas of life.
The newer generation has grown up with modern technology such as dive based computer watches. These are far superior in almost every way, so if you know how to use them well, it would be foolish to switch to older and less efficient technology.
You are however, unlikely to see anyone wearing a Rolex submariner to dive – or at least I have never seen it personally. Of course, in theory you could and no doubt someone on the earth will enjoy doing this. In short, it is not a common occurrence by any measure.
Best Affordable Diver Watches For Men Under $500
Seiko – Prospex Monster
One of many Seiko dive watches, the aptly named “monster” is clearly very different from what you’d usually expect. For a start, the serrated bezel is gigantic. Even though the case size is already a fairly large 42mm, the fact that the bezel goes from down to up, makes the watch look even bigger than you would expect it to.
Accompanied by a 4R36 in-house Seiko movement, this watch is an absolute workhorse and will never have any issues with reliability. Much like many other Seiko dive watches, unfortunately, this model uses their in house hardlex crystal which in my opinion is not quite as good as sapphire crystal. Something which should be 100% used for watches at this price level.
Tissot – Seastar
A very well known watch from a highly respected Swiss brand. The Tissot Seastart is available in a variety of different colors and also has higher and lower specs, based on what you’re looking to pay. Unfortunately, for under $500 you have to get a quartz model with a non-ceramic bezel – meaning that this watch is a lot easier to scratch than the higher spec’d watches.
With that being said, this is one of the few Swiss-dive chronograph watches you can buy, not to mention it is from a very reputable brand such as Tissot. For those that are not fond of the black dial and bezel, you can also purchase this model in both blue and dark green.
Citizen – Promaster Diver
Citizen are well known for making some of the best inexpensive dive watches, the Promaster diver is no exception to this rule. It is likely that this model was released to rival the Seiko Monster as it has a 46mm case size, alongside a large serrated bezel, much like its counterpart. The difference is that this watch has a nice bezel/crown color coordination which contrasts with the rest of the stainless steel watch.
This is before even mentioning that the watch uses an eco-drive movement and also has a GMT complication. Eco-drive is 100% ideal for dive watches since you can guarantee if your watch has been out in the sun for a few hours, it will not stop whilst you’re underwater. In summary, this is a decent watch for a very good price.
Luminox – Scott Cassell
Named after the combat diver, the Scott Cassell by Luminox is a true divers watch. It has a large 45mm case, which wears even more oversize due to its bulky bezel and crown guard in the 3 o’clock position.
Luminox continue their history of making military styled watches from lightweight materials, ideal for combat and real divers. The fact that Luminox still uses T25 tritium in their dials is also a great positive since it requires no charging at all. Not to mention, it doesn’t fade for 7-8 years – a lot longer than non-tritium dial watches.
Alpina – Seastrong
Made of both titanium and steel, Alpina has produced the Seastrong, a Swiss dive watch under $500. Offering up to 300m of water resistant, there is no doubt that the Seastrong was made for the ocean, although can be worn in everyday life too.
This is one of the very few Swiss-dive watches for under $500 that you will find with a GMT function. Of course, this is not a necessary feature for diving, but can be useful if you want to track a second timezone. The Seastrong is going to be accurate as it uses a quartz movement and is a very well finished watch overall – it is a very fair price for the quality.
Phoibos – Wave Master
Phoibos do not have a rich history, a large advertising budget, or even a brand that has been heard of by anyone who doesn’t care about watches. However, what they do have is watches which are built to a specification of great quality, whilst still having a relatively low price. Not only this, but they are practically a brand that has been built around the idea of making purely dive watches.
As you can see, their watches are very visually appealing and have a logo of a giant squid. This is a nice change from boring brands, as well as other Chinese companies who just copy the designs of others. Given that the brand was only formed in 2016, Phoibos have done exceptionally well. This particular watch uses an automatic movement from Seiko, but is quite a lot cheaper than Seiko models.
Vostok – Amphibian
Vostok may not be a brand everyone is familiar with, but the Russian powerhouse knows how to make a dive watch. Not only is this watch under $500, but it can often be picked up for under $100. Considering this is made using an in-house Russian automatic movement with a 31 hour power reserve – that is not bad going at all.
Many people are a fan of the Vostok brand due to only being exposed to Swiss and Japanese watches. If you want a change, Vostok could well be the brand for you. Obviously, in terms of materials, the Vostok Amphibian is not built to the same quality or accuracy compared to anything Swiss or Japan made. But with that being said, it has its own short-lugged style and is at the very least a unique looking bargain.
Glycine – Bronze Combat Sub
There is definitely a shout for this being the best automatic dive watch under $500. Of course, the Glycine Combat Sub will not be to the taste of everyone. Firstly, this watch is huge, it has a 48mm case size, which puts it up there with the likes of Invicta. Secondly, this is a bronze watch and will patina. Some people will love this feature, whereas others will hate it.
Overall though, this is really a great quality watch for the price. Glycine use ETA movements in their automatic watches, so there are no doubts with quality, reliability, or accuracy. They are also very well finished and have a very solid brand history. In short, this is great value for money, provided you like bronze watches.
Momentum – Torpedo
A very solid quartz based divers watch, Momentum watches come well under budget and generally sell for in the region of $100-$150. They have been included on this list because they are simple, reliable and have longevity. In terms of movement, these watches are nothing remarkable and use a standard Miyota quartz.
However, Momentum watches are definitely resilient and are made of tough stainless steel. Sure it is possible to find very good quality automatic dive watches, but for this price point it becomes a little more difficult to find something decent for $100.
Victorinox – Pro Diver
Victorinox does not have a large range of dive watches since they mostly focus on field, tactical and rugged models. There are not a whole lot of battery powered dive watches since this is not really a core market demand, with most people wanting a mechanical timepiece.
The Victorinox pro diver is one of the best quartz dive watches there is that is also Swiss made. As previously mentioned, this is quite a niche category of watches. The indented bezel is a very nice feature that allows you to turn the dial with ease even when underwater. As you can see, the watch is made of solid 316L stainless steel and also makes use of sapphire crystal on the dial, making sure this watch will not be damaged.
Spinnaker
A brand that often gets unfairly criticized for being poor value for money. Spinnaker watches are not bad – provided that you can get them at a good price. They use very similar (and sometimes the same) movements as both Seiko and Orient, so it is quite silly to throw them out with the bathwater.
The only issue with this watch is that it is a dive watch that may not actually be suitable for diving. Since Spinnaker does not use stainless steel for this model and instead uses plated brass like a fashion watch, it does raise the question of how long will it last? If you’re not going anywhere near water it will be 100% fine however.
Orient – Kamasu
An upgraded version of the Orient Mako, the Kamatsu is truly one of the best cheap dive watches. This is meant in a good way as Orient is modeled around being fantastic value for money meaning you will always get quality for every dollar you pay. This is proven as the Kamatsu is well under budget and doesn’t cost a cent over $300.
It is likely that the Kamatsu was bought out by Orient to rival the Citizen Promaster dive series – something it does very well. Available in 5 different color schemes, the dial layout and bezel remain consistent throughout and Orient has done a great job with making this model durable as well as visually appealing.
