The Most Important Dive Watch of Each Decade

For dive watches, each decade has presented a very different world from the early stages of the 1950s to saturation diving in the 1970s and the arrival of the dive computer in the 1980s. As a result, very different watches have emerged throughout the last few decades and, in this video, I would like to present my thoughts on exactly what the best of them were.
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Photo Credit (in order of first appearance): Sotheby's / Phillips / Montres Aquastar Sarl. / Rolex SA / Jean-Daniel Meyer / Elias Amari / Omega SA / Christie's / Breitling SA / The Cousteau Society / Paul Meltzer / National Geographic / Copyright CACx 2015, Dominique Breheret and Annie Harriz. / Bonhams / Alain Costa / Seiko Watch Corporation / Casio Computer Co., Ltd. / Citizen Watch Co., Ltd. / Le Grand Bleu - The Big Blue / 'Naklig' - Wikipedia / Joss Pafort - Catawiki.com
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[@michaeldismukes4439]

Pretty spot on. As a working /USN diver in the 1980's, I can say very few of us dove with anything other than a G-Shock.

[@Cuandoman]

Important to mention that sometime in the early 2000's dive computers entirely replaced the dive watch as a functional tool while diving. As a diver myself, I wear the watch as an extension of the sport, but many of the esoteric functions matter very little. The history is very interesting though.

[@scottlarson535]

Kinda missing the Vostok Amphibia... its submarine style case and its wobblie crown.. by design.. 1967... :)

[@OscarOSullivan]

And barely unchanged

[@lukerabin5079]

I understand the “Mercedes “ hands, idea. It’s easy and requires little imagination on either party in the communication. But they’re not at all the Mercedes star, it’s a derivative of the cathedral hour hand. It’s been pushed into a circle, not into the usual ovoid, but it’s totally a revision of the cathedral hand set.

[@thisispw]

Promaster as backup for me for most dives.

[@OscarOSullivan]

I got a new late model Citizen Promaster NY0040-17L for Christmas 2023

[@subdial]

Another great, in-depth video (no pun intended.) Slight correction: the first Aqualand model was actually released in 1985.

[@johnseeger9083]

Excellent piece and I wouldn’t argue with any point including my go to field watch - the G-shock. I did miss any reference to my diver from the 1970s - though I didn’t use it diving until the 1980s, the original Bulova Devil Diver!

[@msteaks1939]

Cheers to that! While not the true Devil Diver, I still occasionally rock my late '70's Set-O-Matic Dual Day, rated to 666ft, with the back and red bezel and a Swiss movement..

[@mickeyx6746]

I did not know about the Aquastar! Very interesting! Thank you!

[@mr.bmt216a2]

Fabulous journey. It reminds me of just how much design excellence we have witnessed over the past 80 plus years. Your choices are spot-on. Impressive video. Thanks.

[@markbyrum4743]

Good vid. I'm torn between the old divers and more recent (improved and reliable) versions. Keep at it!

[@morgan97475]

Informative video.

[@termit520]

Great video.....really i don't know which watch i like more. Maybe Omega Seamaster 300 and Omega Marine, off course a Frogman too.....beautiful old school. I love it. By the way, does Squale deserves to be anywhere on this list? Big Like

[@greensocks4507]

Based on the Subject, I would agree with your choices . Nice that you include the Citizen in the line up. I have tried to buy a Submariner for the last three years. Frustration at the unavailability of a Rolex Diver meant I had only one option . Picked up a Tudor Pelagos new about 2 months ago, in blue. Possibly a better watch than the Rolex. And it has some heritage as well. Beautiful timepiece, the Titanium build and the accuracy with the new movement still impresses me .

[@johnmoorefilm]

Wonderful video thank you. Aquastar is gonna be big.

[@michelpimoulle2002]

Good job ! Yourpoint of wiew is alwais intersting and you are doing tout best to ilustrate your content, thanks for that! What about Tudor for récent years. They innovate in the fact that they put vintage vibe , modern movement and fair price.!

[@BloodAngel1978]

You seemed to have covered many watches and their history, however the number one depth capable watch is made by Oceaneva no other watch has achieved its deep sea capabilities

[@logansmith8623]

How about the Jenny Caribbean 700, 1000 or 300?

[@robertnorth1681]

I'm not clear why you jumped past the Seawolf, other than because Rolex is Rolex. Were there performance issues with the Seawolf?

[@barryinkpen6026]

I was getting a bit worried when I didn't see the SKX mentioned, but alas, it was.

[@josephstuart4440]

The Seiko 7548 700b would have been a great contender. It doesn’t get enough love

[@kostasp1137]

Agree with your choices and you are right that many actual divers use until today the citizen aqualand.

[@jameshoward9700]

As ever, a thought provoking essay! Perhaps if the Deepstar didn't win the 1960s and the Sea Dweller did (surely?), it would free up the 1970s for the clash of titans: Ploprof vs Tuna! To have neither win a decade is unthinkable! For me, the Tuna would take it - hugely influential, almost unchanged even today and a common wear by commercial and professional divers. The Ploprof was a wonderful thing, but late delivery, weak movements and high cost meant it never had the impact of the Seiko.

[@buzomatic]

Omega/Rolex pretty and very well made but to expensive to be a tool. Seiko SKX & Tuna. The true pickup trucks of dive watches. Beat it day in and day out and if you break it (very hard to do!) Just buy another. Citizens stuff, while not really trail blazing, got the job done too.

[@cuestion-de-tiempo]

It’s been proved that Comex actually had a longer lasting partnership with Omega than with Rolex, please see a video about that by a channel called “brave beaters”. I’d say 50s = Sub - 60s = Aqua star - 70s = PloProf - 80s = Casio - 90s = Seiko skx

[@alexandrosgiannikos9796]

Perfect 👌

[@TopSecretVid]

love my 7002 200m Transitional.

[@vicvictoras6071]

I think you missed Citizen Promaster NY 0040 .

[@OscarOSullivan]

Agreed a far better made watch with superior QC and chosen by the Italian navy as its frogman watch for a decade.

[@ErikS-]

I am a diver... And it is a total misunderstanding that expensive automatic watches are used for diving! I wont ever use my omega / seiko / rolex for a dive! Divers rely on a dive computer! And even if they have a dive watch, it is a SUUNTO or some other digital watch. And even if a diver may decide to use an analog watch as backup, its a cheap-ass quartz dive watch. Thats mostly beginners that havent invested much in diving yet.

[@OscarOSullivan]

Possibly some SKX’s and NY0040’s as they (only the NY0040 are tuppence compared to other mechanical divers.

[@markloubser2433]

I think a good overall presentation. I have been a diver for many years and the watch choices in the 80's were expensive and limited. Now I would not dream about diving with any stupid expensive dress diver. Thank goodness there are Duros and G Shock.

[@OscarOSullivan]

Or Citizen promasters which can be bought for under the Irish minimum weekly wage

[@camarocarl7130]

You mentioned Sea Lab but not Certina!

[@claudiocuomo2209]

You forgot Panerai!!

[@saymyname218]

Another Great video. If you or anyone wants to see a very interesting video on Blancpain and other dive watches............ Watch........ (Fifty Fathoms, the conception and evolution of the modern dive watch, by Jeffrey Kingston) "It's a fascinating video full of esoteric dive watch information."

[@bani_niba]

Sorry, you're mis-using the term "horology". Horology means the study and measurement of time, it does NOT mean the interest in mechanical wrist-watches. To a true horologist, a quartz watch is just as interesting as a mechanical watch assuming there are advancements in time-telling accuracy. Obviously, a mechanical watch enthusiast wouldn't be interested.

[@markjosephbudgieridgard]

Very interesting some beautiful vintage dive watches... Regarding the engineering that's put into the helium escape Valve... What a waste of time and effort... Every watch has a helium escape Valve on a dive watch just unscrew and pull out the crown when your in the decompression chamber... That's your helium escape Valve.... Simple... Why complicate things 👍

[@Ten.to.one.handmade]

Great choices. Got me one step closer to pre ordering the aquastar...

[@markgiles8527]

Space is out of bounds for everyone. Don’t let them fool you. That region, 100 km, above our plane, yes that’s our Space. Watches and people have been there. But the sci-if Space we all know and love, nope.

[@paul--b]

You missed the last two decades.

[@cvb6089]

🤔 2016's Seiko sun 019 very underrated diver...Kinetic movement, great lume, second time zone, one of few models from Seiko with Sapphire at the time,build like a tank...

[@dikkie1000]

Yes, built like a tank. It also weighs just about as much as well. (I've got one, on the bracelet it's really heavy)

[@cvb6089]

@@dikkie1000 I wear it on a NATO strap that makes better wearable...

[@RabbitWatchShop]

The greatest travesty of this video is not mentioning the Tudor Submariner snowflakes utilized by navies around the world.

[@billcore6295]

Thank goodness for the creation of dive computers 25 yrs ago or so and now the actual use of dive watches no longer is relevant or used in that community. 75% of certified divers do not dive deeper than 40M..... that is 3 of certified divers.... technical divers who dive deeper than 40M use a tri-mix and this is a minority of recreational divers community

[@OscarOSullivan]

20 bar is the maximum I would buy a diver’s watch with.