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Dive Watches

Created for diving professionals, dive watches boast high water resistance, highly legible dials and help tell divers how long they’ve been submerged for via a rotational bezel. They’re loved for their distinctive and robust design, making them one of the most popular watch genres around.

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Popular Brands
  1. Rolex Rolex
  2. Breitling Breitling
  3. Omega Omega
  4. Tag Heuer Tag Heuer
  5. Panerai Panerai
  6. IWC IWC
  7. Tudor Tudor
  8. Cartier Cartier
  9. Hublot Hublot
  10. Audemars Piguet Audemars Piguet
  11. Jaeger-LeCoultre Jaeger-LeCoultre
  12. Vacheron Constantin Vacheron Constantin
  13. Patek Philippe Patek Philippe
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  1. Audemars Piguet Audemars Piguet
  2. Ball Ball
  3. Baume et Mercier Baume et Mercier
  4. Bell and Ross Bell and Ross
  5. Breitling Breitling
  6. Bremont Bremont
  7. Bvlgari Bvlgari
  8. Carl F. Bucherer Carl F. Bucherer
  9. Cartier Cartier
  10. Chanel Chanel
  11. Chopard Chopard
  12. Eterna Eterna
  13. Franck Muller Franck Muller
  14. Frederique Constant Frederique Constant
  15. Girard Perregaux Girard Perregaux
  16. Graham Graham
  17. Grand Seiko Grand Seiko
  18. H. Moser and Cie H. Moser and Cie
  19. Hamilton Hamilton
  20. Hublot Hublot
  21. IWC IWC
  22. Jaeger-LeCoultre Jaeger-LeCoultre
  23. JeanRichard JeanRichard
  24. Longines Longines
  25. Maurice Lacroix Maurice Lacroix
  26. Montblanc Montblanc
  27. Omega Omega
  28. Oris Oris
  29. Panerai Panerai
  30. Parmigiani Parmigiani
  31. Patek Philippe Patek Philippe
  32. Perrelet Perrelet
  33. Rado Rado
  34. Raymond Weil Raymond Weil
  35. Richard Mille Richard Mille
  36. Roger Dubuis Roger Dubuis
  37. Rolex Rolex
  38. Tag Heuer Tag Heuer
  39. Tissot Tissot
  40. Tudor Tudor
  41. Vacheron Constantin Vacheron Constantin
  42. Zenith Zenith
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The size of a watch is very important for style and comfort. If you prefer an oversized watch like a Panerai Luminor, you’ll probably want Large. If you’re looking for something more discreet like a Rolex Lady Datejust, you’ll want Small. For everything in between, Medium.
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  1. Bronze Bronze
  2. Carbon Carbon
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  5. Rose Gold Rose Gold
  6. Silver Silver
  7. Steel Steel
  8. Steel & Rose Gold Steel & Rose Gold
  9. Steel & Rose Gold Plated Steel & Rose Gold Plated
  10. Steel & White Gold Steel & White Gold
  11. Steel & Yellow Gold Steel & Yellow Gold
  12. Steel & Yellow Gold Plated Steel & Yellow Gold Plated
  13. Titanium Titanium
  14. White Gold White Gold
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  1. Original papers Original papers
Movement
A mechanical watch is powered by a spring. Manual mechanical watches must be hand wound. Automatic watches are also mechanical, and are wound by a weight that spins with the wearer's movements. A quartz watch is battery powered and extremely accurate.
  1. Automatic Automatic
  2. Manual Manual
  3. Quartz Quartz
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  1. Limited Edition Limited Edition
Reset Results (1036)
Results (1,036)
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Rolex Daytona 116503 280233
Manufacturer's Warranty

Rolex
Daytona
116503

Box
Papers
Year 2022
£17,295
Rolex Daytona 116520 271337

Rolex
Daytona
116520

Box
Papers
Year 2001
£16,465
Rolex Daytona 116500 LN 278720

Rolex
Daytona
116500 LN

Box
Papers
Year 2018
£23,515
Rolex Daytona 116500 LN 279979
Manufacturer's Warranty

Rolex
Daytona
116500 LN

Box
Papers
Year 2021
£24,735
Rolex Day-Date 118205 281399

Rolex
Day-Date
118205

Box
Papers
Year 2014
£17,815
Rolex Daytona 16528 275378
Vintage

Rolex
Daytona
16528

Box
Papers
Year 1997
£31,825
Rolex Air-King 14000 275335

Rolex
Air-King
14000

Box
Papers
Year 2001
£4,320
Rolex Daytona 16523 274656
Vintage

Rolex
Daytona
16523

Box
Papers
Year 1998
£15,930
Rolex Daytona 116520 - APH Dial 275659

Rolex
Daytona
116520 - APH Dial

Box
Papers
Year 2012
£21,000
Rolex Daytona 116523 276989

Rolex
Daytona
116523

Box
Papers
Year 2018
£15,020
Rolex Daytona 16523 282584
Vintage

Rolex
Daytona
16523

Box
Papers
Year 1998
£15,930
Rolex Daytona 116523 276077

Rolex
Daytona
116523

Box
Papers
Year 2009
£15,425
Rolex Daytona 16523 269261
Vintage

Rolex
Daytona
16523

Box
Papers
Year 1998
£15,005
Rolex Explorer 14270 256514

Rolex
Explorer
14270

Box
Papers
Year 2002
£5,755
Rolex Daytona 16523 275695
Vintage

Rolex
Daytona
16523

Box
Papers
Year 1996
£14,190
Rolex Daytona 116503 271490

Rolex
Daytona
116503

Box
Papers
Year 2017
£16,505
Rolex Submariner 116610 LNXXTEST 273667

Rolex
Submariner
116610 LNXXTEST

Box
Papers
Year 2016
£9,555
Rolex Daytona 116500 LN 279387

Rolex
Daytona
116500 LN

Box
Papers
Year 2016
£23,280
Rolex Submariner 16610 265490

Rolex
Submariner
16610

Box
Papers
Year 2008
£8,600
Rolex Daytona 116520 277343

Rolex
Daytona
116520

Box
Papers
Year 2010
£19,350
Rolex Daytona 116520 274562

Rolex
Daytona
116520

Box
Papers
Year 2005
£18,300
Rolex Daytona 116523 252175

Rolex
Daytona
116523

Box
Papers
Year 2013
£20,440
Rolex Daytona 116520 271976

Rolex
Daytona
116520

Box
Papers
Year 2010
£18,820
Rolex Daytona 116520 246210

Rolex
Daytona
116520

Box
Papers
Year 2004
£25,875
Rolex Air-King 126900 282473
Manufacturer's Warranty

Rolex
Air-King
126900

Box
Papers
Year 2022
£7,040
Rolex Daytona 116520 256653

Rolex
Daytona
116520

Box
Papers
Year 2014
£18,025
Rolex Daytona 116523 275138

Rolex
Daytona
116523

Box
Papers
Year 2014
£12,885
Rolex Air-King 114200 271248

Rolex
Air-King
114200

Box
Papers
Year 2010
£4,160

Dive Watches

History

The dive watch, a symbol of adventure and resilience, has a rich and exciting history that stretches back to 1927 when Rolex launched its Oyster model. This innovative watch, with its screw-down case and crown, is considered the first fully water-resistant wristwatch.

Famously, it was worn that year by a young swimmer called Mercedes Gleitz who was the first woman to swim the English Channel. To advertise the feat—and the capabilities of its latest watch—Rolex bought the front page of the most widely read British newspaper of the time, the Daily Mail.

Rolex went on to supply movements to Panerai, who developed the dive watch further with the specialist timepieces they made for the frogmen of the Italian navy in the late 1930s. These early dive watches had a water resistance of 30 metres—unimpressive by today’s standards which requires a dive watch to have a minimum water resistance of 100 metres.

By the mid-1950s, scuba-diving was a popular worldwide pastime due to the invention of the aqualung a decade earlier. This led to a spate of similar-looking dive watches like Blancpain’s Fifty Fathoms, which featured the first rotating bezel—enabling divers to accurately measure immersion time—and the Rolex Submariner. Both these watches were water-resistant to 100 metres, while the Zodiac Sea Wolf, released shortly afterwards, doubled this to 200 metres.

In the decades since, dive watches have become more and more capable of withstanding extreme water pressure. In 2012, Rolex launched its Deepsea Challenge model which boasted an incredible 12,000 metres water resistance. In the same year it was attached to a submersible that Hollywood director James Cameron piloted to the deepest part of the world’s oceans—the Marianas Trench—to a depth of 10,898 metres, surviving the ordeal unscathed.

Key features

Today, dive watches continue to push boundaries, incorporating advanced technologies and materials such as helium escape valves, luminescent dials, and enhanced water resistance.

What sets dive watches apart from other timepieces? Let's look at what makes a dive watch unique, designed specifically for the rigours of underwater exploration.

Firstly, their exceptional water resistance is critical. Unlike standard watches, dive watches can withstand the extreme conditions of deep-sea diving, with a water resistance rating of at least 100 metres and many capable of depths up to 300 metres or much more.

Additional features of a dive watch include a unidirectional rotating bezel for tracking immersion time, bold luminous markers and hands for good visibility in murky conditions, and a helium escape valve to prevent damage during decompression. Most dive watches don’t have the latter as they are only of use in saturation diving when a diver spends time in a decompression chamber.

Some diving watches even incorporate helium-filled cases and built-in depth gauges, allowing divers to monitor their current depth without the need for additional equipment. These features make dive watches a useful tool for underwater exploration, although in an age of wearable dive computers they are more often now used as a back-up option.

One thing every mechanical dive watch must have is a constantly running seconds hand, or some kind of display indicating the watch is running that can be viewed in total darkness.

The science of water Resistance in dive watches

Water resistance is a vital feature of a dive watch. Special seals and gaskets prevent water infiltration, while robust materials like stainless steel or titanium ensure durability and resistance to corrosion. Rigorous testing verifies a dive watch's ability to withstand different pressures and temperatures, simulating the conditions encountered underwater.

Water resistance is measured in metres or bar units, indicating the depth to which the watch can be submerged safely. It's worth noting that factors such as water temperature and movement can affect a diving watch's performance underwater.

Popular dive watch models

The Rolex Submariner is a classic choice, renowned for its robustness and precision, and capable of withstanding depths of up to 300 metres. It was famously worn by James Bond until the 1990s when he swapped one dive watch for another: the equally iconic Omega Seamaster.

Other enduring models that are as timeless as they are stylish include the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms, Breitling Superocean, Panerai Luminor and IWC Aquatimer. Fellow Swiss brands Tudor and TAG Heuer offer more affordable choices like the Black Bay and Aquaracer, respectively.

At Watchfinder, we offer a vast selection of pre-owned luxury dive watches from all of the aforementioned brands, from Rolex to IWC, catering to every budget and taste. Explore our collection and discover the exceptional craftsmanship and performance of these remarkable watches.

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