Dive into summer

As we cruise into summer, it’s a relief to learn that the coronavirus is not at home in water, which makes water sports an attractive alternative to failed attempts at social distancing on a crowded beach. We’ve made our selection of the dive watches introduced so far this year, or during the second half of last year. Take one for a deep-sea test drive or maybe just enjoy some snorkelling in the sun.

Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Diver Full Lum

Legible, functional, accurate, rugged and reliable – Bell & Ross ticks all the boxes with its latest dive watch, including water-resistance to 300 metres. The BR 03-92 Diver Full Lum takes its name from its exceptional luminosity. The entire dial is coated with green SuperLuminova™ C5 while the hour markers as well as the numerals on the bezel are filled with green SuperLuminova™ C3 for contrast. The result is an ultra-bright and long-lasting glow.

Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Mokarran Limited Edition

Introduced in the early 1950s, the Fifty Fathoms made its mark as one of the first ever professional dive watches. It also sealed Blancpain’s connection with the sea. As part of its commitment to protecting the world’s oceans, the brand has dedicated this limited-edition Bathyscaphe in black ceramic to a project to measure and identify great hammerhead sharks. Submersible to 300 metres, its dial and bezel bring a new colour – tropical green – to the collection.

Breitling Superocean Heritage '57

The Superocean Heritage ’57 is a capsule collection (produced for a limited period only) that takes its cue from a watch that Breitling produced in 1957. Water-resistant to 100 metres and powered by the COSC-certified Breitling 10 calibre, it riffs on the enduringly popular trend for vintage watches and, says the brand, “embodies the cool, laid-back surfing lifestyle of the 1950s and 1960s.” Its standout feature has to be the bidirectional concave steel bezel with a scratch-resistant ceramic bezel ring.

Glashütte Original Panorama Date Bicolor

When Glashütte Original introduced the SeaQ in 2019, it set the ball rolling on a new collection: a fresh interpretation of the Spezimatic Typ TS 200 – its first dive watch, launched in 1969. This year the Saxon-based brand is making waves in the sport-luxe segment, one of this year’s hottest trends, with two new versions of the SeaQ Panorama Date. One is in red gold and one, shown here, is in steel and red gold. The award-winning Calibre 36 ensures precision and reliability for this watch with a 300 metres depth rating.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Date

Inspired by the Polaris II from 1970, this limited edition with date display presents a new gradient dial in blue with a hand-lacquered sunray finish. Water-resistant to 200 metres, it is recognisable at a glance by its large Arabic numerals, trapezoidal markers and baton hands, all coated with vanilla-coloured SuperLuminovaTM. Equally distinctive are the two prominent crowns: one to set the time, measured by the in-house Calibre 899A/1, and one to operate the inner rotating bezel.

Omega Seamaster Diver 300M 007 Edition

Originally scheduled for release in April, then postponed to autumn due to the global pandemic, No Time to Die is the latest in the James Bond saga. Daniel Craig again does the honours as the debonair secret agent while an Omega Seamaster makes sure the action is perfectly timed. This model, water-resistant to 300 metres, is specifically designed with military needs in mind. From the box-shaped sapphire crystal to the tropical brown dial in aluminium and the titanium caseback, stamped with codes for military-issue watches, this Seamaster is clearly cut out for action.

Oris Great Barrier Reef Limited Edition III

This third Great Barrier Reef dive watch carries on Oris’ actions in favour of ocean conservation through a partnership with the Reef Restoration Foundation. Based on the Oris Aquis and presented as a limited edition of 2,000 pieces, it comes in a 43.5mm steel case with 300-metre water-resistance and a blue dial. The movement inside is the Oris 743 automatic calibre with small seconds and a radial date display with yellow pointer.

Panerai Luminor Marina Fibratech™ (Pam1663)

Panerai has declared 2020 the year of the Luminor, with releases in new high-tech materials. For this version, which has a depth rating of 300 metres, the brand has developed a case in a composite of natural, eco-sustainable basalt fibre. First tapped by the aeronautic industry, Fibratech™ is 60% lighter than steel, with great strength and extremely high resistance to corrosion. Distinguished by its nuances of mat grey, it combines with CarbotechTM for the crown. The movement is the in-house P.9010 measuring 6mm high.

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Sea-Dweller

This new iteration of the Oyster Perpetual Sea-Dweller in yellow Rolesor – a combination of Oystersteel and 18k yellow gold – marks the first use of a precious metal in the Sea-Dweller collection, making this a highly desirable sport-luxe watch. Living up to the 1,220-metre water-resistance, the next-generation Perpetual 3235 movement delivers remarkable precision, autonomy, robustness and reliability.

Seiko 1968 Professional Diver’s 300m Re-creation

This year sees the 55th anniversary of Seiko’s first dive watch, a model with an automatic movement and 150-metre water-resistance that earned its stripes on the Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition from 1966 to 1969. The Japanese brand is marking the occasion with three watches that faithfully reproduce models made in 1965, 1968 and 1975. The re-creation of the 1968 watch can dive to 300 metres. Power comes from the in-house 8L55 calibre, a hi-beat movement delivering 55 hours of power reserve.

Tudor Black Bay Bronze

Winner of the “Petite Aiguille” prize (awarded to a watch under CHF 5,000) at the 2016 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, Tudor‘s Black Bay Bronze resurfaced last year with a slate grey gradient dial. Water-resistant to 200 metres and a symbol of the brand’s naval heritage, the bronze of its 43mm case is a nod to the brass found on old ship fittings and diving equipment. Inside beats the in-house MT5601 movement. Chronometer-certified by the COSC, it provides 70 hours of power reserve.

Ulysse Nardin Diver Chronograph 44

Speaking at end 2019, Ulysse Nardin Chief Executive Patrick Pruniaux described the Diver line as having had a “360° refresh”. The brand spent a year revamping the collection, starting with the Diver 44mm and 42mm that launched in 2018, followed in November 2019 by the Diver X and Lady Diver. Now the spotlight is on the chronograph executions, and especially this Hammerhead Shark limited edition in a 44mm diameter. Water-resistant to 300 metres, it is driven by the in-house UN-150 movement with silicon escapement.