Fratello’s Top 5 Dive Watches Of 2024 — Featuring Omega, Doxa, Seiko, And More

Another Friday, another list! It’s the last Friday of the year and, therefore, also the last list of 2024. We could still make plenty of lists about the best watches of 2024, but we decided to go ahead and release one final list looking back at the past 12 months and leave it at that. Sure, we could cover the best chronographs, dress watches, complicated watches, etc. But we decided to go with the best dive watches of 2024. After all, dive watches are the kind that lands on our Fratello desks the most often. On top of that, we have seen some amazing takes on the genre. So here are our five favorite divers of 2024.

We had many different ideas when Nacho and I started contemplating this year’s final list. That was until we figured out that dive watches had taken a bit of a backseat this year. With the popularity of shaped watches, stone dials, dress watches, reissues of stylish vintage classics, and some outstanding high-end complicated watches, it seemed that dive watches didn’t have the spotlight in 2024. And that shows in the first several best-of-2024 lists by the Fratello writers, including the one by yours truly. While dive watches might not have been the main story of the year, it hasn’t been a quiet year for the category at all. On top of that, it is still probably the most popular genre for a lot of our readers. This gives us plenty of reasons to round off the year with our five favorite divers.

Omega Seamaster Professional Diver 300M

Let’s kick this list off with a recent release. We knew it had to come at some point after we saw it on the wrist of Daniel Craig during the Summer Olympics in Paris earlier this year. When it did, we finally had a chance to check out what we thought would be pretty awesome. And in all fairness, it is! We recently reported on all three of the new Seamaster Diver 300M introductions, which show the variety the design allows. While the “Silver Surfer” that Lex adores and the green titanium Bronze Gold version are great examples of this, the “standard” black version is probably the most popular with a large audience.

I had a chance to go hands-on with the watch and loved every second of the experience. The new Seamaster fixes many of the practical issues I have with the regular model. Additionally, the mesh bracelet adds an elegant vintage twist to the watch, which it carries well. The new Seamaster still has a 42mm stainless steel case that is 13.8mm thick and measures 49.7mm from lug to lug.

Within the case lies a super nice black aluminum dial that revives the fine wave pattern of the ’90s Seamasters. Large applied luminous indexes create a nicely balanced dial without a date window. Finally, the bezel insert is aluminum to match the dial and give the watch a more retro-focused appeal.

An easy first pick for this list

Inside the case, you will find the tried-and-true Master Chronometer caliber 8806, the perfect engine for this Seamaster. On the wrist, the quality of the watch is impressive. The bracelet offers a nice taper from 20mm to 18mm at the clasp, and the comfort is great.

Admittedly, we didn’t like the stacking of both ends and the added thickness of the clasp, which ended up being bulky. Other than that, though, this new version of the Seamaster Professional Diver 300M is a great addition to the lineup. As the comments showed, many of our readers prefer this one over the regular version. This indicates that Omega did an awesome job with this new Seamaster, making it an easy first pick for this list.

Doxa Sub 200T

One of the nicest surprises of this year was the Doxa Sub 200T. A smaller, slimmer, and therefore more wearable Doxa turned out to be a great next move for Doxa. We have seen the brand introduce fancier versions of its classics, which led to mixed reactions. But this new line of Sub 200T watches quickly garnered lots of praise. Sure, if you prefer the “real deal,” the Sub 300T is the way to go. But if you like the typical Doxa aesthetic and prefer a comfortable daily wearer, this is your pick. The watches feature a 39mm stainless steel case that is 41.5mm long and 10.7mm thick.

Besides the friendly dimensions, the designers also balanced out the proportions nicely. This ensures that the watch sits very nicely on the wrist, which is the key to a nice daily wearer. Inside the case, you will find the trusted Sellita SW200-1 as a reliable movement to power the watch.

As Thomas explained in his review, the new Sub 200T is a great watch for people who love the classic Doxa looks but don’t like the size and bulkiness of the Sub 300 or Sub 300T.

If that sounds like you, the Sub 200T is the answer. The biggest challenge is finding your preferred dial color and finish. Doxa offers quite a few of them, including the new Sea Emerald green with gold-tone accents that look super stylish. The best thing is that Doxa offers the new Sub 200T for €1,550 on rubber and €1,590 on the bracelet. At those prices, these new Sub 200T models are tempting and, therefore, a great second pick for this list.

Seiko Prospex SPB483

Seiko is one of the brands we immediately look at compiling a list like this. The Japanese watch giant graced us with another long stream of new releases in 2024. When it comes to the Prospex divers, there was a lot to discuss. We saw two new Marinemaster models based on the 1968 Diver, which revealed that the Marinemaster name will now be used for multiple models.

Additionally, the brand introduced the successors to the SPB143, which showcased several impressive improvements to the popular Prospex model. But the biggest Prospex introduction of the year was a trio featuring a new case and an octagonal bezel. The Seiko Prospex SPB481, SPB483, and SPB485 divers had people talking.

The immediate visual reference is obvious. Due to the octagonal bezel, you know what most watch fans draw parallels to immediately. And to be perfectly honest, so did we at Fratello. But once you get past that initial reference and start seeing the watch for what it is, there are a lot of interesting details to unpack. We were impressed by the modern case shape and its angular lugs. It’s a beautifully sculpted case that measures 41.3mm in diameter, 48.2mm from lug to lug, and 12.5mm thick. It is combined with dials inspired by flowing coastlines, and the pairing works well.

The shade of blue used for the SPB483 is brilliant

The best of the three models for us was the blue SPB483. This was thanks to its combination of a blue bezel insert and dial, making it the most attractive. A big part of that attraction comes from Seiko’s shade of blue. It’s a rich, deep blue that looks superbly stylish. That becomes especially clear once you have the watch on your wrist. That’s also where it shows how well the Seiko designers combined a new silhouette and injected it with all the Prospex ingredients to make it feel like a proper Seiko diver.

The watch is perfectly proportioned, creating a nice visual balance, and the comfortable bracelet with polished and brushed links adds to the visual attraction of the SPB483. What seemed like an oddball shape at first turned out to be a great new addition to the Prospex lineup that makes perfect sense. At €1,200, it is one of the most interesting dive watches that Seiko currently offers, and despite its divisive shape, we quickly began to love this third pick for our list.

Tudor Black Bay Master Chronometer “Monochrome”

When Tudor announced the “Monochrome” version of the Black Bay Master Chronometer, it didn’t come as a big surprise. Still, there was no denying how good it was. Last year, we saw the burgundy version of the same watch. It was a slimmed-down version of the 41mm Black Bay with an updated Tudor caliber MT5602-U, which carries a METAS Master Chronometer certification.

It was an impressive update to the standard Black Bay, but some Fratello team members agreed that the burgundy version wasn’t the one to go for. This year’s new black version immediately showed why. The watch shakes the retro feel through the absence of gold details and beige lume. This great design decision makes this the perfect modern version of the vintage-inspired Black Bay.

Many people, including yours truly, often ask whether Tudor will ever bring back the Submariner. The answer is this new Black Bay. It ticks all the boxes you could want and need to come as close to the classic Tudor and Rolex Submariners as possible. The watch has a perfectly proportioned case with a 41mm diameter, 13.6mm total thickness (including the crystal), and 50mm length. It also has a 200m depth rating and a 21mm lug spacing.

The perfect modern-day Sub with the appeal of the classics

Tudor offers this watch with a black rubber strap or two bracelet options, but the undisputed winner for me is the classic Oyster-style bracelet with its faux rivets. The other option is a Jubilee-style bracelet, but the Oyster-style one makes this watch the perfect modern Tudor Sub with just the right injection of vintage appeal. At €4,510, it’s simply the full package. It’s a modern daily wearer with the style and appeal of the classic Submariners, and it can be yours for a fraction of the price of the vintage models. While it might not have been as surprising as the Black Bay 58 GMT that also came out, the Tudor Black Bay Master Chronometer “Monochrome” is a solid fourth pick for our list.

Singer Divetrack

The last entry for this year’s final list is the brilliant Singer Divertrack. If you are a diver, you will have loved what Singer came up with for this new dive watch. The brand essentially redefined what a dive watch can be. With a handful of trained divers on the Fratello team, it’s no surprise that the watch was met with lots of excitement. But even if you are not a diver, you will love what Singer has created in its typical style. To understand the watch, you must leave any conventional thoughts about what a diving chronograph is at the door. They will only confuse you.

The Divetrack uses the concept of a chronograph to time your entire dive journey. That concept is breathtaking and all about Dive, Chill, and Fly. It starts with a titanium case, which is a whopping 49mm in diameter and 19.67mm thick.

However, as Robert-Jan mentioned in his review, this is the ultimate diving tool, not a luxury watch that finds a spot under the cuff of your ironed shirt. The design finds the perfect balance of Singer’s signature style with little hints of great dive classics, such as the Seamaster 600 PloProf and the Seiko (Grandfather) Tuna 6159-7010 from the 1970s.

The diving journey brought to life by the concept of Dive, Chill, and Fly

Singer uses the Dive, Chill, and Fly principle to tell you how much time is necessary between the three activities. As any diver can tell you, the human body needs enough time between dives to get rid of the gases it absorbs. As Robert-Jan explained, these gases will exit the tissues, enter the blood, and be exhaled into the atmosphere again.

This process is not instantaneous, and in the first six “chill” hours, it is recommended to determine how long you should stay surfaced depending on your previous dive time, depth, etc. If you want to get on a plane after a dive, you must wait at least 18 hours, which the watch also indicates. The watch tracks the entire dive journey before you move on to another dive or travel to a different destination.

It’s a fascinating concept brought to life by the AgenGraphe 24-h Automatic Chronograph movement. This caliber consists of 479 components, including 56 jewels. It ticks at 21,600vph and offers a power reserve of 72 hours. This is a proper piece of high horology that revolutionizes the world of mechanical dive watches. While the watch’s CHF 85,000 price makes it one for the happy few, we love this Singer Divetrack. It’s a refreshing take on a dive watch and an impressive piece of engineering. Add the characteristic Singer looks, and you easily have one of this year’s best dive watches and the perfect last pick for our list.

Final thoughts on the best dive watches of 2024

As always with a year-end list, we could have picked many more great watches for this one. However, we feel that these five dive watches perfectly represent the diversity of the genre in terms of functionality, design, and price points. Some other notable dive watches that came out this year include the new Oris Divers Date, the impressive Christopher Ward C60 Trident Lumière, the ultra-capable Montblanc Iced Sea 0 Oxygen Deep 4810, the colorful Nezumi Baleine LE and Breitling Rainbow models, the long-awaited 42mm Blancpain Fifty Fathoms, the modern reissue of the Zenith Defy A3648, the Zenith Defy Extreme Diver, and, finally, our collaborative Jacques Bianchi Marseille × Fratello JB200 PoulPro Night Diver Limited Edition. And that is just a small selection of the great dive watches of 2024!

Lastly, a special mention goes to the Christopher Ward × seconde/seconde/ C65 Desk Diver, which was a fun play on the way that most watch fans use their dive watches. It is the perfect lighthearted ending to our final list for 2024. I have nothing more to say other than to wish you a happy new year, and we’ll see you in 2025 for more watch-related lists!