Top 5 Cool Diver Watches For This Summer

Here are our Top 5 coolest watches for the 2019 beach season.

If you are one of those guys who has designated watches for different occasions and places, chances are you probably have a beach/holiday watch. For some, a holiday watch is the same as a beater. A timepiece you can wear carelessly whether you are doing some work around the house, messing with your car in the garage or playing in the pool with the kids. Others wear one watch all day, every day. A Rolex Submariner, an Omega Seamaste perhaps a Seiko Turtle or whatever else. Again others and I’m also one of these guys, have watches for different occasions; dress watch for the suit and tie, bigger sports watches for the jeans and t-shirt attire and even “holiday” watches that I take to the beach/lake/swimming pool with me but they also work while I’m out for dinner. Today we’d have our Top 5 Cool Diver Watches for this summer.

Diving legends

Top 5 Cool Diver Watches

The list contains some well-known names as well as smaller companies. We tried to make it as versatile as possible. This is a subjective list. There are tons of other watches and brands out there that offer great models. But as the name Top 5 suggest we only have space for five different watches this time. I also picked various makers and price points from €500 to €10,000 and above. So, whether you want an inexpensive and fun piece that gets the job done without much of an investment. Or you have a few thousand euros to spare, but still, want to look the part in the beach club. We got you covered.

~ €500 – Baltic Aquascaphe

The perfect example that an excellent diver does not have to cost an arm and a leg. The Baltic Aquascaphe has tons of character. It combines vintage feel with modern aesthetics. The beads-of-rice bracelet does not only look great but wears very comfortably, and it complements the watch as it should. With the three dial colour options, everyone will find their favourite. Let that be one with blue dial and faux patina (Blue Gilt) to look more vintage, or black with modern white markers (Black Silver) for contemporary looks. Get it on the bracelet, and you have a watch not only for the beach but for the dinner table in the evening. Or go sporty and choose the rubber. The Miyota movement is a good and cost-efficient movement that keep the price of the Baltic Aquascaphe at a little under €600 (on the rubber). Great bang for the buck.

~ €1,000 – Seiko Sumo Prospex

There’s no Top 5 Diver article without at least one Seiko. Facts. The Japanese brands are known for affordable timepieces that hold up amazingly well. Seiko divers are not only great pieces, but they are also in fashion these days. The one I picked is one of their latest release, The Sumo Prospex from Baselworld 2019. It is not a new line but a refreshing of a best-seller in the Seiko model palette. Prospex stayed the same since 2007, so it was time to freshen up the looks. This is what Seiko did with the new SPB101J1 (black bezel) and SPB103J1 (green bezel) models. If you are a traditional guy, the 101J1 is your watch, but in case you need a pop of colour the green bezel version is one watch you should consider. Amazingly well built, wears perfectly and under 1k at €850. That’s what I call a bargain.

~ €2,500 – Longines Skin Diver

We’re jumping on our budget list from 1k to 2.5k to bring you something special. Mind you, €2.5K  is already quite a budget where you have many options from Doxa (Sub 300) to Oris (Divers Sixty-Five) and more. I promise in the next Top 5 article I’ll talk about them. But now I want to bring your attention to the Longines Skin Diver. A watch that was only rumoured for a long time, and when we finally saw it, we were blown away by it. The Skin Diver is a re-edition of a vintage Longines divers watch and as such, similarly to the Baltic; it packs a punch for vintage lovers. The look is the 1960s, but the execution is 2010s. It is a watch that you definitely should go and check out in person. The wrist presence is perfect. And the price? A little under €2.5k at €2,460.

~ €5,000 – Omega Seamaster 300M

If it is/was good enough for James Bond, it’s good enough for us too. The Seamaster 300M is a legend. A watch that came to the market +25 years ago as an entirely new model. And what a bang its arrival was to the market. Two years after its introduction in 1993, the Seamaster 300M made it to the wrist of aforementioned British top-spy, and that kickstarted its success among watch – and James Bond fans. The latest generation managed to offer new looks and features while still staying true to the original design. The Seamaster 300M is a perfect daily wearer not only while on vacation. You can dress it up or down with a matching strap. And you can get it under €5,000 (€4,800).

Three generations of Seamaster 300M

~ €10,000 – Panerai Submersible PAM00959

The most expensive watch on our list is Panerai’s Submersible PAM000959. In a lot of ways, the 959 is very Panerai. In other ways, it is not like any of the previous models at all. The case shape, the crown guard, well the overall design of the watch has the typical Panerai DNA.

On the other hand, it is smaller than your average PAM at 42mm. The grey sharkskin motif dial is also a feature you won’t often see from this brand. Not to mention the combination of the light grey (of the dial) with the royal blue (of the bezel). It has a summer beach vibe, mind you at this price point the timepieces you can choose from are endless. Most brands offer a diver at or below this amount. We are talking about €9,500 retail for this 42mm Panerai.

If you want to check out some more diver watches that we covered on Fratello in the past, click here.