The 12 Best Luxury Dive Watches for 2024

There are dive watches that you wear to go diving and there are dive watches that you wear — well, maybe afterward, to the country club where you go to talk about diving. It is this latter category that we’re focusing on with this list — so-called “luxury” dive watches, timepieces that still offer all the functionality and toughness one requires of a diver (all of the watches listed come in at 200 meters or more of water resistance) but do so at a higher level of elegance than elevates them from tool watch to dress watch — i.e., precious metal or exotic-material cases, extra complications, exclusive designs, artisanal executions, or a combination of the above, all of which account for their accordingly lofty price points. Here are a dozen that qualify.

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Diver

Price: $30,500, Case Size: 42mm, Thickness: 14.2mm, Water Resistance: 300m, Crystal: Sapphire, Movement: Automatic Audemars Piguet Caliber 4308

Audemars Piguet added a purpose-built dive watch to its Royal Oak Offshore collection of boldly styled sport-luxury timepieces — which spun out of the original, classic Royal Oak series — in 2010. The Royal Oak Offshore Divers feature 42mm cases that are integrated not into metal bracelets (like those of the core Royal Oak models) but into sleek, sporty rubber straps suited for underwater submergence. The cases are water-resistant to 300 meters and the dials, with the hallmark “Mega Tapisserie” textured motif, host a pair of wide luminous hands, blocky luminous indexes, and a date display under a magnifying lens. An inner rotating dive-scale bezel occupies the flange, operable through an extra screw-down crown at 10 o’clock, which enables the watch to retain the stationary, octagonal bezel that epitomizes the Royal Oak collection while still making it functional for diving. The movement inside is the in-house, self-winding Caliber AP 4308, endowed with a 60-hour power reserve. The Royal Oak Offshore Diver are predominantly in stainless steel, but their elite finishing, elaborately decorated movements, and collector appeal elevate them easily into the luxury echelon.

Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Diver Black & Green Bronze

Price: $4,900, Case Size: 42mm, Thickness: 12mm, Lug Width: 24mm, Water Resistance: 300m, Crystal: Sapphire, Movement: Automatic Caliber BR-CAL.302

Bell & Ross is no stranger to bringing tool-oriented design into the realm of luxury; its flagship Instrument collection started as an homage to aircraft dashboard clocks. The brand launched its first divers’ watch, the round-cased Hydromax, in 1997, followed it up with the tonneau-cased BR-02 in 2007, and finally, in 2017, unveiled the BR 03-92, the first dive watch in the square-cased “Instrument” shape for which the brand has become renowned. Introduced in 2024, this version of the BR 03-92 Diver combines a case made of bronze, a material traditionally associated with nautical equipment, with a brilliant green dial. Like its predecessors, the watch’s squared ergonomic case measures 42 mm in diameter and resists water pressure to 300 meters. Its 60-minute unidirectional bezel features a luminescent dot at 12 o’clock for orientation and its crown is protected by an impact-resistant guard, fitted with a rubber insert for easy handling. The sapphire crystal and the solid caseback are both extra-thick and an inner cage made of soft iron inside the case protects the movement — the automatic BR-Cal.302, based on the Sellita SW 300.1 — from the effects of magnetic fields.

Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Automatique 42 Rose Gold

Price: $34,300, Case Size: 42.3mm, Thickness: 14.2mm, Lug Width: 21.5mm, Water Resistance: 300m, Crystal: Sapphire, Movement: Automatic Blancpain Caliber 1315

Released in 1953, the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms is in many respects the granddaddy of all modern divers’ watches, as it was the first one equipped with the now-ubiquitous, locking unidirectional bezel to set dive times as well as establishing new standards for depth and magnetism resistance. The modern, “Automatique” version of the Fifty Fathoms has long been sized at a rather imposing 45mm, but in 2023, for the model’s 70th anniversary, Blancpain rolled out new Automatiques at the Fifty Fathoms’ original 42mm size, with cases made of rose gold or grade 23 titanium. The blue or black dial retains the classic look of the trendsetting 1953 vintage model, and the movement inside, made in-house by Blancpain, is the self-winding Caliber 1315, which stores a five-day power reserve in its three barrels and features a host of high-horology decorations that the wearer can glimpse through a sapphire caseback. Undeniably elegant and historic, the Fifty Fathoms Automatique is also even more robustly built than its ancestor, which was originally meant for military divers: the case maintains 300 meters of water resistance, which is much more than 50 fathoms.

Breitling Superocean Automatic 42 Rose Gold

Price: $22,400, Case Size: 42mm, Thickness: 12.5mm, Lug-to-Lug: 47.7mm, Lug Width: 22mm, Water Resistance: 300m, Crystal: Sapphire, Movement: Automatic Breitling Caliber 17

Breitling’s Superocean dive watch received a vintage-inspired update in 2022, with a design hearkening back to the rare and mostly forgotten “Slow Motion” models of the 1960s, notable for their 60-minute central chronograph hand. On the new models, this central hand, which rotated around the dial only once per hour rather than once per minute, has given way to a more conventional running seconds hand with a circular tip that pays a subtle tribute to the  6 o’clock “dot” on the dials of the 1960s and ‘70s models. The large, luminous square of the historical watch’s “slow motion” hand now finds a home on the main minutes hand, paired with a wide sword hour hand. The chunky square indexes, also a nod to the vintage models, are luminous-coated for optimum legibility. The dive-scale inserts on the bezels are made from scratch-proof ceramic. Intended for lifestyle situations as well as underwater sport, the new Superocean comes in a variety of executions and case materials including one that uses 18k rose gold for the case, crown and buckle.

Glashütte Original Spezialist SeaQ Red Gold

Price: $23,400, Case Size: 39.5mm, Thickness: 12.15mm, Water Resistance: 200m, Crystal: Sapphire, Movement: Automatic Glashütte Original Caliber 39-11

The SeaQ dive watch hails from Glashütte Original’s Spezialist collection of sport-luxury timepieces inspired by the Spezimatic Type RP TS 200, a watch developed by the German brand’s Cold War-era predecessor, the state-owned GUB, for recreational divers and released in 1969. Its round case, here in brushed and polished rose gold, measures 39.5 mm in diameter, and the unidirectional dive-scale bezel includes a black ceramic insert to match the black dial, with its distinctive luminous handset and date window at 3 o’clock. Like its brethren in the Spezialist collection, the SeaQ meets the (German) DIN 8306 and (international) ISO 6425 standards for dive watches, and its solid engraved caseback protects the in-house Glashütte Original Caliber 39-11, with its 40-hour power reserve, from water pressures down to 200 meters. The watch is mounted on a black rubber strap that can be switched out with a gray NATO textile strap.

Grand Seiko Evolution 9 Spring Drive 5 Day Divers 200M “Ushio”

Price: $11,600, Case Size: 43.8mm, Thickness: 13.8mm, Lug Width: 23mm, Water Resistance: 200m, Crystal: Sapphire, Movement: Spring Drive Caliber 9RA5

Following up Grand Seiko’s 2022 launch of its Evolution 9 collection, which takes inspiration from a trend-setting model from 1967, the Japanese manufacture released a new, luxuriously appointed divers’ watch with an entirely new dial texture in 2023. The Ref. SLGA203 “Ushio” (from the Japanese word for “tide”) is distinguished by its 43.8mm case made of high-intensity titanium, its blue rotating divers’ bezel made of ceramic, and by the cascading-waves dial texture that lends it its name, which visually references the ocean currents in the coastal waters of Japan. The prominent hands and markers are all coated in Lumibrite, helping to maintain legibility deep underwater, to a depth of 200 meters. The case holds the recently introduced Spring Drive Caliber 9R05 with five full days of power reserve, a 60 percent increase from that of its predecessor, Caliber 9R6. The 120-hour power reserve is stored in two barrels of different sizes, better for torque and for optimizing the use of space. Caliber 9RA5 is the first Spring Drive movement equipped with a sensor to monitor its internal temperature and to compensate for any related changes in the crystal’s oscillation rate: now, that’s luxury.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Mariner Memovox

Price: $20,600, Case Size: 42mm, Thickness: 15.63mm, Water Resistance: 300m, Crystal: Sapphire, Movement: Automatic Breguet Caliber 582QA

Jaeger-LeCoultre introduced the original Memovox Polaris in 1968 as the first diver’s watch outfitted with a mechanical alarm function. The maison revived the Polaris name, and the 1968 dual-crown, sector-dial design of the original watch, for its sportiest collection in 2018, and followed up with the streamlined, even more robustly built Mariner subfamily in 2020. The Mariner Memovox is the model that most closely resembles the vintage model (the collection also includes chronographs, three-hands, and world timers): its triple-crown-operated mechanical alarm function, in the modern Caliber 956, is a direct descendant of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s first self-winding alarm movement, with three crowns to control the alarm function and time setting. The first crown winds the alarm and then sets the alarm and date when it’s pulled out; the middle crown adjusts the bidirectional inner rotating bezel for dive times; and the lower crown pulls out to adjust the time on the hour and minute hands. The alarm is built to be heard underwater, even if the owner is more likely to use it to remind him of an appointment or the start of Happy Hour.

Omega Seamaster Diver 300M “007 Edition” Master Chronometer

Price: $8,900, Case Size: 42mm, Thickness: 13mm, Lug-to-Lug: 49.6mm, Lug Width: 20mm, Water Resistance: 300m, Crystal: Sapphire, Movement: Automatic Omega Caliber 8806

What screams “luxury” louder than a watch worn by the world’s most stylish superspy, James Bond? This Omega Seamaster Diver 300M “007 Edition” bears the design input of Daniel Craig himself, who wore the watch as Bond in 2022’s “No Time to Die.” It features a 42mm titanium case, a scalloped-edge rotating divers’ bezel with an aluminum insert, an automatic helium release valve, and a brown “tropical” dial with vintage-hued lume and a British armed-forces-inspired “broad arrow” marking above 6 o’clock — a reference to Bond’s backstory as a naval officer. The case’s 300-meter water resistance is aided by a screw-down crown. Equipped with Omega’s Master Chronometer Caliber 8806, the model comes on either a NATO strap or a steel mesh bracelet, ensuring it can be worn with either a dinner jacket or a dive suit.

Panerai Submersible QuarantaQuattro Carbotech Blu Abisso

Price: $18,600, Case Size: 44mm, Lug Width: 24mm, Water Resistance: 300m, Crystal: Sapphire, Movement: Automatic Panerai Caliber P.900

Once regarded solely as a purveyor of huge, chunky watches with a rugged retro-military charm, Panerai has widened the scope of its offerings to appeal to more consumers with a variety of tastes and wrist sizes. The Submersible QuarantaQuattro models are the latest nod to the trend, with 44mm case sizes that occupy the midrange between the massive 47mm diameter of the first-generation Submersible and the reduced 42mm of subsequent models. Retaining the model’s hallmark, patented crown-protecting bridge device as well as its professional-grade 300-meter water resistance, the stealth-stylish QuarantaQuattro Carbotech Blu Abisso joined the lineup in 2022. Its case is made of Carbotech, an ultra-lightweight, corrosion-resistant material constructed of carbon fibers developed by Panerai. The black textured case’s unidirectional divers’ bezel frames the deep blue dial. Panerai’s in-house automatic Caliber P.900 ticks inside, driving the hours, minutes, small seconds at 9 o’clock, and date indication at 3 o’clock, and stores in its single barrel a power reserve of three days. Harmonizing with the Blu Abisso dial is a sturdy blue rubber strap with a trapezoidal buckle made of DLC-coated titanium that echoes the black tones of the case.

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Deepsea Yellow Gold

Price: $52,100, Case Size: 44mm, Water Resistance: 3,900m, Crystal: Sapphire, Movement: Automatic Rolex Caliber 3235

Rolex tripled down on the remarkable water-resistance of its Sea-Dweller dive watch (itself a more robust extension of the original, iconic Submariner from 1953) with the first Sea-Dweller Deepsea in 2008, a titanium-cased watch that measured a hefty 44mm in diameter and boasted an unheard-of depth rating of 3,990 meters, or 12,800 feet. At Watches & Wonders Geneva 2024, Rolex introduced the Deepsea (now separate from the Sea-Dweller and positioned as the third and most extreme of Rolex’s triumvirate of dive watches) for the first time in a case and bracelet made fully of yellow gold. Technically, the case combines a middle section in gold, a rotating Cerachrom bezel in blue ceramic with yellow-gold PVD numerals, and a hermetically sealed caseback made of titanium. The case features an automatic helium release valve for saturation diving and an extra-thick crystal (5.5mm) to withstand the crushing depths at which the watch is built to function. The blue lacquered dial has the familiar luminous Mercedes handset and shaped hour markers established way back in the 1950s by the Submariner, here with the inscription “Deepsea” in a contrasting gold powder. The ceramic-based Ringlock system securely protects the movement, Rolex’s automatic Caliber 3235.

Tudor Black Bay 58 18K

Price: $32,000, Case Size: 39mm, Thickness: 12.7mm, Water Resistance: 200m, Crystal: Sapphire, Movement: Automatic Tudor Caliber MT5400

Tudor released the Black Bay 58, an evolution of its core Black Bay series, in 2018 in response to consumer demand for smaller case sizes and greater vintage authenticity. Named for the year 1958 — in which its historical influencer, the Tudor Oyster Prince Submariner Ref. 7924, debuted — the Black Bay 58 series has spawned several high-end executions that stand above most of the Black Bay line in terms of elegance and exclusivity. The latest is the Black Bay 58 18K, the first model in full yellow gold. Both the 39mm case and the bracelet feature a predominantly satin-brushed finish for a luxurious yet non-flashy presentation. The “golden green” of the dial, with matte-gold details like the familiar geometric indexes and “Snowflake” hands, is a shade specially chosen to resonate harmoniously with the case and the matte-green bezel, made of anodized aluminum. The bracelet, which is minus the retro-style rivets of its steel predecessors, has Tudor’s “T-fit” clasp for easy lengthening and a comfortable closure. The movement inside is the COSC-certified automatic MT5400, with bidirectional winding and a 70-hour power reserve.

Ulysse Nardin Diver X Skeleton 44mm

Price: $27,000, Case Size: 44mm, Thickness: 16mm, Water Resistance: 200m, Crystal: Sapphire, Movement: Automatic Caliber UN-372

Ulysse Nardin has a unique heritage that blends a historical connection to seafaring, as maker of marine chronometers for the world’s navies in the 19th and 20th centuries, and a modern devotion to avant-garde horological innovation, the latter as exemplified by the brand’s iconoclastic Freak models. Both disciplines come together in the Diver X Skeleton, here in a titanium case, with white rubber for its diving-bezel insert and its strap, and a dial-side view of the self-winding, openworked UN-372 caliber. Ulysse Nardin makes other high-end dive watches, particularly in its Marine collection, but this model’s exceedingly rare marriage of dive watch and skeleton watch earns it a spot on this list of notables. The “X” that dominates the skeleton dial has a tiered construction that allows it to anchor the hands and hour markers, which appear to float above the technical depths of the dial. As with most Ulysse Nardin movements, Caliber UN-372 is loaded with silicon parts for greater magnetic resistance and a substantial power reserve — in this case, a full 96 hours.