INTO THE DEEP
If you’re devoting full time to floating under the sea, you’ll need a watch built to cope
When did this craze for diving watches start? And, seeing as nothing lasts forever, when will it all end? The 1926 Rolex Oyster was the first watch to offer decent water resistance. Then in the Thirties, Panerai (with Rolex’s help) made the Radiomir for the Italian navy. But neither meets the modern standard that defines a dive watch: at least 100m water resistance, with a mechanism for recording elapsed time.
The first proper diving watches came along in the Fifties. The Blancpain Fifty Fathoms arrived in 1953 after the Swiss company was asked by the French military to equip its divers. The 100m water resistance gave the groundbreaking watch its name – a fathom is 1.8 metres, so 50 fathoms is about 91.5m. The next year saw the arrival of the best known of all dive watches, the Rolex Submariner, which in technically updated but stylistically familiar form is still one of the company’s most lusted after models.
These watches laid the formula that exists today. While 100m is the minimum, many now go far deeper, with some capable of going thousands of metres down. But it’s no good having a functioning watch if you can’t read it, so they need big faces and glowing markings that can be read in murky waters.
Diving began as a professional enterprise, but the Fifties saw more people diving just for fun. As the sport spread, the diving watch exploded in popularity. Then another invention came along in 1983: the first commercially available dive computer. This was an electronic device that did everything a mechanical watch could do and more.
This should have been the end of the dive watch, yet it thrived. Most people who own them now don’t even dive – but this is the most popular type of sports watch you can buy. Yes, there are practical reasons; a watch that’s legible underwater is legible in above-water murk too. And proper divers swear by them as a back-up in case the electrics fail.
But the real reason is slightly different, and similar to why people buy SUVs. If you drive on tarmac roads, you don’t really need a 4x4. If you spend your days sitting indoors, you probably don’t need a watch that can go to the bottom of the sea. But it’s nice to know it could, you know, just in case. When will the diving watch craze end? When we stop dreaming of adventures. And that doesn’t look like being any time soon.
ROLEX SUBMARINER
It’s fast approaching its 70th birthday, but punters are excited about it like it’s just been invented. The secret to the ongoing appeal, beyond the strength of the original design, are the subtle updates: latest model has a slightly increased case size of 41mm, and features a scratch-resistant Cerachrom bezel with 60-minute graduations to monitor diving time and decompression stops, and large luminous markers. Case available in either Oystersteel, Oystersteel and gold, or solid gold, with matching Oyster bracelet. Water resistant to 300m. From £6,450; rolex.com
ORIS WHALE SHARK LIMITED EDITION
Based on the Aquis GMT and limited to 2,016 pieces, this Oris marks the year it was announced the whale shark population had halved. It was made in support of the work of explorer Gerardo del Villar, who is committed to protecting the endangered fish. Water resistant to 300m with 43.5mm case. £2,250; oris.ch
CWC REORG TACTICAL DIVER
The Cabot Watch Company started in Bristol in 1972, supplying the armed forces. Built to strict MoD standards, this diver was made for the Royal Marines and SBS. This special edition is in support of REORG, a charity that helps service personnel overcome mental and physical health issues. Water resistant to 300m. £695; cwcwatch.com
CITIZEN PROMASTER DIVER
A lot of watch for the money. Citizen’s eco-drive movement means your watch is powered by the sun, so you never need change the battery. The 42mm steel case is water resistant to a more-than-adequate 200m. With blue rubber strap and blue luminous hands and dial markings. £249; citizenwatch.co.uk