JOIN THE MARINES
Even if you’re unlikely to brave the depths, a stylish and robust dive watch will help you withstand the pressure when faced with sharks in the boardroom. Horology expert Chris Hall shows you how to take the plunge
Looking back at the 150-odd years of wristwatch history, from billion-euro luxury powerhouses to budding contemporary micro-brands, it’s arguable that no factor has had such a disproportionate influence on watch design as the world of diving.
Some of us are partial to a scuba session from time to time. But dive watches, or models that have a close genetic link to them, are ever-present in the line-ups of watch brands and sell in their hundreds of thousands each year. Military watches – particularly the “field” and “pilot” watches of the Second World War – are perhaps more widespread, but they cater to a far greater demand. Far fewer people have ever needed a watch that can comfortably descend to 100m below sea level, yet they surround us as though we are a nation of submariners.
Their popularity is partly down to our knowledge that making a watch impermeable to water is quite a feat. Just one drop can ruin the movement, discolour the dial, or fog up the inside of the crystal. So, the technical tolerances necessary to ensure this tiny engine – with its hundreds of moving parts, plus a crown that pulls out to set or wind it – can tick along at depths unpenetrated by light is a true engineering accomplishment.
But that’s not the whole story. The magic of a dive watch is that it does its job and looks the part at the same time. Imagine the stylistic compromises that would be necessary if you were to equip your car for life underwater. It’s possible to look at submersibles and be impressed by what you see, but rarely are they held up as icons of beauty. Yet, right from the get-go, the Blancpains, Rolexes and Omegas that first conquered the deep did so in considerable style.
Meanwhile, the submarine capabilities of dive watches give you the confidence that they can handle workaday scenarios with ease. I own more dive watches than any other, but have never ventured deeper than the bottom of a pool. Still, it’s one less thing to worry about – and in 2020, who isn’t looking for ways to worry less?
Here are five of the year’s most striking models, all equally comfortable swimming with marine life as they are being paired with your boardroom-tobar wardrobe. Dive in. Chris Hall is Mr Porter’s senior watch editor
01 Tudor Black Bay 58 Blue £2,520 The Black Bay 58 pays homage to Tudor’s first 200m-rated dive watch, issued 62 years ago. This new navy-blue version harks back to the Marine Nationales produced for the French navy from 1969. It’s a better size than the regular Black Bay and, thanks to this singlestripe strap, more suave, too. TUDORWATCH.COM
02 Breitling Heritage Superocean £3,400 Breitling’s latest addition to its vintage-inspired dive watch range is the product of a partnership with surfer Kelly Slater’s sustainable fashion label, Outerknown. Rated to 200m, the Superocean Heritage comes with a strap woven from Econyl, a fabric made out of reclaimed nylon. BREITLING.COM
03 Seiko Prospex Urban Safari £510 Though the Urban Safari is being marketed as a city watch, Seiko has a solid pedigree in divers, with a history of pioneering inventions dating back to 1965. This addition to the Prospex range takes the knockabout, legible qualities of a 200m diver and pairs them with a surprisingly on-trend grey. SEIKOWATCHES.COM
04 Alpina Seastrong 27 Gyre £1,262 The name “Gyre” might evoke Lewis Carroll’s “Jabberwocky”, but Alpina’s 300m diver is nonsensefree. Instead, it concerns itself with the crisis of plastic waste on the seas: its case is made from a fibreglass that incorporates recycled fishing nets, and the Nato strap is spun out of plastic bottles. ALPINAWATCHES.COM
05 Longines Hydroconquest £1,230 The Hydroconquest is unusual for a dive watch in that it cleaves faithfully to all the textbook tropes without actually being based on a model from the 1960s. Rated to 300m, it boasts a ceramic bezel and a 64-hour power reserve – conspicuously above-average specs at this price. LONGINES.COM