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Dive Watches

Created for diving professionals, dive watches boast high water resistance, highly legible dials and help tell divers how long they’ve been submerged for via a rotational bezel. They’re loved for their distinctive and robust design, making them one of the most popular watch genres around.

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Popular Brands
  1. Rolex Rolex
  2. Breitling Breitling
  3. Omega Omega
  4. Tag Heuer Tag Heuer
  5. Panerai Panerai
  6. IWC IWC
  7. Tudor Tudor
  8. Cartier Cartier
  9. Hublot Hublot
  10. Audemars Piguet Audemars Piguet
  11. Jaeger-LeCoultre Jaeger-LeCoultre
  12. Vacheron Constantin Vacheron Constantin
  13. Patek Philippe Patek Philippe
All Brands
  1. Audemars Piguet Audemars Piguet
  2. Ball Ball
  3. Baume et Mercier Baume et Mercier
  4. Bell and Ross Bell and Ross
  5. Breitling Breitling
  6. Bremont Bremont
  7. Bvlgari Bvlgari
  8. Carl F. Bucherer Carl F. Bucherer
  9. Cartier Cartier
  10. Chanel Chanel
  11. Chopard Chopard
  12. Eterna Eterna
  13. Franck Muller Franck Muller
  14. Frederique Constant Frederique Constant
  15. Girard Perregaux Girard Perregaux
  16. Graham Graham
  17. Grand Seiko Grand Seiko
  18. H. Moser and Cie H. Moser and Cie
  19. Hamilton Hamilton
  20. Hublot Hublot
  21. IWC IWC
  22. Jaeger-LeCoultre Jaeger-LeCoultre
  23. JeanRichard JeanRichard
  24. Longines Longines
  25. Maurice Lacroix Maurice Lacroix
  26. Montblanc Montblanc
  27. Omega Omega
  28. Oris Oris
  29. Panerai Panerai
  30. Parmigiani Parmigiani
  31. Patek Philippe Patek Philippe
  32. Perrelet Perrelet
  33. Rado Rado
  34. Raymond Weil Raymond Weil
  35. Richard Mille Richard Mille
  36. Roger Dubuis Roger Dubuis
  37. Rolex Rolex
  38. Tag Heuer Tag Heuer
  39. Tissot Tissot
  40. Tudor Tudor
  41. Vacheron Constantin Vacheron Constantin
  42. Zenith Zenith
Series
Case Size
The size of a watch is very important for style and comfort. If you prefer an oversized watch like a Panerai Luminor, you’ll probably want Large. If you’re looking for something more discreet like a Rolex Lady Datejust, you’ll want Small. For everything in between, Medium.
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Stock Type
  1. Stock Stock
Case Material
  1. Bronze Bronze
  2. Carbon Carbon
  3. Ceramic Ceramic
  4. Platinum Platinum
  5. Rose Gold Rose Gold
  6. Silver Silver
  7. Steel Steel
  8. Steel & Rose Gold Steel & Rose Gold
  9. Steel & Rose Gold Plated Steel & Rose Gold Plated
  10. Steel & White Gold Steel & White Gold
  11. Steel & Yellow Gold Steel & Yellow Gold
  12. Steel & Yellow Gold Plated Steel & Yellow Gold Plated
  13. Titanium Titanium
  14. White Gold White Gold
  15. Yellow Gold Yellow Gold
  16. Yellow Gold Plated Yellow Gold Plated
Dial Colour
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  1. Bracelet Bracelet
  2. Fabric Fabric
  3. Leather Leather
  4. Rubber Rubber
Box and Papers
  1. Original box Original box
  1. Original papers Original papers
Movement
A mechanical watch is powered by a spring. Manual mechanical watches must be hand wound. Automatic watches are also mechanical, and are wound by a weight that spins with the wearer's movements. A quartz watch is battery powered and extremely accurate.
  1. Automatic Automatic
  2. Manual Manual
  3. Quartz Quartz
Promotion
Limited Edition
  1. Limited Edition Limited Edition
Reset Results (1036)
Results (1,036)
Sort
Rolex Datejust 116234 272265

Rolex
Datejust
116234

Box
Papers
Year 2002
£8,250
Rolex Datejust Lady 79173 276065

Rolex
Datejust Lady
79173

Box
Papers
Year 2001
£4,475
Rolex Datejust 126200 273308

Rolex
Datejust
126200

Box
Papers
Year 2019
£6,245
Rolex Datejust 116234 280392

Rolex
Datejust
116234

Box
Papers
Year 2018
£6,830
Rolex Datejust 116233 281497

Rolex
Datejust
116233

Box
Papers
Year 2013
£8,925
Rolex Datejust 116200 251679

Rolex
Datejust
116200

Box
Papers
Year 2016
£5,870
Rolex Datejust Lady 179384 270337

Rolex
Datejust Lady
179384

Box
Papers
Year 2016
£8,075
Rolex Datejust 116201 270630

Rolex
Datejust
116201

Box
Papers
Year 2009
£8,670
Rolex Datejust 16200 280258

Rolex
Datejust
16200

Box
Papers
Year 2003
£4,975
Rolex Datejust 16234 272677

Rolex
Datejust
16234

Box
Papers
Year 2001
£6,760
Rolex Datejust 116234 273901

Rolex
Datejust
116234

Box
Papers
Year 2007
£7,570
Rolex Datejust 16234 274178
Vintage

Rolex
Datejust
16234

Box
Papers
Year 1996
£4,865
Rolex Datejust 116200 271292

Rolex
Datejust
116200

Box
Papers
Year 2018
£6,160
Rolex Datejust Lady 79174 251123

Rolex
Datejust Lady
79174

Box
Papers
Year 2005
£4,240
Rolex Datejust 126233 278807

Rolex
Datejust
126233

Box
Papers
Year 2019
£11,525
Rolex Datejust Lady 79179 254574

Rolex
Datejust Lady
79179

Box
Papers
Year 2003
£9,950
Rolex Datejust 16233 270350
Vintage

Rolex
Datejust
16233

Box
Papers
Year 1989
£5,270
Rolex Datejust Lady 69174 272886
Vintage

Rolex
Datejust Lady
69174

Box
Papers
Year 1997
£4,110
Rolex Datejust Lady 179160 267927

Rolex
Datejust Lady
179160

Box
Papers
Year 2006
£4,060
Rolex Datejust II 116333 269114

Rolex
Datejust II
116333

Box
Papers
Year 2013
£9,345
Rolex Datejust 116233 270864

Rolex
Datejust
116233

Box
Papers
Year 2010
£7,485
Rolex GMT Master II 126710 BLNR 283157

Rolex
GMT Master II
126710 BLNR

Box
Papers
Year 2021
£12,855
Rolex Datejust 16233 277633

Rolex
Datejust
16233

Box
Papers
Year 2001
£5,750
Rolex Datejust 16200 275618

Rolex
Datejust
16200

Box
Papers
Year 2001
£5,395
Rolex Datejust 116233 275518

Rolex
Datejust
116233

Box
Papers
Year 2016
£8,420
Rolex Datejust 126200 269868

Rolex
Datejust
126200

Box
Papers
Year 2021
£5,705
Rolex Datejust 116200 274772

Rolex
Datejust
116200

Box
Papers
Year 2009
£5,265
Rolex Datejust 116243 275421

Rolex
Datejust
116243

Box
Papers
Year 2011
£11,550
Rolex GMT Master II 16710 261986
Vintage

Rolex
GMT Master II
16710

Box
Papers
Year 1995
£10,250
Rolex Mid-Size Datejust 78240 250388

Rolex
Mid-Size Datejust
78240

Box
Papers
Year 2001
£4,745
Rolex Turn-O-Graph 16264 273302

Rolex
Turn-O-Graph
16264

Box
Papers
Year 2004
£4,970
Rolex Datejust 116200 273264

Rolex
Datejust
116200

Box
Papers
Year 2017
£6,740
Rolex Datejust 116200 262148

Rolex
Datejust
116200

Box
Papers
Year 2017
£6,695
Rolex Datejust 16233 283113

Rolex
Datejust
16233

Box
Papers
Year 2000
£5,610
Rolex Milgauss 116400 GV 283298

Rolex
Milgauss
116400 GV

Box
Papers
Year 2018
£9,460
Rolex Datejust 16233 262212
Vintage

Rolex
Datejust
16233

Box
Papers
Year 1996
£4,650
Rolex Mid-Size Datejust 68240 272855

Rolex
Mid-Size Datejust
68240

Box
Papers
Year 1999
£5,635
Rolex GMT Master II 126710 BLNR 281545

Rolex
GMT Master II
126710 BLNR

Box
Papers
Year 2020
£12,640
Rolex Datejust 126234 273273

Rolex
Datejust
126234

Box
Papers
Year 2020
£8,070
Rolex Mid-Size Datejust 78240 262207

Rolex
Mid-Size Datejust
78240

Box
Papers
Year 2001
£4,585
Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date 15223 252448
Vintage

Rolex
Oyster Perpetual Date
15223

Box
Papers
Year 1992
£5,515
Rolex Datejust 16233 277770

Rolex
Datejust
16233

Box
Papers
Year 2000
£5,735

Dive Watches

History

The dive watch, a symbol of adventure and resilience, has a rich and exciting history that stretches back to 1927 when Rolex launched its Oyster model. This innovative watch, with its screw-down case and crown, is considered the first fully water-resistant wristwatch.

Famously, it was worn that year by a young swimmer called Mercedes Gleitz who was the first woman to swim the English Channel. To advertise the feat—and the capabilities of its latest watch—Rolex bought the front page of the most widely read British newspaper of the time, the Daily Mail.

Rolex went on to supply movements to Panerai, who developed the dive watch further with the specialist timepieces they made for the frogmen of the Italian navy in the late 1930s. These early dive watches had a water resistance of 30 metres—unimpressive by today’s standards which requires a dive watch to have a minimum water resistance of 100 metres.

By the mid-1950s, scuba-diving was a popular worldwide pastime due to the invention of the aqualung a decade earlier. This led to a spate of similar-looking dive watches like Blancpain’s Fifty Fathoms, which featured the first rotating bezel—enabling divers to accurately measure immersion time—and the Rolex Submariner. Both these watches were water-resistant to 100 metres, while the Zodiac Sea Wolf, released shortly afterwards, doubled this to 200 metres.

In the decades since, dive watches have become more and more capable of withstanding extreme water pressure. In 2012, Rolex launched its Deepsea Challenge model which boasted an incredible 12,000 metres water resistance. In the same year it was attached to a submersible that Hollywood director James Cameron piloted to the deepest part of the world’s oceans—the Marianas Trench—to a depth of 10,898 metres, surviving the ordeal unscathed.

Key features

Today, dive watches continue to push boundaries, incorporating advanced technologies and materials such as helium escape valves, luminescent dials, and enhanced water resistance.

What sets dive watches apart from other timepieces? Let's look at what makes a dive watch unique, designed specifically for the rigours of underwater exploration.

Firstly, their exceptional water resistance is critical. Unlike standard watches, dive watches can withstand the extreme conditions of deep-sea diving, with a water resistance rating of at least 100 metres and many capable of depths up to 300 metres or much more.

Additional features of a dive watch include a unidirectional rotating bezel for tracking immersion time, bold luminous markers and hands for good visibility in murky conditions, and a helium escape valve to prevent damage during decompression. Most dive watches don’t have the latter as they are only of use in saturation diving when a diver spends time in a decompression chamber.

Some diving watches even incorporate helium-filled cases and built-in depth gauges, allowing divers to monitor their current depth without the need for additional equipment. These features make dive watches a useful tool for underwater exploration, although in an age of wearable dive computers they are more often now used as a back-up option.

One thing every mechanical dive watch must have is a constantly running seconds hand, or some kind of display indicating the watch is running that can be viewed in total darkness.

The science of water Resistance in dive watches

Water resistance is a vital feature of a dive watch. Special seals and gaskets prevent water infiltration, while robust materials like stainless steel or titanium ensure durability and resistance to corrosion. Rigorous testing verifies a dive watch's ability to withstand different pressures and temperatures, simulating the conditions encountered underwater.

Water resistance is measured in metres or bar units, indicating the depth to which the watch can be submerged safely. It's worth noting that factors such as water temperature and movement can affect a diving watch's performance underwater.

Popular dive watch models

The Rolex Submariner is a classic choice, renowned for its robustness and precision, and capable of withstanding depths of up to 300 metres. It was famously worn by James Bond until the 1990s when he swapped one dive watch for another: the equally iconic Omega Seamaster.

Other enduring models that are as timeless as they are stylish include the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms, Breitling Superocean, Panerai Luminor and IWC Aquatimer. Fellow Swiss brands Tudor and TAG Heuer offer more affordable choices like the Black Bay and Aquaracer, respectively.

At Watchfinder, we offer a vast selection of pre-owned luxury dive watches from all of the aforementioned brands, from Rolex to IWC, catering to every budget and taste. Explore our collection and discover the exceptional craftsmanship and performance of these remarkable watches.

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