A robust diving watch with a blue dial is a great wear for both under- and over-the-sea adventures.
Dive watches were first created to be tool watches for military navies. For underwater operations requiring coordinating timing, a watch that was impervious to water seeping into its case (and, therefore, causing it not to work) both at sea level and below was essential. The first diving watches were produced in the second half of the 19th century. The watches themselves were pocketwatches (wristwatches first appeared in the early 20th century) and were made to order in small quantities. Watchmakers have come a long way since then.
In the mid-1920s, Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf created the Oyster watch case, which had a hermetic seal, making it the first truly waterproof watch. The Oyster was patented in 1926 and earned international acclaim after long-distance swimmer Mercedes Gleitze wore it while traversing the English Channel. The watch was still ticking, and Gleitze, who was the first woman to swim across the Channel, wore the Oyster in newspaper photographs published across the world, heralding her achievement.
Following close on the Oyster’s heels, Omega introduced the first commercially available dive watch, the Marine, in 1932. It had a double case and was sealed with cork to keep the water out, and Omega tested it in Lake Geneva at a depth of 73 meters. In 1937, the Marine was tested in a lab and was found capable of withstanding pressure up to 13.5 atmospheres (135 meters) under the surface, without letting in water.
One of the first celebrities to wear a diving watch publicly and consistently was famed underwater explorer, oceanographer and documentary filmmaker Jacques Cousteau. He wore Blancpain’s now-iconic Fifty Fathoms timepiece, which was first introduced in 1953, while filming documentaries both below and above the sea.
Next Level
While Wilsdorf may not have foreseen a Rolex that was waterproof to 3,900 meters a century ago, the brand he founded has continued to push the limits of what’s possible in watchmaking. The Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date Deepsea is impervious to water pressure up to the equivalent of 3,900 meters under water—far deeper than humans can venture. The watch has a gas escape valve and ring lock system to make this possible.
Blue Wave
Seamaster is an apt name for Omega’s diving watches. The Seamaster Diver 300M timepieces feature a signature wave pattern dial, and the watch featured here has a gradient blue dial to reflect the watch’s level of water resistance. It features the brand’s Co-Axial Master Chronometer caliber 8800 automatic movement with a power reserve of 55 hours and comes on a blue rubber strap.
Gold Standard
Blancpain’s Fifty Fathoms is a divers’ and collectors’ favorite and has been since its introduction. The watch has been produced in numerous iterations and functions, from time-only watches to chronographs and high complications. The Bathyscape Quantième Complet Phases de Lune pictured here in 18-k red gold is a complete calendar watch showing the day, date, and month and the phase of the moon.
Inner Strength
IWC’s Aquatimer watches eschew the standard external unidirectional rotating bezel timing mechanism. The watch’s timing inner bezel is controlled, though, by an external rotating bezel for easy adjustment without involving the crown. The Aquatimer Chronograph featured here has a day and date display, as well as a chronograph displaying the hours, minutes and seconds, each indicated on its own sub dial. The watch’s automatic caliber 79320 movement has a 44-hour power reserve.
Protecting the Crown
Panerai first introduced its signature crown protection bridge in 1956 in a series of watches made for the Egyptian navy, and obtained a patent for its design the same year. To this day, the crown protector is a signature Panerai design element. The brand’s Submersible timepiece featured here is water resistant to 300 meters, measures 42 millimeters across and has a blue ceramic bezel.