Fratello’s Top 5 Smaller Dive Watches For Summer 2025
Another Friday, another list. Unfortunately, Jorg, our resident list maker, is out on a well-deserved holiday. That means I get to cosplay Mr. Weppelink for once. I will do my best to do him justice with a list of my own. This week, it’s about our top five smaller dive watches!
So, what is a “smaller” dive watch? Well, here is my very arbitrary division: <39mm is small, 39–42mm is medium, and >42mm is large. I know many of you will roll your eyes already. After all, it depends on taste and wrist size. And even considering those, a watch’s diameter doesn’t tell you much about its perceived size on the wrist. Still, we have to draw the line somewhere, right? These are our five favorite sub-39mm dive watches. Let’s get stuck into it!
Top five smaller dive watches — Pick #1: Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Automatique (38mm)
Let me kick off our list of the top five smaller dive watches with the one that triggered the idea for this article, the 38mm Blancpain Fifty Fathoms. Enthusiasts have been begging for a smaller Fifty Fathoms for a long time. For a moment, it looked as if Blancpain would oblige with versions targeted at women only. Luckily, only five days later, we saw the introduction of a genderless Fifty Fathoms.
The 38mm model has a 43.8mm lug-to-lug and a 12mm thickness. Paired with the classical design, this makes for a watch that feels almost vintage. I have spent some time with it, and I absolutely love it. After a lot of back and forth, I landed on it as my Fifty Fathoms of choice over the 42mm model.
Inside ticks the in-house automatic caliber 1150 with a royal 100 hours of autonomy on a full wind. It comes with neat rifled soleillage and beautiful anglage. My version of choice would be the steel model in black with the rubber strap. This would set you back €18,050.
Pick #2: Tudor Black Bay 54
My second pick for our list of the top five smaller dive watches is an obvious one — the Tudor Black Bay 54. This release came as a surprise after the Black Bay 58 was already released as a smaller alternative to the original 41mm Black Bay divers. Tudor decided to shrink its popular dive watch once more, but the brand altered the recipe this time.
The Black Bay 54, with its lollipop seconds hand, smaller crown, and lack of gold details on the bezel insert, feels like a true vintage Tudor. My impression upon wearing it was that it felt a little less gimmicky than some of its bigger brothers. It has less cliché retro sauce and more actual vintage design elements. I particularly liked the broad stance, compensating for the very modest 37mm diameter.
The Tudor Black Bay 54 costs €4,120 on the bracelet.
Top five smaller dive watches — Pick #3: Aquastar Model 60
Speaking of vintage-inspired watches for this list, let’s continue with the Aquastar Model 60. This re-edition of a classic skin diver has the genre-typical squared-off case, coming in with a 37mm diameter, 47mm lug-to-lug, and 11mm thickness. If you ask me, those are some pretty sweet dimensions for a subtle, 200m-water-resistant diver.
The case gets some extra visual muscle from the all-steel bezel with its lovely radial brushing. The dial is similarly traditional and beautiful, executed in white and faux patina on black.
Inside ticks the trusty Sellita SW200 in Elaboré grade. This is another sweet spot, if you ask me, as it combines reliability with easy serviceability. That’s just what I want from a more affordable dive watch! Speaking of affordable, I’d argue this is a lot of watch for the US$1,390 price, which includes a beads-of-rice bracelet.
Pick #4: Oris Aquis (36.5mm)
Our next entrant for the top five smaller dive watches comes from Oris. Here, however, we do turn a bit of a corner when it comes to smaller dive watches. While the other candidates are on the smaller side yet still suitable for almost any wrist, this is a truly small diver. The 36.5mm Oris Aquis wears very small due to its shape and very short lugs. Luckily, the model comes in a range of sizes, so you can always size up if this is pushing it too far for you.
Like the Aquastar Model 60, this Oris Aquis houses the familiar Sellita SW200. It offers 38 hours of power reserve and ticks at 28,800vph. Oris rates its water resistance at an ample 300 meters. The Aquis features a neatly integrated bracelet. If I had to describe this watch in a single word, it would be “solid.” I love the feel of an Aquis in the hand — smooth, rugged, and confidence-inspiring.
My pick would be the Bracenet edition with its upcycled plastic green dial. This model will set you back €2,350.
Top five smaller dive watches — Pick #5: Zenith Defy Revival A3648
The final choice for our list of the top five smaller dive watches comes with unapologetic retro styling. The Zenith Defy Revival A3648 faithfully reproduces a Zenith diver from 1969. With a 15.5mm profile, it’s quite tubby for a 37mm watch. Well, at least it puts those millimeters to good use with a whopping 600m water resistance rating.
However, what will probably jump out most is the distinct, angular design and bright orange accents, including an orange sapphire bezel inlay. The characterful exterior hides an in-house Elite 670 caliber ticking at 28,800vph and promising a 50-hour power reserve.
The Zenith Defy Revival A3648 comes on a retro five-row bracelet and costs €8,000.
Closing thoughts
There you have it — our top five smaller dive watches, presented in random order. Of course, this list is by no means exhaustive. More importantly, your options grow exponentially if you add the beloved 39mm diameter to your criteria. That suddenly adds the Tudor Black Bay 58, Longines Legend Diver, Oris Divers, Baltic Aquascaphe, and many more strong contenders to the mix.
Still, I think you could do a whole lot worse than these five if you wanted a smaller dive watch for the upcoming summer holidays.
Which would be your pick? And do you have others that you feel deserve a spot on this list? Let us know in the comments below! For now, let me thank you for reading, and I will hand the pen back to Jorg for next week’s list.
