The Top 5 Recent Dive Watches
Another Friday, another list. This week, we pick five of our favorite recent dive watches. After our roundup of recent field watches, it’s time to focus on another popular category. Oddly, it seems we’re seeing fewer new dive watches, even though they have long been the most popular watch category. Enthusiasts surely haven’t lost interest, but it’s strange to feel that we’ve seen fewer remarkable divers. Whether that gut feeling holds up is a topic for a separate article. For now, let’s focus on some of the best dive watches unveiled recently. Choosing them proved challenging — not because there were few, but because there were too many.
We could easily have made this a list of 10 divers. We have reviewed all five of our picks, which matters because there is tremendous value in getting a feel for a watch beyond the brand’s images. Some entries also open new doors for their brands. The result is a varied list of divers that stand out for different reasons.
Panerai Luminor Firenze 8 Giorni PAM01794
Panerai has dropped one great release after another this year. One highlight is the new 42mm Luminor series I reviewed not long ago. The smaller case should make it popular, especially among people who always wanted a Panerai but don’t feel comfortable in a 44mm or 47mm Luminor. Another standout was the Radiomir Bronzo PAM00760 that Thomas covered in May, a wonderful bronze take on the classic Radiomir.
Our pick, however, is the recent Luminor Firenze 8 Giorni PAM01794. This limited edition stylishly celebrates the 100th anniversary of Panerai’s Florence boutique. It reminded us of the popular Luminor 1950 “Fiddy” PAM00127 from 2002, which was inspired by the legendary 6152/1. The resemblance is logical, as the PAM01794 draws on a prototype of the same reference.
The classic Luminor case is stainless steel, with a 44mm diameter and 300m depth rating. It holds an anthracite sandwich dial with a circular-brushed finish and luminous Arabic numerals and hour markers. A tone-on-tone “Panerai Firenze” engraving nods to the 1960s prototype and keeps the dial subtle. Blued hour and minute hands add a small pop of color without being too loud.
The Panerai P.5000
Safely hidden behind the engraved case back sits the manual-winding P.5000 movement. It comprises 113 components, runs at 21,600 vph, and delivers an eight-day power reserve thanks to its two barrels. The engraving depicts the famous Florence boutique, and as I explained in my review, I love its little details, especially the watches and boxes on display.
A sturdy 24mm brown leather strap with contrasting stitching and a steel tang buckle finishes the look. The 1,000 lucky owners also receive a black rubber strap for a change of pace or a more water-resistant option for diving. That said, this watch looks so good on leather. At €10,700, the stylish Luminor Firenze 8 Giorni PAM01794 is the perfect first pick for our list.
Omega Seamaster Diver 300M Spectre Edition
Our next pick is the Omega Seamaster Diver 300M Spectre Edition. Omega recently released it alongside the James Bond Edition, another variation of the no-date Seamaster Diver 300M.
Each watch has a 42mm stainless steel case with a 14.23mm profile, a 50mm lug-to-lug, and a 300m depth rating. Both cases carry the signature helium escape valve at 10 o’clock, come on a steel mesh bracelet, and weigh 158 grams. The dials and bezels are where they differ.
The Spectre Edition has a black ceramic bezel insert with a laser-ablated diving scale in relief. It pairs well with the grained matte-black aluminum dial, which has applied, rhodium-plated, diamond-polished indexes with white Super-LumiNova. In the dark, however, the lume glows in two colors, distinguishing the remaining dive time from the central time display.
A secret Spectre membership
Turn the watch around, and you will see a customized rotor shaped like the organization’s black logo, a hidden “proof of membership.” It replaces the regular rotor of the automatic Omega 8806. This Master Chronometer movement runs at 25,200 vph, has 35 jewels, offers a 55-hour power reserve, and keeps time to 0/+6 seconds per day.
What we love about this edition is how well it hides its Spectre connection. At first glance, it looks like a regular Seamaster Diver 300M, but just like Spectre’s members, it keeps its secret well. That makes this Seamaster, at €8,500, a remarkable and welcome addition to the Omega lineup.
Grand Seiko Evolution 9 Spring Drive U.F.A. Ushio 300
Enthusiasts welcomed the Grand Seiko Evolution 9 Spring Drive U.F.A. Ushio 300 divers with open arms. These two watches are smaller divers, something we have all been waiting for the brand to release. Each has a 40.8 × 12.90mm High-Intensity Titanium case with a 300m depth rating. Compared to the 44mm divers we were used to from Grand Seiko, that is a very welcome change. The predominantly brushed case has a modern, angular design with many nice details, including lugs that transition smoothly into the crown guards, which adds a touch of elegance.
The 120-click bezel comes with a dark blue or dark green ceramic insert that matches the Ushio dials, inspired by the waters around the Japanese archipelago. Each dial features a rippling-water pattern and a gradient that darkens toward the edges. I immediately loved the dark green version, which offers something different from the many blue-dial dive watches out there. Moving the minute track to the rehaut was a smart decision, as it leaves room for large hour markers that make the time easy to read in any situation.
The impressive Spring Drive 9RB1
As part of the U.F.A. series, both watches run on an in-house Spring Drive caliber and show a power reserve indicator on the dial. Some would rather see that element go, but I always happily associate it with Spring Drive. The SLGB023 (blue) and SLGB025 (green) use the 9RB1, which is accurate to ±20 seconds per year, an impressive ±3 seconds per month. It also offers a healthy 72-hour power reserve.
The new High-Intensity Titanium bracelet completes the ensemble. Its clasp includes a toolless micro-adjustment system and a dive extension, equaling a 24mm adjustment range. A fun detail is the logo on the clasp, which doubles as a lock to prevent accidental opening. The bracelet is beautifully finished too, making it another great improvement over previous Grand Seiko divers. At €12,500, the Spring Drive U.F.A. Ushio 300 SLGB023 and SLGB025 are a great new series, and we hope to see more watches like them.
Longines Hydroconquest
It seems like ages ago, but Thomas reviewed the new Longines Hydroconquest divers back in March. The design is a welcome update to the previous generation, which had large numerals at 6, 9, and 12 o’clock. These latest versions come in 39mm and 42mm sizes, and the smaller one quickly became our favorite. The 39mm case has a 11.7mm profile, a 48.1mm lug-to-lug, a 300m depth rating, and a ceramic bezel insert on top.
For the 39mm versions, Longines offers black, dark blue, and green dials with matching bezels. You can also choose an ice-blue dial with a black or dark blue bezel, or a black dial with a blue bezel. H-link and mesh bracelets are also options for most variants.
These watches’ dials show that the designers took inspiration from Longines’s 1990s Admiral divers. Like those classics, the dials mix batons, circles, and triangles, and a date window sits at 3 o’clock. I much prefer the new look, which feels more serious and balanced than the previous generation. Powering these Hydroconquests is the L888.5, which ETA produces exclusively for Longines. This automatic movement runs at 25,200 vph and offers a 72-hour power reserve.
We had the blue 39mm version in the office, and we all found that it looks great and wears really well. The nicely proportioned case sits comfortably on wrists of many sizes, and this modern Longines diver feels sturdy and well-built. The watch is seriously impressive, especially at €2,200 on the H-link bracelet or €2,300 on the mesh. For that money, the Hydroconquest is almost impossible to beat, which earns it fourth place on our list.
Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe 70th Anniversary
Our last pick was a lovely surprise from Blancpain. Most people associate the brand with the Fifty Fathoms rather than the Bathyscaphe series. The Fifty Fathoms dates back to the 1950s as one of the first modern dive watches. The Bathyscaphe debuted in 1956 as its civilian counterpart. To celebrate that, Blancpain released the Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe 70th Anniversary as a 300-piece limited edition, a modern remake of a classic 1968 Bathyscaphe.
The best thing about this release is that it keeps the original’s charm in both size and looks. This stainless steel 37.4mm watch has a 12.3mm profile, a 46.5mm lug-to-lug, and a 300m depth rating. Its skin-diver-style case is fully polished, which greatly enhances its presence. The 120-click unidirectional bezel has a black ceramic insert with lacquered numerals.
It pairs well with the sunburst meteor-gray dial, which has applied 18K white gold indexes filled with vintage-tone Super-LumiNova. The date window at 3 o’clock stands out clearly against the other dial elements. A nice touch is the classic font used for the dial branding and text. Lume-filled baton hour and minute hands and an arrow-tipped seconds hand complete the look.
The beautifully finished in-house caliber 1150
Turn the watch over for a great view of the 210-part Blancpain 1150. This automatic movement runs at 21,600 vph, has 28 jewels, and offers a healthy 100-hour power reserve. The big eye-catcher is the frosted and brushed 18K rose gold rotor, but the plates and bridges are also attractive, showing rifled soleillage and fine anglage. Each case back also bears the unique limited-edition number out of 300.
On the wrist, the Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe 70th Anniversary has abundant vintage charm. Its looks and modest case size make it a perfect retro diver, yet the movement, finishing, and attention to detail make it feel properly modern. This balance of old-school charm and present-day execution makes the commemorative model, at €16,400, one of the best Blancpain releases we have seen recently.
Final thoughts on our top five recent dive watches
There you have it — the top five recently released dive watches. As you can see, there is still plenty to enjoy in this genre. Each of these five has a distinct vibe, which makes the list nicely varied. Plenty of other contenders could have made it, though. So we turn the question to you: which recently released dive watches would you have chosen? Let us know in the comments, and we’ll see you next week for another list.
