Dive Watches for Men (5 Of My Favorites)

What's up guys? I'm Brian Sacawa, you're watching He Spoke Style, and today we're talking all about dive watches. So today's video is the first in a series of watch videos that we're doing with Crown & Caliber, a brand new awesome partner of ours. If you haven't heard of Crown & Caliber, they are the number one place to buy and sell pre-owned luxury watches online, and they are going to do He Spoke Style viewers a solid and offer you $150 off your first watch purchase. All you have to do is use code HSS150, and all this information will be down below in the description. All right, so dive watches. Probably one of the most popular watch styles out there, and I think their appeal, especially to American men, has to do with their style. They are very sporty, they're typically on the larger side, and they just have a very, very cool look to them. So one thing I really like about dive watches is actually something that I think is really interesting in menswear as well, and that is that they were developed for a very practical purpose. Dive watches are tool watches. They're called dive watches for a reason, and that is because they were made for underwater diving. Now, to be classified as a dive watch, the watch itself has to adhere to several different standards. It has to have a minimum depth rating of 100 meters. It has to have a unidirectional bezel. That means the bezel that can only turn one way with minute markings in five minute increments. It has to have clearly distinguishable minute markings on the dial. You need to be able to read it at 25 centimeters away in total darkness, and you need to be able to tell in total darkness that the watch is actually running. So what that means is that you're going to have a running second hand with some lume on it. It's got to have a certain amount of magnetic shock and chemical resistance, a solid strap, and for dive watches that are battery powered, it needs to have an end-of-life indicator. All right, so although dive watches were made for actual underwater divers, the good news, especially if you like sporty watches, is that you do not have to be a diver to wear one. There's actually a term called desk divers, which refers to guys who don't dive for a profession, which is most of us. But, you know, sit behind a desk and wear a dive watch. Nothing wrong with that. Dive watches are very cool. And next, I'm going to talk about five of my favorite dive watches, which are also some of the most recognizable dive watches out there. First up, we have an all-time classic, the Rolex Submariner. It is iconic. It is unmistakable. I mean, what else can you say? Bow to the crown. The Rolex Submariner is just an awesome watch. It was developed in 1953, shown at Basel in 1954, and there's just so much out there about the Submariner that contributes to its status and mystique that it's honestly kind of overwhelming, especially when you get into the vintage side of the Submariner. I mean, there are tropical dials, spider dials, meters first, feet first. All these little minor variations that get watch geeks super turned on and can really drive up the price of vintage models. Now, I have to say that for me, when I was first getting into watches and especially thinking about the first luxury watch that I was going to purchase, the Submariner was not really a contender, mostly because it's a sports watch. And although it's definitely possible to wear it with a suit, because I have and I tend to be more on the dressier end of the spectrum, it didn't have quite the amount of versatility that I was looking for. But I do have to say that having this watch in my possession for a few weeks and being able to try it out and wear it in various situations, that I get it. I totally understand. I mean, having it on the wrist, it really is perfect. You can see that this one, which is a reference 14060, doesn't have a date window. And a lot of Submariners you do see quote-unquote in the wild do have a date window, but I think if you're more of a purist, you would want to go with a no-date version. Because if you're underwater, do you really care what the date is? That's what I would say. So, price. A brand new Submariner is going to run you between $8,000 and $9,000, but you can pick up a quality pre-owned one for around $6,600. Next, we have the Omega Seamaster 300 Master Coaxial. 41 millimeters, steel bracelet, no crown guard, and you can see on the dial that there is luminous material on the hour, minute, and second hands, as well as the hour markers. And one thing that's kind of nice is that it has a little bit of a brown fade to it, giving the illusion of patina, which is sometimes referred to pejoratively as faux-tina. The rotating bezel is not quite as wide as the Submariner, and the price is much different than the Submariner as well. Now, this version of the Seamaster will run you about the same as a pre-owned Submariner, but if you find one pre-owned, it could be had for about $4,600 or so. There are many different versions of the Seamaster, and you can definitely get a pre-owned Seamaster dive version for about $1,800, which is a great watch for that price. Next up is the Breitling Super Ocean Heritage. 42 millimeter steel case, no crown guard, rubber strap with a deployant clasp. Now, this watch to me, of the two previous watches that we've looked at, is the dressiest of the bunch, and that is due in large part to this particular watch having a white dial. I mean, even with the rubber strap, it still has that dressier and more clean kind of look to it. And I honestly really like this watch, even though it is maybe the least dive watchy of the watches that we have here. It does have a date window, which also might contribute to its dressier look. I mean, it feels really great on the wrist. Even at 42 millimeters, I don't think it wears that large, and the price isn't bad either. Pre-owned for this particular watch, you're going to be paying about $3,250. Next, we have a super, super serious dive watch. This is the Doxa Sub-6000T. Now, Doxa is one of the quintessential dive watch brands. The watches are big. This one is 45 millimeters. They are thick. They are heavy. They are chunky. Love the orange dial. Extremely recognizable. You are not going to confuse this for any other kind of watch, and you are likely either going to love it or hate it. Now, this is truly a tool watch. This is a watch for divers and doesn't really transfer to an everyday wear. Definitely not something I would call versatile. This is not a watch that anyone could wear with a suit, convincingly. I mean, holding it in my hand, I can tell you that this is an awesome watch. If I was a diver, I would totally have a Doxa, but for me, this isn't a watch that I could justify owning, even at a $2,500 online price point. Finally, we have a watch that is not technically a dive watch. It doesn't have a rotating bezel, for one, but it is descended from a dive watch, and that is the Panerai Luminor Due 3. So, this would be considered the dress version of the Luminor Submersible, which does have your typical rotating bezel and dive watch look. Now, the Due is 42 millimeters, steel case, leather strap, display case back, which is really nice. It's thin, and because it has a leather strap instead of a steel bracelet, it is much lighter than any of the other watches that we've looked at here. It's sporty and dressy at the same time. I would say that because of the leather strap, that it leans more toward the dressy side, even more than the Breitling. However, even at 42 millimeters, I would say it does wear larger, mostly due to the crown guard, but also because it doesn't have a bezel, the dial appears much larger, which contributes to the overall bigger look on the wrist. This is a cool watch if you want something that is in the dive watch realm, but that is maybe a little dressier and has a little bit more versatility. I would definitely recommend the Due. Price. Pre-owned, you're looking at about $4,000, which, for a Panerai, isn't that bad at all. Alright, so there you have it. If you are looking for a dive watch, you are a dive watch fan, those are five watches that I personally really, really like and that are a great value. Thanks again to our friends at Crown & Caliber for providing these watches for this video. And remember that if you are looking for a pre-owned luxury watch, that you can save $150 with Crown & Caliber just by using code HSS150. So, let me know in the comments what your favorite dive watch is. If you like this video, give it a thumbs up and be sure to subscribe to the channel. That's all for now, guys. Thanks for watching and stay tailored.