Admittedly, I do not dive. In fact – and this has been a secret until now – it took me a lot of effort to even get my swimming diploma when I was a young boy. For my parents, this must have been hell; I hated water and didn’t want to be near it. Things have changed a bit, however. Although I am still not much of a swimmer, I do like to take a plunge in the pool when I am on holiday. And being a watch enthusiast, and a very modest collector, I like to have the right watch on my wrist when I do. Perhaps I’m a bit predictable, but that is most often either a Rolex Sea-Dweller 16600 or an Omega Seamaster Professional.
Today, I take a look at the divers’ watches I would consider buying these days if I needed one. (The word “needed” is relative, of course, since, as I’ve said, I am a lousy diver.) At my blog, Fratellowatches.com, a lot of diving watches pass through, either for review or discussion when a new model debuts. If the number of divers’ watches on the market represented the number of actual divers in the world, it would be very crowded in the water, that’s for sure. Just so we are clear, my choices are based on far different criteria than a professional diver would apply. To me, anything water-resistant to 300 meters or more qualifies.
1.Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean GMT GoodPlanet
Even though James Bond is a fictitious character (hard to believe, I know), he is probably one hell of a diver. And he probably wears an Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean simply because it is a true divers’ watch. To me, other factors make the Seamaster Planet Ocean GMT a perfect choice for the holidays. It’s a solid watch with no fear of water and with a practical, useful GMT hand — for those of us who have to travel to other time zones to find comfortably warm sea or ocean water. The water-resistance of 600 meters will easily fit the bill for diving, although you’re more likely to find me wearing one at the bar. On Fratellowatches,.com we did a write-up on this particular GoodPlanet here.
2. Rolex Sea-Dweller
No, I am not talking about the newer DeepSea but the previous Sea-Dweller model that Rolex has made for decades. The Sea-Dweller Reference 16600 is my preferred model, and the one I have owned for more than 10 years now. Although it doesn’t have the fancy clasp, glide-lock bracelet system and whatnot, it represents the ultimate diving watch for me, personally. The Sea-Dweller Reference 16600 is a simple and cleanly designed watch with the charisma of the older “plexi-crystal” models. And while this watch is not as comfortable to wear as a basic Submariner or GMT-Master (due to its thickness), this Sea-Dweller model with a water-resistance of 1,220 meters (4,000 feet) is up to the task of deep diving. Since it is out of production, I wrote an article some time ago urging people to grab one while they can (here). The picture is courtesy of HQMilton.com.
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