For professional and recreational scuba divers having a good dive watch is essential for safety. Even when using a dive computer to calculate the amount of nitrogen in the body a watch can provide a valuable backup. Should the dive computer fail and the diver have to do a safety stop during an ascent he can use the watch to mark decompression time.

So Many Choices

There are dozens of brands of dive watches and the choices can be overwhelming. Each of the major watch makers will claim that their product is the finest. There are digital watches, analog, automatic analog watches and quartz analog watches. Basically they all do the same thing, which is tell time, but here is where price (not necessarily synonymous with quality)  comes in.

Automatic watches contain dozens of intricate moving parts. They keep time by an oscillating mechanism that is powered by a spring which is automatically wound from a pendulum that is moved by body movement. The term "automatic" is synonymous with the older term "self winding".  A certified chronometer is one that has passed industry standards of accuracy. A reliable automatic watch, one that will not lose more than a few seconds a day and can withstand the pressure and roughness of diving, will easily cost you over $1000.00

In the higher end watches such as Tag Heuer, for the most part you cannot tell the difference between an automatic and a quartz watch, except for watching the second hand. On an automatic watch the second hand will sweep, like an office clock, whereas on a digital watch the second hand will tick.

The Trusty Quartz Dive Watch

Here is where the act of choosing a dive watch can get tricky for some people. When you buy a fine automatic watch, such as a Rolex Submariner, you are buying craftsmanship and the name.

Unfortunately most of this craftsmanship you can never see. Only your watchmaker, to whom you have to take your Submariner for yearly maintenance will see this craftsmanship.

The other thing you are buying is the precious metal contained in the watch and the name. All of that aside, a quartz watch will keep better time and last longer. At the heart of a quartz watch, such as A Tag Heuer quartz model, is the heartbeat of a tiny quartz crystal. There are still some precision parts, often made of semi-precious stones, hence the term "jeweled", that move the hands but not nearly as many moving parts as found in an automatic watch.

For this reason a quartz based dive watch is more rugged. This is an especially useful quality in a good dive watch.

Sapphire Vs. Mineral Glass

Whichever dive watch you pick you will have to chose between a face made of sapphire glass or mineral glass. Mineral glass is not as hard as sapphire glass but is less shatter resistant. Honestly shattering is not an issue for watch faces unless you are going to be dropping it on a concrete floor a lot.

For a long lasting watch face you should chose one that features sapphire glass. This is one of the hardest man made materials and will resist most scratches. Watch brands that feature sapphire glass include Tissot, such as the model above, Seiko, Rolex,  and Tag Heuer.

Wet Suit Extender and Safety Clasp

The best dive watches will include a wetsuit extender on the band. This enables you to wear the watch on the outside of a 6 mil wetsuit. The extender folds away when not in use. Another feature that you should look for when choosing a dive watch is a safety clasp. A safety clasp will prevent the bracelet from opening and falling off of the wrist.

Depth Rating Of Dive Watches

You should chose a watch with a high degree of water resistance. Water resistance is measured either in meters, feet or in atmospheres (Bar). The higher the number the better. A good dive watch is typically resistant to water to a depth of at least 200 feet. Since recreational divers seldom go past 130 feet this is good enough. One thing that the best dive watches often have is winding or adjustment stem that screws down and locks. An O ring on the stem keeps water from coming inside the watch body.

The Best Dive Watches Have Rotating Bezels

When picking a good dive watch, unless it is a digital watch, look for a rotating bezel. These are found on most automatic and quartz dive watches. The outer bezel features numbers, typically in increments of ten. To mark dive time the diver turns the arrow on the bezel until it is aligned with the minute hand underneath. He or she can mark time from then on by looking at where the minute hand falls on the bezel. This is an important feature on a dive watch.

Finally, most good dive watches cost at least $100 and up. Any lower in price and you are likely to sacrifice quality and end up with either a plastic or mineral glass face that will quickly scratch.

Spend Your Money Wisely

For many new divers the temptation is to go out and spend a couple of thousand on a fancy dive watch. Unless money is no issue to you spending that money on extra safety gear is a more wise choice. A good quality quartz dive watch, with a sapphire face, screw down stem, rotating bezel and locking clasp, will last you decades if properly cared for. With the $1500 you save you can purchase safety gear such as a "spare air", a nice dive computer and a wetsuit to make diving more comfortable.