Evolution of dive watches: A tool for explorers and the military that has become a style essential

The diver is one of the most popular categories of wristwatches, originally conceived as a tool for explorers and military divers. In its early years, it was built purely for function – waterproof cases, legible dials and rugged construction were essential.

Today, the diver watch is as likely to surface in a boardroom as it is to plunge into the ocean’s depths.

Omega was the first to dive in. In 1932, it released the Marine, the world’s first diver’s watch, worn by renowned explorers and oceanographers including Jacques Cousteau and Charles William Beebe, one of the inventors of the bathysphere, a deep-diving vessel.

That pioneering watch was followed in 1948 by the Seamaster, which went on to become one of the most recognisable dive watches in history.

Omega was a pioneer of dive watches in the 1930s. Photo: Omega

Blancpain, another watchmaker with a storied heritage, introduced the Fifty Fathoms in 1953. Named for its water tightness up to 50 fathoms (about 91 metres), it quickly became popular, adopted by French naval divers, as well as by Cousteau and marine conservationist and photographer Laurent Ballesta. Its reputation was not only technical, but cultural. It was a watch that spoke to the romance of the sea.

Other houses soon joined the current. Panerai developed the Luminor, instantly recognisable for its oversized crown guard, sandwich dial and luminous numerals. Breitling launched the Superocean.

These, like the Rolex Submariner, were conceived as pure tool watches – sturdy, practical and uncompromising. But their functionality did not prevent them from becoming style icons. Omega’s Seamaster was strapped to James Bond, and Steve McQueen was forever linked to the Rolex Submariner. The diver’s aura of toughness and adventure became inseparable from its allure.

The Panerai Luminor Marina PAM03313 features the watchmaker's instantly recognisable oversized crown guard. Photo: Panerai

That enduring appeal has allowed the dive watch to evolve beyond its utilitarian roots. Increasingly, models are being designed for lifestyle wear and for a broader audience. One clear trend is smaller sizing, appealing to both women and men with slimmer wrists.

Tudor’s Black Bay 54 Lagoon Blue, for instance, shrinks to a well-balanced 37mm case, with a dial inspired by Tudor’s 1950s divers. It’s a nod to the Oyster Prince Submariner reference 7922, adopted by the French and US navies, but inside beats the modern Calibre MT5400, engineered for robustness.

Colour is another force reshaping the category. Blancpain’s Fifty Fathoms Tech line, for example, makes a bold statement with new orange rubber straps. Still substantial at 45mm, the titanium case houses a unidirectional bezel with 120 clicks for use with gloved hands.

Blancpain introduced the Fifty Fathoms in 1953. Named for its water tightness up to 50 fathoms (about 91 metres), it was adopted by French naval divers. Photo: Blancpain

For Blancpain chief executive Marc A Hayek, innovation is central. “When we developed the Fifty Fathoms Gombessa in 2023 [a watch named after Ballesta’s scientific expedition to research the coelacanth fish, thought extinct for 70 million years], it came from a question I asked myself: ‘If the Fifty Fathoms were invented today, what would it look like?’”

The answer is the new Fifty Fathoms Tech BOC, which brings advanced technology into a more wearable form. “Now, I love that we can bring colour and style into the Tech line, proving that a serious diver’s watch can also have a lifestyle side,” says Hayek.

Omega has also embraced vivid hues in its Seamaster Aqua Terra series. The latest release is a striking turquoise, available in both 38mm and 41mm cases. With ceramic bezels, a turquoise varnish dial shaded with a black gradient and Super-LumiNova markers, the watch is as stylish as it is capable, water-resistant up to 150 metres.

It carries forward the DNA of the original Seamaster while nodding to the technical refinements of the modern Seamaster 300M.

Montblanc's deeper push into watchmaking in recent years has seen it tackle the dive watch, as well as its more traditional mountaineering watches. Photo: Montblanc

Montblanc, better known for its mountaineering-inspired timepieces, has moved decisively into diving with its Iced Sea Automatic Date collection.

These are ISO 6425-certified divers watches, thanks in part to the brand’s O Oxygen technology, which eliminates fogging under extreme temperature shifts and prevents oxidation so the components last longer.

The line now comes in a smaller 38mm size, broadening its appeal, and offers glacier-patterned dials in crisp white and ice blue, paired with rubber straps or a steel bracelet.

Breitling’s relationship with the sea goes back to 1957, when it debuted the Superocean. Then, as now, the model was as much about design as utility. Today, it has been reimagined as the Superocean Heritage.

The collection includes a 42mm chronograph and automatic models in 40mm, 42mm and 44mm, equipped with the new B31 movement, plus a more compact 36mm version with the Calibre 10 automatic movement in mint green.

The Oris Aquis Date New York Harbour Limited Edition II supports the restoration of oyster reefs in New York Harbour. Photo: Oris

“It’s our most elegant sea watch and this update is about refinement,” says Breitling chief executive Georges Kern. “Details have been perfected, but the spirit stays the same. It’s about style at sea.”

Oris, meanwhile, continues to champion accessibility and conservation. The Divers Sixty-Five Chronograph is a vintage-inspired piece with ocean-green accents, retro pump pushers and 100-metre water resistance.

In its bestselling Aquis line, Oris has launched the Aquis Date in a fashionable New York Harbour aqua-green, paired with a rubber strap. Released last month, it supports the restoration of oyster reefs in New York Harbour.

Marine conservation has become a rallying cry for many watchmakers, tying the diver’s tool-watch heritage to today’s environmental concerns.

Mike Coots in the Ulysse Nardin Diver Hammerhead Shark. Photo: Ulysse Nardin

Ulysse Nardin has just released the Diver Hammerhead Shark chronometer, a muscular 44mm model in blue PVD-coated titanium, its case-back engraved with a hammerhead motif. It continues the maison’s Shark series, which supports ocean protection.

Panerai, too, has integrated sustainability into its identity. The brand has forged partnerships with causes such as manta ray conservation and Ocean Literacy With All, making each watch purchase feel like a contribution.

This year, it revisits the Luminor Marina of the 1990s, originally a military instrument, reinterpreted for civilians in lighter titanium and with a thinner case profile. The result is a watch that remains faithful to its military toughness, while offering clarity and lightness for those venturing below the surface.

From Omega’s pioneering Marine to Blancpain’s Fifty Fathoms, and from Panerai’s rugged military instruments to today’s vibrant, conservation-minded designs, the dive watch has continually evolved.

What began as a practical solution for professionals, is now an icon of style, adaptability and purpose. Whether strapped on in the depths of the ocean or peeking out from under a shirt cuff, the diver remains one of watchmaking’s most enduring creations.