The Best Dive Watches Under $500 Will Make You Feel Like Jacques Cousteau

Style from the deep.
15 Best Dive Watches Under 500 in 2021 Seiko Timex Bulova and More
Photographs courtesy Getty Images; Collage by Gabe Conte

Much like rugby shirts and Converse Jack Purcells, the best dive watches were never really meant to be a flex. The modern dive watch was created in the 1950s to help SCUBA divers monitor their air supply (hence that rotating bezel around the dial), but it didn’t take long before non-divers who wanted a tough, reliable everyday watch got on board. Just like that rugby shirt, its functional design and solid build translated well to life on land, getting more ruggedly handsome with every knock and ding. And the fact that wearing one made you look like the kind of guy who spear fishes for snapper off Key Biscayne? Well, that didn’t hurt either. The same is true today as it was in the Jacques Cousteau era. Nowadays you can easily spend four or five figures on a dive watch, but the ones below offer nearly as much water-resistant functionality and an equal amount of seagoing swagger for far less money. We dove deep into the e-retail waters and surfaced with the 15 absolute best dive watches under $500. 

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  • 1/15

    Casio MDV106-1A watch

    1960s-inspired looks, a sweeping seconds hand and 200m water resistance add up to a true maritime banger from the house of G-Shock.

  • 2/15

    Lorier Hydra watch

    Watchmakers are notorious for being a little crazy about details. This timepiece, an homage to 1960s “twin-crown” divers, complete with an internal rotating bezel, Hesalite crystal and a Miyota 9015 automatic movement, shows how much of a difference that obsessiveness can make.

  • 3/15

    Unimatic U4-a watch

    This brand is what happens when a vintage Italian navy watch gets a modern minimalist makeover. As you can see, it works.

  • 4/15

    Victorinox Swiss Army Men's I.N.O.X. Pro Diver watch

    The makers of the world’s most versatile pocket knives put all of their metalwork skills into this Swiss Army-approved diver, forging the case and bracelet from high-quality, tough-as-nails (and hypo-allergenic) stainless steel. Translation? Like that classic red multi-tool, this is built to last a lifetime.

  • 5/15

    Seiko Prospex SRP777

    All hail Seiko, undisputed king of the entry-level mechanical dive watch. Ask anyone: for looks, quality and performance, you really can’t do much better than this.

  • 6/15

    Tissot Seastar watch

    Desk diver: n. A diver’s watch intended for office wear. See above.

  • 7/15

    Hamilton Khaki Navy Scuba Quartz watch

    Much to the frustration of guys with slender wrists, dive watches with small cases are rarer than verifiable Sasquatch sightings. At just 37mm across, however, this is one mythical creature that actually does exist.

  • 8/15

    Yema Superman Heritage watch

    What’s French for badass? We don’t know either, but this watch—which was standard issue for the French air force in the 1970s—embodies toughness and durability in any language.

  • 9/15

    Bulova Special Edition Oceanographer Green Dial watch

    This ‘60s retro “devil diver,” with an automatic movement and 666 feet of water resistance (get it?) will make your watch nerd friends green with envy.

  • 10/15

    Orient Men's 'Mako II' Japanese Automatic Stainless Steel Diving Watch

    Much like its killer namesake, this diver is a finely tuned underwater specialist featuring a Japanese automatic movement and a 120-click rotating bezel.

  • 11/15

    Vaer D4 Arctic USA Solar Diver watch

    There used to be a ton of great American watch brands, but most of them were bought out or went under during the “quartz crisis” of the 1970s. Vaer is one of a handful of indie brands bringing production back onshore with American-assembled pieces like this. With a scratch-proof sapphire crystal, vintage-looking “fauxtina” lume and a solar-powered Japanese movement, it’s the watch equivalent of a pair of Made in USA Japanese selvedge jeans.

  • 12/15

    Timex Allied Coastline watch

    Leave it to the GOAT of affordable watches to create this under-the-radar diver with a slick graphic dial the color of a stormy sea.

  • 13/15

    Citizen ProMaster Diver watch

    A serious professional dive watch at a price any amateur can afford. Plus, the solar-powered Eco-Drive movement means it’ll never need a new battery.

  • 14/15

    Dan Henry 1970 Automatic Diver watch

    Watches from the 1970s are a hot commodity on the vintage market right now. This one looks the part, and you won’t have to scour every flea market in the state to get your hands on one.

  • 15/15

    Luminox Mens Watch Navy Seal Black Out watch

    If this black dial beaut is good enough for the Navy SEALS to wear on a BASE jump, it’s definitely good enough for you to wear on a unicorn floatie this summer.

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