« For Ladies Who Dive »
Sporty, rugged and no longer the preserve of men: dive watches. Especially in the upper segment, manufacturers are proving how well these water-resistant all-rounders perform on a woman's wrist – and how surprisingly elegant they can be. Here are our top 5 feminine divers from Tudor, Omega and more.
Gentle or Brawny? Women's Dive Watches from Breitling
2020 was a big year for the Breitling Chronomat: first came the complete overhaul of the 42 mm men's models in the spring, then the addition of more than 15 women's watches in the fall. With that, the collection – born in 1942 as a pilot's watch – targeted female customers specifically for the first time in its history. In the manufacturer's words, the compact 32 and 36 mm editions are "universal sports watches," but to us they fall more into the category of gentle divers. Gentle, because 100 meters of water resistance is no record-breaking feat and aesthetic considerations take center stage in this line. Their signature features – the grippy rider tabs on the bezel and the Rouleaux bracelet – are borrowed from the Breitling Chronomat B01 42, giving these women's dive watches a distinctive identity in the often so monotonous world of ladies' timepieces.
Speaking of identity: not only is the color palette highly creative, with exotic options such as mint green, but so is the choice of materials – everything from pure stainless steel to two-tone to rose gold is possible. The movements vary too: the 36 mm models are powered by the automatic Caliber 10, while the Chronomat 32 relies on a quartz movement.
The latter could hardly be further removed from the brawny unisex Breitling Endurance Pro with its 44 mm case. Rather than impressing with elegant lines, it puts hard substance first and delivers maximum ruggedness for an active lifestyle. 300 meters of water resistance is a bold statement among women's dive watches, paired with the versatility of color-matched rubber straps. Coordinated with the respective dial, they come in white, yellow, orange or stylish shades of blue and can be swapped for a metal bracelet if you prefer. Large Arabic numerals, a wide rotating bezel, three subdials – easy to grip, easy to read – the Breitling Endurance Pro doesn't hide its functionality but wears it proudly on its sleeve. And that's exactly why we like it so much.
The Refined One: Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra 150M Co-Axial
Another recipe for success in women's dive watches comes from Biel, where Omega enters the race with the Seamaster Aqua Terra 150M Co-Axial. It masterfully achieves its goal of combining the elegance of a dress watch with the ruggedness of a diver – and holds a technical edge over Breitling's editions: an in-house movement. Inside ticks the METAS-certified Caliber 8800 with a 55-hour power reserve, a display caseback and near-total resistance to magnetic fields. 150 meters of water resistance more than earns the "Aqua" in its name, while the look is defined by arrow-shaped hands, a wave-patterned dial and a date window centered at six o'clock.
By forgoing a rotating bezel, these women's dive watches disguise their purpose so successfully that, without prior knowledge, you would never place them in the diver category. That's especially true of the versions that replace the standard stainless steel case with 18k rose gold and can be set with generous diamond paving on request. The latter can easily catapult the price tag into the high €30,000s. Above all, though, it's the base models under €6,000 that have won our hearts.
The Performer: Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight
When women think of the Black Bay Fifty-Eight, the editions with smaller case diameters may seem the sensible choice at first glance. With the elegant Tudor Black Bay 36 S&G and the Tudor Black Bay 32, the current collection includes some attractive models.
As a unisex option, the Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight wasn't explicitly designed for the female wrist, yet it easily keeps pace with "true" women's dive watches – and even outperforms them. We're referring less to its 39 mm diameter than to the powerful combination of 200 meters of water resistance, an indestructible feel and a 70-hour power reserve. The latter comes from the in-house, COSC-certified automatic MT5402 – far from a given at a retail price of €3,430 on the metal bracelet.
Synthetic "Soft Touch" straps are also available, though they complement the solid character of the Black Bay Fifty-Eight less successfully. You can get this dive watch in black with gilt accents or in the recently introduced blue version with white contrasts. The latter took home the "Challenge Watch Prize" at the GPHG 2020. But even without the "Oscar of watchmaking," we would value these models for their authenticity, technical sophistication and outstanding value for money – on women's and men's wrists alike.
Affordable Luxury: Tag Heuer Aquaracer
Tag Heuer proves with the Aquaracer Quartz 35mm that solid, stylish women's dive watches don't have to cost a fortune. Priced between €1,500 and €2,000, it is every bit the equal of pricier competitors in build quality and embraces pure sportiness in its design. Our favorite is the black reference WAY131M.BA0748, because it pairs the characteristically bold ceramic bezels from La Chaux-de-Fonds with a feminine mother-of-pearl dial and eleven diamond indexes. A symbiosis, then, but by no means a compromise: a hefty 300 meters of water resistance puts it at the top of our field, while the quartz movement guarantees first-class accuracy.
It can't match the charm of a mechanical caliber, but it makes these women's dive watches comparatively affordable and proves a reliable option for the long haul. A total of ten variations of the 35 mm Tag Heuer Aquaracer are available, all with a black or blue dial and featuring either a ceramic or a steel bezel. By the way: if you'd like to wear your women's dive watch in a smaller size, the Aquaracer 32 is a full-fledged alternative, likewise water-resistant to 300 meters.
