There are vast numbers of dive watches from various brands. However, our favorite and the best inexpensive dive watch goes to the NEYMAR Men’s Diver Watch. This watch offers a higher level of water resistance, hardened sapphire crystal, bright luminous markers, and indicators. Besides that, it can withstand 1000meters of water pressure.
Contents
- What’s The Best Inexpensive Dive Watch?
- Invicta Men’s 8928OB Pro Diver Gold Automatic Watch
- Orient Mako II Dive Watch
- Seiko Men’s SSC017 Dive Watch
- Luminox Men’s 3001 Quartz Navy Seal Dive Watch
- Citizen Men’s Eco-Drive Promaster Diver Watch
- NEYMAR Men’s 1000m Diver Watch – Best Inexpensive Watch for Scuba Diving
- What to Look Out For When Buying a Dive Watch
- Final Word on the Best Inexpensive Dive Watch
What’s The Best Inexpensive Dive Watch?
Most people own dive watches, even if they are not professional divers. Usually, these timepieces look bulky and bold as they have to handle the stress related to watersports. However, they look elegant and can complement a wet suit, casual and formal wear.
A good dive watch also provides an accurate reading of time and depth. Most of them have bright dials that glow in the dark, and they have parts made from durable materials.
Since there are many dive watches with various qualities and high prices, getting an affordable dive timepiece might be difficult. Hence, to make things pretty easy for you, we’ve provided a genuine list of the best inexpensive dive watch.
Invicta Men’s 8928OB Pro Diver Gold Automatic Watch
For countless years, Invicta has offered products that combine elegance with high performance. The Invicta Men’s 8928OB Automatic watch is no exception to the brand’s quality watches. It features as one of the best in the Brand’s Pro Diver series and has excellent qualities that make the watch perfect for divers.
Elegant Case and Bracelet
Unlike other Invicta products which come in a single color, the Invicta 8928OB features a 13mm thick steel case in gold and silver tones. Behind the case lies a transparent skeleton case that displays the watch’s movement.
The timepiece has a 21cm long silver stainless steel strap. Furthermore, the bracelet has a clasp buckle which allows the watch to fit securely on the wrist.
Both the strap and bracelet are evenly polished, thus giving the watch a stylish look.
Attractive Display
A beautiful face graces the front of the watch. This face has a simple matte black or silver dial on a vibrant blue background. Under various lighting or viewing angles, the tint of the face could change.
Luminous Dials
Since it’s a diving watch, this Invicta dive watch has hands that offer a bright green glow when in deep or murky waters. It even has an electric blue dial which you can view in low or bright light.
Accurate Movement
With this timepiece, there is no need for batteries or regular windings. The reason is that the watch offers an authentic Japanese Automatic Movement and works with kinetic energy generated when you swing your arms.
Opinions and Drawbacks
This Invicta watch is a great timepiece but one if its downside is that it sometimes counts slowly or faster. That’s the time seconds is either a little forward or backward.
Orient Mako II Dive Watch
The Orient Mako II Dive Watch comes as an improved successor to the Mako I. It also stands as an ideal option for buyers looking for a cheap but durable dive timepiece. With this in mind, Orient has become popular with amateur and seasoned divers.
Sturdy Bezel
Unlike most watches, the Mako II has a 120 click sloping aluminum bezel. This feature makes the timepiece look elegant while making it blend with the case and crystal. It also makes it easier to operate.
Since its bezel is made from aluminum, it can withstand wear and tear for an extended period. It also makes the watch lighter than models with steel bezels.
Sturdy Steel Case
As expected, the Mako II offers a better case than the Mako I. Surrounded by rounded edges – its case blends with the polished end links of the stainless steel strap. Overall, it creates a look that fits with a wet suit or formal attire and offers water-resistance of up to 200meters.
Tough Clasp
Although Mako II is a budget watch, it has a sturdy clasp. This part comes with double locking and push-button features. Overall, it prevents the timepiece from unexpected openings during dives or a swim.
Opinion and Drawbacks
The Orient Mako II is an affordable, elegant, and durable watch. However, it looks smaller than regular dive watches and has a tight bezel. Furthermore, it has a crown that does not unscrew easily.
Seiko Men’s SSC017 Dive Watch
Known in some circles as the Air Diver, the Seiko Prospex Solar Dive Watch has an impressive design which makes it stand out as a great contender in our list. It also comes with functions that make it suitable for diving and other water activities.
Solar Recharge
There is no need to wind the watch since the timepiece uses solar power to recharge its battery. A full charge offers six months of battery life.
Water Resistance
An average watch has a resistance of 100 meters, but the SSC017 offers an impressive 200m or 20 ATM. This water-resistant rating makes the watch suitable for most aquatic activities. It also has a firm pusher and crown that can withstand leaks during scuba diving.
Classic Stainless Steel Case
This timepiece can handle shocks and scratches with its 43mm stainless steel case. It also has a 13 mm thickness. Overall, the case gives the watch a bulky look, which is wearable.
It has three sub-dials and luminous markers covered with a sheet of durable Hardlex material.
Extendable Bracelet
A polished and brushed stainless steel strap secures the Seiko SSC017 on any wrist size. It also has a dive extension which allows a diver to increase its length when worn with a wet suit.
Opinion and Drawbacks
The Seiko SSC017 is an impressive diving watch with great functions. However, it has a few downsides. First, the blue paint peels within a short time. It does charge under cloudy weather. Finally, it’s not a full-scale chronograph since it does not have a tachymeter scale.
The Luminox Men’s 3001 is a timepiece designed to work great in dark environments. This Luminox Navy SEAL Series watch is resistant to water, which makes it great for water sports. Here are the highlights of this fantastic timepiece.
Reinforced Carbon Case and Water-resistant
The durable case is made from a carbon strengthened with polymers. Also, it includes a unidirectional polymer bezel. Behind the watch, a PVD stainless case held down by tight stainless screws keeps water out.
This dive watch has a water resistance of up to 200m (600ft). This makes it a viable option for swimming and scuba diving.
Micro Gas Lights
Unlike most diving watches, the Luminox does not use bright paint in the dark. Instead, it works with micro gas lights embedded on the hands and indicators on the watch face. Furthermore, there’s no need to recharge the lights or push any button before they come on.
Adjustable Rubber Strap
The Luminox watch has a silicon type 23mm wide rubber bracelet with a double locking buckle. This material can withstand hours of water exposure while making the user feel comfortable. It also fits all wrist sizes.
Opinion and Drawbacks
The Luminox Navy Seal Watch can rival any dive watch in the market, but it has some issues. For one, the watch is pretty too bulky on the wrist and its strap is held with a weak pin. Overall, this timepiece is a great product and will be worth spending your cash on.
Citizen Men’s Eco-Drive Promaster Diver Watch
The Citizen BN0150-28E is a part of the Citizen Promaster Sea Collection range of professional diving watches. It also comes with a design that will fit for scuba diving and everyday use.
Impressive Battery
The watch has a lithium-ion battery which you can recharge with artificial or natural light. Besides, the battery can last for as long as 20 years and does not require changing.
Strong Bezel
A stainless steel bezel surrounds the watch face of the BN0150-28E. You can turn in a single direction. When underwater, it’s harder to rotate which prevents it from moving accidentally. Besides, the bezel has a mechanism that produces an audible click when turned.
Slim Case
The product has a stainless steel case that has a thickness of 12mm and a diameter of 43mm. These dimensions present the Citizen eco-drive master watch as a slim item. With such a profile, it can easily avoid bumps against rocks or coral in the water.
Elegant Watch Face
The watch face includes an attractive black dial. This simple background allows you to view the silver hour indicators and hands easily. Since the hands feature luminous paint, you can use the timepiece under low light conditions.
Opinion and Drawback
We praise the watch for its excellent design, size, and functions. However, the watch face looks crowded while the band feels thin when worn. Also, the product does not come with an instruction manual on how to operate the watch.
NEYMAR Men’s 1000m Diver Watch – Best Inexpensive Watch for Scuba Diving
The Neymar men’s diver watch stands as the final watch on our list of the best inexpensive dive watch. This product offers elegance and high performance when used for aquatic sports and regular use.
Anti-Reflective Sapphire Crystal
A sheet of anti-reflective sapphire crystal covers the watch face of the NEYMAR Diver watch. Since the material is almost as hard as diamond, it can withstand shocks and scratches better than mineral glass models.
Impressive Water Resistance Level
Most dive watches offer water resistance within 100 -200m. However, the NEYMAR watch promises resistance to 1000m of water pressure, which makes it an ideal option for scuba diving.
Helium Escape Valve
On the right edge of the case lies a helium escape valve. With this valve, you can expel helium gas that might slip into the watch case during deep-sea diving.
Super Easy Screwdown Crown
It has a large screw-down crown at the figure 3 hour mark of the timepiece. Guards protect the crown from knocks and bumps. Its crown is easy to grip and wind.
Opinion and Drawbacks
The Neymar watch is sturdy enough to withstand water pressure at 1000m. It also has a weak bracelet clip.
Overall, the Neymar Diver watch features great functions and it comes at an affordable price. It even competes against many top brands such as Seiko.
What to Look Out For When Buying a Dive Watch
What gets most buyers confused is what a dive watch needs to have and what to look out for in a dive watch. Not all watches that present themselves as a dive watch can work great when it goes deep down underwater. Here are important things to consider when buying a dive watch.
Water-resistant
At this point, using the ISO term would not be a good idea. Because as for ISO, a good dive watch should be resistant to 100 meters of water pressure. But many watchmakers don’t agree with that. They believe a perfect dive watch should have water-resistant to 200 meters. The reason is due to added pressure movement underwater and the degradation time of the gaskets. It’s not about being waterproof but how long can it withstand such water pressure. Hence, it’s best to be on the safer side.
Luminescence
This makes the watch more readable even in low light conditions. The lume paint is coated on the hands and dial markers to absorb light, and it glows during low light or night dives. A perfect watch for Diver should have lume painted on the 5 minutes dial markers, 60 minutes bezels, hour hands, minutes, and seconds.
Rotating Uni-directional Timing Bezel
This is a significant factor to consider because this helps divers account for elapsed time. The rotational bezel should move the counter a clockwise direction and not the other way around. So that if there is a change in movement during a dive underwater, it gives a reduced time rather than more.
Also, most dive watches have an external bezel but there some exceptions like the Bulova Snorkel with an internal bezel.
Movement Type
There are different types of movement, which includes quartz, mechanical, automatic, and digital. Quartz movement is known for its accurate time while the mechanical movement is very popular due to its correct alignment of gears, level of quality, and craftsmanship. Watches with mechanical automatic movement is also great as it works with the aid of kinetic energy generated when the wrist is in motion. However, the one to choose depends on your personal preference.
Final Word on the Best Inexpensive Dive Watch
For a roundup, getting one of the best inexpensive dive watches will pay off since it will serve your need and last longer. Having read through the reviews of our best-selected watches and buying guide, you will find it pretty easy to get the right one.
These dive watches are not only great for underwater but they can also complement your everyday casual and formal outfit.
However, as we’ve said from the start, the Neymar dive watch still stands out as our top pick. It might require a higher budget, but it certainly worth the price. But if you want a watch that can glow more at night for easy reading, then consider getting the Luminox dive watch.
