Best in 2017: Diving Watches

Top Diving Watches 2017. The best diver's watches launched in 2017. Best diving watches 2017.

We continue our series of articles dedicated to some of the best timepieces introduced in 2017 in various categories, including Chronographs, Diving Watches, Dress Watches, Complications and Ladies Watches.

After Chronographs, for the Diving Watches category we list below our selections with links to the full articles. Selected watches are listed alphabetically, not in order of preference.

Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Diver
Renowned for its square timepieces, Bell & Ross had not a square diver’s watch in its collection until this year. In fact, developing a diving watch with a square case that meets the stringent requirements defined by international standard ISO 6425 represents a big challenge. The wait was over with the new BR 03-92 Diver, a professional diving instrument driven by a Swiss self-winding mechanical movement which guarantees water resistance to 300 meters / 1000 feet. The square case is equipped with a 60-minute unidirectional rotating bezel, whose luminescent dot at 12 o’clock is used to set time references and calculate time spent underwater. The 42 mm satin-polished case is equipped with a soft iron cage to increase the resistance of Calibre BR-CAL.302 (base Sellita SW300-1) to magnetic fields. Beating at 28,800 vibrations per hour, this automatic movement offers a power reserve of 38 hours.
Full article.

Blancpain Tribute to Fifty Fathoms MIL-SPEC
The re-interpretation of one of Blancpain’s vintage pieces from the 1950s, the Tribute to Fifty Fathoms MIL-SPEC features a water-tightness indicator just like the original Fifty Fathoms model called the MIL-SPEC 1, which was introduced in 1957-58. The new model is fitted with Blancpain’s in-house automatic winding calibre 1151 with two series-coupled mainspring barrels for a remarkable four-day power reserve. Nestled into its stainless steel 40 mm case, the movement as well as its solid gold winding rotor with a NAC coating (a platinum alloy) and Blancpain logo, are visible through the clear sapphire case back. The balance-spring is in silicon, a material that offers many advantages. Firstly, its low density makes it lighter and thus more shock-resistant. In addition, it is highly resistant to magnetic fields. Water resistant to 30 bar, which is equivalent to 300 meters / 1000 feet, this edition is limited to 500 examples and is offered with a NATO strap, sail cloth strap, or steel bracelet with a secure buckle. Full article.

Panerai Luminor Submersible 1950 BMG-Tech PAM692

Introduced at the beginning of the year, the Luminor Submersible 1950 BMG-Tech PAM00692 adopted a new and highly innovative material developed by Panerai’s R&D lab for case, bezel, winding crown and associated protection device of this model. Called BMG-Tech (where BMG stands for Bulk Metallic Glass), this material offers a grey colour similar to that of titanium but darker combined with extreme resistance to wear, high strength and great lightness. Water-resistant to 30 bar (a depth of about 300 metres / 1000 feet), the 47 mm case of the new watch has the bezel with a graduated scale for calculating the time of immersion, which rotates only anti-clockwise. The in-house developed P.9010 automatic calibre beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour and guarantees a power reserve of three days. Full article.

Rolex Sea-Dweller Ref. 126600
The latest generation of the Rolex Perpetual Sea-Dweller, a legend among professional divers’ watches created 50 years ago, features a larger, 43 mm stainless steel case and the new self-winding calibre 3235, employed for the first time in a Rolex Professional category watch. To enhance the reading of the date, it is equipped, also for the first time, with a Cyclops lens on the crystal at 3 o’clock. Protected by a crown guard that is an integral part of the middle case, the crown screws down securely against the case, providing waterproofness to a depth of 1,220 metres / 4,000 feet.
Full article.

Seiko Prospex Diver Ref. SLA017

Seiko’s and Japan’s first ever diver’s watch was made in 1965. It incorporated an automatic mechanical calibre delivering a water resistance of 150 metres / 500 feet. The watch was used by the Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition from 1966 to 1969. The 2017 Prospex re-creation of this 1965 classic is faithful to the original design, but thoroughly up-to-date in its technology. It incorporates the Calibre 8L35 beating at 4 Hz (28,800 vph) and offering 50 hours of power reserve. The 39.9 mm x 14.1 mm stainless steel case is virtually identical to the original, but its diameter has been increased by 1.9 mm and water resistance improved to 200 metres / 660 feet. Enhancements include a box-shaped sapphire crystal and a silicone strap for improved wearability both outside a wetsuit and on the wrist. A stainless steel bracelet is also included.

Full article.