Still perceived as too masculine for women, dive timepieces were created for navies and undersea explorers of the past. Beefy and bold, the watches are designed for easy readability under water, keeping track of bottom time, and their ability to withstand extreme conditions.
Yet, the growing popularity of sea sports amongst the fairer sex had watch manufacturers sit up and notice. The result? Dive watches now come with diamond bezels, mother-of-pearl dials and other soft features to appeal to ladies who sport. These timepieces sit well on smaller wrists, and looking stylish in and out of the water.
Blancpain: Fifty Fathoms Automatique Ref. 5015-1144-52
Featuring pink hours markers and a mother-of-pearl dial, the Fifty Fathoms Automatique Ref. 5015-1144-52 exterior may look rather cliché. But Blancpain has done a nifty job with this timepiece. Despite its sweet exterior, the self-winding timepiece is tough with water-resistance to a depth of 300m and has a power reserve of 120 hours. It has an unidirectional bezel on a 45mm stainless steel case, and comes with a sturdy sail-canvas strap that’s suited for aquatic use.
Breguet: Marine Chronograph Ref. 8828
Powered by the Breguet 1050 calibre, the Marine Chronogaph 8828 pays tribute to the manufacturer’s history of Marine timepieces, originally designed by Breguet for the royal navy of France. While it’s not a dive watch, it channels the ocean with its curves and undulating shapes. The wave decoration is set with diamonds on its mother-of-pearl dial. The white gold case, diamond bezel, lugs and white rubber strap add sophistication to the timepiece.
Jaeger-LeCoultre: Deep Sea Vintage Chronograph
Jaeger-LeCoultre takes inspiration from its iconic Memovox Deep Sea to create the Deep Sea Vintage Chronograph. It features a similar 40.5mm case – big enough but not overwhelming for most ladies’ wrists – with a matt black dial protected by a Plexiglass watch glass. The back of the stainless steel case depicts a frogman surrounded by bubbles, the same engraved motif as the Memovox model. It also has an embossed black calfskin leather strap like the original.
Omega: Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M
Omega’s maritime legacy is encapsulated in this Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M, a striking timepiece with the Co-Axial calibre 8520 movement at its heart. Beyond its stylish blue appearance is a tough watch befitting serious divers. Water-resistant to 600m, it features a domed scratch-resistant sapphire crystal, unidirectional rotating bezel mounted on a 37.5mm titanium case, and a helium escape valve function. This is a decompression system which allows helium to escape from inside a watch, hence lowering the pressure.
