Good diver watch brands?

[Ojai Diver]

While not as essential as a computer, dive watches have their own uses and satisfactions. (You can't really hand your computer down to your son.) There are many good ones, but the best lower priced one imo is Seiko. I dive with an Omega, and it keeps great time and is quite rugged as well.

 

[CT Sean]

Confusion? No confusion that I understand. Both have the advantages and costs. Dive watch can be worn every day, is easily seen and can be used for diving for basic timing. A Computer can’t be worn as a daily watch (to big), visibility varies depending on display, and used as a dive manager, lots of features.

The OLED dive watch I inquired about, would be easily visible in all types of situations, due to it’s clarity and display and even have an analogue watch display, just as the Apple Watch does. The OLED watch could have minimalistic features like dive analogue dive watches today, or ramped up to contain all type of features, but the complexities of expanded features would make that watch more like full featured Dive computers today which is higher in cost and larger in size.

I expect OLED dive watch existence is inevitable, but when?

Pure speculation but I'm not sure there's much of a market for it. You're talking about marketing to actual divers only (and only active divers who want to dive with a PC and watch) vs. analog dive watches whose buyers are primarily non-divers. Non-divers will simply by apple watches or its competitors (I assume it has competitors) like they already do. The "hardware" costs for something like the Teric or Descent I assume are high enough that one might as well stuff it with lots of software and a depth sensor and just turn it into a dive PC. I personally take a dive watch on almost all of my dives. I'd love a more simplified Shearwater Teric - less tech but still acceptable recreational dive pc for around say 800.00. I'd never even consider buying an OLED style dive watch.

 

[Snoweman]

I have a Tag-Heuer for show. A Timex digital for actually wearing in the water. Both are good, but very different price points.

My dive buddy where's a Tag rated for 200m for diving and all around. He was p!ssed when he had to have it serviced and rust was inside of it.

 

[Doctor Rig]

Pure speculation but I'm not sure there's much of a market for it. You're talking about marketing to actual divers only (and only active divers who want to dive with a PC and watch) vs. analog dive watches whose buyers are primarily non-divers. Non-divers will simply by apple watches or its competitors (I assume it has competitors) like they already do. The "hardware" costs for something like the Teric or Descent I assume are high enough that one might as well stuff it with lots of software and a depth sensor and just turn it into a dive PC. I personally take a dive watch on almost all of my dives. I'd love a more simplified Shearwater Teric - less tech but still acceptable recreational dive pc for around say 800.00. I'd never even consider buying an OLED style dive watch.

CT Sean makes some thought provoking comments. Showing my age, I can remember the only available calculators were mechanical devices the size of a big mechanical typewriter. That was replaced by a TI calculator that was the size of a half of a brick costing $125, and it could only add, subtract, mulitiply and divide. Today we can get a very sophisticated calculator the size of a small iPhone, for very very little money. No one would ever consider going back to the mechanical calculator, it’s just not practical. Many have doomed the mechanical watch in the past... I wonder if the mechanical watch will ever be dethroned by modern electronics?

It’s probably not if, but when, it’s going to happen.......

 

[runsongas]

automatic watches are making a come back like vinyl. doubt they will go away entirely. watches are more of a fashion statement than actual necessity to tell time these days since everyone has their phone. you just won't see people bother with cheap quartz wristwatches.

 

[Jcp2]

you just won't see people bother with cheap quartz wristwatches.

Raises hand sheepishly. Casio on wrist.

 

[Doctor Rig]

Raises hand sheepishly. Casio on wrist.

Contrary to my last posting.... it’s hard to believe anyone can produce a OLED or similar watch anywhere close to a $40 Casio dive watch. How does Casio make, market and sell a mechanical watch that cheap? Amazing!

(My car mechanic charges $75+ per hour!)

 

[runsongas]

economies of scale, low cost of startup with tooling/equipment paid off 20 years ago, and cheap overseas labor.

 

[Jcp2]

My Casio has a quartz movement. The least expensive mechanical dive watch would be one of the low end Seikos. I have a couple of non dive rated automatic watches, but for me they are a bit of a pain as I don’t wear them regularly to keep them powered up and they aren’t really expensive enough for me to buy the rotating stand that would keep them powered when not wearing them.

 

[Doctor Rig]

Look what I just found on watchuseek.com. A new Casio watch released this week with what appears to be a really nice color display... (OLED?). $400 not a dive watch but lots of feature capabilities.

https://www.watchuseek.com/casio-adds-new-fall-colorway-to-pro-trek-smart-watch-series/