Dive watches 2020

All the watches listed down in today’s digest are designed for diving. Yet they are also incredibly beautiful, what makes them a perfect fit for both underwater walks and promenades on land.

A brief history of diving watches

The first versions of diving watches appeared back in the 1920s and became an important milestone in the development of both technology and fashion. The invention has also accelerated the popularization of wristwatches, making them more durable and practical for everyday wear. Pocket watches, trendy at the beginning of the 20th century, gradually receded into the background.

In the 1950s, scuba diving became one of the trendiest sports in the United States. Is it any wonder that a diving watch has become a truly essential time tracking tool for deep diving? With the rapid development of diving technology, so did watches.

Today, for a watch to be officially certified as a “diving watches”, it has to meet strict international standards.

Some of the main criteria are:

• 100 meters water resistance (at least);
• special levels of visibility and readability in complete darkness;
• magnetic and chemical resistance;
• luminous arrow, which indicates that the watch is running, even in total darkness.

Intrigued? Then let’s take a look at the top three diving watches in 2020.

IWC Aquatimer Automatic Edition “Boesch”

Boesch Motorboote is known for producing high quality mahogany boats. The company was launched in Zurich in 1920 and celebrated its centenary in 2020. In honor of the anniversary, Boesch IWC presented the Aquatimer Automatic Edition “Boesch” watch, which embodies the main design features of the Boesch anniversary boat.

Boesch designs are, in principle, characterized by clear lines and a combination of noble woods with shiny metallic details. The IWC Aquatimer Automatic Edition “Boesch” watch is no exception. The dark brown dial and rubber strap contrast with the 44mm stainless steel case, while gold-plated hands and indexes create a vibrant color accent. Inside the watch is IWC’s caliber 82100.

This high-quality automatic movement is powered by a Pellaton winding system with virtually wear-free ceramic components for a 60-hour power reserve. A unique feature of the watch is the transparent case back through which you can see the inner movement. To maintain high water resistance, a special thickened sapphire crystal was used in the manufacture of watches.

The line is limited to 100 pieces and is available exclusively in Switzerland.

BREITLING Superocean Heritage B20 Auto 44 BEVERLY HILLS LE

And now for a little chic from Breitling! How else when it comes to the 18K red gold bezel?

The latest Superocean Heritage model, limited to 50 pieces, was created exclusively for the Breitling boutique in Beverly Hills. The watch design combines luxurious 18K red gold and utilitarian black stainless steel. The 44mm case is paired with an 18K red gold bezel, a black dial with gold accents and a super-durable black ceramic ring that is scratch and shock resistant.

The watch combines retro design elements inherited from the 1957 models and modern technologies that allow the watch to be water-resistant to a depth of 200 meters. The watch is presented on a black rubber diving strap, stylized as a shark skin.

Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe with blue dial and Sedna red gold

Back in the early 1950s, the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe was introduced as a gentleman’s diving watch that can be worn on land if desired. In a way, this watch was ahead of its time and certainly influenced the creation of sports watches so popular today.

For the first time, the new Blancpain watch combines a blue dial and bezel with a 43 mm gold Sedna case. Sedna gold is Omega’s signature red gold alloy. It contains gold, copper and palladium. The dial is deep blue, decorated with a slender second hand and a date window. The hour and minute hands are rectangular and covered with Super-Lumi Nova, which is nothing more than a reference to the Bathyscaphe of the 1950s.

The Sedna gold unidirectional rotating bezel features a ceramic insert and hour markers filled with Ceragold (another alloy). The watch is water resistant up to 300 meters.

Which watch did you like the most?