Wild, Wacky, and Weird Dive Watches of the Summer
Exploring the most eccentric dive watches of the summer, where quirky designs meet aquatic adventure.
My tenth-grade chemistry teacher used to tell us, “Life is one grand experiment.” We generally took this sentiment as just another quirk from a quirky man. But as time went on and that pesky little thing called hindsight reared its head, I think I finally understood what he was trying to tell us: that you have to try to do something different, push the boundaries, explore the edge, because how else will you know where it is?
For watch enthusiasts, there is a less-discussed thrill of collecting, which derives from discovering timepieces that break the mold with their unconventional designs and innovative features. That said, when it comes to watches, bold, big, wacky, weird, and wild designs are generally seen as novelties and not something you actually wear. Generally, these are only accepted by those who love to hate anything popular and want to go against the mainstream. However, when it comes to dive watches, the line can be blurred because a dive watch tends to be bigger for legibility and water resistance allowing for a lot more creativity.
A dive watch, by definition, is a watch specifically designed for (you guessed it) underwater diving, capable of withstanding depths of at least 100 meters, featuring a unidirectional rotating bezel for tracking dive time, and offering luminous hands and markers for visibility in low-light conditions. That’s the bare minimum for any basic dive watch, but as we will see, many companies didn’t stop there. As well, to be “a certified dive watch” they must meet the ISO 6425 standard. There is a long list (too long to include here) of requirements to reach this standard, which was created by the International Organization for Standardization. Here, we explore some of the quirkiest dive watches which exemplify the creativity and craftsmanship that keep collectors enthralled or intimidated.
Despite the advent of electronic dive watches that do all a mechanical dive watch can and more, there is still a massive esoteric community of collectors and divers who search out these quirky pieces of wrist candy.
Blancpain – Fifty Fathoms X Fathoms
You can’t talk about dive watches without first discussing Blancpain. I like to call them the granddaddy of dive watch companies despite the debate about whether they were first or not. This behemoth of a watch measures 55mm in diameter and 24mm in height. It is essentially a hockey puck on the wrist, but due to the titanium construction, it wears much lighter than anticipated. I guess we will take the wins where we can.
What this watch lacks in wearability, it makes up for in its innovative design and complications.
Blancpain’s movement is a technological tour de force. This goliath of a watch houses dual mechanical depth gauges, a first in the industry. Utilizing a novel “liquid metal” material, the pressure-sensitive membrane enables precise measurements. One gauge tracks single meters up to 15 meters (blue scale), while the other measures larger increments up to 90 meters (orange scale). Additionally, a dedicated hand records the maximum depth reached, storing the data until reset via a button protected by a titanium guard. A unique 5-minute countdown timer, exclusive to this watch, assists with decompression stops. The timer is controlled by a single button. With an impressive 5-day power reserve, not that anyone is diving for 5 days straight.
It is over-engineered and uncomfortably large but also pretty freaking cool.
IWC – Deep One
IWC who has made their name on pilot watches released the Deep One in 1999 marking the beginning of its journey into the dive watches (that is of course if you don’t consider the 1967 Aquatimer ref. 812 or the GST Porsche Design Ocean). IWC would eventually release the Deep Two in 2009 and Deep Three in 2014. However, the Deep One is my favorite, as it uses a very different depth gauge system.
The Deep One’s 46mm case may seem modest compared to others on this list, but its design is anything but ordinary. IWC’s utilitarian design shines with its high-contrast white-on-black aesthetic, prioritizing functionality and readability. A discreet date window at 3 o’clock adds to the trend of unnecessary complications on a dive watch but also a quirk many collectors love, and the unconventional running seconds subdial at 6 o’clock adds a touch of elegance.
The dished flange surrounding the dial features a traditional rotating countdown bezel, deliberately designed as an internal component to prevent accidental adjustments and enhance safety. A meter scale, labeled “METER” and ranging up to 45, works in tandem with the two central skeletonized arrow hands. The white hand tracks the diver’s current depth, moving clockwise during descent and counterclockwise during ascent, while the yellow hand records the maximum dive depth, only resetting when a new record is achieved. The top crown, featuring one-minute clicks, sets the dive bezel and includes a fail-safe mechanism that deactivates it when submerged, preventing accidental shortening of the dive time.
Additionally, pressing this crown resets the maximum depth gauge. The middle crown, adorned with IWC’s historic fish symbol, handles time and date adjustments. The lower crown, featuring nine small holes, resets the depth hands to zero, essential for high-altitude diving. This clever design element enables the watch’s remarkable depth-tracking capabilities.
The IWC Deep One is pure summer diving fun.
Sarpaneva – Korona K0 Ruler of Water
Calling yourself the Ruler of Water is a bold statement. You need to back it up, and Sarpaneva does just that in their reimagined idea of a dive watch. According to Webster, a Korona is “a usually colored circle often seen around and close to a luminous body (such as the sun or moon) caused by diffraction produced by suspended droplets or occasionally particles of dust.” I will let you decide how that plays into a dive watch.
It may seem odd to see a dive watch from this Finnish watchmaker, but when you consider that Finland has 188,000 lakes, which accounts for roughly one lake per 29 Finns, it makes a little more sense.
The Sarpaneva Korona K0 draws inspiration from a mythical tale of a skilled blacksmith whose daughters were entranced by the sinister charms of Näkki, a malevolent sea spirit. Desperate to rescue his beloved daughters from the dark depths, the blacksmith forged a remarkable underwater device that revealed to him the finite boundaries of his mortality, warning him of the exact moment of his impending demise, as decreed by the sovereign of the ocean’s realm.
This Finnish masterpiece boasts a 46mm case and 11.2mm in height, making it more wearable than many of the other watches on this list. The differentiating factor, other than the myth on which the watch is based, is the action of the dive bezel. Also known as the timer ring, this complication has been directly incorporated into the mainplate of the movement. This unique feature allows all functions to be set by using only one crown. Asking true divers about this feature, you will receive mixed reviews, but it does align with many vintage dive designs.
Panerai – Submersible Elux Lab-ID
This is the newest watch on this list. Despite the novelty, it is about as quirky, weird, and wacky as a true dive watch could be.
This watch is quintessential Panerai. It’s large and loud. Measuring 49mm by 21.9mm, this clearly isn’t the timepiece to wear at your cousin’s destination wedding. The case, bezel, and caseback are all made of Blue Ti-Ceramitech. However, it’s what’s under the hood, as they say, that gets my lume juice going. The p.9010/EL caliber has six barrels providing the watch with three days of power reserve, but also 30 minutes of mechanical micro-generator powered light to the indices. Let me rephrase this — the watch is its own power station, providing electricity to light up the indices. Enter meme of Obama dropping the mic here. (To note: Panerai isn’t the first to incorporate a mechanical generator. De Bethune, HYT and believe it or not Van Cleef and Arpels have all used them previously.)
By design, the watch appears simple, however it is anything but. The complex mechanism inside is protected by four patents. By opening the pusher protector at 8 o’clock, the wearer can activate a button that harnesses the power of four barrels to drive a microgenerator, converting mechanical energy into electricity. This innovative system illuminates LED plots, typically reserved for light-charged luminescence, as well as moving components like hands and bezel, with a clever 15-LED sequential illumination. The custom-built coils, magnets, and stator achieve this feat without relying on active electronics. Additional features include a linear “Power Light” reserve indicator at 6 o’clock, small seconds at 9 o’clock, and a backup system utilizing Super LumiNova X2 on indices and hour hands, as well as Super LumiNova X1 on the minute hand and bezel dot, ensuring visibility even after the 30-minute power reserve is depleted.
This thing lights up better than the night sky in the Atacama Desert. Diving with this watch, you may be mistaken for the bioluminescent creatures that scared us all on Planet Earth.
MB&F – HM7 Aquapod
When we think of quirky, weird, mold-breaking watch design, most watch enthusiasts with a little industry knowledge will eventually bring up MB&F. Max Busser and his cadre of watch genius friends are always up to something unexpected, and with their Aquapod, it was no different.
Rumor has it Busser was inspired to create a watch that looked like a jellyfish after his wife was stung by one while vacationing at the beach. Your guess is as good as mine as to whether or not this was to memorialize the moment, poke fun, or bring awareness. All I know is that if my wife was stung by a jellyfish and my next thought was to write an article on the moment, I would be sleeping on the couch for quite a bit.
I do have to admit that of all the watches on the list, this doesn’t technically meet all the metrics of a dive watch I previously stated. But it’s sea-inspired, has a unidirectional sapphire dive bezel that is only attached at 4 points, causing a floating illusion that is more reminiscent of a UFO than a jelly, but I suppose perspective is everything in life. With only 50 meters of water resistance, I would not recommend taking this down to the Mariana Trench or the trench you dug in your backyard to stop your basement from flooding. Just no diving in any body of water deeper than your sink to be safe.
The HM7 boasts a commanding presence, measuring 53.8 mm in diameter and 21.3 mm in height. Its dual crowns are integrated into the case and bezel, maintaining the watch’s sleek proportions. This thoughtful design not only ensures effortless operation but also creates a sense of balance. The left crown is dedicated to winding, while the right crown is reserved for setting, making the watch an absolute joy to use… on land.
Powered by a state-of-the-art vertical movement with a central tourbillon, this timepiece is a marvel of horological engineering. The automatic movement has a 72-hour power reserve, and the dramatically domed crystal showcases the intricate mechanics and tourbillon in stunning detail.
Cartier – Calibre de Cartier Diver
There is a fine line between luxury and utilitarianism. You can also have utilitarian luxury. This is where I find the Calibre Diver falling. Cartier is known for class, style, and minimalism to a degree, and is synonymous with luxury. Despite there being plenty of examples, as showcased in this article, of wildly expensive, over-engineered, big, loud, and wacky divers, it shouldn’t come as a massive stretch to believe these brands made these watches.
The Calibre was originally released in 2010. It was Cartier’s attempt to reach a more masculine collector base. They probably never would say that, but let’s be real, not many men wore small watches in 2010 — of course, this is a generalization. As well, the goal of the Calibre line was to finally have an in-house movement. The first Calibre was equipped with a 1904 MC, named for the year that Cartier made a watch for Alberto Santos Dumont. After a few different variations on the Calibre since its release, it wasn’t until 2014 when they dropped the Diver varient.
And now all the fashionistas of the world can dive in style. The bezel, crafted from DLC-coated steel, boasts a subtle sheen and a sleek, inwardly angled design that not only enhances scratch resistance but also presents a distinctive alternative to the prevalent ceramic bezels. The softer edges of this bezel add a touch of sophistication to what is, at its core, a rugged dive watch.
The diver’s bezel plays a crucial role in earning the Calibre Diver its ISO 6425 certification as a genuine dive watch, complemented by 300-meter water resistance and dial lume. While the modifications made to achieve this feat may be subtle, the result is a timepiece that masterfully balances sporty performance with high-end aesthetics. Notably, the Calibre Diver features a solid caseback, screw-down crown, and a mere 1mm increase in case thickness, transforming the original 30-meter water resistance to an impressive 300 meters, all within a remarkably slim 11mm profile – a true testament to Cartier’s horological expertise.
Measuring 42mm in diameter, the Calibre de Cartier Diver may seem understated compared to others on this list, but its elegant, sophisticated aesthetic, combined with impressive water resistance, make it a prized collector’s item. (Not to mention a wildly underrated value proposition. You get a lot of watch for your dollar on this one).
Each of these dive watches lives by the same ethos: be different. Just because it’s been done the same way for years doesn’t mean it has to always be done that way. Whether you’re drawn to the sheer size and complexity of the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms X Fathoms or the futuristic aesthetic of the Panerai Submersible Elux Lab-ID, there’s a wild and weird summer dive watch on this list that’s sure to capture your attention.