Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for exclusive content, events, vintage watches for sale, and other cool shit you won’t find anywhere else — not even our website.
I love dive watches; I am also cursed with small wrists (6.5 to 6.75 inches depending on the day). These are two things that aren’t supposed to work together. Fortunately, the rising popularity in vintage watches has meant a boom in smaller modern watches, perfect for my diminutive circumference. As such, there are more dive watch options than ever for the modestly wristed.
The quintessential dive watch is the Rolex Submariner, but with a diameter of 40mm and quite the wrist presence (there’s just a certain Rolex shine, isn’t there?), it appears too big on most smaller wrists. So, this list will focus on dive watches under 40mm. Just as important is how thick the watch is. For example, I recently tried on a Tudor Black Bay (41mm); it didn’t even look that bad from above, but at almost 15mm thick, it felt and looked like a tuna can on my wrist — Seiko Tuna be damned. And don’t get me started on the importance of lug-to-lug measurements.
You might think of these as "dive watches for women”, but I don’t think that’s quite right. Let’s take Omega’s “women’s” collection as an example: the brand seems to think women’s watches means sizing down the case, swapping in a quartz movement, and throwing some diamonds on it. We’re pretty woke here at Rescapement HQ, so we think that’s wrong! So we’re focusing on legit dive watches with mechanical movements here — gender be damned.
To me (and to the ISO), two things define a dive watch: water resistance to at least 100m (most in this list have more than 200m) and strong lume on the hands and hour markers. A rotating bezel is a nice-to-have, but not necessary (and honestly, some of them look like shit).
P.S. Is this just another excuse for me to write about a recent acquisition, the Tudor Black Bay 58? Yea, a little.
Six of the best small dive watches for any budget
…as well as a few runners-up and a budget pick.
And for more (vintage and modern) picks, check out The Best Dive Watches for Small Wrists in 2020
Seiko SKX013
The little brother to the famed Seiko SXK007, the SKX013 is a sized down 37mm version of the popular budget dive watch. The smaller SKX013 doesn’t sacrifice any of the SKX007’s charm though, making it the perfect entry-point into dive watches for small wristers. It’s a durable, do-anything watch that you won’t feel guilt beating around. This is the watch you buy to get some instant street cred from the watch forum-goers and get-togetherers among us.
Specs:
37mm x 11.5mm stainless steel case and bracelet
200m water resistance, screw down crown
Seiko cailbre 7S26 automatic movement, 40 hour power reserve
Day-date display at 3 o’clock
Price: $250 (price varies)
Omega Seamaster 36.25mm
At the jump, I gave the Rolex Submariner credit as the “quintessential” dive watch and a modern James Bond rolled his eyes. The Omega Seamaster is not only one of the most popular watches out there, it’s also one of the most iconic dive watches since its introduction some 60 years ago. This sized-down, 36.25mm version of the Seamater 300M diver is a viable option for those who can’t comfortably wear the standard 41mm version. It’s even got a helium escapement valve at 10 o’clock if desk diving gets really intense. Besides that, it’s got all of the specs and features you expect from the full-size Seamster, merely shrinking down the case to respect your modestly sized wrist.
Omega’s Aqua Terra collection (which we’ve pointed as as great everyday watches) also offers its models in 38mm, making a great non-rotating bezel dive watch option (with 150m of water resistance).
Omega Seamaster Specs:
36.25mm x 12.25mm stainless steel case and bracelet
300m water resistance
Date window at 3 o’clock
Co-axial calibre 2500 chronometer-certified movement, 48 hour power reserve
Sapphire crystal
MSRP: $4,400
Find more on Omega’s website (or — can you believe it? — Amazon.com The seller is even Omega, so it looks like a totally legit way to cop a Seamaster).
Christopher Ward Trident Pro 600
We’ve featured Christopher Ward in our Microbrands Guide before, and with good reason. They make a wide range of high quality watches at decent prices. Their Trident Pro 600 line offers a 38mm classically styled dive watch in 4 dial colors (with a sexy black coming soon). The ceramic bezel looks clean and classic, while the second hand has a trident on its opposite side, giving the watch a bit of CW flair. The Trident Diver is another great addition to CW’s collection of classically-styled watches for the modern day. Christopher Ward is able to pack a surprising amount of punch in a package that’ll set you back less than $1,000.
Specs:
38mm x 12.7 mm stainless steel case and bracelet
600m water resistance
Sellita SW200-1 movement
Date window at 3 o’clock
MSRP: $830 (on bracelet)
More on Christopher Ward’s website.
Nomos Ahoi
I’m admittedly biased, because Nomos got me into watches (and I don’t think I’m the only one here). The combination of relative affordability and Bauhaus aesthetic just fit my millennial sensibilities. Additionally, Nomos now has a suite of in-house movements that are all strikingly thin (even the automatics), making for watches well suited to smaller wrists.
The Ahoi series is their collection of dive watches, and it doesn’t really look like any of the other chunky divers on this list, which is good for the small wristed. The Ahoi is offered in a number of crazy dial colors: “siren” blue and red (look at the color and you’ll see why they call it siren), a midnight blue, and white. I also love the slightly blue lume on the hands. The standard Ahoi’s dimensions are 40.3mm x 10.5mm. Not diminutive, but it does wear big because the dial stretches all the way to the nearly non-existent bezel (and those long lugs stretch for days too). The smaller version for “delicate wrists”, as Nomos puts it, has slightly smaller specs:
36.3mm x 9.6mm stainless steel case with woven strap
200m water resistance
Sapphire crystal
In-house DUW 3001 automatic calibre, 43 hour power reserve.
MSRP: $4,020
More on Nomos Glashuette’s website.
Tudor Black Bay 58
I wrote an in-depth review of the Black Bay 58 recently, so I won’t belabor the point: it’s a damn great watch. It hits all the right notes: a heritage watch that’s an ode to the Tudor Submariners of old without trying too hard; modern styling without the “luxury” trappings that too often define older sister Rolex’s new releases. Respectful of the past while still proudly looking towards the future.
Black Bay 58 Specs:
39mm x 11.9mm stainless steel case and bracelet
200m water resistance
Domed sapphire crystal
In-house MT5402 chronometer-certified calibre with 70-hour power reserve
MSRP: $3,575 (on bracelet)
Read my full review here. In the review I actually compare it to the Tudor Black Bay 36 which is a great dive watch (150m water resistance) for those who don’t want a rotating bezel.
Oris Divers Sixty-Five
The Oris sits next to the Tudor Black Bay 58 in the pantheon of well-executed vintage homages. It’s styled after Oris’s original divers from the 1960s, but with the modern features you’d expect. Oris has great heritage as a Swiss brand and you can pick up this classic diver of theirs for about $2,000. You’ll notice the specs don’t quite hold up to some of the others on this list, but hey, that “Made in Switzerland” stamp is expensive.
Specs:
36mm x 13mm stainless steel case
100m of water resistance
Domed sapphire crystal
Oris 733 movement, which uses Sellita’s SW 200-1 as a base (the same movement as CW’s 600 diver series), 38 hour power reserve
MSRP: $2,100
For more, visit Amazon and check out the Sixty-Five in its various dial colors: black, green and blue (my favorite).
Best budget option: Steinhart
Steinhart is always the budget, Rolex — ahem — “homage” option. They don’t let down in this category either: their 39mm diver collection has all the features you’d expect from a Submariner homage: cyclops, Mercedes hand, and a bezel that’s a dead ringer for a Rolex (well, as close as you can get for $500). But honestly, if you’re looking for a smaller diver with a history of its own, look for a Seiko.
Find in on Steinhart.