Diving is one of the activities that’s not a common practice but is a true passion for those who do it, especially regularly.
And those who do would understand the need for a dive watch that reminds you of your oxygen tank capacity to time your resurfacing and calculate the time you elapse beneath the surface. What’s even more fun than tracking your progress when you’re performing your favorite activity!
However, it’s not so easy to find a watch that can handle the pressure of diving without suffering damage, and that’s why I’ve compiled a list of the best women’s dive watches to make the hunt easier for you. Without further ado, let’s dive into it.
Comparison Table
| Model | Water-resistance | Bezel | Material(s) |
| Cressi Diving Computer | 393 feet | No bezel | Polycarbonate and Desmopan |
| PHOIBOS Wave Master PY010C | 1000 feet | Unidirectional rotating | Stainless steel and plastic |
| Invicta 8939 Pro Diver | 660 feet | Unidirectional rotating | Stainless steel |
| Casio LRW200H-1BVCF | 330 feet | Unidirectional rotating | Plastic |
The 4 Best Women’s Dive Watches in 2020
1. Cressi Diving Computer – Best Overall
Cressi is a well-known Italian manufacturer in the world of diving equipment, and as this watch’s name suggests, it’s an incredible pick for diving purposes.
It comes with only a single button that you can use to change modes between Gauge, Nitrox, and Air, which makes it ideal for people who aren’t very well-versed with diving and can’t manage plenty of things all at once. Not to mention, its display is very easy to read thanks to the HD screen and the huge numericals.
Moreover, it’s equipped with plenty of customization options like FO2 adjustability with a 21 – 50% range and PO2 adjustability with a 1.2 – 1.6 bar range. Additionally, there’s a CNS oxygen toxicity graphic indicator that alerts you when the oxygen levels are at an abnormal rate, 3-level conservatism, as well as alarms that are both easy to see and hear.
It’s also equipped with a deep stop function with user selectability, which enables you to set a maximum depth in the imperial or metric system measurements.
Pros:
- One-button navigation
- Solid safety features
- Highly adjustable
- Robust and reliable construction
Cons:
- Doesn’t suit very deep dives
- Not equipped with a compass
2. PHOIBOS Wave Master PY010C – Best for Diving Deep
If you’re looking for top-notch diving performance and durability, you’ll find none better than the PHOIBOS Wave Master PY010C.
This watch can withstand water pressure down to 1000 feet thanks to the solid construction, which is a mix of plastic and stainless steel. Not to mention, it comes with a sapphire crystal glass face that you can rely on to resist scratches and bumps.
Moreover, the fact that it comes with automatic movement means that not only does it withstand vigorous use, but it also encourages you to be more active.
In terms of convenience, the PHOIBOS PY010C comes with luminous hands to provide you visibility during darker dives, a date indicator, self-winding, and a chronograph that’ essential for keeping up with your diving durations and for reminding yourself to resurface.
Bear in mind, however, that this is a unisex watch, which means that it comes at a relatively bigger size of 42mm. Also, the fact that it comes with plenty of diving-oriented features means that it comes at a relatively higher price than all the other options.
Pros:
- Incredible diving capability of 1000 feet
- Fantastic durability
- Automatic movement
- Sapphire crystal glass
Cons:
- Quite pricey
3. Invicta 8939 Pro Diver – Best Lightweight
The Invicta Pro Diver is an excellent dive watch for women as it comes with a slim design with a 24.5mm strap, weighs only 12.35 ounces, and measures 3.54 x 4.49 x 3.94 inches. This makes it barely noticeable on your wrist and enables you to enjoy lighter movements during your activity.
On top of that, it comes with a water-resistance of 660 feet, which is quite adequate, but suits medium-range dives, not very deep ones.
Still, its stainless steel case, band, and bezel make it quite durable in the face of depths, especially that the bezel comes with a black ion-plated top ring. What’s more, the mineral glass is coated for scratch-resistance to highly increase the durability of the watch and prepare it for rugged use.
The Invicta Pro Diver comes with a push/pull crown that makes adjusting time, date, and day a breeze. When in the pushed-in position, this completely seals water out of the watch. However, bear in mind that if you forget to lock it in place after adjustments, water would definitely leak into the intervals and interfere with the clockwork.
Pros:
- Suits more or less all water sports
- Equipped with highly durable hardened mineral glass
- Always-on date display
Cons:
- Lacks any alarms or timers
4. Casio LRW200H-1BVCF – Best For Shallow Divers
The Casio LRW200H-1BVCF is an excellent watch for those of you who love to dive but don’t go too deep. With a 330-foot water-resistance ability, it does let you dive, but not that far.
Still, it’s a pretty great watch for that purpose as it weighs 2.88 ounces and fits quite slim wrists. Apart from that, it’s also quite durable thanks to the resin case and mineral crystal face that withstands all kinds of wear and tear.
Though it’s a little bulky in terms of design, it makes sense as this bulkiness gives it more protection against water and a higher ability to stand in the face of vigorous activity.
The display comes with clear numerals at the 0, 15, 30, and 45 positions on the outside bezel, while the inside has a date box at the 3-hour position to tell you what day it is, so it’s quite practical.
Also, the fact that its bezel rotates in only one direction means that there’s no space for accidentally moving it backward and messing up with your timing calculations.
Pros:
- Highly affordable
- Durable resin case and mineral crystal
- Lightweight and compact
- Date window in the 3-hour position
Cons:
- Not suitable for very deep dives
- Bezel rotates in both directions
Choosing a Dive Watch
As is the case with many fashion industries, the one for dive watches has little to no standards regarding how a dive watch should be manufactured; that’s why it’s left to the user to decide what they need and compromise when choosing a dive watch. In this section, I’ll go over the factors that affect your experience with a dive watch.
Water Resistance
The vast majority of smartwatches these days come with built-in water-resistance of different levels, and those are measured in IP ratings. Generally speaking, just because a watch comes with a “Dive Watch” label doesn’t mean that it actually suits diving.
Make sure to get a model that is rated for around 300 meters -equivalent to 1000 feet- to use it for diving without any worries about water leaking into its internal workings.
Bezel
The bezel is an important aspect of dive watches, and when you’re considering it, you have to look for a unidirectional, rotating bezel with a timer.
Your aim should be a bezel that turns clockwise, and that has markings every five minutes. This helps you keep track of time and also make patterns out of your diving habits, like the average time elapsed. The reason unidirectionality is important is that this makes the bezel less likely to move out of place and trick the diver into thinking they have more time than they actually do.
The timer function serves to remind you to resurface before the oxygen in your tank runs out. This is a critical factor as the beauty of diving may distract plenty of people and make them forget to check if they have time and oxygen to spare.
Gasket and Screw-down Crown
A gasket is a ring of synthetic, usually made of soft rubber, that’s placed inside the watch to seal it against water completely and prevent any moisture from sneaking into the case and causing damage to the clockwork.
On the other hand, a screw-down crown is one that can stick to the watch case to create a seal to prevent any water from finding its way or leaking into the crown tube.
Lume
Lume is the measurement of the luminescent material a dive watch is equipped with, which is usually found on the hands and numerical indices to be visible, even in dark or dim-lit environments. However, make sure the model you choose comes with photoluminescent paint (like SuperLuminova) and doesn’t use outdated and relatively dangerous radioactive materials like tritium or radium.
Helium Escape Valve
This valve is not a necessity, but it’s very handy when it comes to a dive watch, especially if you’re going to go into gaping depths or if you’re a saturation diver.
Sometimes the breathing gas -which contains helium- can sneak into the watch case, and the escape valve facilitates getting rid of that gas to prevent the helium from blowing the crystal off the watch face. This usually happens due to the expansion at the surface after building pressure up.
Final Thoughts
Now that we’re done with the reviews on the best women’s dive watches, I hope you’re close to your final decision.
Personally, the Cressi Diving Computer seems to be incredible as an overall choice as it’s easy to use, comes with a comprehensive set of diving features, and a high degree of adjustability. Not to mention, it’s suitable for beginners, despite its robust features.
But if you’re looking for a religiously dedicated dive watch, you’ll find none better than the PHOIBOS Wave Master PY010C. This one allows you to dive as deep as 1000 feet, comes with a chronograph as well as other convenient diving features. You will have to pay a premium for its capabilities, however.