Why have dive watch models for women? In today’s world, one must be careful about how to discuss such a matter. Some women and men have smaller frames and don’t feel comfortable with the size of many of the popular dive watches out there. They are looking for something a little less bulky and perhaps stylish and attractive in a more streamlined way, something that looks perfectly suitable for going out to dinner as well as for diving or other outdoor activities.
It still needs to have the basic functions, like measuring elapsed time, water resistance to a reasonable depth, durability to withstand bumps and scrapes, visibility in low light environments, and being comfortably mountable so the diver has easy access.
These days with the common use of bottom timers and dive computers watches usually serve as a backup, so stylishness and function as a status symbol can be important factors.
Below some smaller-sized diving watches are reviewed that range from pretty expensive top-quality timepieces to very capable cheaper models, and a number in between that hopefully serve as a good representation of the best available.
There is a comparison table to start. Afterward, each watch has a brief description. Most also have a short video introduction, as well. Afterward is a simple buying guide.
If you have any questions or ideas, please let me know with a comment at the bottom. I’d love to know your thoughts.
For my general review on dive watches, please check out this popular post:
Best Scuba Diving Watches for Women
- Oris Aquis Lady Date
- Tag Heuer Aquaracer Women’s
- Luminox Women’s 7252 Quartz
- Seiko SKX013K2 Divers Midsize
- Momentum Unisex M1 Splash
- Stuhrling Original Women’s Dive Watch
- Invicta Women’s Mako Pro Diver
- Casio Women’s LRW200H-1EVCF Dive Watch
Scuba Diving Watches for Women Comparison Table
- Swiss-made, Oris caliber 733 self-winding movement
- Domed sapphire crystal
- Sapphire crystal back display case
- Unidirectional rotating bezel
- 300 meters/990 feet of water resistance
- 36.5mm case diameter
- 18mm thickness lug to lug
- 3-year warranty
- Price: $$$$$
- Rating: 4.8
Highlights: Bold & Sporty Swiss Styling
- Swiss-made, battery-operated quartz movement
- Mother of Pearl blue dial and polished blue ceramic bezel
- Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment
- 35mm case diameter
- Unidirectional rotating bezel
- 300 meter/990 feet water resistance
- 3-year warranty
- Free lifetime battery replacement
- Price: $$$$$
- Rating: 4.8
View More Options From Tag Heuer
Highlights: Rugged & Functional
- Swiss-made, quartz movement
- Stainless steel case with screw-down crown
- Anti-reflective sapphire crystal
- Unidirectional rotating bezel
- 42mm case diameter
- 11mm case thickness
- 200 meter/660 feet water resistance
- Price: $$$$
- Rating: 4.8
View More Options From Luminox
Highlights: Reliable, Mid-Size Diver’s Watch
- 21-jewel Japanese automatic movement
- Stainless steel case, screw-down crown
- Hardlex crystal
- Unidirectional rotating bezel
- 36mm case diameter
- 20mm case thickness
- 200 meter/660 feet water resistance
- Price: $$$$
- Rating: 4.6
Highlights: Mid-Size, Colorful
- Canadian-made with Japanese quartz movement
- Stainless steel case
- Available in scratch-resistant mineral crystal or sapphire upgrade
- Unidirectional rotating bezel
- 38mm case diameter
- 200 meter/660 feet water resistance
- Available in blue, grey, khaki, orange, aqua, eggplant
- Price: $$$
- Rating: 4.7
View More Options From Momentum
Stuhrling Original Women’s Dive Watch
Highlights: Japanese Quartz, Ultra-Thin, Low-Priced
- Miyota 2115 Japanese quartz movement
- Stainless steel case
- Mother-of-pearl crystal-studded dial
- Available in 5 color combinations
- Unidirectional coin edge bezel
- 39mm case diameter
- 10mm case thickness
- 100 meter/330 feet water resistance
- Very reasonably priced
- Price: $$
- Rating: 4.4
View More Options From Stuhrling
Invicta Women’s Mako Pro Diver
Highlights: Stylish, Tiny, Budget Priced
- Japanese quartz movement
- Stainless steel case
- Mineral crystal
- Unidirectional bezel
- 24.5mm case diameter
- 10mm case thickness
- 100 meters/33 feet water resistance
- Low-priced
- Price: $
- Rating: 4.9
View More Options From Invicta
Highlights: Budget-Priced, Small, Light, Casio Quality
- Japanese quartz movement
- Resin case
- Mineral crystal
- Available in 4 color combinations
- Bidirectional bezel
- 33mm case diameter
- 11.9mm case thickness
- 100 meter/330 feet water resistance
- Extremely low-priced
- Price: $
- Rating: 4.1
Scuba Diving Watches for Women Buying Guide
Water Resistance
For scuba diving, it is essential to have a watch that will not let water inside within the range of your diving depth. If it does get in, chances are the watch will be ruined. For recreational diving, you should make sure the watch is rated as water-resistant to at least 100 meters (330 feet). That is much deeper than you will go but will go far to ensure under your normal usage no water will get inside.
Bezel
A bezel on the circumference of the watch dial allows easy calculation of elapsed dive time. A unidirectional rotating bezel is optimal, usually, one that turns counter-clockwise. This makes it less likely to be knocked out of line accidentally.
Movement
Movement refers to what makes the watch run, keeping accurate time and moving the hands. Another term for movement is caliber. There are two varieties, mechanical and quartz.
- Mechanical movements are the traditional version exemplified by the precision works created by Swiss craftsmen.
- Quartz movements were developed in the 1970s by the Japanese for use in battery-operated models. They are generally more affordable than mechanical movements, don’t require much maintenance or repair, and are accurate.
Style
Style is one of the major criteria in selecting a smaller “women’s” watch. You have probably decided to go with a smaller version not only because it is less bulky, but because it looks better especially when you are out of the water. Many wear diving watches all the time because they like the look. A diving watch can be a good source for a conversation starter on a public occasion. Divers are usually a pretty sociable lot that enjoys exchanging their latest adventures.
Luminescence
Luminescence allows you to see the watch’s face and hands in low-light environments. The two primary methods to achieve this are a coating of luminescent paint or tritium. With luminescent paint, there needs to be time in the light to recharge. Tritium doesn’t have that requirement and is usually brighter.
Comments and Feedback
I hope you found this post on women’s dive watches interesting and helpful. If you have any questions or ideas, please feel free to share them in the comments section. I’d love to know what you think. If there is no comments section directly below, click here: >>comments<<
This was a great post! I really love all the various dive watches you have written about and I totally agree with all of them. The buying guide at the end also really helped me understand everything too about dive watches. The bullet point structure was making everything easier to read and understand. Also, a question on the Luminox pacific diver as after reading a similar blog post, it states that the pacific diver is the best overall watch. What do you think of this? Please let me know.
Hi Jacqeline.
Thanks for your kind comments. The Luminox Pacific Diver does appear to be a great watch for women. I have not seen it in person yet but will consider putting it in a future update of this review.
The women’s version is not currently for sale on Amazon. Here is a link there to a men’s version for anyone who would like to see details: Luminox Pacific Diver
Best regards,
Joe