2018’s Best Dive Watches Under $200

Need a wrist watch that’s stylish, but also rugged and useful? Or you don’t dive with a computer, and need a reliable watch to keep track of your dive time? Our guide to the best dive watches under $200 will help you find the perfect watch.

Extremely water resistant, shock-proof, and good-looking, you won’t have to worry about breaking one of these watches while on your next diving, kayaking, surfing, or mountain biking trip.

Best Dive Watches Under $200 Quick Compare

Image	Model	Buy Now Link	Movement	Water Resistance	Crystal	Case / Bezel Material	Case Diameter	Case Thickness	Lug to Lug	Strap Width
	Orient Mako II		Automatic – Orient F6922	200m / 660ft	Mineral	Stainless Steel	41.5mm	13mm	47mm	22mm
	Seiko SKX007		Automatic – Seiko 7S26	200m / 660ft	Mineral – Hardlex	Stainless Steel	41mm	13.25mm	46mm	22mm
	Citizen BN0151-09L Promaster		Quartz – Citizen Eco-Drive E168	200m / 660ft	Mineral	Stainless Steel	43mm	12mm	49mm	20mm
	Luminox Navy Seal Colormark 3050		Quartz	200m / 660ft	Mineral	Polyurethane	44mm	13.8mm	?	23mm

Whether you’re a fan of automatic movements, or prefer something powered by electricity, there should be a great watch in this list. I’ve tried to provide a selection of well-regarded watches in different styles here, but my top picks would be:

• Best Automatic  – Orient Mako/Ray II
• Best Quartz  – Citizen Promaster Diver BN0151-09L

I spend a lot of time reading reviews, getting my hands on watches, and double checking what’s currently available at certain price points to make my buyer’s guides, but if I missed a diver that you absolutely love, please tell me below in the comments!

#1 – Orient Mako II & Ray II Automatic

Orient Mako II in black

Specifications

• In-house Orient caliber F6922 movement, hacking, hand-winding
• Certified ISO diver’s watch
• 200m (660ft) water resistance
• 120 click unidirectional bezel
• Mineral crystal
• 41.5mm case diameter
• 13mm height
• 47mm lug-to-lug distance
• 22mm band width
• 40hr power reserve
• Day and date window
• Luminous markers

In this years buying guide, the Orient Mako/Ray II has taken the #1 spot from the Seiko SKX007. I declare it to be the best dive watch available for under $200.

Why?

While it may not be quite as popular as the SKX007 (yet), the Orient Mako II is simply a much better, newer watch. The Seiko SKX Series is starting to show it’s age in my opinion. The Orient’s automatic movement is better with the ability to hack and hand-wind, and seems to usually be more accurate. It’s also usually a little bit cheaper than the Seiko SKX007 as well.

Orient Ray II, with blue dial, in the snow

I really like the styling of the Orient Mako II and Ray II. There’s lots of little high quality details on this watch, like the embossed Orient logo, the stainless steel frame around the date window, engraving on the watch crown, and the applied markers. It really is a great looking watch, especially at this price.

You can read my full review of the Orient Ray II (basically the same as the Mako, just with round markers instead of the roman numerals) by clicking here:

Orient Ray II Dive Watch Review

If you like the style, but want something a little bigger, be sure to check out the Mako XL, which has a 44mm case diameter. It is an older model at this point, but still looks good.

Orient Mako / Ray II Variations

Ray II Blue	Ray II Black	Ray Raven II	Mako II Blue	Mako II Black
Blue dial	Black dial	PVD blackened case and bracelet	Mako has roman numerals on dial, otherwise same specs as Ray	Mako with black dial

#2 – Seiko SKX Series Automatic

Seiko SKX009 on jubilee bracelet

Specifications

• 7s26 mechanical movement
• Certified ISO diver’s watch
• 200m (660ft) water resistance
• Unidirectional bezel (120 clicks)
• Hardlex crystal (harder than mineral, softer than sapphire)
• 41mm case diameter
• 13.25mm height
• 46mm lug-to-lug distance
• 22mm band width
• 44-48hr power reserve
• 80g weight (no strap)
• Day and date window
• LumiBrite markers (provides excellent, long lasting luminosity)

The Seiko SKX007 is probably the most popular diver available in this price range. It’s long held the #1 spot in my guide to the best dive watches under $200. You could even say it has a cult following among watch enthusiasts, being mentioned anytime someone asks “what should my first mechanical watch be?”.

Seiko SKX007 on rubber diving band

I know I talked down about the SKX Series up above when comparing it to the Orient Mako/Ray, but even though the SKX007 is starting to show it’s age, it is still an absolutely amazing time piece in many ways.

It’s a simple looking tool watch designed with one purpose in mind – maximum readability of the dial while diving.

Of course, the majority of people that purchase this watch will never go diving with it. They just want a rugged, water proof watch that also looks great on the wrist. 

I purchased a SKX007K from Amazon (came with the rubber band) as one of my first watches after starting this site, and have held onto it now for more than two years. In those two years it has held up to an awful lot of abuse, from power sanding, engine work, painting, and of course – diving. And it still looks great, though with a few small scratches on the crystal.

The Seiko SKX007 dive watch underwater

Also available is the SKX007K2, which comes with a stainless steel bracelet. A note of caution before you purchase that one: I’ve read many complaints that the bracelet on these inexpensive Seiko’s is very poor quality, 

A lot of people switch out the stock bracelet for the Strapcode Super Oyster, which is higher quality and more comfortable than the Seiko bracelet.

I did this myself, and you can see my review here. I highly recommend it, especially if you’re using this for more than just a tool diver. The main downside is that there’s no dive extension clasp on the bracelet, making it impossible to fit over thick gloves.

Bottom line is, if you want the SKX007 on a bracelet, get whichever version is cheaper and switch out for the Strapcode bracelet.

There’s several different variations of the same watch in the Seiko SKX Series, which you can check out in the table below:

Seiko SKX Variations

SKX007	SKX009	SKX013	SKX173	SKX011	SKXA35
Black dial and bezel	'Pepsi' style – red / black bezel, blue dial.	Smaller than the 007 with 38mm diameter. Hands slightly different.	Dial variation – square bars instead of circles.	Orange dial, yellow bezel markings.	Yellow dial, rectangular markers. Lume'd circle on end of seconds hand.

#3 – Citizen BN0151-09L Promaster Diver

Citizen Promaster Diver BN0151-09L

Specifications

• Solar powered Citizen Eco-Drive E168 quartz movement
• Certified ISO diver’s watch
• 200m (660ft) water resistance
• Unidirectional bezel (60 clicks)
• Mineral crystal
• 43mm case diameter
• 12mm thick
• 49mm lug-to-lug distance
• 20mm band width
• Date window
• Luminous hands, markers

Citizen has a rather large range of Eco-Drive powered dive watches, for just about any budget, but the BN0151-09L is my favorite in this price category. I think it’s easily the best quartz dive watch for under $200.

What is Eco-Drive?

Eco-Drive is what Citizen calls their solar powered quartz movement. The dial of the watch is a small solar panel, so all it takes to keep a charge is getting left in the light on a semi-regular basis. No battery changes ever needed.

Citizen Promaster Diver BN0151-09L

I like the very circular shape of the Promaster case, it’s definitely a ‘tuna can’ style diver. The only protrusions are the lugs and crown/crown guards.

As I write this, I’m wearing this watch – in preparation to do a review. If you’d like to check out some more pictures, be sure to take a look at my unboxing article. So far I’m pretty impressed, but full review coming soon.

The BN0151-09L has a blue dial with some awesome blue lume. There’s also the BN0150-28E version with a black dial.

Citizen Promaster Divers

BN0150-28E	BN0151-09L	BN0085-01E	BN0190-07E	BN0191-55L	BN0175-19E	BN2029-01E

#4 – Luminox Navy Seal Colormark 3050 Series

Luminox 3051 Colormark

Specifications

• Quartz movement
• Certified ISO diver’s watch
• 200m (660ft) water resistance
• Unidirectional bezel (120 clicks)
• Hardened mineral crystal
• 44mm case diameter
• 13.80mm height
• 23mm band width
• Day and date window
• Night Vision Tubes – 25 year life span

The Luminox Navy Seal Colormark was, like it’s name suggests, actually developed for use by the Navy Seals in 1994. Updated continuously since then, it’s built with a very rugged polyurethane case and bezel and is designed to take a beating.

The most outstanding feature of the Colormark series, and what sets it apart from the other divers in this price range, is the green and blue night vision tubes used to illuminate the dial and hands.

These are powered by a mild radioactive gas, and don’t need to be recharged by a bright light. With a lifespan of 25 years, there’s no worry about ever not having your watch visible at night.

Luminox 3059 Colormark

The style of the watch definitely isn’t for everybody, especially if you’re here looking for a ‘dressy’ diver. But this would make an excellent tool watch for any and all outdoor activities, especially going diving.

The 3050 series is available in many different colors, most of which can usually be found for just under $200.

Luminox Colormark 3050 Series

3051	3051 Black Out	3052	3053	3059	3059.SET

Best Dive Watches Ever

Still haven’t found what you’re looking for? Be sure to check out my other buying guides:

• Best Dive Watches Under $100
• Best Dive Watches Under $500
• Best Dive Watches Under $1000
• Best Womens Dive Watches