Move from land to water; dive further with no care at all with a diving watch. Compared to regular watches, diving watches can go deeper and farther and will remain working perfectly.
It is made from a tough, protective material that preserves the watch’s delicate components from pressure and temperature changes. And while most high-quality dive watches are very expensive, you can also find the best dive watches under 300.
These best affordable dive watches may not be as fancy and as stunning as high-end sports watches but are as durable and as resilient as the top-of-the-line men’s dive watches. You’ll still get accurate timekeeping and the waterproof protection you need in the best dive watch under 300.
10 Best Dive Watches Under $300 In 2022
Contents
- 1 10 Best Dive Watches Under $300 In 2022
- 1.1 1. Orient Men’s “Mako XL” Diving Watch
- 1.2 2. Seiko Men’s SSC017 Prospex Solar Dive Watch
- 1.3 3. Invicta Men’s 89280B Pro-Diver Watch
- 1.4 4. Orient Men’s ‘Mako II’ Diving Watch
- 1.5 5. Cressi Leonardo Underwater Diving Computer
- 1.6 6. Orient Men’s Diving Watch
- 1.7 7. Seiko Prospex SRPC93 Samurai Diving Men’s Watch
- 1.8 8. Seiko PADI Prospex Solar Dive Watch
- 1.9 9. Stuhrling Original Men’s Sport Analog Dive Watch
- 1.10 10. Vostok Amphibian Men’s Diver Wristwatch
- 1.11 What Should I Look for When Buying a Dive Watch?
- 1.12 Final verdict
So whether you’re looking for affordable swiss dive watches as a gift, or you want a cheap dive watch for yourself, then check out our updated top ten best dive watches under 300 list.
1. Orient Men’s “Mako XL” Diving Watch
The Mako XL from Orient is a luxurious dive watch with a round face with a Japanese stainless-steel body and strap. It has a uni-directional bezel that gives you your depth information and a date and day window in the third hour.
It is a 44.5mm stainless-steel case as the window is made from a quality mineral dial. This comes with a Japanese automatic movement with easy to read analog display.
Key Features
- Available in five different color combinations (black, blue, black dial and green bezel, black dial and orange bezel, and a watch with a luminous dial.
- Round face, stainless-steel body, and band
- With a uni-directional bezel, 120 click
- Date and day window
- Japanese automatic movement
- Comes with analog display
- Fold over stainless steel closure band
- Water-resistant up to 200 pounds or 660 feet
- Measures 4.7 x 4.7 x 4.7 inches
- Weighs less than 12 ounces
- Lovely and colorful watch
- Made from durable stainless steel
- With a protective mineral glass window
- With easy to see the analog display
- With secure fold-over clasp
- Water-resistant and ideal for tough marine or water activities
- With five different colors and color combinations to choose from
- Complaints that it has poor luminescence
- Unwanted bezel movement
The band is stainless steel with a traditional fold-over closer clasp. It comes with a double push-button clasp for enhanced safety. The Mako XL is a water-resistant watch at 200 meters or 660 feet.
This is more than one of the best dive watches under 500. It can also be used as a marine activity watch, swimming watch, and a pilot watch as well.
You may explore 10 Cheap Men’s Watches That Look Expensive In 2020
2. Seiko Men’s SSC017 Prospex Solar Dive Watch
The Seiko Men’s Prospex is a stainless-steel dive watch that’s solar-powered. No need to use batteries or wind up the watch to get precise time all the time. It has a black dial and glow-in-the-dark hands as well as three chronograph dials.
Key Features
- Solar-powered watch, no need for batteries or winding up
- Black dial and luminous markers and hands to easily see the time from a distance
- With three chronograph sub-dials
- With 43mm stainless-steel case
- With durable, scratch-proof Hardlex dial window
- With very strong stainless-steel bracelet
- Very secure clasp and closure system
- Water-resistant watch up to 200 meters or 660 feet
- Ideal for marine activities and water sports
- Measures 5.3 x 5.1 x 5.3 inches
- Weighs 12.8 ounces
- Solar-powered watch so there’s no need for batteries
- With black dial so it’s easy to check the time
- With durable stainless-steel case and bracelet
- Very secure fold-over clasp and lock system for safety
- Water-resistant watch, ideal for professional marine activities and sports
- Very small, hardly-noticeable date window
- Watch is very heavy
This Prospex watch is very durable with a stainless steel case and band. It comes with a scratch-proof Hardlex window. The bracelet is very secure with a fold-over safety clasp as well as a double push-button closure system.
Your watch will remain secure on your wrist at all times, even when you go deeper and further. It recharges by light with a very energy-efficient battery.
This is water-resistant up to 200 meters or 660 feet and is suitable for marine activities, diving sports, and all other water sports. The best thing is that it falls in the best dive watches under 300 list.
3. Invicta Men’s 89280B Pro-Diver Watch
The Invicta Men’s Pro-Diver Gold Stainless-Steel watch may be the most beautiful diving watch you have ever seen with a gold and stainless-steel case, bezel, and bracelet. It has a round face with a corrugated bezel with unidirectional movement.
It has luminous markers and hands plus an easy-to-read date window so you can check the time and date even at night. This has a 23K gold-plated steel case that’s water-resistant at 200 meters or 660 feet.
Key Features
- Round face with a 23 k gold-plated stainless-steel case
- With a mineral dial window
- Luminous markers and hands
- With a magnified window for the date located at 3 o’clock
- Japanese auto movement
- Analog display
- Safety closure and folding clasp
- Water-resistant at 200 meters or 660 feet
- Very lovely diving watch
- Can go farther at 200 meters or 660 feet
- Precise Japanese movement
- With a safety clasp bracelet
- With a magnified date window
- The watch is too heavy
- Very delicate look
- Not a sporty watch
4. Orient Men’s ‘Mako II’ Diving Watch
The Orient Mako II is a Japanese automatic dive watches under 300 with a stainless steel case and bracelet. It has a stunning mineral crystal cover that’s scratchproof. This comes with an updated 120-click bezel with unidirectional movement.
It is a budget automatic watch but may also be wound by hand. It has a power reserve that lasts for 40 hours. This is water-resistant for 200 meters or 660 feet and is used in marine activities and underwater sports.
Key Features
- With scratch-proof mineral-crystal case
- Unidirectional 120-click bezel
- With automatic movement but can be wound up
- Water-resistant up to 200 meters or 660 feet
- Power reserve for 40 hours
- With date and day window
- Does not need batteries to operate
- With an updated 120-clicks bezel
- Luxurious look
- Water-resistant watch
- Very heavy watch
- Very small, the pin-like second hand
5. Cressi Leonardo Underwater Diving Computer
If you don’t want an analog watch for diving, then try the Cressi Leonardo watch, which is more than a dive watch. It is an underwater diving computer available in twelve different colors.
It is a single button diving watch that lets you set your air, nitrogen, and gauge modes ahead of time. These will help you check if you’re still good to go even when you’re underwater.
Key Features
- This is a diving watch computer
- With adjustable features (FO2, PO2, CNS oxygen, and depth)
- With adjustable functions
- With loud alarms
- Only one-button operation
- Comes with a computer interface
- Connects via IR and USB connection to a computer
- Battery operated with battery life indicator
- Modern and functional watch
- More than just a dive watch that tells the depth
- With special monitoring functions
- With an audible beep/alarm sounds
- Backlit display, extended battery life
- With a power-saving processor and replaceable battery
- Can connect to your PC using a user interface
- Uses batteries, with a battery life indicator
- Fully adjustable, with visual alarms
- Available in different colors
- Weighs only 4.8 ounces
- Logs to the computer, only the current dive info.
- Watch strap is too big
The Cressi Leonardo computer has an adjustable FO2 from 21% to 50%, PO2 from 1.2 bar to 1.6 bar. It also comes with a CNS oxygen toxicity indicator. You can adjust these factors in three levels with visual and easy to hear alarms even when you’re underwater.
This dive watch uses batteries and comes with a battery life indicator. It will connect to your computer using IR or a USB cable. It comes with a diving watch software that’s compatible with Windows and Mac. This watch brand is from Italy; this is a brand that’s a pioneer in snorkeling, free diving, and scuba diving equipment.
6. Orient Men’s Diving Watch
The Orient men’s diving watch comes with a 41mm case with a mineral-crystal display. It comes with a diving bezel that was upgraded to 120 clicks for enhanced precision. This watch moves using Japanese-automatic movement to give you precise time day in and out.
Key Features
- With a 41mm diameter case, stainless steel band
- With mineral crystal with an upgraded diving bezel
- With Japanese automatic or hand-winding movement
- This is water-resistant up to 200 meters or 660 feet
- With a date and day window
- With luminous markers and hands
- Weighs less than 12 ounces
- With an upgraded watch bezel with more clicks
- Scratch-proof mineral display
- Water-resistant watch
- Choose from automatic to hand-winding movement
- Made from durable stainless steel
- Watch is too heavy
- Some complaints that the bezel is hard to rotate
This watch comes with a large date and day window at 3 o’clock, and the hands and markers are all luminous, perfect for checking the time in the dark. This watch is water-resistant at 200 meters or 660 feet, and aside from sports or recreational use, it is great for professional marine activities and other types of extreme water sports.
7. Seiko Prospex SRPC93 Samurai Diving Men’s Watch
The Prospex Samurai comes with an automatic watch under 500 with 24 jewels. It also works as a hand-wound watch and comes with a hackable 2nd hand.
The case is stainless steel, while the band is stainless steel with a fold-over locking design. This also comes with a safety lock feature that keeps your watch secure on your wrist at all times, especially underwater.
Key Features
- Automatic or hand-winding movement available
- With a stainless-steel case and steel band
- The band comes with a fold-over clasp and safety locks
- Display crystal made from Hardlex mineral
- With date window display
- With luminous markers and hands
- Water-resistant at 200 meters or 660 feet
- The case size is 44.5 diameter, case thickness is 13mm
- Measures 4.7 x 4.7 x 4.7 inches
- Weighs less than 12 ounces
- Choose from an automatic or hand-winding watch movement
- With a stainless steel case and the watch band
- Safe deployment fold-over clasp and safety locks
- Very durable Hardlex mineral display
- With date display
- With luminous hands and hour/minute markers
- Can go as deep as 200 meters or 660 feet
- This is too heavy and too large
- Problems with misaligned bezel
On the front is a Hardlex mineral crystal that’s strong and scratch-resistant. You have a date display on the third hour and also come with glow-in-the-dark markers and watch hands.
It has a screw-down crown and a black 44.5mm diameter case. The Prospex Samurai is water-resistant up to 200 meters and thus useful in swimming, diving, and other aquatic sports but not for scuba diving.
8. Seiko PADI Prospex Solar Dive Watch
The Seiko PADI Prospex Solar Dive Watch comes with a blue case made of stainless steel. It has a gorgeous blue silicone strap that can take any size wrist. The date display is found at the 4 o’clock position, and the hands move in quartz movement.
To keep its round face protected, it comes with a cover scratch-resistant crystal Hardlex. The crown is screw-down, and the back is a solid case.
Key Features
- With a shrouded stainless-steel case
- With a durable blue silicone strap
- Comes with a uni-directional blue rotating shrouded bezel
- Bezel comes with a red and blue or Pepsi ring
- With luminous hands, arrow tipped
- Luminous dot hour markers
- With analog dial type
- Date display along with the 4 o’clock position
- Japanese quartz movement
- Hardlex crystal that’s scratch-resistant
- Round case, solid back
- Water-resistant at 200 meters or 660 feet
- Solar-powered watch
- The case size is 47 mm
- Case thickness at 12 mm
- Bandwidth at 22 mm
- With a casual style
- Weighs less than 9.6 ounces
- Will let you dive further and deeper at 660 feet
- With easy to see luminous hands and markers
- With tough, scratch-proof crystal
- Shows the date
- Does not need batteries or winding up
- Complaints that the band is very uncomfortable
- The second hand is too thin
This outdoorsman’s watch is one of the best dive watches under 300 with a water-resistant up to 200 meters or 660 feet. It comes with handy functions like date, second, minute, and hour functions. It is also solar-powered, so you don’t need to wind up your watch or change its batteries every so often.
9. Stuhrling Original Men’s Sport Analog Dive Watch
The Stuhrling Original is a Swiss quarts stainless-steel analog dive watch that’s water-resistant up to 200 meters. This is one of the best budget dive watches under 300 that is designed to be tough and to bear with extreme underwater pressure.
It comes in the category of best dive watches under 300 with a screw-down crown that, when screwed down, creates a water-tight seal that prevents water from ruining the case.
Key Features
- Screw down crown for water resistance, water-resistant up to 200 meters
- Surgical-grade stainless steel
- Adjustable bracelet
- Ratcheting bezel with a coin edge
- Luminous hands and markings
- Krysterna crystal
- Date window
- Ronda 515 movement
- Fold-over push-button lock clasp
- Water-resistant up to 200 meters or 660 feet
- Great water-resistant watch
- Very durable surgical steel case
- Adjustable bracelet to fit any wrist size
- Easy to check the time
- Very secure strap
- Scratch-proof crystal
- Very heavy watch
- Very small date window
- Hard to see the second hand
It is made from surgical-grade stainless steel with 42mm diameter and a uni-directional coin edge ratcheting bezel. This also comes with a fully adjustable bracelet that has removable links. It has luminous hands, easy to set a date, and date window with a Ronda 515 movement.
10. Vostok Amphibian Men’s Diver Wristwatch
The Scuba Dude is Vostok’s Amphibian men’s wristwatch with a self-winding feature. It is available in a variety of colors and is water-resistant up to 200 meters or 20 bar. Under the hood is a precise Vostok auto self-winding mechanism with 30+ rubies. This comes with luminous hands and markings.
Key Features
- The watch brand is the official supplier of the Soviet Union’s Defense Department
- Water-resistant up to 200 meters
- Self-winding
- With 31 rubies
- Measures 45 x 41 mm
- Lug size at 22 mm
- With luminous hands and markings
- With a compact and classy style
- Very accurate with automatic winding
- No need for batteries
- Available in many colors
- Complaints about wobbling crown and bezel
What Should I Look for When Buying a Dive Watch?
Before settling for any kind of diving watch or best luxury dive watches, remember the following tips:
Water-resistance
diving watches must be resistant. Standard diving watches come with 200 meters or 660 feet water-resistant, but some brands remind users not to use these watches for deep diving and scuba diving.
Bracelet/strap
the strap may be leather, nylon, or stainless steel, but the later can be very heavy. Choose the strap that will work with your needs.
Mechanical
choose between automatic or wound-up watches. Read reviews about the best mechanical watches because sometimes brands may overclaim, especially when it comes to reserve power.
Some users complain of their automatic watches being a few seconds late to several seconds faster. And for men’s automatic watches, you need to wear this every day sometimes even during sleep to preserve its movement.
Bezel and dial
the bezel must be movable with at least 120 clicks while the dial must be lockable to create that water-resistant seal.
Build quality
this is the overall construction of the watch, including the material it is made of together with the bracelet. Most dive watches are heavy, this is expected. But you can still get a lighter one if you choose a nylon, plastic, or leather strap rather than a stainless-steel band.
Final verdict
From our list of the best dive watches under 300, we recommend the Seiko PADI Prospex Solar Dive Watch as the top watch. There are many reasons why.
First, it has a gorgeous blue silicone strap while the watch face is covered with a scratch-resistant crystal Hardlex. It has a screw-down crown while the back is a solid case.
This is one of the best dive luxury watches under 300 with a water-resistant up to 200 meters or 660 feet. It is also solar-powered, so you don’t need to wind up changing its batteries.
Aside from these, it has a lot of cool features for the best divers under 300 and casual users. Check this dive watch if you think that the Seiko PADI Prospex Solar Dive Watch is the best for you.