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Diver Advice Sought

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divers
8K views 54 replies 22 participants last post by  JonnyOldBoy 
#1 ·
Looking to buy a second hand "Divers" watch with a budget of around £1500. I would be eternally grateful for the Forums guidance into the more "random" manufacturers out there as well as the more mainstream.

"Vintage" would also be of interest within the prescribed remit.
 
#15 ·
Something obscure and at only about half your budget, but I bet nobody will have...

Detroit watch company. Based here in the US, utilizes ETA movements and they do a great job with subtlety and contrast. This is the GMT I've been eyeing, but there's a standard diver also available, basically the same look and layout, minus the GMT hand and lettering on the dial.

I love the hands sets they use, just never see them on anything, same with their dial layouts, bezel, etc. Very unique yet identifiably a diver. That's not easy to achieve these days.

large.43mm_GMT_Diver_layouts15.jpg.af1f483bafcb684a0c5ac449356d9648.jpg
 
#16 ·
Something obscure and at only about half your budget, but I bet nobody will have...

Detroit watch company. Based here in the US, utilizes ETA movements and they do a great job with subtlety and contrast. This is the GMT I've been eyeing, but there's a standard diver also available, basically the same look and layout, minus the GMT hand and lettering on the dial.

I love the hands sets they use, just never see them on anything, same with their dial layouts, bezel, etc. Very unique yet identifiably a diver. That's not easy to achieve these days.

large.43mm_GMT_Diver_layouts15.jpg.af1f483bafcb684a0c5ac449356d9648.jpg
The minute and hour hands are terrible, just my opinion of course.
 
#19 · (Edited by Moderator)
Stop mucking about !
The rotund one speaketh words of wisdom.... these are awesome ....

@barkyboy ... after a bit of serious consideration on this Topic.... if you pass up on selling a relative and offering me £1800 on the SuperOcean then I would look into Oris seriously and try some on ... or .... buy one of these and a Hirsch James strap and with the change book a holiday in Sorento and arrange to visit Ercolano , Pompeii , and Vesuvius.... :

sub_image_1.jpg
 
#26 ·
Bell & Ross have a huge heritage and the quality and Movements are outstanding they are also quite slim on the wrist unlike some of the Boat Anchors about and IMO fit better on the wrist than the Rolex Submariner...if the Diver requirement is solely the look rather than needing a 300mtr+ dive watch then they are a great choice but there are so many options in this very overcrowded niche.. whatever you decide upon please try the piece before you buy as pictures and measurement can be deceiving... :thumbsup:
 
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#27 ·
Seiko Marinemaster SBDX017. Since the previous generation was discontinued they are rising monthly in price. Will be beyond £2k soon. Need a reasonably sized wrist however!
 
#32 · (Edited by Moderator)
I hate giving suggestions that people didn't really ask for - but I feel duty bound to.

My recommendation would be to save yourself a shed load of money and buy either:

1) The William Walker Watch Diver - which is coming out on Kickstarter soon - I understand for about £300-400

68684b806a27e691bbd6c485c6a0a4eb.jpg


2) Precista PRS-82 reissue of the Royal Navy watch at £425

07fe1212ceb12158bf116682697ce9fb.jpg


3) Time Factors Dreadnought Voyager GMT at £875

127b5cea7b5c409f6a6130836011ef5b.jpg


4) Timefactors Sewills Professional Diver at £525

21cce6d657e050b2dbbc44546473b81f.jpg


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

5) And Finally the Newmark 71 which I believe will be about £399

1d962b1ce4f6d2daf04e7c4cf0576824.jpg


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
G
#36 ·
I hate giving suggestions that people didn't really ask for - but I feel duty bound to.

My recommendation would be to save yourself a shed load of money and buy either:

1) The William Walker Watch Diver - which is coming out on Kickstarter soon - I understand for about £300-400

68684b806a27e691bbd6c485c6a0a4eb.jpg

2) Precista PRS-82 reissue of the Royal Navy watch at £425

07fe1212ceb12158bf116682697ce9fb.jpg

3) Time Factors Dreadnought Voyager GMT at £875

127b5cea7b5c409f6a6130836011ef5b.jpg

4) Timefactors Sewills Professional Diver at £525

21cce6d657e050b2dbbc44546473b81f.jpg

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

5) And Finally the Newmark 71 which I believe will be about £399

1d962b1ce4f6d2daf04e7c4cf0576824.jpg

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
As long as we're giving advice that are well below budget, I'll add the CWC diver range (preferably their quartz alternatives due to being more rugged and having a slightly thinner case, but YMMW.) https://www.silvermans.co.uk/collections/brand-cwc

I myself recently bought the Certina DS PH200 reissue, if you're into the whole modern retro thing (and again, way under budget):
https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/certina-ds-ph200m-hands-on
 
#35 ·
Oris Aqua are supposed to be a lot of watch for the money. Iirc it has an integrated strap though, which puts me off a little.

Longines Hydroconquest has a newer model that is quite nice (I can't seem to find one in a shop to handle, I really want the grey ceramic but don't want to buy it blind)

Sinn make some stunning watches, and I will own one at some point when I've checked a couple of others off my list.
 
#37 ·
If you like Breitling, plenty of choice in budget.

I like the older (vintage nearly) SuperOceans, ie A17040, A17360.

88b8de565c79e9100611f7b7e74d8f8c_large.j
 
#41 ·
I have owned the Longines Conquest Auto 39mm and the 41mm Conquest GMT. Both current watches but not divers. Longines can not be beaten value wise. you can always get 25% off if you ring around and the quality you get is unrivalled in my opinion. Their divers are just not quite my style but are superb build and the Hydroconquest is a classic watch. Furthermore the Longines watches are actually "luxury" watches in that the tolerances and finish on their case, dial and bracelets is up there with TAG,Omega and others.... For me only the hands sometimes needs a bit more attention but thats nit picking.
 
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