Disclaimer: Some prices may have updated since publishing the post and maybe over the mentioned price limit.
Visibility is a major part of dive watches, and having an orange dial makes them a breeze to read. DOXA tested this in the 60s, using all kinds of colours. Yes, orange came out on top. To help you find the best orange dive watch, we ran through 5 amazing picks.
We summarized our most notable picks in the following table.
| Product | Water Resistance | Crystal | Strap | Case (size) | Case/Bezel | Movement | More Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
DOXA SUB 1500T |
5000 feet (1500meters) | Sapphire | Stainless steel | 1.77 inches (45 mm) | Stainless steel | Swiss mechanical automatic, self-winding | Check Price |
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660 feet (200 meters) | Hardlex Crystal | Stainless steel | 1.77 inches (45 mm) | Stainless steel | Japanese Automatic | No products found. |
Seiko Men’s Automatic SKX011J |
660 feet (200 meters) | Hardlex Crystal | Rubber | 1.69 inches (43 mm) | Unidirectional Black Ion-Plated Stainless Steel | Japanese Automatic | CHECK PRICE |
Seiko Men's SRP311 |
660 feet (200 meters) | Hardlex | Stainless steel | 1.67 inches (42.5 mm) | Stainless steel | Japanese Automatic | Check Price |
Seiko Men’s SRPC07 |
660 feet (200 meters) | Hardlex |
Stainless steel | 1.73 inches (44 mm) |
Stainless steel | Japanese automatic |
CHECK PRICE |
Our Pick
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Doxa is the name that started it all. It’s only right that we include one of their orange timepieces on our list. Just know that the Sub 1500T will cost you – it comes in at over $1000. The orange on it is striking.
We’re huge fans of how retro it looks. We’re also fond of its prowess at diving. It can withstand a whopping 5000 feet (1500 meters).
If you didn’t know, Doxa is a luxury brand. A Swiss automatic movement is inside it. The ETA 2892-2 is its name, and it comes with 21 jewels and a 42-hour power reserve. If you’re wondering if the jewels are real, we got some bad news for you – they’re synthetic. The more present, the smoother a watch will run.
The mechanism comes with hacking and self-winding. Self-winding is self-explanatory but hacking is when you halt a timepiece’s second hand. This lets you adjust and make it more accurate.
A superb luminous pigment is on its hour markers and hands. It is Swiss Luminova. It’s one of the best lumes available. Along with its bright orange dial, you’ll have no problem reading the Doxa 1500T in dark settings.
Handling such depths, it’s no surprise that you get a helium valve. It lets built-up gas escape.
If you’re wondering what the glass on its window is, it is sapphire. The glass is the best you could get as it can handle a beating.
It’s made from high-quality stainless steel. The material can not only handle scratches, but it’s very waterproof. You can get the DOXA 1500T with a rubber strap too. The material is more waterproof than its counterpart.
What makes it special:
It’s a DOXA orange watch.
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The orange on its dial is sharp – you’ll notice it from across the room. It has a metallic effect to it which makes it more interesting. The colourway on the device is eye-catching. It’s silver, blue and orange – who wouldn’t want that?
It’s ISO 6425 certified, so you can safely handle it when diving. It is resistant up to 660 feet (200 meters). When underwater, not only will its orange face be easy to read, but so will its markers. They are full of LumiBrite. If you didn’t know, the pigment lasts 10x longer than regular ones. It’s on its hands too.
Quality stainless steel is on its body. This makes it waterproof. The Seiko Propex orange piece has a considerable window. It’s Hardlex which is Seiko’s improved version of mineral.
A calendar is in place. It’s magnified. It reads the day as well as the date. Something else we’re fond of is the position of its crown – it’s in the 4 o'clock position which results in it slamming into your wrist less.
Speaking of its crown, it’s screwed down well. This is also true for its case-back.
The timepiece is automatic. Seiko’s known for great affordable automatic watches. The 4R36 movement is inside of it. It allows for 24 jewels and a 40-hour power reserve. As you know, the more jewels present the better. 24 is much more than the standard 17. Power reserve wise, 40 hours is alright. The movement also comes with self-winding and hacking.
The SRPC95K1 is kind of big. Its case stretches 1.77 inches (45 mm) across. When diving, you don’t have to worry about your timepiece falling off your wrist – it rocks a secure push-button deployant clasp. Yes, working it is a literal push of a button.
What makes it special:
Its magnified calendar.
The orange on it is on the lighter side. However, it’ll still catch your attention when diving. Its hands are orange too, but they’re more yellowish. You’ll see a striking rotating bezel. It’s black with amber markers.
It comes with a rubber strap. The material is more waterproof than stainless steel. It’s ribbed, so it’s comfortable on your wrist. But it’s thick – when you wear it for long periods, you’ll sweat. Its face is made from stainless steel. It is very scratch-resistant.
You’re getting 660 feet (200 meters) of water-resistance. When diving, you’ll find its dial easy to read. This is as there is LumiBrite all over its markers and hands. When reading the time, you’ll be peeking through a Hardlex window. You’re already familiar with the glass.
Like the SRPC95K1, its crown is in the 4 o'clock position. This results in it slamming into your wrist less.
It is a large device. Its case stretches 1.69 inches (43 mm) across. A watch with a large case isn’t hard to wear, but it’ll look awkward on you.
There is a calendar on it. It reads the day as well as the date. Unfortunately, it is not magnified.
As it doesn’t come with a steel bracelet, it’s not surprising to see a tang buckle clasp on it. You hook a pin into a hole. It’s secure but not as reliable as a deployant one.
It is a Japanese automatic. It hosts the 7S26 mechanism. It’s a workhorse that you’ll see in our best dive watches under $100 article.
It comes with 21 jewels and a 40-hour power reserve. We mentioned what jewels were, so let’s talk about power reserves. They are how long your automatic piece can last while off your wrist. Remember that movement from your arm powers their gears.
What makes it special:
Thick rubber strap
The Best Looking
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The SRP311 has an orange dial with an outer black ring. We think this makes the orange even sharper. Like the other entries, there are rhomboid markers. The markers are sharp which will catch your eye wherever you may be. The luminous pigment on them is LumiBrite. We’re glad that it’s on its hands too.
The watch has a 1.67 inches (42.5 mm) case. A major chunk of real estate is used by its bezel. Thankfully, its dial isn’t small. Its chunky bezel makes it look more futuristic – along with the black, grey, and orange colourway, this is achieved.
As it’s a dive watch, it isn’t surprising that you can rotate its bezel. Being so thick, it’s easy to grip. There are gear-like indentations on it that make the job more of a breeze.
Now for the big question – how much water can it handle? 660 feet (200 meters). Such depths are very common for Seiko diving pieces. The fact that it’s made from quality resin and stainless steel keeps it waterproof.
You already know how we feel about crowns in the 4 o'clock position – they bruise you less. Something that’s not in the position is its calendar. It reads the day as well as the date. We’re not fans of how dark it is. It might not be easy to read when you’re deep underwater.
Like the other two, the glass on its window is Hardlex. Although sapphire is stronger, we’re glad a material more resistant than mineral is present.
It is an automatic watch like its siblings. The 4R36 mechanism is inside of it. It is a Japanese automatic movement, and it offers 24 jewels and a 40-hour power reserve, like the Prospex SRPC95K1.
Did we mention its clasp? It is a tang buckle. You can swap it for a more secure deployant one if you want – we would.
What makes it special:
Chunky bezel.
Most timepieces on our list were Seiko. We’re topping our review off with another timepiece from the brand. Not only is its dial orange but so its bezel. There is a Pepsi bezel, but the red is replaced with dark orange and the blue is back. Yes, it rotates. The two colours on it help you organize your time underwater.
So, how deep will you be diving? 660 feet (200 meters). It is ISO certified, so it’s screwed down well. The SRPC07 is made from quality stainless steel, so you know how water-proof it is.
The markers on it are thick. If you guessed that it’s full of volume, you’re right. Yes, Seiko’s favourite LumiBrite is present. The pigment is on its hands too.
The device is on the larger side. Its case stretches 1.73 inches (44 mm) across. Dive watches need to be large as visibility is major to them – why else are orange dive watches such a big deal? Like its brothers, Hardlex is in place.
It is a Japanese automatic. The mechanism inside the orange dial watch is the 4r35. It provides 23 jewels and a 41-hour power reserve. 23 is good – The 4R35 offers the second-best amount of jewels.
What makes it special:
It has a black and orange bezel.
Check out other top watches
Overall, we’re huge fans of dive watches. Not only are they great underwater, but they’re super durable and anyone can wear them. When underwater, visibility is important which is why orange dials are present. As you know, this was first done by DOXA which is why their device deserved our number 1 spot. Also, the DOXA 1500T was the most water-resistant. It also had the best build.
Seiko has been manufacturing orange diving pieces well – the majority of our entries were from the brand.
