Category: RADO

Summer invites you to dive, take walks, relax, socialize, but above all to have fun and now that we are in the last third of the bathing season we decided to look for the best midsize Diver Watches, and as the available options are vast we chose to introduce two criteria to reduce the options range, so we established for the first criterion the size of the watch’s diameter should be neither greater than 39.5mm nor less than 36mm in order to be able to cover the greatest number of people without appearing overly large or small, the second criterion is that the watch should have a mechanical movement.

So we chose 20 watches, we take the opportunity to point out that we considered brands that have the same models but in different sizes as different models. Before moving on to presenting the list, we decided to consider six criteria when evaluating the watches and they were, thickness, lug-to-lug distance, water resistance, power reserve, number of variants available, and price.

Prices up to € 1,000

Starting with the four most economical models, we have the Baltic Aquascaphe with 39mm in diameter, which presents itself as the most economical option with prices starting at € 640, then we have the Christopher Ward C60 Trident Pro 600 with 38mm in diameter, which has the same main positive points of being the one with the highest water resistance alongside the Omega model that we will see later in the list with 600 meters, it is available in 8 variants and available from € 950. Continuing on the list of the most economical, we have the Marathon MSAR in 36mm and it benefits from the fact that it is one of the chosen watches that has one of the shortest lug-to-lug distances with 43mm and can be purchased from € 900.

The last two in this category are the legendary Seiko SKX013 with its smaller 38mm version, although the model was discontinued a few years ago, what made us include it in this list was the fact that we still managed to find one (although harder and harder) available on Amazon for around €725, far from the affordable prices of a few years ago, but even so, it remains the second most economical scuba watch on our list and for last the Zodiac Super Sea Wolf 53 Skin Auto at 39.5mm, which is among those with the longest lug-to-lug distances at 47.5mm and which is available starting at $1,095.

Prices from € 1,001 to € 2,500

We start with the Longines Legend Divers in 36mm available from € 2,040 and in this price category it is one of the most expensive models, then we have another Longines, the HydroConquest in 39mm, which offers up to 72 hours of power reserve and that’s why it’s between those offering greater autonomy, with prices starting at € 1,170. The next two models on our list are the Oris Aquis, first in 36.5mm and then in 39.5mm, the smallest version is the one that has the lowest lug-to-lug distance among the 20 chosen models, with only 40mm, therefore, the model that wears better on the smallest wrist’s. The Oris Aquis is also the watch among the 20 models on the list that offers the most options with 13 variants available in each of the two available sizes, with prices starting at € 1,650 and € 1,750 for the 36.5mm and 39.5mm respectively.

Then there are two more Oris models, the Sixty-Five, also available in two sizes, 36mm and 38mm, with the smaller model benefiting from a smaller lug-to-lug distance of just 43mm and being available in 8 variants with options in steel but also in two tones (steel and bronze) with prices starting at € 1,800. As for the 38mm variant, it is available in 6 variants, all of them in bronze, with prices starting at € 2,100.

To finish and still within this price category we have 3 more models, starting with the brand new Oris Aquis Date Upcycled, presented last week at Geneva Watch Days, this is the latest model on this list, with 36.5mm in diameter and only 42.5 mm of lug-to-lug distance is, on a par with the 36.5mm Oris Aquis, the one that has this shorter distance and is available at a price of € 2,000. Then we have the Rado Captain Cook in 37mm which has as its strengths the fact that it is one of the three models with less thickness and is the second with greater autonomy up to 80 hours of power reserve with prices from CHF 1,900. Lastly, we have the Squale Sub 39 in 39mm, it is the one with the longest lug-to-lug distance (48.5mm) and one of the worst autonomy (38 hours power reserve) on the entire list, is available from about € 1,120.

Prices from € 2,501

We now move to the last category of the most expensive, with prices up to € 4,000 we first have the Breitling Superocean in 36mm, which is among the models that have a smaller thickness with 11.2mm only beaten by models from Rolex, Blancpain, and Rado, and that too is among those with the shortest lug-to-lug distance with prices starting at € 3,600, then we have the Tag Heuer Aqua Racer Professional 300 in 36mm, which features only 43mm lug-to-lug distance and can be purchased at starting at € 2,650, last in this category and priced below € 4,000 we have the Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight in 39mm, as it remains one of the most sought after and favorite watches among enthusiasts and collectors, and its main advantages are the fact that, among the chosen watches, it is one of those with less thickness, greater autonomy and several options of variants, with prices starting at € 3,230.

Moving on to the last 3 watches, which are among the most expensive on the list, we have first the Blancpain Bathyscaphe in 38mm, which is the second watch on the list with less thickness, with just 11mm and is number one in terms of autonomy, with a power reserve of up to 100 hours with a price from CHF 8,900 is the second most expensive on our list. Then we have the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean in 39.5mm, which, as we had mentioned above, presents together with the Christopher Ward model the highest water resistance capacity up to 600m and which is available from € 6,230. Last and most expensive on the list is the Rolex Yachtmaster in 37mm, which among the chosen ones is the one with a thinner case, with just 10.7mm, and is also the only watch on the list that is presented in precious metal, steel and rose gold with a price from € 12,650.

Our Election

Of the 20 models on our list, the ones that got the highest score according to the criteria established at the beginning were the Christopher Ward C60 Trident Pro 600 and the Seiko SKX013, both of which are in the most economical category, which proves that you don’t need to spend a lot of money to get a good diver watch. Next with higher scores and in the second price, category come three watches the Longines Legend Divers, the 36.5mm Oris Aquis and the Rado Captain Cook. In the last category of the most expensive, the one with the highest score (and no big surprises) is the Tudor Black Bay Fifth-Eight.

Just out of curiosity, among the 20 models on our list, those with the lowest score were the 39.5mm Oris Aquis, the 38mm Oris Sixty-Five, and the Rolex Yachtmaster.

Once again, we recall that the scores were obtained according to the criteria defined above and that, given different criteria, the scores could be quite different.

If you would include other midsize diving watches in this list, please let us know in the comments below.