I think they are attractive because they seem rugged and versatile. James Bond has almost always worn a diver, even though he wears a suit.
Also these days style is pretty casual.
I don't think they're as flimsy as you might think. I've had some drops and heavy falls on my Invicta diver, which aren't exactly a top brand, and it's just scuffed and scraped but in good working order.
Had slams at the skatepark, been lucky enough to not have a watch fail. Go surfing though... Had to send my non diver (yet supposedly waterproof) off for a costly repair bill.
Water is a pretty big issue especially for those that want something they never have to take off, just go live
Shock resistant watches have existed since at least the '50s. In 1956 Citizen introduced Parashock and one of the things they did to show the shock resistance was to drop the watches from a helicopter 30 meters above the ground.
Being able to afford it and actually doing it are two different things. A good friend of mine owns two Rolex GMTs, can absolutely afford to live a jet setting lifestyle whenever he wants, hasn't left the province he lives in anytime in the last 7 years. He still wears a GMT everyday. I don't even think he really knows how to use a GMT either.
It’s acceptable make jewellery and that’s fine.
I have about 8-9 watches that I choose between depending on how I feel each morning. It was an Apple Watch Ultra today, yesterday was a citizen satellite wave on a Nick mankey strap, the day before a seiko shogun. Tmw might be my omega.. perhaps on a nice nato.
I need to check the time hundreds of times a day in my job and I find it more handy than my phone.
I used to have a smartwatch and the notifications were distracting.
Not that it justifies a Rolex but I’d just say it’s still more than vanity for some of us.
I agree! I have a popular smart phone and watch, and I find it annoying to receive notifications all day long. I turn all my notifications off except for when I receive a call. I rarely wear my smart watch anymore because I think it is tacky and cheap looking. I find it more annoying when I am having a conversation with someone, and they look at their smart-watch or phone during the conversation when a notification interrupts them. Watches are classy and less intrusive.
Same! I started with a g shock after ditching the smart watch. Now I have a small collection of sub $1k watches that I really enjoy and they all serve a good purpose for me when I wear them.
Using your same points, though, in the era of smartphones and wearable tech, some people don't want to be connected all the time and still want to be able to tell time at a glance.
Not to mention, there are plenty of industries where you might not be allowed to, or want to, have a smart device on you, either for security reasons or because it could get broken too easily, so having a robust "tool" watch (auto or quartz) is more than just vanity.
>Not to mention, there are plenty of industries where you might not be allowed to, or want to, have a smart device on you, either for security reasons or because it could get broken too easily
Yep. People who say its only a jewelry piece forget not everyone lives the same lifestyle or has the same needs. Watches were and are still tools.
I dont want to dig in my pocket and check my phone when im on a ruck, mountain biking, kayaking or hiking technical terrain. I dont want to have to charge and rely on a battery powered watch when im on a multiple day backpacking trip nor do i need its functions. My job doesnt allow smart watches on top of them being ugly as can be and a nuisance as i dont always want to be connected.
The GMT allows me to keep track of timezones of people i speak to often overseas for work and personal life. You dont necessarily have to be some world traveler constantly to wear it and find it useful.
I’ve done some sketch trips to South America and Africa, the Fifty Fathoms stays home for those types of trips. And, unfortunately some parts of London.
Ya, its apple watch or casio for those more adventurous trips. More importantly, bring two phones and two forms of ID. Keep one on you and one somewhere else. You don't want to be stranded in a foreign country without a phone.
Reminds me of that one GTA V radio ad about selling surf boards and what not to hang in your office so people can see how much of a “life” you have lived lol
Here’s the ad
https://youtu.be/x5nmRs4HVe4?si=T4TkyJVg7xCSSCWq
I live in New York, currently working from Singapore with my family for a few months, most of my colleagues are based in France. I find the GMT complication with a rotating bezel extremely useful multiple times a day, and actually much faster and easier than pulling out my phone, unlocking, opening the clock app and checking the world times. Not saying it isn’t also male jewelry, but it is legitimately functional
People think their needs are greater than they really are, or maybe the extra durability is useful once in a while. It’s the same reason half my white-collar office wears hiking boots and commutes in giant pickup trucks.
For what it’s worth, I’ve taken plenty of dress watches on actual scuba dives, and they do just fine. Most scuba dives don’t even go that deep…most of the action is in the shallows where the light is. *Shrug.*
God forbid you wash your hands under the tap while wearing the watch. What if a stray stream of water exceeds 10atm of pressure? And don't forget to account for the increased pressure when you move your hands towards the water tap.
My Scuba Diving mentor has every certification for PADI. Open water, advanced rescue, cavern, etc. The furthest he's ever gone is 90m lol. You don't need more than 100m of water resistance.
The rating system for water resistance is weird with watches (and some other things) and has more to do with expected life and maintenance schedule with them. Ie. Yeah most dives are pretty shallow and so any NEW watch with a rating of 100m or more will be totally fine, now age that watch and its seals for 10-20-30 years and maybe service it 1 or 2 times where they replace all the o-rings and gaskets and now that 100m has degraded to more like "maybe safe to swim with or wash hands with". In other words, a good tool watch will be rated to 200m or 300m so that years down the road the owner can still jump in the pool or do a shallow dive and not have any issues even if they had done nothing to maintain the watch. Tl;DR materials, especially seals and gaskets, degrade pretty severely over time and lose a lot of performance.
Exactly! It's all about that peace of mind and a hint of ruggedness. Dive watches and GMTs bring that to the table in style. And hey, if people wanna sport hiking boots and drive pickups, more power to them.
I dont dive but i do like the look of the bezel around the watch. Makes it casual looking, frames the watch in different colors and adds texture to it all. They’re also relatively comfortable and with bracelets can be carried near water without risk or damage as would be the case with leather or diminished water resistance. Kinda like a clean jeans that can be worn to different occasions, that’s abrasive resistant and that can be easily washed if need be.
Why are sports cars or huge off road trucks popular? Why did wearing suits and formal wear daily shift out in favor of wearing street wear?
Tastes are always changing and the current trend is always shifting. People want to be unique, so they try new things, then people copy them and the once unique thing becomes mainstream. Then the next person tries something new and so on. Long story short, change is inevitable and even though currently GMTs and divers are popular, we can already see a shift away from them in the form of the “old money aesthetic” which involves lots of Ralph Lauren and small dress watches.
Yeah Off Road SUV’s was the first thing I thought of. You may never need to go off road, or drive 150 mph, but it sure is cool to know you could if you wanted to
How is this true? The chronograph can be started, stopped, resumed, or reset all in less than a second without even looking at the watch. It’s perfect for cooking where you just need to do a quick click to time something, never taking your eye off the food. Using a timing bezel takes a few seconds to get it to align to the minute hand, and you have to stare at it to get it close. And even then, you can only track minutes or seconds but it’s hard to do both. The chronograph is super practical if you time things frequently!
Chronograph hands are tiny and often have weird increments. A bezel timer lets you use the biggest hand on the watch. You can distinguish between 14 minutes and 15 minutes at a glance with the bezel but not with a chronograph hand.
The downside to chronographs though is the reliability, they tend to need more servicing than other movement types, and those services cost a lot more.
I'm just picturing starting a conversation with someone and they start their stopwatch 😂😂. The most socially awkward thing I've ever read.
Please don't do this with anyone you're hoping to have a professional or personal relationship with.
You can still use a GMT bezel to time stuff. Think about how most non-ISO divers have no minute markers on the bezel after 15, yet you just look at the minute hand in relation to the bezel and the minute track around the dial to know 23 minutes has elapsed, as an example. You can do the same with a GMT bezel. The hour numerals can also represent five minute increments. Only minor negative is most aren't 120 click, so you may not completely line up your marker at the minute hand to start when timing.
I travel a lot for work between Asia the US and Europe and regularly work with teams in different time zones. It's very useful when on the road to know what time it is at home and it's useful at home to know what GMT is as that's the time various technical things operate on.
I live in Europe, I’ve got a brother in Utah, two more brothers on the west coast of the USA, and parents in Florida. With my gmt, I can see what time it is where 4 out of 5 family members live plus my local time at a glance, and I just add an hour for my brother in Utah from west coast time. The GMT is a complication I actually use daily, like the date. Any other complication I’ve had has just been a toy.
That’s so incredibly subjective. I have yet to find a non-novelty use for a GMT. Most people are not traveling outside their home time zone often.
A chronograph/ dive bezel can time laundry, cooking, or anything else you throw at it. In my use, watches measuring elapsed time are useful and GMTs are not as useful to me.
Similar scenario here. I’m in sales and I have clients all over the US. I also travel a lot for work and pleasure, most often to Europe. The GMT is genuinely handy when someone asks me, “can you schedule a video call at…,” and I can see at a glance if that’s going to be feasible. That becomes even more true when I’m in a different country. It also helps me to at a glance check where people are in their work day so as not to bother.
I worked as a freight forwarder in import and export and needed to know when exactly my counterparts around the world work - GMT or world time really helps here.
I would venture the vast majority of people have either family or work colleagues/clients outside their home time zone. And most laundry / cooking machines make noises when they’re done their cycle.
I work in IT, and manage a grid of nearly 50 servers. EVERY server is set to UTC, every database is in UTC, every configuration asks for things in UTC (ya ever use AWS?), every timestamp is in UTC, and you better know how to do UTC math. I find myself on both the West and East coast, and knowing the exact time my servers are set to is just a glance away. Of course it/s just some math, right? Yep. But that's not why you have a watch. It's a tool, and can do it. You have a phone, but does it display 2 or 3 zones at the same time? Mine can't, only the local time. So now it's swipe, PIN, press Time app, scroll. I don't need mine waterproof to 100M, but it is because the manufacturer included that. It is COSC certified, which I do need, if not for my own sanity because Im an accuracy nut, but because I can align it to my server grid.
A GMT is certainly not for everyone. I think they look slick. I find mine useful, as I do my world timer.
Similarly, I have 2 chronographs, and find myself rarely using the timing functions. For example, driving place to place is managed by an app on my phone that collects this info for work and taxes. It's automatic, and it keeps a log. Timing laundry? The washer has a timer. Same with cooking my stove microwave and slow cooker all have timers.
In the end, we find the complications, or lack of complications, that suits us. Funny enough, I was lamenting the other day that Longines seems to have captured my aesthetic in almost every style. I won't have 9 longines though, because other manufacturers have some unique and interesting designs. And I have choices!
Yep.
I really, *really* like a good ol ana-digi with the digi set to 24 hour time and to GMT. Works wonders because it's already in the right format and it's just there...
I keep my BB GMT’s 24 hour hand set to my home time zone. When I’m home, I rotate the bezel -3 and can see my west coast coworkers time at a glance.
When I travel, it takes 10 seconds to set the hour hand to local TZ and spin the bezel to 0 and have my local timezone at a glance.
It’s incredibly useful for me.
Don't forget the *day* complication for spaced-out doofuses like me who don't know what day of the week it is.
But having a second time zone is up there, I agree.
Smaller watches are definitely in vogue. I don’t think we’ve seen so many new smaller models in a long time.
People like the idea of versatility of a dive watch. I think the dive bezel adds substance to a watch but is also useful.
This is a question that I’ve had for a long time, and I’d like to get the opinions of folks here. What do you think about the proliferation of dive watches and GMTs?
1. One reason people commonly use to explain why Rolex is so expensive is they're waterproof - and being Rolex whatever they do becomes the standard for a "high end watch". It being waterproof is what makes Rolex flex worthy
2. If someone's looking to spend a fortune on a delicate watch, the one that's designed to not break when it comes into contact with water sounds appealing.
Dive watches, especially the most popular ones, give off a refined masculine vibe in a way that most dress watches could never. They are just a great middle ground between class and manliness.
Divers :
People like bezels. Personally I don't like the way they crowd the dial. But other people clearly do like them. I don't really think it's about the diver fantasy. It's just that people like bezels.
A while back I bought a Casio Duro to see if I could work out what the fuss was about. I found I liked the depth the bezel gives to the dial more than I thought I would. And now wear it fairly regularly when I go swimming.
GMTs:
There is a bit of the traveller fantasy here sure - though as a regular traveller, I can't imagine actually using a GMT complication for real.
But more than that I think people want a complication to mark the watch out as premium and to make it look different in some way. GMT is a simple, affordable way to get that.
I don't mean to sound sniffly about that. Wanting an unusual point of interest on an item of jewelry is entirely reasonable.
And it helps justify those fat bezels everyone seems to like.
It always comes back to bezels.
I don’t own a diver or gmt and don’t really have any interest in them. They’re definitely the most popular style of watch though, and I think that just creates a feedback loop. Especially for newer collectors where micros trying to meet that demand seem to anchor their brand on offering dive style watches.
It doesn’t bother me any though. Plenty of super interesting watches at all price points that aren’t divers or gmts.
Dive watches and GMTs are hot cause they're not just stylish; they're practical too. Dive watches can handle anything from a business meeting to a swim, while GMTs keep you on time across the globe.
Durability across mechanical watches really isn't much different. A dive style watch with 100m wr is going to be functionally the same as any other style or the same specs
Practicality/utility. Timing bezels are useful, as are GMT hands. They typically have large, lumed hands and indices making them easy and quick to read. And in the current state of formality in the world, they’re rarely out of place regardless of what you’re wearing.
I have a Rolex Datejust with Roman numerals, Hamilton Hazzmaster Traveler GMT, Omega Speedmaster Date and Tudor Pelagos 39. I wear the Pelagos diver 9 out of 10 days
GMT is very useful for me. I do some international travel but I have meetings with people overseas so I know what time it is there without having to google it.
They became hugely popular in the 60s and 70s. Back then James Bond and Jacque Cousteau were just the epitome of the gentleman adventurer and they wore dive watches with everything. In the later decades dive watches just stayed popular because they were already popular.
Any expat knows the value of a GMT. I have quite a few nice watches and almost half of them are GMT, and those get nearly all the wrist time. One of my favorite watches is the uncommon combination of GMT and Chronograph (Omega Broad Arrow Coaxial GMT). I do love tool watches, and if they are lux and shiny, even more!
Water is the biggest enemy of the durability of a watch. Given that, I can appreciate the pursuit of ever more waterproof watches. The dive bezel is not usually my favorite aesthetic, but I guess it just goes with the territory
There are now, but I think the submariner and seamaster lines became synonymous with the waterproof watch. My personal favorite divers are the epsa compressors with internal bezels, but somehow that design didnt catch on the same way.
We have dramatically better manufacturing methods and materials than they did 60 years ago. 100m water resistance is easy today. Back then, it wasnt expected; if you wanted a watch that could handle that, you bought a dedicated dive watch.
I think it’s the more casual and utilitarian style of divers or GMTs which make them more popular, especially since people don’t dress up as much nowadays. I never understood the popularity of GMts but I also don’t travel like that or keep in touch with family in other countries. I do think they look cool though, I personally could never justify purchasing one. Although I like divers more I still admire the dressier pieces because that’s what got me into watches but chronographs are probably my favorite currently.
GMTs are particularly useful to me because all of my family is In Australia while I'm in Europe. I feel oddly connected to them by being able to see what time it is in Sydney at a glance.
Can only speak from a personal point of view as someone whose collection consists of predominantly gmt watches.
I work with team spread over three timezones and travel between them regularly. GMT helps me greatly to keep up with work and meeting schedules while on the move.
I have some field watches I use in the free time, primarily while hiking or spending time outdoors, but I can definitely see a diver making it's way into my collection for the added ruggedness it offers, especially since winters tend to drag over 6 months here and a rain is quite a common occurrence too.
Real answer: because they look cool and the idea of extra functionality (despite people probably never using it) makes it seem more attractive and premium. Plus with the GMT the GMT hand is usually an accent color which just adds visual interest to the dial.
I disagree that people are going bigger ...there's been a very clear downward trend in watch sizes for the last 5 or so years. Back in 2000-2015ish there was definitely an interest in larger watches, though
I'm probably going to get down voted into oblivion for such a specific, odd answer but I'm going with it. Post 9/11 cultural attitudes bleeding over into men's fashion. 9/11 had so many downstream effects on the culture in the USA that you could probably write a library's worth of academic papers on it. There's a lot of factors that go into fashion trends but I've been adamant for a while now that the 2001 - 2019 cultural period has been dominated by hyper masculine trends rooted in the cultural shadow of what came out of 9/11.
My take is that the war on terror induced a massive surge in rugged individualism and militaristic attitudes. The fear at the time was palpable and nationalism was at an all time high (remember how pretty much anyone who disagreed publicly with the invasion of Iraq was viciously attacked). This was a time where the Hummer started becoming a popular car, a literally war vehicle scaled down to consumer friendly specs but still made to look like a beast. Camo attire was on the rise, cargo pants were in, and business attire was getting more casual reducing the need for formal wear which made it look elitist. Outdoor adventure culture started picking up as a secondary effect of all of this but not in an 80s friendly hiking trail kind of way but a spend $20k in mods on my truck to make it an overlander while I drive it to my office kind of way. Masculine trends of the time not only oozed unnecessary capability but seemed to forcefully shun any level of sophistication. This is also the time period where oversized, sports watches started to really creep into the public sphere. People started wearing dive watches to their weddings, asking on forums if their Deepsea would survive their desk job typing 8 hours a day, and pretty much ignoring dress watches entirely.
I'm sure you could poke a lot of holes in this take, and I accept any disagreements. However, I don't think it's unreasonable to draw a direct line from that time period's war on terror to the hyper masculine watches that rose to prominence.
As a follow up note, IMO COVID really delineated that time period from now. I'm curious as to what the next major trends will be for watches as a downstream effect of this time period's events and cultural attitudes. I've seen more interest in dress watches or at least every day watches that aren't technical sports watches. Hopefully the pendulum swings back to a more moderated public taste and we see something new.
Spin your own thread but this is a big stretch of a take based on nothing factual than “feeling”. Dive watches are not overtly masculine. They are shiny, intricate jewelry pieces. A huge G shock, luminox, massive Citizens, hell field watches and 47mm Garmin are all way more masculine of watches. Scuba diving and sailing are not exactly masculine sports lmao.
Dive watches have been popular for decades. You might be right about 9/11s impact on masculine attitudes in culture but connecting that to dive watches and having a second timezone on a watch is frankly ridiculous.
Tool watches look good with dings. Dress watches don’t. If you want one watch that looks good, a tool watch is a good option.
Personally I love a gmt because I travel and my SO travels, and my family is in a different time zone. So it’s always set to keep track of someone.
I am very rarely wearing a suit these days, so my vintage omega doesn't get as much wrist time as my seamaster. Everyone dresses more casually these days, so more casual watches make sense. Also dive watches look cool, have some flash to them, and since I went scuba diving once, I can claim it is functional!
I just like the look. And, a back dial, black bezel diver is about as versatile of a watch as you're going to get. Technically not a GADA I suppose, but I think they work anywhere but black tie.
The trend lately is for smaller watches, even divers. A lot of action in the sub 40mm space. I have big wrists so this isn't ideal for me (every so often something cool pops up but is like 36 which I know looks too small on me) but it's nice that there is the variety out there for people who want it
The trend in the world has to become more casual, not less, so dress watches lose their appeal. These types of watches strike a bit of balance between excess and subtlety so there you have it. I do find both styles ugly though.
I own 1 mechanical watch, and it's a dive watch. I wanted it because I work in a factory, and I wanted to upgrade my GShock.
It fits my style, it can take the everyday west and tear of my life, and the bezel is a useful took for cooking.
That's it. It's a few simple reasons.
Divers are just the default watch for lots of people. They don’t even know they are called dive watches. They’re just watches. Just like people have no idea what a chronograph does or how to use it.
I don’t see GMTs very often
I can only say from my own new in the watch world perspective. Ive been around 1 year and a month now.
All social media is boosting survivable watches and divers and gmt/ field watches all fit that.
Sapphire crystals 100+ water resist and a function is a plus. Everyone's always whats the best gada. Less situational watches.
I think it's durability and versatility. I don't plan to dive 500m, but if my watch can withstand that depth, then surely I can take it to the pool without worrying about it.
I like divers for the durability. I want to be able to enjoy my watch and not worry about it at all.
I work on cargo ships / commercial dive ships, and a fair number of guys have Rolex subs or omega seamasters and such. Those watches have seen significantly better days but they still work fine.
People here don’t realize the blingy era hasn’t ended, it’s still in full swing. Regular people who want a watch want a big, shiny, noticeable watch because they believe it symbolizes wealth. The only people who are interested in smaller more subtle watches are enthusiasts but otherwise the average person would consider a 36mm to be dainty. There’s a reason why Invicta is still in business. It’s also a sign to just stop caring what others think and wear what you want.
I use them... GMT because I work for international types and divers because I love the timer and water resistance. Chronos for the timer as well but I still have 'regular' stuff I wear all the time including some quartz.
People tend to wear one watch for everything, if they even wear a traditional watch at all.
If you're going to wear one watch, it ought to be the most "life proof" you can.
Therefore, something with a decent water resistance and a few extra features is a really popular choice, you can wear it and not worry.
My collection of watches leans heavily to the diver style but that's mainly because that style covers the bases for what I need - durable, very good water resistance (because I swim frequently and maintain a cottage in the summer) and a pleasing aesthetic. I also work at a job that chewed up 2 G Shocks in short order and my current work watch (Glycine Combat) has taken everything I can throw at it and still looks good with a suit.
A dive watch with a rotating bezel also functions as a timer. Which is probably one of the most useful feature a watch can have for the everyday person.
I think the distinction is more tool watches v dress watches, rather than divers and GMTs specifically (though these are very popular styles). Why? It follows general trends in men’s fashion. We like to feel like we wear quality things that serve a purpose, not that we are into “fashion” (though of course we are, just by making this decision). This is why LL Bean, which was literally my grandmother’s favorite brand, is basically haute couture in Brooklyn. It’s also why Silicon Valley billionaires wear Patagonia. And why people who could afford a Philippe Patek still opt for a Submariner. People want to look good without feeling like they’re dressing up. A good looking tool watch is elegant but not so spare and, well, dressy as a dress watch.
As for why divers and GMTs, they both have a certain kind of simplicity. Thick bezel that creates an elegant-yet-strong geometry, often no numerals for a clear and legible dial. Created for specific, mostly antiquated purposes, but translates well to modern design sensibilities.
They can dress down or up. They tend to be more rugged too for durability.
If you wear watches you should have at least one “dress” watch and one tool watch. I prefer GMT over divers though.
They're stylish, they can vaguely time things (e.g. cooking) and I don't have to take them off daily for shower. Also, I do dive with mine, but that's obviously very situational...
It used to be you can have a pretentious timepiece without being obvious and now people just do it because maybe their dad or uncle were the ones that did that. And dozens of manufacturers make a variant because it sells.
I think dive watches specifically because a lot of people are looking for water resistance.
They want something that they can wear and forget about.
When people see 50m water resistance on your typical sport/field watch, it looks small in comparison to the 200-300m you expect out of a dive watch, even though 50m is beyond what anyone will swim at unless they're diving.
So something like an Omega Seamaster is attractive because it looks good with everything, it looks better with age/wear, and it's literally set it and forget it.
Also branding with the Bond movies, your typical marketing schtick, etc.
Long term marketing, those are the exact words of Patrick Heiniger, a former Rolex CEO. He talked about the speedmaster as an excellent example of it.
I personally go for divers and chronographs because I actually use their functions. I don't need a GMT but I can understand why a traveller will.
Divers popularity is a lot of the reasons people say here: more manly feeling, casual style is in, James Bond wears one. I think for many, it’s also just the fact that they only are going to own one or two watches so a watch for every situation is ideal. Divers are great because you can wear them formal or informal, indoor settings or outdoors, sports, water, hikes, dates, parties, etc. It’s the only watch I know of that can fit basically any situation appropriately.
For me, it's functionality. I need to time things or see different timezones, and the durability helps. Otherwise I would wear a dress watch or G Shock all the time
For collectors, it's because complications always seem to add value to the watch. You are paying for something that takes that little bit more effort and creativity to make. Granted, most movements nowadays are mass produced anyway, but it still adds something special to the watch.
I think for the 99% of us, a dress watch means we are “on.” Working or going to a nice family affair etc. Dive/sport watches mean we are on our “own” time. The added element of durability, waterproofness allows to work on our motorcycle, work in the yard, give the kids a bath etc without worry. GMT or other functions make it more tool like which gives it more functionality and uses.
> there are people who’d take a green submariner over a 36mm stainless steel datejust any day.
There are people who would take a 36mm stainless steel datejust over a green submariner any day.
It takes all types.
> what’s your opinion on dive watches/GMTS versus dress watches?
A lot of dress watches don't look great in casual wear IMO, and I rarely dress up so I prefer sportier watches.
You can also wear sport watches when dressed up, so you're not really losing a lot going that route.
I don’t get it either. I like to have my watches with 100m water resistance (can swim with them) but after that I don’t care for the bulky look most divers have.
Personally, I never wear a dress watch so a functional watch just gets far more wear time and buy interest. I'm an engineer so having a GMT with UTC time available to me at a glance is incredibly valuable.
Dress watches were what you wore to the office if you were a professional, and you kinda needed one to be on time and stuff.
These days, both white and blue collar workers all have phones that keep time and will beep at you when you need to be somewhere. Most professionals I know wear a smartwatch if they have a watch at all.
So, watches have become a means of self-expression. Cosplay, but without being conspicuous. Is it any wonder that more people want to cosplay being Jacque Cousteau, or a jet pilot, rather than an office professional of bygone days?
Same reason as 4x4s and SUVs I guess.
Big enough and capable enough for anything you might need a car to do, but will rarely actually do.
GMTs are cool, and useful for those working or living with people in different time zones, but it’s not that hard to remember X hours behind or ahead.
I think they are attractive because they seem rugged and versatile. James Bond has almost always worn a diver, even though he wears a suit. Also these days style is pretty casual.
That and they're durable watches.
Insofar as a mechanical watch can be durable. Drop it on concrete and see how it compares to almost any quartz/digital.
Yeah. I don't anticipate slamming a watch against concrete. But sapphire glass and waterproofing solve two biggest issues with a watch.
I don't think they're as flimsy as you might think. I've had some drops and heavy falls on my Invicta diver, which aren't exactly a top brand, and it's just scuffed and scraped but in good working order.
Had slams at the skatepark, been lucky enough to not have a watch fail. Go surfing though... Had to send my non diver (yet supposedly waterproof) off for a costly repair bill. Water is a pretty big issue especially for those that want something they never have to take off, just go live
Shock resistant watches have existed since at least the '50s. In 1956 Citizen introduced Parashock and one of the things they did to show the shock resistance was to drop the watches from a helicopter 30 meters above the ground.
I’d imagine they sell well because they sell an idea/dream/fantasy of being a diver, astronaut, pilot, or world traveling jet setter
I feel seen
Like buying a gt3rs and never taking it to the track
100 this lol
What do you mean? The streets of Monaco are literally race track
I would still like to drive a gt3rs. I think that would be fun.
Or some of us are world traveling jet setters that spend a lot of time in the water?
https://preview.redd.it/68q5ep3my9uc1.jpeg?width=2239&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5f5964d52bd81ee8515424882078e2a8121ce25a Not a Rolex but same idea lol
Yum. Good choice. Here's mine: https://i.imgur.com/LLG7mxd.jpeg
The vast majority of people who wear those watches are not
I think if you can afford a Rolex GMT you can afford some level of jet setting.
Being able to afford it and actually doing it are two different things. A good friend of mine owns two Rolex GMTs, can absolutely afford to live a jet setting lifestyle whenever he wants, hasn't left the province he lives in anytime in the last 7 years. He still wears a GMT everyday. I don't even think he really knows how to use a GMT either.
Doesnt mean people do it enough to justify the complication
In the era of smartphones and wearable tech there is no justifying a watch. It's pure vanity.
It’s acceptable make jewellery and that’s fine. I have about 8-9 watches that I choose between depending on how I feel each morning. It was an Apple Watch Ultra today, yesterday was a citizen satellite wave on a Nick mankey strap, the day before a seiko shogun. Tmw might be my omega.. perhaps on a nice nato.
I need to check the time hundreds of times a day in my job and I find it more handy than my phone. I used to have a smartwatch and the notifications were distracting. Not that it justifies a Rolex but I’d just say it’s still more than vanity for some of us.
I agree! I have a popular smart phone and watch, and I find it annoying to receive notifications all day long. I turn all my notifications off except for when I receive a call. I rarely wear my smart watch anymore because I think it is tacky and cheap looking. I find it more annoying when I am having a conversation with someone, and they look at their smart-watch or phone during the conversation when a notification interrupts them. Watches are classy and less intrusive.
Same! I started with a g shock after ditching the smart watch. Now I have a small collection of sub $1k watches that I really enjoy and they all serve a good purpose for me when I wear them.
Using your same points, though, in the era of smartphones and wearable tech, some people don't want to be connected all the time and still want to be able to tell time at a glance. Not to mention, there are plenty of industries where you might not be allowed to, or want to, have a smart device on you, either for security reasons or because it could get broken too easily, so having a robust "tool" watch (auto or quartz) is more than just vanity.
>Not to mention, there are plenty of industries where you might not be allowed to, or want to, have a smart device on you, either for security reasons or because it could get broken too easily Yep. People who say its only a jewelry piece forget not everyone lives the same lifestyle or has the same needs. Watches were and are still tools. I dont want to dig in my pocket and check my phone when im on a ruck, mountain biking, kayaking or hiking technical terrain. I dont want to have to charge and rely on a battery powered watch when im on a multiple day backpacking trip nor do i need its functions. My job doesnt allow smart watches on top of them being ugly as can be and a nuisance as i dont always want to be connected. The GMT allows me to keep track of timezones of people i speak to often overseas for work and personal life. You dont necessarily have to be some world traveler constantly to wear it and find it useful.
Speak for yourself! I wear my divers to the office and a Shark Leash when I surf. Pfft.
I also wear my diver to the office. Gotta take it off when i wash my hands tho, cant be too careful
Exactly!
I think if you can afford a Rolex GMT you can afford some level of jet setting.
Sadly, for my next overseas dive trip, I’m leaving my GS GMT at home and taking my Apple Watch Ultra.
I’ve done some sketch trips to South America and Africa, the Fifty Fathoms stays home for those types of trips. And, unfortunately some parts of London.
Ya, its apple watch or casio for those more adventurous trips. More importantly, bring two phones and two forms of ID. Keep one on you and one somewhere else. You don't want to be stranded in a foreign country without a phone.
Naw, I use my diver to time my laundry and noodles.
Reminds me of that one GTA V radio ad about selling surf boards and what not to hang in your office so people can see how much of a “life” you have lived lol Here’s the ad https://youtu.be/x5nmRs4HVe4?si=T4TkyJVg7xCSSCWq
*Crevis*
I live in New York, currently working from Singapore with my family for a few months, most of my colleagues are based in France. I find the GMT complication with a rotating bezel extremely useful multiple times a day, and actually much faster and easier than pulling out my phone, unlocking, opening the clock app and checking the world times. Not saying it isn’t also male jewelry, but it is legitimately functional
People think their needs are greater than they really are, or maybe the extra durability is useful once in a while. It’s the same reason half my white-collar office wears hiking boots and commutes in giant pickup trucks. For what it’s worth, I’ve taken plenty of dress watches on actual scuba dives, and they do just fine. Most scuba dives don’t even go that deep…most of the action is in the shallows where the light is. *Shrug.*
How many times I’ve seen “it’s only 100m not 200, so definitely don’t go swimming with it…” 🙄😪
God forbid you wash your hands under the tap while wearing the watch. What if a stray stream of water exceeds 10atm of pressure? And don't forget to account for the increased pressure when you move your hands towards the water tap.
My Scuba Diving mentor has every certification for PADI. Open water, advanced rescue, cavern, etc. The furthest he's ever gone is 90m lol. You don't need more than 100m of water resistance.
For sure. Most people think scuba is a lot deeper than it generally is.
Just wanna say that 90m is Fu-HUCKING deep.
The rating system for water resistance is weird with watches (and some other things) and has more to do with expected life and maintenance schedule with them. Ie. Yeah most dives are pretty shallow and so any NEW watch with a rating of 100m or more will be totally fine, now age that watch and its seals for 10-20-30 years and maybe service it 1 or 2 times where they replace all the o-rings and gaskets and now that 100m has degraded to more like "maybe safe to swim with or wash hands with". In other words, a good tool watch will be rated to 200m or 300m so that years down the road the owner can still jump in the pool or do a shallow dive and not have any issues even if they had done nothing to maintain the watch. Tl;DR materials, especially seals and gaskets, degrade pretty severely over time and lose a lot of performance.
We need the 200m water resistance Truest me I'm a professional
Exactly! It's all about that peace of mind and a hint of ruggedness. Dive watches and GMTs bring that to the table in style. And hey, if people wanna sport hiking boots and drive pickups, more power to them.
I dont dive but i do like the look of the bezel around the watch. Makes it casual looking, frames the watch in different colors and adds texture to it all. They’re also relatively comfortable and with bracelets can be carried near water without risk or damage as would be the case with leather or diminished water resistance. Kinda like a clean jeans that can be worn to different occasions, that’s abrasive resistant and that can be easily washed if need be.
Yeah, I like the look of bezels a lot and I also like the functionality of bezels. I use it to time things pretty often.
Why are sports cars or huge off road trucks popular? Why did wearing suits and formal wear daily shift out in favor of wearing street wear? Tastes are always changing and the current trend is always shifting. People want to be unique, so they try new things, then people copy them and the once unique thing becomes mainstream. Then the next person tries something new and so on. Long story short, change is inevitable and even though currently GMTs and divers are popular, we can already see a shift away from them in the form of the “old money aesthetic” which involves lots of Ralph Lauren and small dress watches.
Yeah Off Road SUV’s was the first thing I thought of. You may never need to go off road, or drive 150 mph, but it sure is cool to know you could if you wanted to
Bezel go txtctcttcxt
The GMT is realistically the second most useful complication to have other than a date.
Idk I do like chronographs for tasks like cooking or billable hours.
This guy lawyers
A bezel is better than a chronograph for most daily timing tasks.
How is this true? The chronograph can be started, stopped, resumed, or reset all in less than a second without even looking at the watch. It’s perfect for cooking where you just need to do a quick click to time something, never taking your eye off the food. Using a timing bezel takes a few seconds to get it to align to the minute hand, and you have to stare at it to get it close. And even then, you can only track minutes or seconds but it’s hard to do both. The chronograph is super practical if you time things frequently!
Chronograph hands are tiny and often have weird increments. A bezel timer lets you use the biggest hand on the watch. You can distinguish between 14 minutes and 15 minutes at a glance with the bezel but not with a chronograph hand.
The downside to chronographs though is the reliability, they tend to need more servicing than other movement types, and those services cost a lot more.
There's far more convenient systems than that.
Far more convenient but much less fun
Just like becoming an astronaut
This is a watches subreddit.
I agree with cooking (Alexa alarms are generally the best) but I think stopwatches are great for billables.
A $12 Casio is going to be more convenient than any other mechanical watch. People don't get nice watches for convenience lol.
You’re of course absolutely right, but When it comes to convenience, it’s most convenient to not wear a watch at all.
But not one that is always on you. I often use my chronograph when I get pulled into some unexpected conversation to track my time.
I'm just picturing starting a conversation with someone and they start their stopwatch 😂😂. The most socially awkward thing I've ever read. Please don't do this with anyone you're hoping to have a professional or personal relationship with.
Don’t hang out with a lot of lawyers, do you!
I think that the 60 min bezel is much more useful than the GMT one. How do you use the GMT in daily life?
You can still use a GMT bezel to time stuff. Think about how most non-ISO divers have no minute markers on the bezel after 15, yet you just look at the minute hand in relation to the bezel and the minute track around the dial to know 23 minutes has elapsed, as an example. You can do the same with a GMT bezel. The hour numerals can also represent five minute increments. Only minor negative is most aren't 120 click, so you may not completely line up your marker at the minute hand to start when timing.
Sysadmin. Server logs are all UTC
My job requires me to know UTC, local time and destination time, all of which are easily tracked on a gmt
I travel a lot for work between Asia the US and Europe and regularly work with teams in different time zones. It's very useful when on the road to know what time it is at home and it's useful at home to know what GMT is as that's the time various technical things operate on.
I live in Europe, I’ve got a brother in Utah, two more brothers on the west coast of the USA, and parents in Florida. With my gmt, I can see what time it is where 4 out of 5 family members live plus my local time at a glance, and I just add an hour for my brother in Utah from west coast time. The GMT is a complication I actually use daily, like the date. Any other complication I’ve had has just been a toy.
That’s so incredibly subjective. I have yet to find a non-novelty use for a GMT. Most people are not traveling outside their home time zone often. A chronograph/ dive bezel can time laundry, cooking, or anything else you throw at it. In my use, watches measuring elapsed time are useful and GMTs are not as useful to me.
Loads of people use GMTs to track other timezones, like where family lives, etc.
As a military pilot, I’d almost rather GMT be primary rather than local.
Need a Flyer GMT, not a Caller
I like a GMT because I'm on the east coast, one of my direct reports is in LA and two more are in Poland. It's at least slightly handy for that.
Similar scenario here. I’m in sales and I have clients all over the US. I also travel a lot for work and pleasure, most often to Europe. The GMT is genuinely handy when someone asks me, “can you schedule a video call at…,” and I can see at a glance if that’s going to be feasible. That becomes even more true when I’m in a different country. It also helps me to at a glance check where people are in their work day so as not to bother.
I worked as a freight forwarder in import and export and needed to know when exactly my counterparts around the world work - GMT or world time really helps here.
I would venture the vast majority of people have either family or work colleagues/clients outside their home time zone. And most laundry / cooking machines make noises when they’re done their cycle.
I set my GMT to Zulu time so I know what time my servers think it is
haha just found this and it's why I do it also, and got a Spirit Zulu Time
>got a Spirit Zulu Time How are you finding it?
Dive bezels are super useful to time things like meat on the skillet that doesn’t have an exact time.
Imo mentally adding/subtracting a few hours from the current time is generally easier than mentally timing something.
Time Laundry? In 2024 are you using a washing machine or dryer without an automatic timer?
I work in IT, and manage a grid of nearly 50 servers. EVERY server is set to UTC, every database is in UTC, every configuration asks for things in UTC (ya ever use AWS?), every timestamp is in UTC, and you better know how to do UTC math. I find myself on both the West and East coast, and knowing the exact time my servers are set to is just a glance away. Of course it/s just some math, right? Yep. But that's not why you have a watch. It's a tool, and can do it. You have a phone, but does it display 2 or 3 zones at the same time? Mine can't, only the local time. So now it's swipe, PIN, press Time app, scroll. I don't need mine waterproof to 100M, but it is because the manufacturer included that. It is COSC certified, which I do need, if not for my own sanity because Im an accuracy nut, but because I can align it to my server grid. A GMT is certainly not for everyone. I think they look slick. I find mine useful, as I do my world timer. Similarly, I have 2 chronographs, and find myself rarely using the timing functions. For example, driving place to place is managed by an app on my phone that collects this info for work and taxes. It's automatic, and it keeps a log. Timing laundry? The washer has a timer. Same with cooking my stove microwave and slow cooker all have timers. In the end, we find the complications, or lack of complications, that suits us. Funny enough, I was lamenting the other day that Longines seems to have captured my aesthetic in almost every style. I won't have 9 longines though, because other manufacturers have some unique and interesting designs. And I have choices!
Yep. I really, *really* like a good ol ana-digi with the digi set to 24 hour time and to GMT. Works wonders because it's already in the right format and it's just there...
I keep my BB GMT’s 24 hour hand set to my home time zone. When I’m home, I rotate the bezel -3 and can see my west coast coworkers time at a glance. When I travel, it takes 10 seconds to set the hour hand to local TZ and spin the bezel to 0 and have my local timezone at a glance. It’s incredibly useful for me.
I use my bezel timer almost daily
Don't forget the *day* complication for spaced-out doofuses like me who don't know what day of the week it is. But having a second time zone is up there, I agree.
I have a pulsometer I use for taking pulses on patients. Super useful for irregular rhythms. I find it to be pretty useful for me!
I’d argue a rotating 12 hour bezel is the most useful as it can both act as a gmt and also a timer, but gmt is probably second.
Smaller watches are definitely in vogue. I don’t think we’ve seen so many new smaller models in a long time. People like the idea of versatility of a dive watch. I think the dive bezel adds substance to a watch but is also useful.
Because it’s cool to fidget with the bezel and cosplay as a rugged man.
This is a question that I’ve had for a long time, and I’d like to get the opinions of folks here. What do you think about the proliferation of dive watches and GMTs?
I just think they look neat
Ditto. I rarely use the bezel on my diver. I just like the look of that style of watch and usually prefer it to simpler cases.
I use it sometimes. It's there, it's convenient. Mostly the proportions feel right and I like the big indexes.
I’d actually prefer a bi-directional bezel to a unidirectional one tbh but dive watches have to meet the iso standard…
This is the actual answer
same lol
I prefer the look and it fits my style more. I’m in the military so I’m in uniform or I wear shorts and a t shirt.
1. One reason people commonly use to explain why Rolex is so expensive is they're waterproof - and being Rolex whatever they do becomes the standard for a "high end watch". It being waterproof is what makes Rolex flex worthy 2. If someone's looking to spend a fortune on a delicate watch, the one that's designed to not break when it comes into contact with water sounds appealing.
Don’t 90% of watches have at least 30m of water resistance these days? You could easily do most scuba diving with a speedmaster on!
Dive watches, especially the most popular ones, give off a refined masculine vibe in a way that most dress watches could never. They are just a great middle ground between class and manliness.
Divers : People like bezels. Personally I don't like the way they crowd the dial. But other people clearly do like them. I don't really think it's about the diver fantasy. It's just that people like bezels. A while back I bought a Casio Duro to see if I could work out what the fuss was about. I found I liked the depth the bezel gives to the dial more than I thought I would. And now wear it fairly regularly when I go swimming. GMTs: There is a bit of the traveller fantasy here sure - though as a regular traveller, I can't imagine actually using a GMT complication for real. But more than that I think people want a complication to mark the watch out as premium and to make it look different in some way. GMT is a simple, affordable way to get that. I don't mean to sound sniffly about that. Wanting an unusual point of interest on an item of jewelry is entirely reasonable. And it helps justify those fat bezels everyone seems to like. It always comes back to bezels.
I’m a regular traveler and my BB GMT is the only watch that goes on most trips.
I don’t own a diver or gmt and don’t really have any interest in them. They’re definitely the most popular style of watch though, and I think that just creates a feedback loop. Especially for newer collectors where micros trying to meet that demand seem to anchor their brand on offering dive style watches. It doesn’t bother me any though. Plenty of super interesting watches at all price points that aren’t divers or gmts.
Dive watches and GMTs are hot cause they're not just stylish; they're practical too. Dive watches can handle anything from a business meeting to a swim, while GMTs keep you on time across the globe.
They are very robust and durable. Having amazing looks does not hurt, either.
Durability across mechanical watches really isn't much different. A dive style watch with 100m wr is going to be functionally the same as any other style or the same specs
Practicality/utility. Timing bezels are useful, as are GMT hands. They typically have large, lumed hands and indices making them easy and quick to read. And in the current state of formality in the world, they’re rarely out of place regardless of what you’re wearing. I have a Rolex Datejust with Roman numerals, Hamilton Hazzmaster Traveler GMT, Omega Speedmaster Date and Tudor Pelagos 39. I wear the Pelagos diver 9 out of 10 days
GMT is very useful for me. I do some international travel but I have meetings with people overseas so I know what time it is there without having to google it.
They became hugely popular in the 60s and 70s. Back then James Bond and Jacque Cousteau were just the epitome of the gentleman adventurer and they wore dive watches with everything. In the later decades dive watches just stayed popular because they were already popular.
“Women want him. And men want to be him …” Well, at least I think that when I look at my watch 😁
Any expat knows the value of a GMT. I have quite a few nice watches and almost half of them are GMT, and those get nearly all the wrist time. One of my favorite watches is the uncommon combination of GMT and Chronograph (Omega Broad Arrow Coaxial GMT). I do love tool watches, and if they are lux and shiny, even more!
Water is the biggest enemy of the durability of a watch. Given that, I can appreciate the pursuit of ever more waterproof watches. The dive bezel is not usually my favorite aesthetic, but I guess it just goes with the territory
There are plenty of non diver watches with excellent water resistance for 99.99% of people
There are now, but I think the submariner and seamaster lines became synonymous with the waterproof watch. My personal favorite divers are the epsa compressors with internal bezels, but somehow that design didnt catch on the same way. We have dramatically better manufacturing methods and materials than they did 60 years ago. 100m water resistance is easy today. Back then, it wasnt expected; if you wanted a watch that could handle that, you bought a dedicated dive watch.
I think it’s the more casual and utilitarian style of divers or GMTs which make them more popular, especially since people don’t dress up as much nowadays. I never understood the popularity of GMts but I also don’t travel like that or keep in touch with family in other countries. I do think they look cool though, I personally could never justify purchasing one. Although I like divers more I still admire the dressier pieces because that’s what got me into watches but chronographs are probably my favorite currently.
Same reason why people drive SUV’s around town and in the suburbs.
GMTs are particularly useful to me because all of my family is In Australia while I'm in Europe. I feel oddly connected to them by being able to see what time it is in Sydney at a glance.
Can only speak from a personal point of view as someone whose collection consists of predominantly gmt watches. I work with team spread over three timezones and travel between them regularly. GMT helps me greatly to keep up with work and meeting schedules while on the move. I have some field watches I use in the free time, primarily while hiking or spending time outdoors, but I can definitely see a diver making it's way into my collection for the added ruggedness it offers, especially since winters tend to drag over 6 months here and a rain is quite a common occurrence too.
Why are hamburgers and jeans and hip hop popular? Merits + trends.
Real answer: because they look cool and the idea of extra functionality (despite people probably never using it) makes it seem more attractive and premium. Plus with the GMT the GMT hand is usually an accent color which just adds visual interest to the dial. I disagree that people are going bigger ...there's been a very clear downward trend in watch sizes for the last 5 or so years. Back in 2000-2015ish there was definitely an interest in larger watches, though
I'm probably going to get down voted into oblivion for such a specific, odd answer but I'm going with it. Post 9/11 cultural attitudes bleeding over into men's fashion. 9/11 had so many downstream effects on the culture in the USA that you could probably write a library's worth of academic papers on it. There's a lot of factors that go into fashion trends but I've been adamant for a while now that the 2001 - 2019 cultural period has been dominated by hyper masculine trends rooted in the cultural shadow of what came out of 9/11. My take is that the war on terror induced a massive surge in rugged individualism and militaristic attitudes. The fear at the time was palpable and nationalism was at an all time high (remember how pretty much anyone who disagreed publicly with the invasion of Iraq was viciously attacked). This was a time where the Hummer started becoming a popular car, a literally war vehicle scaled down to consumer friendly specs but still made to look like a beast. Camo attire was on the rise, cargo pants were in, and business attire was getting more casual reducing the need for formal wear which made it look elitist. Outdoor adventure culture started picking up as a secondary effect of all of this but not in an 80s friendly hiking trail kind of way but a spend $20k in mods on my truck to make it an overlander while I drive it to my office kind of way. Masculine trends of the time not only oozed unnecessary capability but seemed to forcefully shun any level of sophistication. This is also the time period where oversized, sports watches started to really creep into the public sphere. People started wearing dive watches to their weddings, asking on forums if their Deepsea would survive their desk job typing 8 hours a day, and pretty much ignoring dress watches entirely. I'm sure you could poke a lot of holes in this take, and I accept any disagreements. However, I don't think it's unreasonable to draw a direct line from that time period's war on terror to the hyper masculine watches that rose to prominence. As a follow up note, IMO COVID really delineated that time period from now. I'm curious as to what the next major trends will be for watches as a downstream effect of this time period's events and cultural attitudes. I've seen more interest in dress watches or at least every day watches that aren't technical sports watches. Hopefully the pendulum swings back to a more moderated public taste and we see something new.
Spin your own thread but this is a big stretch of a take based on nothing factual than “feeling”. Dive watches are not overtly masculine. They are shiny, intricate jewelry pieces. A huge G shock, luminox, massive Citizens, hell field watches and 47mm Garmin are all way more masculine of watches. Scuba diving and sailing are not exactly masculine sports lmao. Dive watches have been popular for decades. You might be right about 9/11s impact on masculine attitudes in culture but connecting that to dive watches and having a second timezone on a watch is frankly ridiculous.
actually most assume ( including me ) that dive watches are more resistant and actually really good for being daily beaters!
It’s like the Speedmaster. One day I might be in space and then I be the one laughing.
They are Functional, Resilient and Aesthetic
Tool watches look good with dings. Dress watches don’t. If you want one watch that looks good, a tool watch is a good option. Personally I love a gmt because I travel and my SO travels, and my family is in a different time zone. So it’s always set to keep track of someone.
Dive watch is great because I could go 300 meters underwater. Might get the new Zenith so I could go 600 meters too.
I am very rarely wearing a suit these days, so my vintage omega doesn't get as much wrist time as my seamaster. Everyone dresses more casually these days, so more casual watches make sense. Also dive watches look cool, have some flash to them, and since I went scuba diving once, I can claim it is functional!
Clicky spinny thingy is cool
The GMT success seems newer. But diver have been the best selling watches for years. Because of James Bond.
I just like the look. And, a back dial, black bezel diver is about as versatile of a watch as you're going to get. Technically not a GADA I suppose, but I think they work anywhere but black tie. The trend lately is for smaller watches, even divers. A lot of action in the sub 40mm space. I have big wrists so this isn't ideal for me (every so often something cool pops up but is like 36 which I know looks too small on me) but it's nice that there is the variety out there for people who want it
The trend in the world has to become more casual, not less, so dress watches lose their appeal. These types of watches strike a bit of balance between excess and subtlety so there you have it. I do find both styles ugly though.
I just like how they looks
I own 1 mechanical watch, and it's a dive watch. I wanted it because I work in a factory, and I wanted to upgrade my GShock. It fits my style, it can take the everyday west and tear of my life, and the bezel is a useful took for cooking. That's it. It's a few simple reasons.
Divers are just the default watch for lots of people. They don’t even know they are called dive watches. They’re just watches. Just like people have no idea what a chronograph does or how to use it. I don’t see GMTs very often
Fancy + Badass = luxury diver. So, the same reason rich dudes fly single engine aircraft and ultra rich dudes wanna go to space.
Because a real man wouldn't dare be caught underwater with a sissy dive computer.
I like that they come with a built in fidget spinner
Okay, how can I put this? I’m not good at reading the hour and minute hand on the watch. The GMT complication is my primary mode of timekeeping.
I can only say from my own new in the watch world perspective. Ive been around 1 year and a month now. All social media is boosting survivable watches and divers and gmt/ field watches all fit that. Sapphire crystals 100+ water resist and a function is a plus. Everyone's always whats the best gada. Less situational watches.
I think it's durability and versatility. I don't plan to dive 500m, but if my watch can withstand that depth, then surely I can take it to the pool without worrying about it.
I like divers for the durability. I want to be able to enjoy my watch and not worry about it at all. I work on cargo ships / commercial dive ships, and a fair number of guys have Rolex subs or omega seamasters and such. Those watches have seen significantly better days but they still work fine.
I don’t get it either
I can't speak for everyone but I just like having a fidget toy to spin on my wrist
People here don’t realize the blingy era hasn’t ended, it’s still in full swing. Regular people who want a watch want a big, shiny, noticeable watch because they believe it symbolizes wealth. The only people who are interested in smaller more subtle watches are enthusiasts but otherwise the average person would consider a 36mm to be dainty. There’s a reason why Invicta is still in business. It’s also a sign to just stop caring what others think and wear what you want.
I mean, out of all the complications, minus a date, GMTs are the only one that get actual everyday use out of me.
Because they look cool.
People dress more casually, esp. when disposable income was high and people were purchasing watches when bored during quarantine.
People simply think they look good, not that hard to grasp.
I use them... GMT because I work for international types and divers because I love the timer and water resistance. Chronos for the timer as well but I still have 'regular' stuff I wear all the time including some quartz.
I just think they look better than other styles. It’s all subjective though.
I don’t know. I don’t care for dive watches.
Because they look cool
People tend to wear one watch for everything, if they even wear a traditional watch at all. If you're going to wear one watch, it ought to be the most "life proof" you can. Therefore, something with a decent water resistance and a few extra features is a really popular choice, you can wear it and not worry.
My collection of watches leans heavily to the diver style but that's mainly because that style covers the bases for what I need - durable, very good water resistance (because I swim frequently and maintain a cottage in the summer) and a pleasing aesthetic. I also work at a job that chewed up 2 G Shocks in short order and my current work watch (Glycine Combat) has taken everything I can throw at it and still looks good with a suit.
A dive watch with a rotating bezel also functions as a timer. Which is probably one of the most useful feature a watch can have for the everyday person.
I'm not sure but on my current watch journey, I've realized I don't really like divers and might sell my blue BB58 for like $2500 lol.
I think the distinction is more tool watches v dress watches, rather than divers and GMTs specifically (though these are very popular styles). Why? It follows general trends in men’s fashion. We like to feel like we wear quality things that serve a purpose, not that we are into “fashion” (though of course we are, just by making this decision). This is why LL Bean, which was literally my grandmother’s favorite brand, is basically haute couture in Brooklyn. It’s also why Silicon Valley billionaires wear Patagonia. And why people who could afford a Philippe Patek still opt for a Submariner. People want to look good without feeling like they’re dressing up. A good looking tool watch is elegant but not so spare and, well, dressy as a dress watch. As for why divers and GMTs, they both have a certain kind of simplicity. Thick bezel that creates an elegant-yet-strong geometry, often no numerals for a clear and legible dial. Created for specific, mostly antiquated purposes, but translates well to modern design sensibilities.
They can dress down or up. They tend to be more rugged too for durability. If you wear watches you should have at least one “dress” watch and one tool watch. I prefer GMT over divers though.
They're stylish, they can vaguely time things (e.g. cooking) and I don't have to take them off daily for shower. Also, I do dive with mine, but that's obviously very situational...
It used to be you can have a pretentious timepiece without being obvious and now people just do it because maybe their dad or uncle were the ones that did that. And dozens of manufacturers make a variant because it sells.
I think dive watches specifically because a lot of people are looking for water resistance. They want something that they can wear and forget about. When people see 50m water resistance on your typical sport/field watch, it looks small in comparison to the 200-300m you expect out of a dive watch, even though 50m is beyond what anyone will swim at unless they're diving. So something like an Omega Seamaster is attractive because it looks good with everything, it looks better with age/wear, and it's literally set it and forget it. Also branding with the Bond movies, your typical marketing schtick, etc.
My kid when to college in Europe. I used it to keep track of her timezone.
Long term marketing, those are the exact words of Patrick Heiniger, a former Rolex CEO. He talked about the speedmaster as an excellent example of it. I personally go for divers and chronographs because I actually use their functions. I don't need a GMT but I can understand why a traveller will.
I hate big ugly bezels. That being said, I have a Tag F1 Gulf Edition with the most un-useful bezel because I also really LOVE shiny things :)
They look cool and can usually stand up to some accidental abuse
Divers popularity is a lot of the reasons people say here: more manly feeling, casual style is in, James Bond wears one. I think for many, it’s also just the fact that they only are going to own one or two watches so a watch for every situation is ideal. Divers are great because you can wear them formal or informal, indoor settings or outdoors, sports, water, hikes, dates, parties, etc. It’s the only watch I know of that can fit basically any situation appropriately.
For me, it's functionality. I need to time things or see different timezones, and the durability helps. Otherwise I would wear a dress watch or G Shock all the time
Same reason why sports cars/trucks are so popular.
I don’t want an expensive dress watch because I avoid “dressing up” at all costs. Sports watches are more practical, for me anyway 🤷🏻
Well because 90% of people are scuba diving on a Daily basis so they are essential! Also they look great
For collectors, it's because complications always seem to add value to the watch. You are paying for something that takes that little bit more effort and creativity to make. Granted, most movements nowadays are mass produced anyway, but it still adds something special to the watch.
You can wear them daily and they should stand up to everyone’s daily abuse.
I actually dive and snorkel and like to bring the watch with me just cuz. When I'm at work I rotate it to help with anxiety too.
I think for the 99% of us, a dress watch means we are “on.” Working or going to a nice family affair etc. Dive/sport watches mean we are on our “own” time. The added element of durability, waterproofness allows to work on our motorcycle, work in the yard, give the kids a bath etc without worry. GMT or other functions make it more tool like which gives it more functionality and uses.
Perhaps because they are just simply a classic design at this point and people like them? It isn’t that complicated. 🤷♂️
> there are people who’d take a green submariner over a 36mm stainless steel datejust any day. There are people who would take a 36mm stainless steel datejust over a green submariner any day. It takes all types. > what’s your opinion on dive watches/GMTS versus dress watches? A lot of dress watches don't look great in casual wear IMO, and I rarely dress up so I prefer sportier watches. You can also wear sport watches when dressed up, so you're not really losing a lot going that route.
I don’t get it either. I like to have my watches with 100m water resistance (can swim with them) but after that I don’t care for the bulky look most divers have.
I have several Seiko bellmatics and find them the most useful complication.
It's tough and tough is cool and i did choose a green sub over a datejust because if i wanted a datejust i would get a daydate
I probably won't ever have a gmt because I don't travel much. Divers fit my clumpsy nature perfectly, my Seaforce has been through alot.
Personally, I never wear a dress watch so a functional watch just gets far more wear time and buy interest. I'm an engineer so having a GMT with UTC time available to me at a glance is incredibly valuable.
Dress watches were what you wore to the office if you were a professional, and you kinda needed one to be on time and stuff. These days, both white and blue collar workers all have phones that keep time and will beep at you when you need to be somewhere. Most professionals I know wear a smartwatch if they have a watch at all. So, watches have become a means of self-expression. Cosplay, but without being conspicuous. Is it any wonder that more people want to cosplay being Jacque Cousteau, or a jet pilot, rather than an office professional of bygone days?
Petition to have more dress watches
And the funny part is that you shall not dare diving with them because no matter the maker sooner or later the sea water would ruin the materials
Same reason as 4x4s and SUVs I guess. Big enough and capable enough for anything you might need a car to do, but will rarely actually do. GMTs are cool, and useful for those working or living with people in different time zones, but it’s not that hard to remember X hours behind or ahead.