The primary use of dive watches is far less important to their owners today than it was in the past. This does not make dive watches and their brands any less interesting.
In this article we are going to expose which ones are these brands:
OMEGA
Rolex
BlancPain
Panerai
Doxa
For the following we are going to focus on the brands OMEGA and Panerai.
OMEGA
One of the leading brands of diving watches is, and always has been, Omega, which launched the Omega Marine in 1932. At the time, the water resistance of the watches was at most splash proof, it was the first watch that could be worn underwater. The Omega Marine was immersed in Lake Geneva to a depth of 73 meters (240 feet) and then tested in a pressure chamber where it withstood a depth of 135 meters (443 feet). This experience gave the brand the impetus to develop water-resistant watches, making Omega one of the leading brands of diving watches. The popularity of scuba diving in the years following the Second World War made this period the first era of modern diving watches. Omega launched its famous Seamaster 300 in 1957 as part of its Speedmaster, Railmaster and Seamaster trilogy. This timepiece became a cult watch and is still the inspiration for the current Seamaster 300 collection. Today, Omega continues to develop advanced diving tools for professional divers.
PANERAI
Panerai is also a famous name in the world of diving watches. In the first half of the 20th century, Panerai earned a reputation as the official supplier of marine instruments to the Italian Royal Navy, as well as watches for the army’s combat divers. The timepieces manufactured by Panerai in the 1930s for the Italian Navy are still very popular among diving watch enthusiasts today. For the record, all of these dive watches were designed and manufactured by Rolex. With their oversized cushion-shaped cases and minimalist dials with large numerals, these watches we know today as Radiomir still stand out today.
Diving watches are classics among watchmaking history, they’re still trendy nowadays.
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