Diving Watches Evolve From the Deep Sea to the Streets

Diving watches are no longer confined to the underwater world. Their rugged cases, strong water resistance and practical functions have made them a popular bridge between sportswear and daily dressing, while new designs are bringing them closer to the look of a gentleman’s watch.

Longines’ HydroConquest collection illustrates that shift. The series, first launched in 2007, offers 300-meter water resistance while balancing stainless-steel lines with a more refined aesthetic. This year, the collection adds a Milanese mesh bracelet for the first time. Longines narrowed the mesh to improve comfort, allowing the 39- and 42-millimeter models to move more easily between casual, sporting and formal settings.

The new HydroConquest models offer black, blue, green and frosted blue sunray dials, along with five ceramic rotating-bezel colors. Prices listed for the models range from NT$68,900 to NT$72,700. The watches use Longines’ L888.5 automatic movement with a silicon balance spring, magnetic resistance rated at 10 times the ISO 764 standard, and Super-LumiNova markers for underwater legibility.

TAG Heuer’s Aquaracer Professional 200 Solargraph 40mm takes a different route, combining the brand’s Rider Tabs bezel design with a solar-powered TH50-00 movement. Ten minutes of exposure to natural or artificial light can provide up to 40 hours of power. The collection includes stainless-steel, Grade 2 titanium and Grade 5 titanium versions, with prices from NT$99,300 to NT$123,200. Rado’s Captain Cook introduces a gold-colored dial, quick-release straps and a 39-millimeter case, while retaining 300-meter water resistance and an automatic movement. Montblanc’s Iced Sea collection draws on glacier textures, including a limited edition using subfossil wood sourced from moraine deposits in France’s Chamonix Valley.