As someone who is blessed to test a lot of different watches, I've always had a theory about dive watches. And no, I'm not talking about the modern desk diver – the Rolex Submariner which sits under your fancy suit in an air conditioned office – I mean the watch you take swimming.
My theory is simple – regardless of how expensive the rest of your watch collection is, your dive watch should be affordable. It's a fairly contentious thing to say in a world of four-figure Tudor Black Bay models and hyper-inflated price tags on second hand Rolex models.
But it makes perfect sense. The fact is, any large body of water where you might go for a dip – lakes or oceans – are vast, unforgiving beasts. Between currents, waves and deep drops, there are a million places to look your watch in these environments.
So why on Earth would you venture in there wearing something worth as much as a good used car? To me, the dive watch you use for proper wet activities needs to be something you could replace without having to call the bank manager to shift some funds around.
To prove the point, I took the Detrash Midnight Sky on a recent trip where I knew I'd be doing some swimming in the open ocean. Priced at just £375 / €443.95 / US$515 / AU$794, the Detrash is the perfect middle ground for me.
It's got great specs and goods styling – important when you want to look your best – but is affordable enough that I could replace it should the worst happen. And crucially, this particular model works for me.
The concept remains the same whether your budget stretches to a £50 Casio, a sub-£400 Detrash or even the iconic Submariner. As long as you could afford to replace it easily, it's a good pick for going out and using in more adventurous environments.
