11 of the Best Skin Diver Watches on the Market Today Ever heard of a “skin diver” watch? It’s okay if you haven’t. I myself was unfamiliar with the category of dive watch until I read contributor Oren Hartov’s detailed coverage. Historically, it’s a watch that utilizes a particular type of case — compact, made of brushed steel, featuring semi-integrated lugs and offering 100-200m of water resistance — that differed from highly technical and often expensive luxury diver models of the time, conceived for free diving (also known as skin diving, hence the name) and other aquatics that didn’t demand the same extreme specs. Since their inception in the mid-20th century, the skin diver market has evolved into a space for affordable, mechanically sound compact waterproof watches from microbrands and medium-sized watch companies alike that, according to Oren, “provide a neat alternative to the Submariner, Seamaster, or Fifty Fathoms.” Find out more about the skin diver watches — including the models worth getting your hands on — at the button below. —Paolo Sandoval, Style Editor | 