What time is it? Watches and horology

34mm diver? Most of the women's models are 36mm or larger.

Citizen are good - https://www.citizenwatch.co.uk/ladies/collection/ladies-dive.html

You are very unlikely to find any dive watches that small anymore. Tag do a women's quartz one but at 4x your price range. Maybe an old Breitling Colt? But those are also on the punchy side price wise.

The Classic little Seiko SKX013 - or is it the 33 ? Probably hard to find new, but plenty of vgc in your range.

Why 300m specifically?

There’s about a hundred more 200m models on the market than 300m.

For context - all my dive watches are 200m and I have been down to 30m many times with them no problem.

Interesting how much difference 1mm in thickness makes vs the 556A. The 656 wears really well.

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Very good one.

Have a good weekend!

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Thanks all the for suggestions. Specifically 300 because I read somewhere that 200m was ok for shallow diving (I'm not a diver) but 'proper' dive watches were 300m. Maybe this is rubbish though. It's a bday/finishing PhD present for my gf. She actualluy dives, so I figured 300 would be better.

But if I 200m is perfectly good then that's a lot better

Ah thanks. Yea it’s one of the less obtuse variants. I’m looking through my parts box for a battery to try it and see.

she'll never be heartbroken by the numbers

You never know

Anything 150m and up is absolutely waterproof enough for any use in the water. Anything sold as a diver (i.e. it says “Diver’s” on it) is a diver’s watch, it has to meet ISO standards to be able to be sold as such.

300m+ as a requirement tends to be the domain of professional saturation diving (long periods at depth breathing an air/helium mixture), not scuba / air diving.

Latest bit of GS branded tat from an event today

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Some nice watches, unfortunately all locked away. Also met the head design honcho who they brought over from Japan, he was sketching stuff.

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All lovely. I think the Skyflake there is going to be my next watch

I've not seen a 300m diver that small but I did recently try on a Marathon 36mm sar which is 300m and I know this will vary a bit but as deeper dive watches all tend to be quite thick the proportions on it felt off as it was nearly half as thick as it was wide so felt really top heavy. Small to look at but felt weirdly bulky. I thought it wore horribly and almost felt like it wanted to roll of my wrist. If you can find something that spec in budget it might be a bit of a weird thing to wear. The Citizen has similarly odd proportions.

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Good to know thank you

Right of course. I handt even considered that really. I think I'll throw a wider net and look at 150m and up

Normally the numbers from any proper brand (ie, not Ali Express) are pretty trustworthy.
200m is normally considered “proper” diver, there’s lots around. Will cope with whatever diving or swimming you’re going to do (so, probably, will 50 or 100m but you won’t get a screw down crown)

300m is up into the level of professional deep diving. They’re really a tool more than a watch.

Aha

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There’s also simply a history of one-upmanship where brands put bigger and bigger numbers on their divers watches so as not to be left behind. If a Seamaster is 300m, a Submariner must also be. If Rolex makes a Deep-Sea rated to 3900m, Omega makes a 6000m Planet Ocean Ultra-Deep. Rolex therefore must make the Deep-Sea Challenge, rated to 11,000m, and the willy-waving continues because a significant segment of their customers has to feel that they are buying “the best”.

I would have guessed that my watch was 200m, only went to look at it because of the current discussion.

Any watch with a screw down crown is going to be fine for swimming. My Sinn isn’t a diver but still rated 200m, not that it’s even stated on the dial.

I'm going to be selling some nice military-issued and Smiths watches in the coming weeks. I will get round to proper listings, but if anyone is particularly keen, let me know and I can send you more deets. All prices will be including RMSD in the UK.

1. PAF issued Tissot Seastar PR516 in lovely condition £330
   
2. Seiko Gen 1 in very very nice condition £700
   
3. Seiko Gen 1 in nice condition £550
   
4. 1943 Bulova A11 which was reissued to the RAF as a 6b watch in really great condition and keeping excellent time. Just being serviced but should be back with me in the next few days £500
   
5. Hamilton W10 1973. Just serviced and in nice condition £800
   
6. CWC SBS diver black (issued) in mint condition, in original packaging. Recent but I can't remember the year - will dig it out if you're interested. £700
   
7. CWC W10 Tonneu 1976 in good condition and keeping good time £600
   
8. Pulsar Gen 1 in good condition £550
   
9. Various Smiths watches (Made in England, not recent ones) including Deluxe, decent Astral and Everest range models in steel and 9ct gold.