To those who know nothing about diving, the thought of wearing a watch while underwater might seem strange. Other than knowing what time of day it is, there does not seem any reason to wear a watch underwater, they might say.
However, as any diver knows, a watch can be crucial in being able to check how long you have been underwater, and even more crucially, keeping track of how long your air supply will last.
With Casio being one of the most respected manufacturers of watches in the world, in this article we are going to review five of the best Casio dive watches and highlight their top features.
Comparison Chart
Best Casio Dive Watch Reviews
Casio Men’s Duro Analog Watch
A first glance the ‘Duro’ analog Casio dive watch, might not appear anything special, given that it has a very basic looking appearance, but on closer inspection you will discover that it has more to it than just a black and white face.
Review
We will start with this watch’s hands, and its markers, which indicate the hours. These are all luminous and can be seen when light conditions are poor. The watch also has a date indicator but this not luminous.
All of this is housed in a stainless steel case, and protected behind a hardened mineral glass crystal, which ensures that it is going to take a lot for this watch to suffer any scratches.
Surrounding the glass is the watch’s bezel, which is segmented in 10-minute sections from 0 to 60, except between 0 and 15 where you have individual minute markings.
The bezel feels very secure and that is crucial given that it is this which is going to allow you to keep track of those all-important timings underwater. You should also be aware that the bezel is anti-reverse so there is no danger of it accidentally moving and causing you to misread your times.
The strap is made of resin, which obviously suits its use in water, and while it may not be as durable as say, leather, it is certainly more suited to diving than leather or fabric straps are. Another aspect of this watch which most certainly makes it an ideal dive watch is the fact that it is water resistant to 660 feet.
Pros
- Water-resistant to 660 feet
- Anti-reverse bezel
- Luminous hands and hour markers
- Hardened mineral glass crystal
- Stainless steel case
Cons
- Anti-glare coating is poor
- May look too big on thin wrists
Read our full review of Casio MDV106-1AV Duro Analog Watch.
Casio Men’s Super Illuminator Diver Watch
Our next Casio dive watch is one whose appearance makes it as much a candidate for being worn for how good it looks, as it does for when you need it to track your diving times.
Review
We’ve mentioned how attractive this watch is, and while many watches are very functional, but do not look especially appealing, this one bucks that trend. Its case is silver in color, and the strap matches that, as well as having a more traditional dress watch styling of its own.
While it may be suitable for going out, we obviously want to see if it is suitable for going into the water too, given that we wish to use it as a dive watch.
In terms of water resistance, it will remain so down to 330 feet, which will suffice for normal snorkeling and scuba diving to that depth.
Also important is the bezel, and on this Casio watch it has minute markings from 0 to 15, and 5-minute markings thereafter to 60. The bezel is also anti-reverse so there is no risk of it being moved back accidentally.
The crystal is made from mineral glass, so it is extra hard, and extremely resistant to scratches. The case and the strap are made from stainless steel, and thus will resist any corrosion, which is vital if it is going to be used as a dive watch.
Pros
- Tough mineral crystal
- Anti-reverse bezel
- Traditional styling
- Stainless steel case and bracelet
- Water-resistant to 330 feet
Cons
- At 5.5 oz., it is heavy
- Difficult to adjust bracelet
Here’s more information on Casio MTD-1079D-1AVCF Analog Watch.
Casio G-Shock GA-400-1A Multi-Dimensional Watch
We now come to a Casio dive watch which is one of their G-Shock range. If you have never heard of G-Shock watches, you should know they are some of the toughest, most robust watches that have ever been produced.
Review
So, we now have a dive watch, and a G-shock watch in one, which means this is a watch that is going to stand up to some of the tough environments and conditions that you may encounter when diving.
First, it is water-resistant to 660 feet so diving at considerable depths isn’t going to cause it any problems. As for the G-Shock features, these include mineral glass which is scratch-resistant. It is also shockproof, so any bangs or knocks it receives will cause no harm, and its resin band and case are tough and made from an ideal material for use in water.
Now that we have discussed the physical attributes, let’s look at its functions. These include analog and digital time, a 1/100th of a second stopwatch, an hourly alert, 5 alarms, and the time in 31 time zones.
More applicable to diving, is the countdown times, which can be set from 1 minute up to 60 minutes at increments of 1 minute. This allows you to set it to ensure that you remain underwater for only the time which it is safe to, including with regards to your air supply.
Other features include an automatic calendar, and LED backlight, and a neat function whereby the hands will move in order for you to see the digital display when needed.
Pros
- Shock and scratch-resistant
- Water-resistant to 660 feet
- 60-minute countdown timer
- Times in 31 time zones
- 5 individual alarms
Cons
- Backlight needs to be brighter
- Digital digits are very small
Casio Men’s G-Shock Quartz Resin Sport Watch
Just like London buses, you wait for one Casio G-Shock dive watch to come along, and another follows along immediately. In this case, we have a watch with a superb countdown function, which all divers will appreciate.
Review
The countdown function that we mentioned in the intro is one which can be set from one second, all the way up to 24 hours. This means that no matter what diving time you wish to set, you can do so.
As well as a great countdown timer, this watch also has an excellent stopwatch. It will time from 0 to 24 hours, to 1/100th of a second, and it has split times, so you can use it for two individual competitors or events.
Other functions related to time include a daily alarm, an hourly time signal, and it will stay accurate to within 15 seconds every month.
The watch’s physical attributes with respect to its being suitable for water sports and diving, include being water-resistant to a depth of up to 660 feet. This should be sufficient for most of the activities that you might wish to do in, on or under the ocean.
The G-Shock features include it being rest6ant to shock, and that includes being dropped. The front glass is also mineral-based, meaning it will not scratch easily, if at all.
Pros
- Water-resistant to 660 feet
- Hardened mineral crystal glass
- Shock resistant
- Countdown timer to 24 hours
- Split time stopwatch
Cons
- The display is very small
- No multiple time zones
Casio Men’s GWF1000 Frogman G-Shock Watch
Our final watch makes it a hat-trick of G-Shock watches and given that it comes with the name ‘Frogman,’ it doesn’t take a genius to work out exactly what water-based activity this is suitable for.
Review
This is a watch that comes with an extremely impressive list of functions with the first of those being the fact that it has multi-band atomic timekeeping. This allows it to receive time signals from the US, Germany, the UK, China, and Japan, thus remain accurate no matter where it is in the world.
It is powered by a solar battery so will work 24 hours a day, 365 days a year without rewinding or needing a timemachine05-20nt battery. It also has an automatic backlight and a power-saving function.
Among its long list of features, you have an hourly signal, world time from 48 cities, a 1/100th second stopwatch, 4 daily alarms, a fully automatic calendar, and 12/24 hour formats.
When it comes to the dive-related functions, this is where this watch really stands out. First, it is water-resistant to 660 feet and shock-resistant, so it will stand up to some rough treatment.
It has a standard countdown timer , which can run from 1 minute to 24 hours, but in addition, it has a dive time counter. This will measure the time you started diving, the length of time you have been diving, and the time you surfaced. It even has a feature for indicating tide levels at specific dates and times.
Pros
- Atomic timing
- Solar-powered battery
- Time from 31 time zones
- Dive time counter
- Tide level graph
Cons
- Buttons need to be bigger
- Watch face is very busy
Related read: Best Sports Watches
Final Verdict
All of the Casio dive watches we looked at were excellent, but our final watch, aptly named the ‘Frogman,’ is the one which we are going to designate as the best Casio dive watch we reviewed.
It has lots of superb features, and in particular, those related to diving make it particularly impressive.