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The dive watch has evolved tremendously since its first true form in the 1950s. Functionality packed, inexpensive, battery-powered divers pushed mechanical dive watches more into the luxury accessory category — allowing watchmakers the leeway of straying from previously strict requirements. Of course, many recreational and professional divers still prefer the utilitarian qualities of a big, robust dive watch; however, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say most people who wear dive watches never test their timepiece further than a dip in the pool.
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It only makes sense that watchmakers have shifted design towards divers meant for everyday wear, particularly in the ever-more-casual workplace. The problem is, it’s not an easy look to pull off. Creating a balance between dive and dress watch aesthetics is akin to creating a luxury all-terrain vehicle. Many examples end up falling too far from the diver tree, while others are too chunky and oversized for a dressed-up setting. Not everyone has the desire, or the wrist, to pull off a timepiece that can be spotted from the ISS.
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Last fall, we featured the Pontos S, a sleek dive chronograph. While the chronograph’s design could likely dress up with the best of them, the busy dial gives off more of a sporty feeling. The Pontos S Diver ($3,400) loses the chronograph function, creating a cleaner and classier diver. In the dress dive watch category, Maurice Lacroix has hit the nail on the proverbial head, truly tying together dressier aesthetics and dive functionality. Though not without minor faults, the Pontos S Diver is a great example of a dive watch that earns its place, whether over a wetsuit or under a cuff.
At first glance, this watch is a stunner. Maurice Lacroix produces its cases in-house, and it shows in details like polished lug chamfers and external bezel, and short, curved lugs that make the large case wear comfortably. At 43 millimeters in width, the Pontos is rightly sized as a diver, and near the maximum size for dressier situations. Ours was on a leather NATO strap, with the other option being a stainless steel bracelet. The added bulk of a leather NATO created too much height for comfortable wear under the cuff, and while the height wouldn’t be an issue while diving, the leather certainly would. Like the guy that shows up to a pool party without a bathing suit, it’s a dead giveaway that the Pontos will be staying above the water line. A nylon NATO strap turned out to be an incredibly comfortable, more versatile option.
