Is This the World’s Most Underrated Dive Watch?

Move over Rolex and Omega, this German tool watch would like a word.

a hand holds a glashutte original dive watch

Published December 6, 2024

·

Every product is carefully selected by our editors. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Learn more

Whenever anyone is discussing the best luxury dive watches, the conversation almost always centers around the same handful of usual suspects.

There’s the Rolex Submariner, arguably the most recognizable watch in the world. The Omega Seamaster Diver 300M, AKA the James Bond watch. The Blancpain Fifty Fathoms, which was the first-ever dive watch. And then a variety of Black Bay and Pelagos models from Tudor, which dominates the more approachable luxury diver segment.

But there is another watch that is worthy of inclusion in that elite group, and it comes from a brand you probably don’t associate much with tool watches: Glashütte Original.

Yes, the German brand famous for its exquisitely crafted traditional movements featuring its signature swan-neck fine adjustment puts just as much care and craft into its SeaQ line of dive watches, and after spending a week with the SeaQ Panorama Date, I’m ready to spread the Gospel of Glashütte Original divers.

a glashutte original dive watch on a mans wrist — This watch deserves your attention.

The Watch Just Feels Special

Some watches just have “it,” that special ability to instantly transform you into a believer and a die-hard fan once you hold them in your hand or strap them on your wrist.

The SeaQ Panorama Date is one such watch.

I’d never really given much thought to the SeaQ. I’d seen them in photos and YouTube videos and was certainly aware of them, but they never really wowed me from afar. But after wearing this one for a week? Consider me wowed.

Let’s start with the case finishing because it’s as incredible as it is unexpected. On luxury divers like my Seamaster Diver 300M, I’m used to elegant finishes. The Omega has a mix of satin-brushed and mirror-polished finishes that feels very refined and fitting for a watch in its price bracket.

a glashutte original dive watch viewed from the side of the case — The side of this case should be framed in a museum.

The SeaQ goes in a different direction. The sides of the case feature deep vertical brush marks. This isn’t your usual satin finishing — this is luxury with a far more rugged and artisanal feel. Looking at those gorgeous striations, I can picture some craftsman carefully applying them in a tiny German workshop. Even if the actual production is likely more industrial than that, it’s still the feeling the finishing evokes.

Every line on the stainless steel case is crisp and sharp, and while the sides were the biggest standout, there are other impressive bits to be found, such as the impeccable mirror polishing found between the lugs. The bezel is fairly standard for a luxury diver, with decent action and a polished ceramic insert. Only the triangle pip is lumed.

The dial feels decidedly special. Made in-house, it has a stunning galvanic blue sunray finish that does wonders with the light, with simple and elegant dial text calling out the brand and the 300m water resistance rating.

a closeup of the dial on a a glashutte original dive watch — The beauty of the SeaQ’s dial is breathtaking, while the massively domed crystal adds more visual interest.

The beautiful dial finish would be right at home on a dress watch, but it’s dressed down here thanks to large applied lume-filled hour markers in alternating Arabic numerals and bars. The bold handset, especially its prominent arrow minute hand, serves to further remind you that this is indeed a tool watch.

Of course, the most unique aspect of the dial is the big date complication at 4:30. I know a lot of people hate this date placement, and I agree it would probably look better here if it were at 6 o’clock, but I still found it very easy to read in its current placement and didn’t have a problem with it.

Regardless of the placement, it’s just a fun and unexpected surprise to find a big date on a dive watch. I guess you could argue it’s antithetical to what a dive watch is meant for, but given that divers are probably the most common everyday watch there is today, I think it makes perfect sense. Plus, I’m a sucker for big dates overall, and Glashütte Original makes some of the best around.

a glashutte original dive watch — The big, er, *panorama* date is a fun aspect of the watch, and I like how the intense crystal can distort it at certain angles for an aquatic effect.

High Horology Underwater

Compared to the robust, sports-watch-oriented movements produced by Rolex and Omega, the calibres that power Glashütte Original watches are a different animal. They’re not necessarily better or worse, just different.

They’re more traditional, more beautiful, and more associated with haute horology dress watches than divers. The SeaQ’s Cal. 36-13 movement is a jaw-dropper with its Glashütte three-quarter plate decorated with stripes, its snailed gears, its blued screws and the 21-carat gold logo on its skeletonized rotor.

When you look at this movement — which is a real treat that’s further amplified by the use of the most domed sapphire caseback I’ve ever seen — you’d never guess it was in a 300m-capable dive watch. But make no mistake, this movement is plenty suited for its task with an amagmentic silicon balance spring and a power reserve of 100 hours.

the automatic movement of a glashutte original dive watch seen through a display caseback — Yes, you can get this obscenely elegant movement in your rugged dive watch.

My One Complaint

My loaner was on a textile strap, which was … fine. It’s a little rough and not really worth discussing in detail, and without having seen the available bracelet, I can’t really judge that aspect of the watch.

My one big complaint about the SeaQ, though, is its size. At 43.2mm in diameter and 15.65mm thick, it’s simply too big. The thickness is pretty manageable, as a lot of that comes from the massively domed sapphire crystals on the front and back of the watch — both of which I enjoyed immensely for the visual interest they provide — but the case diameter is a problem.

The watch was too big for my 6.5-inch wrists. 40mm is arguably the sweet spot for dive watches, but most of the big brands stretch that a bit. The current Submariner is 41mm, while the Seamaster is 42mm. The Fifty Fathoms used to be exclusively in 45mm, but Blancpain finally listened to public sentiment and released a 42mm version earlier this year.

a glashutte original dive watch next to an omega seamaster dive watch — The SeaQ Panorama Date dwarfs the Omega Seamaster, which itself is frequently cited as being a bit oversized.

I think G.O. should follow Blancpain’s lead here. Although both brands are owned by the Swatch Group, the Fifty Fathoms is really the closest competitor to the SeaQ in basically every category: Price, looks, finishing and horological chops.

It’s worth mentioning that Glashütte Original does make a smaller SeaQ in a perfect 39.5mm case size, but it lacks the big date function, which is one of the main draws of this watch in my opinion. But if you don’t care about the big date and would prefer a smaller watch with a smaller date at 3 o’clock, then the 39.5mm version of the SeaQ may be for you.

Pricing and Availability

The Glashütte Original SeaQ Panorama Date is a legitimate luxury dive watch, and it’s priced like one. With a starting price of $11,800 on a textile strap with a pin buckle like the one I tested, it slots in between a Rolex Submariner Date in steel on a bracelet ($10,250) and a Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Automatique in titanium on a nylon strap ($16,600).

I know it’s expensive, but for what you’re getting, the SeaQ Panorama Date almost feels like a bargain, and it’s fully deserving of being grouped together with the elite dive watches of the industry.