Face Off: White Dial Divers

When I think of dive watches, I often think of black or blue dials, broken up by the occasional orange dial. It’s fair to say white dials are much less common; although, I think they provide an interesting and striking look. After doing some research on the forums, as well as pinging a friend and avid diver, as long as there is stark contrast between the minute hand and dial (as well as strong lume), and the bezel and its minute markings, you’ll be able to read it underwater. In other words, colors other than black and white are mostly for aesthetic purposes.

Okay, now that we’ve learned a little bit about dials, hands, and bezels underwater, let’s focus on what’s really important: looking good. I’m half-joking, but chances are, most guys wearing dive watches have never gone deeper than the deep end of their high school pool. Since there’s nothing wrong with that, wearing a white dialed diver that would be less than useful underwater is not a big deal. That’s why I’m going to talk about three of my favorite white dialed dive watches. Hey, even if it doesn’t provide the best visibility underwater, it will still be built to handle whatever else you can throw at it.

IWC Aquatimer Automatic

This one might be closer to silver, but it’s good enough for me. I think IWC did a great job updating an Aquatimer line that needed updating. Internal rotating bezels are one of my favorite things in the watch world, right up there with central minute chronographs and tritium lume. What’s more, IWC rigged up an interesting way to operate the internal bezel externally. I’ve had my hands on these a number of times, and I’m always impressed with the engineering and form factor of it.

The black dial is certainly more traditional, but the silver/white-ish dial on a rubber strap is by far my favorite. I don’t much care for modern steel bracelets due to the weight, so the rubber makes it just about perfect. It’s a decent size at 42mm in diameter and 14mm thick, but the case shape tends to wear very closely to the wrist, minimizing the effect of the bulk. The dial contrast probably wouldn’t make it the best deep diver, but the overall robust design and 300m of water resistance should make this a reliable timekeeper no matter what you’re up to. At $5,750 it’s one of IWC’s most affordable watches, and in my opinion, one of the best looking.

Squale1521 50 ATM

In the dive watch world, Squale’s legacy is pretty much beyond reproach. Practical dive watches built for the practical diver, Squale was known for making robust and reliable divers. We figure if they do a white dial diver, then it has to be okay. With the white dial 50 ATM, they’ve pulled off a fantastic vintage aesthetic with a modern spec sheet to back it up.

The case shape is reminiscent of the cases they made for not only themselves, but also many other brands in the 1960s, highlighted by the 4 o’clock crown position. Squale added a sapphire bezel and crystal, along with 500m of water resistance to the old school looks. Powering the 1521 is an ETA 2824-2, which – as you all know –is a hard movement to beat in terms of reliability.

With almost a dozen strap choices, the 1521 can pull off a number of looks. I would probably opt for either the steel mesh or black rubber, but I think the white dial and black bezel would look good with just about anything. At about $930, you get a fantastic Swiss made diver at a hard-to-believe price.

Halios Tropik SS

We’ve talked about Halios before, calling them out as one of the best internet boutique brands out there. If you’re on the market for a unique, fairly priced, and well-made sport watch, Halios should be one of the first places to look. Founder Jason Lim has made a number of somehow distinct-yet-classic watches, with the white dial Tropik SS being one of the most recent.

Released over a year ago, the Tropik SS initially came with either a black or blue dial. After quickly selling out, rumors of a white dial emerged, with Lim sparking excitement amongst his customers from quick mock-ups of what it might look like. He eventually made good on his teasers and developed a white dial with steel and ceramic bezel options. Both bezel options look damn good, and I don’t think you can go wrong either way. Hell, at $650, you might as well get both.

Conclusion

I’ll admit, choosing a winner between these three is pretty much impossible without the context of how much money one is willing to part with. Each option is pretty far apart. Luckily, they’re all so damn good looking and awesome, you can buy whatever fits your budget and come away with a great watch. In fact, in their respective price ranges, I think they’re all best in breeds.

by