A Timepiece with Serious Dive Watch Heritage May Be More Affordable Than You Think

The heritage associated with the first dive watches doesn't have to cost you many thousands of dollars That's what you'll pay for the descendants of the Rolex Submariner or the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms which, in 1953, helped introduce the world to the dive watch as we know it today Whether you're talking about a vintage piece or a watch from the modern brand, a Zodiac is the real deal and offers serious value.

1953 saw the introduction of the first dive watches with the features and style we recognize today, but they weren't the first dive watches outright - there had already been decades of experimentation with water-resistant watch cases Panerai's early dive watches, which debuted in the 1930s, displayed the bold hour markers and luminant that are characteristic of today's dive watches These early dive watches all had markers on their bezels that were intended for use in conjunction with the minute hand: The wearer could turn the bezel to line the top triangular marker with the minute hand to more easily track elapsed minutes at any given time.

According to Zodiac itself, the Sea Wolf was the first watch to feature the first 15 minutes of the hour highlighted on the bezel - a nearly ubiquitous feature on dive watches today, including on those from Rolex and Blancpain. . Source