We round up the five best waterproof and diving watches by Rolex, Omega, Panerai and more that have broken diving records and can endure deep sea dives—or a few laps in the lane pool.

Rolex Submariner

From its sporty look to its impressive functionality, the Rolex Submariner is the quintessential diving watch.

Naturally, the Submariner has all the trappings of a traditional diving watch: a screw-down, triple lock crown for added waterproofness, a unidirectional bezel, and scratch-resistant sapphire crystal. And, while the average diver doesn’t venture below 130 feet and the world record for deepest dive was 1,000 feet, the Submariner is waterproof up to 1,000 feet (300 meters).

However, impressive durability aside, what truly distinguishes a Submariner is its sharp design that elevates it well above other competing diving watches.

Rolex Sea-Dweller

The Sea-Dweller was not designed with the hobbyist in mind; it was developed to withstand deep, deep (think submarine-level) ocean depths for prolonged periods of time. Capable of diving down to 4,000 feet (1,220 meters), the Rolex Sea-Dweller is outfitted with a proprietary Helium Escape Valve (HEV) that offsets the internal and external pressure created by these super deep water depths.

At first blush, the Sea-Dweller looks very similar to the Rolex Submariner, except for one key difference: the date window. The Rolex Submariner’s date window includes a magnifying Cyclops lens; the Sea-Dweller’s does not.

Omega Seamaster

Well before the Omega Seamaster debuted in 1948, Omega was a respected diving watch manufacturer and was largely considered the leader of this growing competitive field. But the Seamaster could be considered the Swiss brand’s masterpiece. (Read more about the history of the Omega Seamaster here.) The Seamaster featured an O-ring gasket, which vastly improved its water resistance and made it impervious to the water’s temperature changes at lower depths. This breakthrough technology totally outpaced the competition and cemented Omega’s dominance in diving watch manufacturing.

Today, the Seamaster is dubbed the “James Bond watch” after it usurped the title from the Rolex Submariner in 1995. The Omega Seamaster also ranks as Omega’s best-seller and remains the oldest model in Omega’s current collection.

Breitling Superocean

Breitling is best known for their precision aviation and pilot watches, but the Breitling Superocean, one of the brand’s most popular models, was the its first foray into the world of diving watches. When it debuted in 1957, the Superocean put Breitling’s competitors on edge by reaching depths of 656 feet (200 meters), twice as deep as its nearest contemporary the Rolex Submariner. (For more on how the Breitling Superocean was designed and developed, read our blog post here.)

The Superocean is noted for its large Arabic numerals and oversized hands that make it very easy for divers to read underwater.

Panerai Luminor Marina

Aesthetically speaking, the Panerai Luminor Marina does not look like a traditional diving watch. But, surprisingly enough, the Luminor Marina is modeled after the watch Panerai first developed for the Italian military divers in 1936. The original Panerai Luminor and its modern descendant were designed for divers who swim at shallow depths but for long periods of time, which is why it does not have the signature diving watch rotating bezel. However, deep divers might be attracted to this watch, which is actually waterproof to 984 feet (300 meters), because of its incredibly luminous and easy-to-read face that will stand out in the dark and deep underwater.