As a scuba diver, you need a highly functional watch. As a Rolex fan, you want a watch that looks as great as it performs. Thankfully, there are several Rolex dive watches for women, which means you can have both style and substance. We should mention that Rolex markets all its dive watches as men’s watches, so you won’t find any dive models grouped among the women’s Rolex watches on the brand’s site. However, that certainly hasn’t stopped its female clientele from wearing them! Celebrities and fashion icons like Charlize Theron, Lindsay Lohan, Drew Barrymore, Queen Latifah, Cameron Diaz, and Sharon Stone have all sported Rolex dive watches. Plus, pioneering ocean explorer and marine biologist, Sylvia Earle, often takes her Rolex Sea-Dweller during underwater expeditions.
With a variety of case sizes and materials to choose from, there is a range of Rolex dive watches that many women will find comfortable wearing, regardless of how the brand chooses to advertise them. While Rolex’s history of making diving watches dates back to the 1950s, we’re highlighting newer models (that have either been recently discontinued or recently introduced) to ensure optimal performance and reliability while you are underwater. From the classic Submariner to the robust Sea-Dweller, here are our top picks for Rolex watches for women who dive – plus some bonus Rolex alternatives at the end of the article.
Rolex Submariner
Submariner Key Features:
– 40mm or 41mm steel cases
– Black Cerachrom bezels
– Water-resistant to 300 meters (1,000 feet)
– Time-only dial
– Steel Oyster bracelet with Glidelock extension system
It’s no secret that the Rolex Submariner sets the standard for high-end dive watches. The two most recent references to choose from are brand new Submariner ref. 124060 and the Submariner 114060 that it replaced in 2020. The recently discontinued ref. 114060 features a 40mm case with a stocky silhouette that Rolex collectors often call the “super case.” On the other hand, the Submariner 124060 sports a 41mm case but with slimmer lugs and trimmer crown guards, its proportions look slightly leaner.
Regardless of the reference, both dive watches are fashioned from stainless steel and have black Cerachrom (Rolex’s proprietary ceramic alloy) bezels that are both scratch and fade resistant. The dials are also black, punctuated with lume-filled hour markers and Mercedes-style hands. The type of luminous material Rolex uses on these Submariner watches is called Chromalight, which glows blue in the dark instead of the more commonly found green-tinted lume. The pair also comes fitted with steel three-link Oyster bracelets fitted with a diver’s extension Glidelock clasp. The newer Submariner has a slightly wider bracelet measuring 21mm at the lugs compared to the 20mm measurement of the previous edition, and it is also accompanied by a slightly wider clasp.
The most significant update that the latest Rolex Submariner No-Date offers is inside the case in the form of Caliber 3230. This in-house-made automatic movement supplies the Submariner 124060 with 70 hours of power reserve, which is almost a full day longer than the 48-hour power reserve of the preceding Caliber 3130 that is housed inside the Submariner 114060.
Rolex Submariner Date
Submariner Date Key Features:
– 40mm or 41mm cases
– Steel, white gold, yellow gold, steel/yellow gold cases
– Black, green, or blue Cerachrom bezels
– Water-resistant to 300 meters (1,000 feet)
– Time and date dial
– Steel, white gold, yellow gold, or steel/yellow gold Oyster bracelet with Glidelock extension system
As its name implies, the Submariner Date benefits from the addition of a date window at the 3 o’clock position, magnified by a “Cyclops” lens protruding from the surface of the crystal above it. Similar to the no-date Submariner, the two most recent Submariner Date generations differ in their case sizes and movements. The older Submariner 11661x references have 40mm cases and the Caliber 3135 movement with a 48-hour power reserve. Conversely, the latest Submariner 12661x references have 41mm cases and the Caliber 3235 movement with a 70-hour power reserve.
While the Rolex Submariner is only available in one configuration, the Submariner Date collection is significantly more varied thanks to a wide selection of materials and colorways. Steel variants come with black or green bezels, yellow gold and two-tone variants come with black or blue bezels, and the white gold edition comes with a blue bezel.
– Steel case with black bezel: 116610LN or 126610LN
– Steel case with green bezel: 116610LV or 126610LV
– Yellow gold case with black bezel: 116618LN or 126618LN
– Yellow gold case with blue bezel: 116618LB or 126618LB
– Steel/yellow gold case with black bezel: 116613LN or 126613LN
– Steel/yellow gold case with blue bezel: 116613LB or 126613LB
– White gold case with blue bezel: 116619LB or 126619LB
Whether sporty steel, lavish gold, or trendy two-tone, the Rolex Submariner Date lineup offers plenty of styles for women who are looking for a luxury diver.
Rolex Sea-Dweller
Sea-Dweller Key Features:
– 40 or 43mm cases
– Steel or steel/yellow gold cases
– Water-resistant to 1,220 meters (4,000 feet)
– Black Cerachrom bezels
– Time and date dial
– Steel or steel/yellow gold Oyster bracelet with Glidelock and extension system and Fliplock link
The Rolex Sea-Dweller is based largely on the Submariner design but it includes features for saturation divers. For instance, there’s the helium escape valve to allow any breathing mix gases that may have seeped into the watch to expel automatically in a controlled manner. On top of that, the Rolex Sea-Dweller boasts deeper water-resistance ratings than the already ample depth rating of the Submariner.
There are a few notable differences between the current and former Sea-Dweller watches that will no doubt influence your decision. First, the now-discontinued Sea-Dweller ref. 116600 has a 40mm case and is exclusively available in stainless steel. That reference also does not include a Cyclops date magnifier on the crystal and runs on the Caliber 3135 movement with a 48-hour power reserve. Conversely, the newer Sea-Dweller features a generously sized 43mm case and comes in two metal options: full stainless steel (ref. 126600) or two-tone steel and yellow gold (ref. 126603). They also run on the newer Caliber 3235 movement with 70 hours of power reserve and include the Cyclops above the date.
What both generations of the Rolex Sea-Dweller have in common are the black Cerachrom bezels with markings for the full 60-minute scale, black dials with Chromalight lume, and Oyster bracelets with two separate extension systems that can lengthen the bracelet up to 27mm to fit over thick wetsuits.
Bonus: Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight
Black Bay Fifty-Eight Key Features:
– 39mm case
– Steel, bronze, yellow gold, or silver cases
– Black, brown, green, or taupe aluminum bezels
– Time-only dial
– Water-resistant to 200 meters (660 feet)
– Metal bracelets, leather straps, or fabric bands
Tudor is not Rolex – but it is Rolex’s more affordable sister brand that offers a line of awesome dive watches too. And one of our favorites for women who dive is the Black Bay Fifty-Eight collection, which is vintage-inspired in design but ultra-modern in execution.
The Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight features a well-proportioned 39mm case that does not include any guards around the oversized crown, resulting in a retro dive watch silhouette. The bezel includes an anodized aluminum insert while the dial houses Tudor’s distinctive angular “snow-flake” style hands that point to geometric indexes. Like Rolex, Tudor also equips its dive watches with in-house-made automatic movements. The Black Bay Fifty-Eight models run on the Caliber MT5400, which offers users 70 hours of power reserve.
Although the Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight was initially only offered in steel with a black bezel and dial, Tudor has recently expanded the collection to include plenty of variety.
– Steel case with black bezel: 79030N
– Steel case with blue bezel: 79030B
– Silver case with taupe bezel: 79010SG
– Yellow gold case with green bezel: 79018V
– Bronze case with brown bezel: 79012M
In addition to the case and color options, Tudor also offers the choice of matching three-link metal bracelets, leather straps, or fabric straps. With this many variations, it’s easy to find the right Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight watch to suit your style – both in and out of the water.
Mercedes Gleitze and Her Rolex Oyster
It’s been almost a century since Rolex introduced its revolutionary waterproof Oyster case in 1926. The following year, endurance swimmer Mercedes Gleitze wore the Rolex Oyster as she swam the English Channel.
After 10 hours in the cold waters that lay between France and England, Mercedes Gleitze’s Rolex Oyster remained in “perfect working order.” That event paved the way for future Rolex dive watches as the brand continuously worked to improve the water-resistance and performance of its watches.
Mercedes Gleitze had a host of swimming records to her name, including becoming the first British woman to swim the English Channel and the first person to swim the Straits of Gibraltar between Europe and Africa. If she were alive today, we wouldn’t be surprised if she opted to wear a Rolex dive watch while traveling the world in search of the next swim record to break.
