Skip to content
Dial&Lug
Water droplets beaded on a brushed metal surface

Swimming watches

Best watches for swimming

Any watch rated 100m can survive a swim. The watches you can swim in every day, for years, without thinking about it, have more margin than that.

By Sawyer V. · Published

The short answer

The Seiko Prospex SPB453 is the best swimming watch here: 300m, a screw-down crown, sapphire and a certified diver's rating. The Orient Kamasu gives you 200m and a screw-down crown for far less, and the Citizen Promaster Diver needs nothing at all for years.

Water resistance ratings are static pressure tests on a new watch, not depth limits, and they degrade as gaskets age. That is why the practical rule is more conservative than the number on the dial: 30m is rain and hand-washing, 50m adds brief immersion, 100m covers swimming, and 200m or more — with a screw-down crown — is what you want on a watch that goes in the water every day for years.

Every watch below is rated 200m or more. For the standards themselves, see water resistance explained.

On prices: we publish no figure we have not verified today, so every buy button reads "Check price on Amazon". Tier placement is our structural judgment, not a price claim.

How we picked

We have not worn these watches. What follows is what we checked instead, on documents you can open yourself — the same criteria, in the same order, on every roundup on this site. The full method is on the methodology page.

  1. 01Rating with margin

    100m will survive a swim. 200m and above leaves room for aging gaskets, jumps into water and years of pool chemicals.

  2. 02Screw-down crown

    The crown is the largest hole in the case. A screw-down crown seals it mechanically.

  3. 03Certification

    A diver's marking under ISO 6425 means a harder test regime than a plain meter rating.

  4. 04Crystal

    Pool edges and ladders. Sapphire resists what they do to mineral.

  5. 05Strap

    Rubber or nylon. Leather and water do not mix.

Disclosure · Some links below are Amazon affiliate links. If you buy through one we earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It does not decide what goes on this page or in what order — here is exactly how that works.

Quick picks

Ranked on the Keep Score below — six published specifications, weighted identically on every page. The last row is the one we would not buy.

#WatchBest forKeep ScorePrice
1

Seiko Prospex SPB453J1

300m, sapphire, screw-down crown, 72 hours.

The most margin of any watch here9.6/10
Check price
2

Seiko Prospex Alpinist SPB317J1

200m diver's, sapphire, 70 hours, 12.3mm.

A certified diver's watch that swims and dresses9.6/10
Check price
3

Orient Kamasu RA-AA0004E39B

200m, screw-down crown, sapphire, unidirectional bezel.

The value swimming watch9.0/10
Check price
4

Seiko Prospex Turtle SRPE93

200m diver's rating, screw-down crown, $176 overhaul.

The cheapest certified diver to swim in8.4/10
Check price
5

Citizen Promaster Diver BN0150-28E

200m, ISO-compliant as Citizen states it, light-powered, five years.

Swim every day, service nothing6.8/10
Check price
—

Orient Bambino Version 7 RA-AC0M03S30B

The most-recommended affordable automatic — rated 30m.

Skip this one

Not in the water6.3/10
Check price

Keep Score is arithmetic, not opinion — six published specifications, weighted the same way on every page. The formula is on our methodology page, so you can re-run it yourself.

01

Seiko Prospex SPB453J1

Best for: The most margin of any watch here

9.6/10

Keep Score

Crystal
2.5/2.5
Serviceability
2.5/2.5
Water resistance
1.5/1.5
Warranty
1.05/1.5
Strap standard
1/1
Cost-to-keep transparency
1/1
Check price on Amazon

#ad Affiliate link · We publish no price we have not verified today

300m is the deepest rating on this site, and it comes with sapphire, a 72-hour 6R55 and a 40mm case — the most water margin in the most wearable size.

Seiko publishes $296 for an overhaul, which is also when the gaskets are replaced and the case pressure-tested.

300m and a 46.4mm lug-to-lug in the same watch is unusual. The extender in the clasp is the detail that says Seiko still expects this one to be dived, not just worn.

Manufacturer specifications for the Seiko Prospex SPB453J1
MovementSeiko 6R55, automatic with manual winding, 24 jewels, +25/-15 sec per day
Power reserve72 hours
Case40mm stainless steel
Lug-to-lug46.4mm
Thickness13mm
Lug width20mm
Crystalsapphire
Water resistance300m
Warranty3 years

Specifications read from Seiko Watch Corporation product page, SPB453J1.

02

Seiko Prospex Alpinist SPB317J1

Best for: A certified diver's watch that swims and dresses

9.6/10

Keep Score

Crystal
2.5/2.5
Serviceability
2.5/2.5
Water resistance
1.5/1.5
Warranty
1.05/1.5
Strap standard
1/1
Cost-to-keep transparency
1/1
Check price on Amazon

#ad Affiliate link · We publish no price we have not verified today

The ISO diver's marking means the Alpinist passed the harder test regime, and at 12.3mm thick it is a watch you wear from the pool to dinner.

Same $296 published overhaul.

This is where Seiko starts publishing an accuracy figure (+25/-15 seconds a day) and fits sapphire. A 6R35 overhaul is $296 against $176 for a 4R36 — a real difference, and one you can plan for.

Manufacturer specifications for the Seiko Prospex Alpinist SPB317J1
MovementSeiko 6R35, automatic with manual winding, 24 jewels, +25/-15 sec per day
Power reserve70 hours
Case41mm stainless steel
Lug-to-lug46.9mm
Thickness12.3mm
Lug width20mm
Crystalsapphire
Water resistance200m
Warranty3 years

Specifications read from Seiko Watch Corporation product page, SPB317J1.

03

Orient Kamasu RA-AA0004E39B

Best for: The value swimming watch

9.0/10

Keep Score

Crystal
2.5/2.5
Serviceability
2.5/2.5
Water resistance
1.5/1.5
Warranty
1.05/1.5
Strap standard
1/1
Cost-to-keep transparency
0.4/1
Check price on Amazon

#ad Affiliate link · We publish no price we have not verified today

200m behind a screw-down crown, with sapphire and a unidirectional bezel for timing laps, at a fraction of the Seikos above.

Orient publishes no US service price, so a pressure test at service is a quote.

On paper this is the best value in the category and it is not close: sapphire and a hacking, hand-windable in-house caliber at a price where Seiko still fits Hardlex. Orient's three-year warranty is longer than Hamilton's or Tissot's.

Manufacturer specifications for the Orient Kamasu RA-AA0004E39B
MovementOrient F6922 in-house automatic, hand-winding, hacking
Power reserve40 hours
Case41.8mm stainless steel
Lug-to-lug46.8mm
Thickness12.8mm
Lug width22mm
Crystalsapphire
Water resistance200m
Warranty3 years

Specifications read from Orient Watch USA product page, RA-AA0004E39B.

04

Seiko Prospex Turtle SRPE93

Best for: The cheapest certified diver to swim in

8.4/10

Keep Score

Crystal
1.3/2.5
Serviceability
2.5/2.5
Water resistance
1.5/1.5
Warranty
1.05/1.5
Strap standard
1/1
Cost-to-keep transparency
1/1
Check price on Amazon

#ad Affiliate link · We publish no price we have not verified today

A certified 200m diver on the $176 published 4R service path — the cheapest watch here to keep sealed for twenty years.

Hardlex rather than sapphire.

Seiko rates this at 200m as a diver's watch, not merely water-resistant — screw-down crown, screw case back, unidirectional bezel. The 45mm figure is misleading: the cushion case has no protruding lugs.

Manufacturer specifications for the Seiko Prospex Turtle SRPE93
MovementSeiko 4R36, automatic with manual winding, 24 jewels
Power reserve41 hours
Case45mm stainless steel
Lug-to-lugNot published
Thickness13.4mm
Lug width22mm
Crystalhardlex
Water resistance200m
Warranty3 years

Specifications read from Seiko Watch Corporation product page, SRPE93.

05

Citizen Promaster Diver BN0150-28E

Best for: Swim every day, service nothing

6.8/10

Keep Score

Crystal
1/2.5
Serviceability
1.4/2.5
Water resistance
1.5/1.5
Warranty
1.5/1.5
Strap standard
1/1
Cost-to-keep transparency
0.4/1
Check price on Amazon

#ad Affiliate link · We publish no price we have not verified today

200m on a light-powered movement with no battery to change — and a battery change is the moment most watches lose their seal. Citizen's five years is the longest warranty here.

Mineral crystal on a 44mm dial.

The strongest argument for this watch is the one Citizen makes on its own page: nothing to replace, five years of cover. The argument against it is the mineral crystal, which will scratch where sapphire would not.

Manufacturer specifications for the Citizen Promaster Diver BN0150-28E
MovementCitizen E168 Eco-Drive, light-powered
Power reserveNot published
Case44mm stainless steel
Lug-to-lugNot published
ThicknessNot published
Lug width20mm
Crystalmineral
Water resistance200m
Warranty5 years

Citizen's five-year limited warranty excludes the power cell, case, bracelet and strap.

Specifications read from Citizen Watch product page, BN0150-28E.

Skip this one

Orient Bambino Version 7 RA-AC0M03S30B

Best for: Not in the water

6.3/10

Keep Score

Crystal
1/2.5
Serviceability
2.5/2.5
Water resistance
0.3/1.5
Warranty
1.05/1.5
Strap standard
1/1
Cost-to-keep transparency
0.4/1
Check price on Amazon

#ad Affiliate link · We publish no price we have not verified today

The Bambino V7 is the automatic people are most often told to buy first, and it is a beautiful dress watch.

It is rated 30m: rain and hand-washing only. Swimming in it is how water gets inside a watch that was never built for it.

If you want one watch that swims, any of the five above. If you love the Bambino, keep it as the second watch.

A 44mm lug-to-lug is genuinely small by modern standards, and this is the Bambino to buy if the 40.5mm versions never sat right. The domed mineral crystal is the compromise, and it is the one Orient never fixes on this line.

Manufacturer specifications for the Orient Bambino Version 7 RA-AC0M03S30B
MovementOrient F6724 in-house automatic, hand-winding, hacking
Power reserve40 hours
Case38.4mm stainless steel
Lug-to-lug44mm
Thickness12.5mm
Lug width20mm
Crystalmineral
Water resistance30m
Warranty3 years

Specifications read from Orient Watch USA product page, RA-AC0M03S30B.

Keeping a swimming watch sealed

  1. Screw the crown down every time, and never operate it underwater.
  2. Rinse in fresh water after salt water or a chlorinated pool.
  3. Pressure-test at every service. Gaskets harden with age; a test is how you find out before the water does.
  4. Be careful after a battery change on a quartz watch — it is the moment the case is opened. Light-powered watches avoid it.
  5. Use a rubber or nylon strap. See best dive watch straps.

Questions people actually ask

What water resistance do I need to swim?

100m will survive swimming. 200m or more with a screw-down crown is what you want on a watch that goes in the water every day for years, because ratings are tests on a new watch and gaskets age.

Can I swim with a 50m watch?

Occasionally, with care, but it gives little margin. 50m covers brief immersion; regular swimming is better done in a 100m-plus watch.

Is a dive watch the best watch for swimming?

Usually, because the construction that earns a 200m rating — a screw-down crown and a screwed case back — is exactly what keeps water out over years of swimming.

Does chlorine damage watches?

It can age gaskets and straps over time. Rinse the watch in fresh water after swimming and have it pressure-tested at each service.

Sources

Every specification and figure on this page came from one of these documents. Where a manufacturer does not publish something, the page says so rather than filling the gap.

Read next

Water droplets beaded on a brushed metal surface

Water resistance explained

What 30m, 100m and 200m actually permit — and why the rating degrades with age.

A diver's wristwatch resting on a wet dark surface

Dive watches

200m cases, screw-down crowns and timing bezels — the most durable style, ranked.

Water droplets beaded on a brushed metal surface

Best dive watch straps

Rubber, silicone, MN and NATO dive straps compared on what actually lasts in water.