Skin Diver: The best Dive watches for smaler wrists

I have a rather small wrist with a circumference of 16.5 cm, so I’ve always steered clear of diver’s watches. They’re just too big and too bulky for me. To me, they look like a hockey puck on my wrist. But since I’ve been swimming regularly since the beginning of the year, I’ve been looking for a water-resistant watch that I can also use to track my swim times. For that, I need a real diver’s bezel, because I already have water-resistant watches—after all, the Rolex Oyster Perpetual was the first mass-produced water-resistant wristwatch.

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Werbung von 1964

The criteria for this list are that the watches must not be significantly thicker than 12 mm, must not be larger than 41 mm, must be water-resistant to at least 10 bar, and must have a screw-down crown and a diver’s bezel. There are a few exceptions that still fit the overall criteria but differ in one respect—mainly because a watch’s size depends not only on the numbers but also on how it sits on the wrist. There are 39-mm watches that look too big on me, but also 42-mm watches that fit well because they’re slightly concave. I haven’t tried all of these watches on my wrist myself; some I don’t like stylistically, others are too expensive for me, and still others simply look too much like watches I already have in my collection.

What is a “skin diver”?
If you ask watch connoisseurs, the internet, Google, or AI, you’ll get a wide range of answers to the question. Here, I’m using “skin diver” to refer to flatter dive watches under 12 mm. Skin divers are also often associated with certain design elements that lean toward vintage or retro styles. Many of the watches on the list definitely fit into this category, but what they all have in common above all is that they are slim.

What is a diver’s watch?
To be honest, I thought there was no debate about what a diver’s watch is, but it seems there are many different definitions out there. Here, I’m using the term “diver’s watch” with just three criteria: the watch must be water-resistant to at least 100 meters, it must have a diving bezel that allows you to measure swimming or diving time, and it must have a screw-down crown.

But I’ve since made up my mind (I’ll reveal it at the end of the article), mainly because I tried on some of the watches that looked perfect for me on paper, but they just didn’t feel right on my wrist. That’s why I recommend that you try on the watches—the best one is, after all, the one you like best. And even the thinnest, smallest, lightest watch might be too small, too thin, or too light for you—even if you think you have the smallest wrist in the world.

This list is sorted by movement and then by price, because it’s not a “best of” list, but rather the result of my research—and especially in the microbrand sector, there are certainly a few other watches that might fit the bill. Please let me know in the comments, and I’ll add them. But when I started my research, I kept coming across the same five watches over and over, and it took quite a while to find what I was looking for. I hope you’ll find my list a good starting point for your own search—because even though most dive watches are 42 mm and significantly larger, there are plenty of great watches out there for smaller wrists.

My search began with the quintessential diver’s watch: the Rolex Submariner. With a 41mm case and a thickness of just 12.1mm, the watch isn’t actually that big. My Baume & Mercier Riviera is a similar size at 42mm and 10.7mm, but it doesn’t look as bulky.

Objectively speaking, the watch isn’t too big on my wrist, but it’s too bulky and too noticeable for my taste, so it’s definitely not what I’m looking for right now.

The 37mm Rolex Yachtmaster suits me much better, but that might be a watch for the future—and it’s too flashy and too expensive for me to wear while swimming. Especially in the luxury segment, there are certainly a few watches I haven’t included because I simply stopped looking once I hit the 10k mark, but I’d be happy to add those as well based on your suggestions. But for now, let’s start with the quartz divers.

Quartz Dive Watches for Small Wrists

Quartz watches are often viewed as not “real” watches, but I think that’s nonsense. Of course, the craftsmanship involved in a quartz movement isn’t the same as that of an intricately designed and manufactured in-house movement, but so many watches are built with nothing more than a standard Miyota 9039. That’s a great movement, too, but it’s not all that much more sophisticated in terms of craftsmanship than a quartz movement. And for an everyday watch, quartz can be really practical at times—especially if you have a large watch collection and don’t want to have to set the time and date every time you go swimming. That’s why I specifically looked for quartz watches, but unfortunately, the selection was a bit limited. Still, there were a few gems among them:

Vaer DS2 36

💶 Price: 220 €

⚙️ Movement: Quarz Miyota GM12

🤿 Water Resistance: 150m

👌 Diameter: 36mm

🔝 Thickness: 10.4mm

🔛 Lug-to-lug: 42.6mm

🧶 Lug Width: 18mm