Ever since Sean Connery donned a Rolex Submariner for the role of James Bond in 1962, diving watches have been one of the foremost influences in contemporary watch design. Something about a watch that can endure the most extreme conditions, including submersion, pressure, and shock, appeals to buyers, and dive-style designs have endured in popularity.
However, although dive-inspired designs still live on in modern watches, the simplicity of diving with just a timepiece to measure elapsed time underwater has fallen out of favor with modern divers, who require more sophisticated equipment. The dive computers now used, though functionally superior to their predecessors, largely lack the rugged good looks of old-school dive watches.
