Comparing 3 of the BEST Dive Watches Under $500 - Citizen Promaster, Orient Kamasu, & Seiko Turtle 

Heh, my PADI turtle is the MOST expensive watch I ever owned! I never thought I could have a real dive watch! (yes I'm very poor). I threw a dive strap on it and a Japanese day wheel, and its really my pride and joy. Just saying "affordable" is a relative term!

I’ve had nothing but great experiences with Orient. I believe they make the best entry level automatics you can buy

Proud owner of a Kamasu right here 😎✌️

Have owned all three (Kamasu was an outstanding choice as my first automatic) - ended up with the Citizen NY0040 series as my favourite for this budget though - I just love 'em!

Have had the Citizen Pro Master for a couple years. Worn it every day. Holds up in the water. Solid, solid watch.

Just got my first watch, a Kamasu on Wednesday (in Green) and its beautiful. Very happy. All of these watches look great, I would be happy with any of them

Thanks for your insight Teddy. I must say; I'm glad to see that the Citizen Promaster Diver made your list. I wear mine often when I'm working around the pool and must say it is one of the most comfortable straps I've worn so far and, the fact that the mineral crystal is somewhat recessed in relation to the bezel, I find that it's a "peace of mind" feature and enables me to wear it w/o having to worry about the watch. Thanks for sharing.

As a PADI trained diver since the late '80s, I know a number of divers that still use their dive watches. Some use only watches, most use them as a safety and to verify the computer and to maintain their skills.

Citizen Promaster, Eco Drive, BN0150-61E is quite amazing for the price. This variant also has a bracelet with diver's extension. A near perfect beater and still fits a 6.25 inch wrist. Lume is very satisfying too.

I own the blue Citizen Promaster . I dive , diving is my hobby . I love this watch with a passion .

I tried on a turtle today. On my 6.65” wrist it definitely doesn’t wear as large as you’d think. Very comfortable and a lot lower profile than I expected. I like it.

I have a Seiko Tuna that I bought back in 1982, it's been my go to watch. I've worn it every day for the past 40 years, and through some tough blue collar working conditions. I've also gone diving with it. It's been an incredibly durable and reliable watch.

The Orient Kamasu was my first automatic and out of the box, it has been the best calibrated watch even compared to some of my more expensive watches. With a premium bracelet from Strapcode to replace the mediocre bracelet the Kamasu comes with, the Kamasu feels, looks, and wears like a much more expensive watch! It's still one of my favorites.

I swear by SEIKO! I'm sure ALL the other Japanese watches are equally good. My experience with SEIKO was that on a very active teenage wrist it NEVER failed, was incredibly durable and held up to what could ONLY be described as pure TORTURE which had killed several of those "KEEPS ON TICKING... NO MATTER WHAT!" ones.

I’ve got the Seiko a couple years ago as my first “expensive” watch and I love it. I’ve had my eye on the Citizen as my beater work (construction) watch. I have a handful of Gshocks that I use for work but I just love the aesthetic of dive watches and I want one on my wrist at all time now.

My journey in horology had started with a Citizen Ecodrive CA4280-53L as an 18th birthday from my mom, and I got a friend who recently traded his Longines for an Omega Seamaster and picked up a Casioak as well. Everytime he looks at my Citizen, always takes a moment to appreciate what a fine piece of art it actually is.

Just got my Orient Kamasu yesterday, can say that I’m extremely satisfied.

I freedive with that Citizen and i love that rubber strap. Much more secure and adjustable. The lume is intensely bright. You can get them for like $140 i think. But the aluminum bezel and crystal scratch super easy. Mine gets scared against sand and rocks underwater. Still maybe my fav watch in my collection. I got it on my honeymoon and took it diving immediately.

Teddy’s camera person is a MASTER. Also, the Orient looks especially tasty.

That Orient in sunburst Red is a thing of beauty

I've owned and greatly enjoyed the Citizen Promaster for several months. Great looking watch and a real diver's watch. One possibly overlooked feature: there is a ladies version (something I rarely find for any other divers). I bought it for my wife and she loves it. We both happily wear the same watch.

A great break down of these popular drive watches. Thanks Teddy.

Kamasu all the way, hope ill get it one day.

I have both the orient and the citizen...both are excellent choices, in my opinion. Despite what seems a large diameter, the citizen really works well for a small wrist. No regrets for either one!

Good review, but you're really comparing two apples to a pear. The Promaster (like the Seiko) is designed to be a diving watch. And while mineral glass is more susceptible to scratching than sapphire, it is less inclined to shatter. Anyone who has been racked up against a coral reef or rock by a wave will tell you that your dive watch can get knocked about quite a bit. Also, scratches, no matter how deep, tend to disappear in the water. So shatter resistance trumps scratch resistance for any watch who's primary purpose is to be under water. The ISO rating is also important to divers because it means EACH piece has been tested to 125% rated depth for two hours. So when you buy a divers 200m watch, you know that particular piece has been subjected to 25BAR for two hours. With watches that don't have an ISO 6245 rating, the rating is only given to the "type", so while the "design" might be rated, you have no assurance your actual piece was tested. (It most likely wasn't). The Rubber strap, while agreeably unattractive is designed that way for a specific reason. The extra long length of the strap is so that the watch can be worn over a wetsuit. The "scallops" or "waves" near the lugs are expansion joints so that the watch band can expand as wetsuit material expands. The thicker a dive suit, the more water it will absorb when worn, and the thicker it will become (like a sponge) once wet. I agree with you, that most of these points are of little concern to "sports watch enthusiasts". But for divers, they do make a difference. And despite the fact that most dives are computer dives now, it is still important to have a reliable dive watch that in case of emergency will be there to backup your dive computer, and provide you with the ability to perform the required safety stops necessary to prevent decompression sickness. In that way, they still are very much "life saving" gear. Both the Sieko and Citizen fit this bill. Tool watches purpose designed and built. And since the eco-drive watch is solar powered, it assures the user that, like the Seiko, the only time the back on these watches needs to be removed, is for routine o-ring inspection, replacement, and re-certification testing. If you just want a dive inspired watch, then the Orient is a perfect "desk diver" but I'd never take it to depth without knowing it had already been there before.

So happy you included the Kamasu in this video!

The Citizen just looks like you can take it anywhere and enjoy it's utility. Same with the Seiko, it's a reliable piece that gives you legitimate purpose under water. The Orient show great versatility and is more like a skin diver IMO, a great piece to wear on a vacation, and it's there for you if you want to go snorkeling or if you fall in the pool because you were drinking too much and thought you could hop across the corner of the deep end.

Being a total SKX fan boy, I have to say Turtle case is one of the most comfortable I tried!!! Totally I am gonna buy a Turtle!

I own the Citizen. Bought it in Europe a couple of years ago for 170 euros delivery included. Built like a tank, fantastic lume and accurate. Came in an oxygen bottle style of packaging which made the unboxing experience very exciting. I use it mainly when I go swimming. Has a noticable wrist presence and I always get positive comments while wearing it.

As always.... another EXCELLENT video Teddy. Thank you for sharing your knowledge in such a relaxed and entertaining manner. Greatly appreciate the great work you do. Cheers! M.

I have the Citizen Promaster BNO 150 on my wrist as I write. Love it....

The Citizen is one of my absolute favorite watches. It's always ready to grab and go when I don't feel like fussing with the sleeping automatics. First thing I did was ditch the strap and it now wears a great variety of NATO's like a champ.

I have the Cit. Promaster as the so called "beater watch" and love it. I also only use the citizen for water activities (in a pool, fishing, skiing, etc) Looks good and is one tough watch. I own 3 other dive watches, (dive watches are my favorite) Zelos, Alpina, and Orient Mako USA (white dial). The Mako is favorite watch to wear with shorts, jeans, etc. I get lots of compliments on the white dial. Thanks Teddy, always look forward to your reviews!!

Great reviews - thank you!

Just between these three, the Citizen and the Orient are the clear winners. Most likely, only a Seiko fanboy would choose the Turtle. I am not really "into" quartz, but; the two that I DO have are both Citizen Eco-Drives. Citizen has been at the forefront of solar power for quite some time. Enjoyed the video, sir.

that Citizen looks like a lot of fun.

Thanks for putting together this comparison of the three Japanese dive watches. The Orient is my favorite, but because I have larger wrists, I purchased the Kanno dive watch. I love it. It runs a bit fast and I do wish is came with the sapphire crystal instead of the mineral crystal, but that's my only gripe. It's a great looking, well performing dive watch at the price-point.

I am a huge fan of the Orient. I currently have 4 of them. My favorites are the Mako II and the Ray II. Upgrade to a sapphire crystal and enjoy!

I have had my PADI turtle for a year and logged about 50 dives with it. It’s been in mud, sand and nasty environments and the mineral crystal has held up. Banged it on rock, metal and concrete, still looks great. I lose about 4 minutes a week. I get a ton of compliments on it and I think it’s a great looking watch. I have worn it with a tuxedo and basketball shorts and it seems to work everywhere, I am a diver so I feel like I can get away with wearing one in all occasions. funny enough while people may assume that dive watches are obsolete, I tend to dive with a watch and a computer, when my computer malfunctioned on a day trip, I had to rely on my depth gage and dive watch. It worked out for me on the 4 dives I did that day.

My wife bought me the Citizen pro master automatic for my birthday a couple of years ago. Keeps bloody awful time. Got Tag Heuer Aquaracer and a couple of Tissot automatics that put it to shame. Pity, because the 4 quartz Citizens I own are brilliant watches

I have a citizen, but really want that Seiko. Its classy, affordable, and has a lot of personality.

I absolutely LOVE the Kamasu!! I wear it with a tapered mesh bracelet and it is an elegant dive watch for $250

I own the citizen shown here and it’s a desk diver but a very pleasant one at that! I used to be a police search and rescue diver for many years, so naturally I’m attracted to dive watches and this citizen is a great watch! I wish I would have purchased and seiko skx before the prices skyrocketed but I want one so badly that I’m thinking about going with king island watch and get their version as I own their version of the turtle 🐢 wich has also been a great watch for me! Excellent video!

My most recent purchase was a 2 yr old SRPA21K1 Padi special edition Turtle…iconic design, fantastic watch! I also have the Citizen featured. It’s a lovely watch, much underrated perhaps due to being eco drive and not an auto but all the better for it. It’s no Turtle but isn’t trying to be. Both are lovely but the Seiko for me is simply a legend.

I got a SRPF77 "Save the Ocean" Turtle as one of my first watches. Still love it to this day! Looking forward to adding another Turtle to the collection someday

This comparison cannot make more sense! Excellent job!!

I have the Seiko padi and absolutely love it. You can pick one up at any department store for $300. Only chumps pay retail on a Seiko. The bracelet is the only part of the watch that leaves something to be desired. I mostly wear it on a Seiko rubber strap. The dial really pops in the sun!

Seiko Turtle PADI for me…I own this watch and love it. Not just great to look at, but takes a beating and keeps on going. I am a bit of a Seiko fan and probably biased, but I really like the retro look of the Turtle.

Bought the Orient Kanno a month ago… not taken it swimming yet, but functions well and loom lasts a long time. Bought the red dial version which is spectacular!

Great intro teddy! Getting better everyday man.

I have the citizen on a bracelett. It has a great divers extension, which I use as a micro adjustment. Just great

I was able to pick up a super lightly used turtle padi for $300. Super happy with the purchase and been liking the watch a bunch

Its just been two days I got my the exact promaster model (present to self for my 10yr work anniversary), was also considering kamasu but citizen promoaster looked modern and goes with my style. great video..

Good Morning, I think that this video is what the many enthusiausts has been waiting... I do! Saludos!

I have the Seiko solar PADI. I feel like I’m getting the best combination of all. Great brand, great design, solar convenience and reliability and an affordable price.

I have 2 Promasters & the reliability cant be beat. Always accurate & i only adjust for DST. ISO certified & great lume & best grab & go watch.5yrs so far & no battery issue. I do have Seiko 5, Vostok & other autos & they're fun to mess with. Good to own both really.

Proud Kamasu owner. I have the one with the beautiful red dial. Highly recommend for anyone as an entry-level automatic.

I just bought the PADI Turtle and it is a great addition to my watch collection. Still love my SKX007 though. I'm pumped to have both now!

I own the Orient kamasu red and the seiko samurai absolutely love them

I own both the kamasu and the pro dive and honestly I absolutely love both of them.

Had the kamasu for a year now red dial i fricking love it awesome watch :)

The real sleeper here is the Promaster with the bracelet. The bracelet is SUPERB! Solid end links and a proper quick adjustable milled clasp. You can get this for not much more than the basic version with rubber strap. However the dial is black instead of blue.

I passed my PADI diving qualification a few years ago. just to 18m. Now that relied on us having to use dive tables (essentially alot of maths as to how long you can stay at a depth and your decompression etc etc) when your dive watch was what you used to insure you stuck to your depths and times, is not really relevant now because of dive computers. But for me at 18m dives. instead of needing dive computers and all the new fancy, very very expensive dive watches. I can get something that looks classic, (very similar to a sea master if you squint with the Citizen) And i enjoy alot. It is just really nice to maybe be a tiny bit retro, and old school. But i found that i am leaning alot to the idea of getting a Citizen, when i was thinking i'd have to finance a £1000 watch. Amazing content thank you for the efforts!

Another great review

For me and dive watches I love the idea of never needing a battery or capacitor replacement with the Seiko automatic its the way to go for sure, but that said I do have two citizen watches as the long life and accuracy is also very attractive you just have to accept that the day will come that the capacitor will need replacing

Green Orient Kamasu on a Strapcode oyster bracelet is a stunner.

hi teddy ! just want to take a second to say that i love your content, as im getting into watches ! we can tell you have some knowledge to share and im sure we are all very thankful for that ! im also interested in your personal choice/taste .. and i would love to see you talk ( for a few seconds ) about the watches you wear in every video you poste !! thanks a lot 😊

Regarding the choice of that particular Citizen for the comparison , even though the Eco drive is a proven technology (i have one that has been working non stop for 19 years now! without a new capacitor) the right contender should have been the automatic promaster ny-0040

I have the Citizen Promaster Automatic, it is the second Citizen Promaster Auto I've owned, and my original still runs perfectly. The newer watch is a blue dial variant, the original one bring a black dial (my older watch). I have used the older watch as a dive watch and it performed as advertised, having only dove to under 100ft I can honestly say for the money it is the best watch in the game, and remember despite the Seiko being beloved, the Citizen was actually chosen and used by the Italian Navy's Divers. How's that for pedigree, and they were tested to over 500M of water resistance. I can honestly say from a wearer's perspective that the Citizen is affordable, comes in many different styles and is as reliable as the sun coming up every morning.

I was planning on getting a Orient Kamasu, but found a Orient Triton on ridiculous sale (only like $50 more than Kamasu). I'm really tempted to get a Seiko Turtle, but held back by the mineral glass when other watches in the same price point has sapphire (where I'm from).

Great to see you're wearing the anOrdain in the wrist Teddy. From my experience Iv'e not had any issue with reliability with Citizen or Seiko (not including Seiko analog quartz) I cannot comment (yet) on Orient as I've yet to try one. From someone who has a preference for mechanical watches of these options I'd probably go for the Citizen Eco Drive quartz in this trio. I've owned (and still have) a number of Citizen Eco Drive watches over many years and so far have not had a failure. As you say Teddy they really are a set it and forget it watch for accuracy. I'll take a look at Orient at some point.

I have that citizen! Amazing Quality for the money

I bought the Orient Bambino recently. This the best watch I have ever had!

I'm just more convinced now that I want an Orient Kamasu, just gotta wait a little. Most likely gonna get the green variant.

Got the Citizen ProMaster (blue) and Orient Kamasu (black/gold) for less than $300 and it's the best combo so far for the money! Recently added the Invicta 8926 Automatic for $54 and it's very good at its price!

Have all three. My favorite is the PADI turtle hands down. In my experience all my Orients run too fast, while the 4R movement is far more accurate. The Citizen is a great watch as well.

Also the bezel action on my promaster is flawless.

The Pepsi Seiko SPA21 is the absolute best. My first Seiko and the start of my disease.

I have a couple of Citizen Promaster Aqualand divers. Both watches have bracelets with ratcheting clasps for easy size adjustment. I must say that I use the quick adjustment feature every day. It’s so handy, I think it should be a standard feature on all straps/bracelets with clasps. I have the titanium, solar powered BN 2041-81L. It has a built in depth sensor which allows some additional features like current depth reading, maximum depth reached as well as a warning alarm if you are ascending too rapidly. My other diver is the tried and true JP 2000-08E. It offers even more dive specific features including recording data for your previous 4 dives: Date, Dive Start Time, Dive Duration, Maximum Depth. You can also set Alarms for Dive Duration and Maximum Depth. It also has an alarm for too rapid ascent. On top of that it includes a chronometer and perpetual date display. The analog and digital time are separate, so you can use it like a GMT watch. In terms of accuracy, my BN 2041 runs 9 seconds fast per month, but it’s my JP 2000 that is truly incredibly accurate. It runs 0.5 seconds fast per month. After synchronizing it to GMT, I let it run for 4 months before checking it against GMT again. It was a grand total of 2 seconds fast after 4 months!! I expect it will be a total of 6 seconds fast for the entire year! After buying these two Citizen watches, I have confirmed what I was beginning to suspect before I bought them. I get the most enjoyment from quartz based tool watches. I prefer features over fancy finishing and accuracy over mechanical excellence.

I just stumbled across this video, and thought it a wild coincidence that I own the Seiko PADi, the King Turtle, and the Citizen Promaster mentioned in this video. I have owned a few Orient watches in the past, and they were not bad, but just not right for me. I liked the Citizen so much, and it was affordable enough, that I gave one to my brother and one to my nephew and my nephew dives with his.

Lot’s of Rolex and Omega fan boy have a Seiko, Orient or Gshock for everything. And they love the fact that those watches are super nice and robust

I was a die hard Seiko user, but the accuracy just drove me away. I've owned a Citizen Eco-Drive dive watch (BN0198-56H) for about 2 years now. It has been completely reliable and just plain scary accurate. It gains less time in 4 months, than my last Seiko gained in a day. I definitely want the Citizen Promaster Diver now.

Still rocking my Mako 1. This watch has gone through so much abuse but it still works.

Kamasu, then swap out the bracelet with a strapcode jubilee. Looks wayy better, did it with the black and the red 👌👌👌

I have few Orients , Kamasu, Triton and Pro Saturation Diver, I have golden Turtle to, have a citizen NY0040, few different Seiko's and Oris tt1 small second but my favorite watch is orient OSD300. Is something special in Orient watches, cant resist.

Love from India Teddy…the most comprehensive watch reviews here 👌

I have a seiko srpd09k1; the dial is unbelievable and I have taken it diving multiple times

I got the Kamasu about a year ago, it’s been a great watch. I recommend getting a silicon strap for it!

My red Kamasu with a red ducati esprit nato strap is of an amazing quality and style.

Hi Teddy, I'm curious to hear what you think about the Rotary watch super 7 and just the brand rotary in general

Bought a Citizen BN0150-61E a couple of years ago (Promaster with a stainless steel bracelet) and love it. Unfortunately the seconds hand doesn't hit all the marks, but for $250 it's absolutely a great watch and wouldn't trade it for any of the other two in this video. The bracelet is second to none, Eco-Drive means it's a grab and go and the lume is great as well. However, speaking of under $500, I recently picked up a new Glycine Combat Sub GL0076 for $350 with a Swiss high beat movement and absolutely adore it.

Kamusu looks more like a dress watch on my 7.5 inch wrist, turtle and promaster are chunky divers not that suitable for every day wear it's not easy to find something that fits perfectly without being oversized or too small, 43mm with a 47/48mm lug to lug would be perfect, thx for the video 👍

Great video and purchased the citizen based on you guidance.

Nice video Teddy. I have 8 dive watches, three of which are Seiko turtles. The case is the best.

Excelente Comparativa. 😀

Teddy, Great choice of watches and an excellent review. I have the Kamasu in red and it is a stunning watch. It does have hollow end links that can also be seen in your video. The crown is slightly small and is not the easiest to use. I also have a Seiko Save the Ocean Turtle. I really like the blue fade to black textured striped dial. The Seiko's bracelet is just not as nice as the Orient's.

Would love to see you review the Certina Ds Action in 38mm. I think its a great diver in a compact size.

Had Pepsi Turtle but sold it because mechanically it just wasn't good enough, the movement would stop during the night even when I had the watch on my wrist the entire day, also the timekeeping was very inconsistent. Bought Citizen Eco Drive diver a few months ago as a daily beater and I've been wearing it ever since. Amazing value, extremely accurate ( +1s in over 3 months) and very versatile, which I can't say for the Pepsi Turtle, the sad truth about pepsi bezel watches is they don't allow many strap options, for this reason I would definitely go for the black version SRP777.

Hi have seiko turtle to and buy a kamasu last month , I thought he was small at first compared to the others , buy now i liking a lot this watch , really recommend. Red color here.

I have an Orient dive watch namely because you've talked about them! So thanks. Its the nicest watch I've owned and I'm super happy about it. One thing tho, the chain gets really easilly scratched up... from just sitting at my desk typing, the wear of having my wrist rest on the surface of the dest/ keyboard, has really messed it up... so thats kind of annoying. So chain not great quality! Besides that, very happy! Cheers!