Seiko 5 vs. Divers

[Billuno]

A very broad noobie question: Is there any significant difference in quality between a Seiko5 with good WR, 100-200m, vs. an entry level Seiko diver?

[Isthmus]

A very broad noobie question: Is there any significant difference in quality between a Seiko5 with good WR, 100-200m, vs. an entry level Seiko diver?

Yes and no. When speaking of modern ones, in both cases you will find the same family of movements being used (non-entry level divers ose other movements). However in ISO Rated divers there are several differences besides water resistance. For example, ISO rated divers use high performance Hardlex (and a few models use sapphire), versus regular hardlex. Also all divers must meet minimum ISO standards for various performance and design measures. If you want to know the exact requirements, run a google search for a copy of the ISO 6425:1996 standard. If you can't find it, try and find a copy of the Saudi Arabia Standard for diving watches - it is practically a verbatim copy and it is posted in a Saudi government site, in english.

[Billuno]

Yes and no. When speaking of modern ones, in both cases you will find the same family of movements being used (non-entry level divers ose other movements). However in ISO Rated divers there are several differences besides water resistance. For example, ISO rated divers use high performance Hardlex (and a few models use sapphire), versus regular hardlex. Also all divers must meet minimum ISO standards for various performance and design measures. If you want to know the exact requirements, run a google search for a copy of the ISO 6425:1996 standard. If you can't find it, try and find a copy of the Saudi Arabia Standard for diving watches - it is practically a verbatim copy and it is posted in a Saudi government site, in english.

Yes - this is a big help, thanks. I think part of the reason for my confusion is I see all the Seiko divers discussed on the site, with no mention of the Seiko5's as part of the "class". However during searches of online shops and eBay, many of the Seiko5's are inluded in the listings when the search field says "diver".

[Isthmus]

Yes - this is a big help, thanks. I think part of the reason for my confusion is I see all the Seiko divers discussed on the site, with no mention of the Seiko5's as part of the "class". However during searches of online shops and eBay, many of the Seiko5's are inluded in the listings when the search field says "diver".

The reason for that is because there are quite a few seiko 5 "sport divers", which are not ISO rated divers (which means that they are not built to ISO standards and thus should not be used in scuba diving). Keep in mind that there are also vintage divers which conform to an older ISO standard and have lower depth ratings. There are also lots of older sport divers.