What Snorkeling Watch Is Best?

Looking for a snorkeling watch? Galen wears one to keep track of time in the water. His has tons of other functions, like solar power, world time, alarms, compass, barometer, altimeter, and thermometer. These are not necessary for snorkeling, but make him happy. See our snorkel watch suggestions below.

Note: Our suggestions come from hands-on experience. We hope you find them helpful. You can help us if you purchase from the links below. We may make a small commission, as an Amazon Associate or from other companies, at no extra cost to you.

Features a Snorkeling Watch Needs

Galen's snorkeling watch
Galen’s Casio Solar Powered Snorkeling Watch

What is a snorkeling watch? Really it can be any watch that is fully waterproof.

Get a minimum of 100 meters water-resistance. All of our suggested watches below meet this standard. Many waterproof “dive” watches actually say in their fine print they are good for snorkeling but not sport diving. But with a watch rated to 100 meters you don’t need to be afraid to freedive down for a closer look or a picture.

How much to spend? Our top pick is around $20. We focus on options below $300 that offer good value and features. But the sky’s the limit with dive watches.

Digital vs. analog? The majority of highly water resistant watches are analog time pieces. This is likely because digital watches tend to need more buttons that are more difficult to keep sealed. Although it is not hard to find waterproof digital watches like Galen’s Casio Pro Trek PRG-300 pictured above.

What type of band? Avoid leather and fabric bands on a snorkeling watch. They don’t dry well. Get a plastic, rubber, or stainless steel band.

Vibrating Alarm? – One of our readers bought the Timex Expedition watch, because it offers vibration alarm alerts so he can keep track of how long he is in the water. He reports it “…is unexpectedly great. I can feel the vibe and hear the chime clearly at all depths”.

Important watch care – After you snorkel you need to soak your watch in fresh water, just like your camera, to dissolve the salt crystals. Otherwise, don’t expect it to last long.

Casio Snorkeling Watch – Best Value

Casio makes a mind boggling variety of watches that are well made and waterproof to 100 meters, 200 meters, or more. Some handy features you might like on a snorkeling trip are world time, alarms, and solar power.

Casio MRW200H watch
Our pick in this category.

Casio Men’s Sport Analog Snorkeling Watch
The Casio MRW200H (on Amazon) is good looking, super affordable, waterproof to 100 meters, and also shows the date. It’s available in a variety of face and band colors. It’s so affordable that if it fails it is no hardship. You really can’t go wrong.


Casio LRW200H watch

Casio Women’s Classic Analog Snorkel Watch
The Casio LRW200H (on Amazon) is a smaller version aimed toward women. It only has the day, not the month, but it is still waterproof to 100 meters. It’s also available in a variety of colors.


Casio solar AQS810W watch

Casio Solar Sport Combination Watch
For only a little more money the Casio AQS810W (on Amazon) gives you solar power (no battery replacements), world time, alarms, stopwatch, full calendar, a light, and more.


Casio MDV106-1AV diving watch

Casio Duro Analog Watch
The Casio MDV106-1AV (on Amazon) adds a touch of class, and 200 meters of water-resistance, with a classic rotating bezel.


Casio G-Shock snorkeling watch

Casio G-Shock Classic Digital Watch
The Casio DW5600E-1V (on Amazon) is very popular, tough and waterproof down to 200 meters. It has all the basic functions you need without all the confusing extras.


Casio BG-169R-1M Women's Baby G Watch

Casio Women’s Baby G Quartz Watch With Resin Strap
The Casio BG-169R-1M (on Amazon) is tough and has soft protective covers on the face. It is a digital watch made for women. It’s also good to 200 meters.


Seiko – High Quality, Japanese Technology

Seiko has been a leader in waterproof dive watches for years. You don’t really need a dive watch as a snorkeler, but these are beautiful precision watches that will look good out of the water when traveling. Yes they cost more than the options above, but not compared to a Rolex, Ocean Master, or other high end options that cost in the thousands.

Seiko Prospex Solar SNE593 Watch

Seiko Prospex Solar – SNE593
The Seiko SNE593 (on Amazon) is a high quality diving watch water resistant to 200 meters, with a rubber band, and a solar charging cell.


See More of Our Snorkeling Equipment Tips