Dive Watch: The Ultimate GADA Watch?

Aside from its natural pairing with wetsuits, scuba tanks, masks and flippers, what else can you wear dive watches with? Well, previously we already shared how a dive watch can match with moderately dressy outfits. Is it really on par with the dress watch in formality?… Is it the ultimate GADA (go-anywhere-do-anything) watch?… Or is it only good enough for beach activities and barbecue parties? So let’s buckle up, as we dive through the different levels of formality with the dive watch.

Close up of an Orient Ray 2, a dressier version of the stereotypical dive watch. — The Orient Ray 2 is a great example of the stereotypical dive watch.
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What Exactly Is A Dive Watch?

Today, we’re gonna take a look at the Orient Ray 2 (reference number FAA02005D9). It’s one of Orient’s entry level dive watches. Before we proceed any further, let’s make it abundantly clear that the Ray 2 isn’t a certified dive watch. It isn’t certified to comply with ISO 6425 standards. Then again, neither is the Rolex Submariner. Both these watches are just as capable as, if not more capable than other certified ISO 6425 dive watches. One model isn’t certified to keep the cost down, to pass the savings to its customers. The other, well, they believe that their in-house standard is more stringent than the ISO 6425 standards anyway. But what’s most important is that they both can withstand the pressure down to their respective claimed depth ratings.

Orient Ray 2, a typical dressy looking dive watch, as worn on the wrist, paired with a casual linen shirt and jacket. — The Orient Ray 2 worn on the wrist, paired with a typical business casual outfit.
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For the purpose of this article, we’ll see how we can pair the Ray 2 with classic menswear. I’ll also explain why I consider the Ray 2 to be a “dressy” dive watch. It’s definitely not the stereotypical dive watch, a boxy metal vault that you strap onto your wrist when you dive. I’ll elaborate why this is so a little further down this article.

Pairing The Dive Watch With Classic Menswear

When wearing the dive watch on dry land, you can almost pair it across all of classic menswear. Let’s see exactly how far we can stretch its suitability across the whole formality spectrum :-

(1) Business Formal

Solid charcoal grey suit, solid white shirt, solid burgundy tie, and solid white pocket square. — Two-piece, solid charcoal grey suit, with a solid white shirt, solid burgundy tie, and solid white pocket square.
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Close up of a pair of solid black plain toe Oxford dress shoes. — Solid black, plain-toe Oxfords, are as conservative as you can go.
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NO – Although the Ray 2 is more dressy looking than most dive watches, certain formalities are still beyond its reach. And for the record, no, not even James Bond can pull this off, regardless what the product placements tell you.

(2) Business Semi-Formal

Solid olive green suit, solid blue shirt with white contrasting collar and cuffs. Burgundy tie with small repeating patterns, and pocket square. — Two-piece, solid olive green suit, with sporty, slanted hip pockets, and a ticket pocket above the right hip pocket. A pale blue shirt with contrasting collar and cuffs, small-patterned burgundy tie and coordinating pocket square.
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Close up of a pair of whole cut in ox blood, with wingtip patterned brogue. Another type of typical dress shoes. — Whole cut in ox blood, with burnished toes, and wingtip patterned brogue.
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Again, NO – Similar reasons as the above. This outfit is still too dressy to pair with a dive watch.

(3) Business Informal

Solid navy, double breasted blazer, with 6 X 2 gold buttons. Solid blue shirt with navy and yellow regimental striped tie, solid grey trousers, and pocket square. — Double breasted navy blazer with 6 X 2 gold buttons. Solid pale blue shirt with navy and yellow regimental striped tie. Solid medium grey trousers, and a contrasting pocket square.
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Close up of a pair of brown double monk-straps. A less dressy dress shoes. — Brown, double monk-straps, to exude a more playful vibe.
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YES for Ray 2, MAYBE for most other dive watches – As mentioned, the Ray 2 isn’t a stereotypical dive watch. It’s a “dressier” version of the stereotypical dive watch. Hence, you can pull this outfit off with the Ray 2, but not necessarily other types of dive watches.

(4) Business Casual

Grey sport jacket in mini-Glen check weave, a solid pink OCBD shirt with block stripe knit tie in autumn colours, and a pair of solid burgundy chinos. — Grey sport jacket in mini-Glen check weave. Solid pink OCBD shirt with a knit tie in autumn colours. Solid burgundy chinos, and a contrasting pocket square.
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Close up of a pair of brown penny loafers. One of the least dressy dress shoes. — Brown penny loafers, a typical “less dressy” dress shoes.
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YES – Except for the clearly visible, tool-like appearance of extreme divers, most dive watches pair rather well with this outfit. Hence, the dressy appearance of the Ray 2 will definitely pair well with this outfit.

(5) Dressy Casual

Unstructured, charcoal brown flannel sport jacket, denim OCBD shirt, and khaki chinos. — Charcoal brown, unstructured sport jacket with an open collared denim OCBD shirt. Khaki chinos, and a contrasting pocket square.
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Close up of a pair of khaki canvas derbies. — Derby shoes in tan canvas stretch what it means to be “dress” shoes.
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YES – Most dive watches will pair very nicely with this outfit.

(6) Just Casual

Denim trucker jacket, solid white t-shirt, and solid olive green jeans. — Denim trucker jacket, solid white t-shirt, and olive green jeans.
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Close up of a pair of white trainers. — White trainers, with a thin red and black stripe. A stereotypical pair of casual footwear.
Image by Daniel Storek of Unsplash

A definite YES – Even the most bulky looking dive watch will pair well with this outfit.

Dive Watch Vs Dressy Dive Watch

You’re probably wondering why I kept harping on the term “dressy” dive watch. Well, for most dive watches’ design, form always follows function. Dive watches are generally bulky looking, with thick protruding edges. This awkward shape serves to withstand the immense pressure in the depths. This differs from the sleek lines and smooth edges of other dressier, more delicate watches. And this is where the Ray 2 differs from the stereotypical dive watches.

The sleek curves of the Ray 2 hides a rather thick case, necessary to withstand the pressure in the depths. And sharply downward curve of the lugs and bezel enables it to slip easily underneath the sleeve cuffs.
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It may not be obvious, but the Ray 2’s case is still pretty bulky. However, the sleek case design cleverly hides this bulk. Sharply downward-curved lugs taper the overall bulk down even more, making it look and feel dressier than it actually is. And then there’s the controversial bezel timer ring. In order to make it slip effortlessly underneath the sleeve cuff, it tapers sharply over the sides. This ultimately lessens the grip, resulting in slight difficulty when operating the bezel timer. I suppose it’s an acceptable sacrifice to make for a dressy dive watch…

Half-body close up of the Author, wearing a charcoal brown blazer, medium blue linen shirt, and blue knit tie, showcasing the Orient Ray 2 as a dressy dive watch. — Charcoal brown blazer with gold buttons, medium blue linen shirt, and a casual knit tie in winter colours. It’s a stretch to pair this outfit with a stereotypical dive watch, but not with the sleek Ray 2.
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A Dive Watch In Its Natural Habitat

Okay, we know why the Ray 2 pairs well with dressier outfits. But what if you want to utilise it to its full extent? Can we make this dressy dive watch a little “less dressy”, and a whole lot more brawny looking?… Of course we can… We just have to get rid of the “camouflage nettings”, and let its rough and tough physique shine through.

Swapping its sleek looking bracelet with a utilitarian nylon NATO strap will bulk up the Ray 2 immensely.
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Simply swapping its sleek looking stainless steel bracelet with a utilitarian nylon NATO strap will change the outlook immediately. Now the Ray 2 looks and feels bulked up, like a stereotypical dive watch. You can forget about pairing this with any outfit dressier than just casual. In fact, you can pair it all the way down to just goggles and swim trunks, and still look fabulous. And yeah, that includes your typical outfit for the backyard barbecue party too.

Orient Ray 2, as worn on the bare wrist, dressed down with a nylon NATO strap typical dress watch. This showcases the dive watch aesthetics in its full glory. — Is it just me, or does the Orient Ray 2 look much larger than it actually is? Here’s the same Ray 2 with a nylon NATO strap instead of its original stainless steel bracelet.
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I never thought that I’d say a dive watch looks this good in its natural habitat. This is almost as versatile as an all-rounder watch. I dare say that dive watches, specifically the Ray 2, are true GADA watches. And that includes the times when you engage in water activities too.

Half-body close up of the Author, wearing a solid white Polo shirt, showcasing how a fully fledged dive watch looks on bare forearms in the short sleeves of the Polo shirt. — I’m all ready for that backyard barbecue party… Or the pool party… Or the beach party…
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Disclaimer – This Is Not A Sponsored Article

Neither Orient Watch Company nor Seiko Epson Corporation (Orient’s parent company) sponsored the Ray 2 in this article. The same goes for their distributors and retailers too. And as usual, yes, we do welcome sponsorship from any related companies for future episodes in this series. Rest assured that we’ll spell it out clearly if and when we do get any sponsorship for any specific episode. Don’t worry, sponsorship will never determine how we deliver the individual episodes. And do come back for the next episode, where we’ll take a look at a previously uncharted type of timepiece. This time around, we’re gonna explore the GMT watch.

If you have any questions or comments, do leave them below. And even if you don’t, do consider buying me a coffee. Researching for stories like this is hard work. And caffeine helps to keep me going for when the times get tough… Believe me, the times do get tough…