Updated on April 19, 2024

A freediving watch is a necessary piece of equipment for any serious freediver, just as a computer is to a scuba diver. The best freediving watch will help keep you safe by taking the guess work out of diving while helping you improve performance.

Dive watches can track your dive time as well as surface intervals, so you can avoid the illnesses associated with diving. Others can also you assist you in your training. The most basic models track your times and depths while the more advanced versions include compass navigation, wireless air integration for scuba diving and other features to plan and track your dive.

Here at The Adventure Junkies, we want to help you make the most of your freediving. That’s why we’ve created this guide to finding the best freediving watch to help you spend less time on research and more time in the water.

For more of our top freediving gear recommendations, check out the Best Freediving Fins.

 

QUICK ANSWER – THE BEST FREEDIVING WATCH

1. SUUNTO D9TX 

2. TUSA IQ1204 

3. TUSA ZEN AIR

4. SUUNTO D6I

5. SHERWOOD AMPHOS 

6. OCEANIC F10 

7. MARES SMART APNEA 

8. TUSA TALIS

9. OCEANIC GEO 2.0

10. MARES SMART

 

 

 

COMPARISON TABLE – THE BEST FREEDIVING WATCHES

PICTURE
FREEDIVING WATCH
BEST FOR
DEPTH
MEMORY
PRICE
RATING
Suunto D9tx
Overall
399 ft
80 hours
$$$
5.0
Tusa IQ1204
Overall
330 ft
30 dives
$$
4.8
Tusa Zen Air
Scuba + Free
330 ft
24 dives
$$
4.7
Suunto D6i
Scuba + Free
328 ft
80 hours
$$$
4.6
Sherwood Amphos
Scuba + Free
330 ft
24 dives
$$$
4.6
Oceanic F10
Breath Hold Training
399 ft
99 dives
$$
4.7
Mares Smart Apnea
Breath Hold Training
492 ft
99 dives
$
4.6
Tusa Talis
Budget
120 ft
24 dives
$
4.8
Oceanic Geo 2.0
Budget
330 ft
99 dives
$
4.8
Mares Smart
Budget
492 ft
36 hours
$
4.7
PICTURE
FREEDIVING WATCH
BEST FOR
DEPTH
MEMORY
PRICE
RATING

 

 

 

FREEDIVING WATCH REVIEWS

SUUNTO D9TX

Check out the latest price on:

Amazon

BEST FOR: Advanced freedivers who also are technical and/or commercial divers

MODES: Air, Trimix, Free Dive, Gauge and Watch

MEMORY: 80 hours

BATTERY: Cr2450 Lithium Battery

PROS: Outstanding quality, durable, offers trimix, titanium housing, electronic 3D compass for better navigation

CONS: Very expensive, more scuba diving related functions than freediving

 

 

 

TUSA IQ1204

Check out the latest price on:

Amazon

BEST FOR: Environmentally-friendly divers

MODES: Air, Nitrox, Gauge and Free

MEMORY: 30 dives

BATTERY: Solar Power Rechargeable

PROS: Solar power battery, eliminating the need to replace the battery, calculates surface intervals for freediving

CONS: Use as a regular watch can wear down the battery, so the solar power may get frustrating if worn continuously

 

 

 

TUSA ZEN AIR

Check out the latest price on:

Amazon

BEST FOR: Scuba and Freediving

MODES: Air, Nitrox, Gauge, Free Dive and Watch

MEMORY: 24 dives

BATTERY: Computer: CR2450 Lithium Battery, Transmitter: 3 Volt CR2 Lithium Cell

PROS: Advanced design, air integration for scuba

CONS: Not as much memory as other watches

 

 

 

SUUNTO D6I

Check out the latest price on:

Amazon

BEST FOR: Breath hold training, serious divers

MODES: Air, Nitrox, Free Dive, Gauge and Watch

MEMORY: 80 hours

BATTERY: Cr2450 Lithium Battery

PROS: Wireless air integration, stylish watch

CONS: Can be a bit conservative, locks onto freedive mode for 24 hours

 

 

 

SHERWOOD AMPHOS

Check out the latest price on:

Amazon

BEST FOR: Serious scuba divers wanting freediving modes

MODES: Air, Nitrox, Gauge, Freedive and Watch

MEMORY: 24 dives

BATTERY: User Replaceable CR2430 Lithium Battery

PROS: Air integrated for scuba diving, eliminating pressure gauge and hose

CONS: Pricey

 

 

 

 

OCEANIC F10

Check out the latest price on:

Amazon

BEST FOR: Interval training

MODES: Freediving and Watch

MEMORY: 99 dives

BATTERY: User Replaceable 3 volt CR2430 Lithium battery with expected battery life of 300 hours

PROS: Clear markings, repetitive depth alarms ideal for training

CONS: Not a good choice if you want to use it for scuba diving

 

 

 

MARES SMART APNEA

Check out the latest price on:

Amazon

BEST FOR: Freediving only

MODES: Freediving

MEMORY: 9 dive sessions (up to 99 dives)

BATTERY: Lithium battery with 200 hours

PROS: Hydration alarms, alarms to measure speed of ascent and descent, practical, data can be downloaded to PC or Mac

CONS: No frills, basic freediving measures only

 

 

 

TUSA TALIS

Check out the latest price on:

Amazon

BEST FOR: Freedivers wanting a stylish watch outside of the water

MODES: Air, Nitrox, Gauge, Free Diving and Watch

MEMORY: 24 dives

BATTERY: User-Replaceable, CR2430, 3V Lithium

PROS: Nice style white option to come in white, comfortable, gas switching computer for up to two gasses for scuba and nitro diving

CONS: Not much memory for logging dives over a longer period of time

 

 

 

OCEANIC GEO 2.0

Check out the latest price on:

Amazon

BEST FOR: Advanced divers, nitrox divers

MODES: Watch, Air, Nitrox, Gauge and Free

MEMORY: 24 dives or 99 free dives

BATTERY: CR2430 lithium battery that can provide up to 300-dive hours

PROS: Oceanic online class available to learn how to use it as well as simulator training, stylish and durable

CONS: Can be a bit technical learning how it works

 

 

 

MARES SMART

Check out the latest price on:

Amazon

BEST FOR: Freedivers wanting a stylish watch outside of the water

MODES: Air, Nitrox and Free-Dive

MEMORY: 36 hours

BATTERY: User Replaceable CR2430 Lithium Battery

PROS: Ergonomic design, dual time zones, alarms, and calendar in watch mode, colour choices

CONS: Locks into free dive mode for 24 hours as safety precaution – good concept but there’s no manual override, watch straps not long enough to fit over wetsuit

 

 

 

HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST FREEDIVING WATCH

1. AUDIBLE ALARMS

Like a stopwatch, an audible alarm is essential not only for training but also for safety. You can set surface interval alarms and dive depths alarms to hear both on land and underwater.

Some watches also allow you to set alarms for other aspects such as speed, breath hold training and hydration reminders. Depth alarms are especially important when freediving in murky waters where it’s not as easy to determine depth.

 

2. OPERATING MODES

Some freediving watches are solely for freediving or spearfishing, but most now incorporate other operating modes to cater to scuba diving. Common modes on many free dive watches include air, nitrox, gauge and of course, freediving.

Your choice will depend on what kind of diving you are most likely to do. If you are a regular scuba diver and don’t want to pay for two watches, choose a model which offers both modes.

 

3. OPERATIONAL DEPTH

The operational depth is how deep you can take your watch down and find it still functioning. Most dive watches have depths of at least 330 ft (100m). Some may go beyond this, which may be especially important if you do a lot of technical diving as well as freediving.

 

4. DIVE LOGS

This is how many dives you can log and store on your computer at a time. If you want to be able to track your progress and dives over a longer period of time, then you might want to opt for a watch which allows more than 24 dive sessions to be logged.

 

5. CLEAR MARKINGS

When you look down at a watch, can you see the markings clearly? For some people, bigger is better compared with a compact design which is hard to read. You need to be able to easily glance down at your watch and see what the readings are without straining your eyes or thinking too hard. Each to their own, but this should be an important consideration when choosing a watch.

 

READ MORE

For more of our top scuba diving gear recommendations, check out these popular buyer's guides:

Dive Computers

Scuba Diving Masks

Scuba Regulators

Scuba BCDs

Scuba Diving Fins

Wetsuits for Diving

Dive Watches