Swatch’s Incredibly Affordable Dive Watch Gets a Sneaky Upgrade with Hidden Utility

With a design inspired by ocean-going jellyfish, this bioceramic beauty hides a highly useful technical feature you’d never expect.

Close-up of a watch bezel showing the number 50 and a white crown with an embossed "S" on a black and white case.

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By Sean Tirman

Published April 23, 2026

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Updated April 24, 2026

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The Swatch Group has a lot of big names under its umbrella, including fan-favorites like Omega, Hamilton, Longines, Blancpain and many more. But its own watches are also often newsworthy.

Such was the case with the famed MoonSwatch (and all its iterations) and the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms reinterpretation.

While it would definitely be too bold to put the Swatch Scubaqua Collection on the same playing field as those two, this new summer-ready launch does have quite a bit to offer for an incredibly low price, including a sneaky feature that ups its utility and convenience a ton.

Blue and white Swatch wristwatch partially submerged in water with a gradient blue and pink background. — The four new Squbaqua watches were inspired by jellyfish in their design.

Spongebob-approved

While the Scubaqua isn’t an entirely new model, there are four new editions of the watch. Inspired by jellyfish, all four have unique, vibrant colorways inspired by specific subspecies of the seafaring oddities.

There’s the navy blue Sea Wasp, teal Medusae, orange Pacific Sea Nettle and purple Flower hat, all of which give warm-weather vibes. But that’s not the only summery element; the silicone straps also have white striping on them reminiscent of beach towels or umbrellas.

Turquoise Swatch wristwatch with white numerals and markers on a reflective surface with gradient background. — The Sea Wasp and Medusae (above) colorways also both offer contactless payment, a handy, convenient tech upgrade.

What’s perhaps even more interesting, however, is their construction. The opaque pieces of the watch case are crafted from bioceramic, the same material that Swatch pioneered on its Moonswatch. And the translucent elements (again, inspired by jellyfish) are made from a castor-oil-based bioresin.

The watches also have rotating dive timer bezels, minimalist dial markings (with glow-in-the-dark highlights) and biosourced crystals. All that said, the watches are only good to 100 meters, so they’re not exactly “true” divers. Still, two of them offer additional utility that helps offset that performance issue.

The case is made from a combination of bioceramic and translucent castor-oil-based material.

Swatch

Sneaky utility

The four new versions of the Scubaqua dive watch have most of the same factors and features in common, at least beyond their colorways. However, there are two with a slight advantage over the other two.

The Medusae (teal) and Sea Wasp (navy) both come equipped with Swatch Pay. This contactless technology allows wearers to make purchases without ever taking their wallet or phone out of their pocket, making them far more convenient and utilitarian.

Orange translucent Swatch wristwatch with white and orange striped band floating underwater near orange jellyfish. — The matching, integrated strap is made from comfortable, durable silicone.

And the best part is that the upgrade costs nothing. Those two watches with the contactless payment tech have the same MSRP of $155 as their siblings.

It’s also worth noting that all four, like the Scubaqua watches that came before them, have a Swiss quartz movement that’s reliable and accurate while remaining remarkably affordable, as mentioned.

Four colorful Swatch wristwatches in green, orange, blue, and purple with striped bands floating against a blue abstract background. — While perhaps not suitable for real diving, these watches are undeniably summery and beach-weather-ready.

Availability and pricing

The new Swatch Scubaqua watches are now available on the brand’s site for $155 apiece.

Blue and white Swatch Swiss wristwatch with a textured dial and bold white hour markers.

Swatch Scubaqua

Specs

Case Size	44mm
Movement	Quartz
Water Resistance	100m

$155 at Swatch

About the Author: Sean Tirman is an associate editor at Gear Patrol who specializes in EDC, cannabis and outdoor gear.

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