When the weather gets warmer, it presents a most-welcome opportunity to change things up: A decidedly more positive mental attitude, an increase in our outdoor activities and socializing, and a chance to sport some more exciting (and revealing) fashions are just a few of summertime’s upsides after the winter’s doldrums.
Why not get into a little updated wrist flair? Sure, technicalities like water resistance, sand-fighting toughness, and water-ready functions can play a part in making the decision on what you wear this summer. But light weight materials, popping color, and an overall feeling of appropriate wristwatch joyfulness are just as important.
Here is a top-ten list of summer watches that will provide statement-making wrists companions this season, whether summer fun for you means by the shore, on the deck, or in the waves.
NOMOS GLASHÜTTE CLUB neomatik WORLDTIMER GLACIER
The overall zeitgeist of the timepieces from German watchmaker NOMOS grows from a restrained minimalism inspired by Bauhaus design ethics; the result is simplified artfulness. However, lately the brand has been applying some decidedly unrestrained, but still artful, use of color to their dials. This Club neomatik Worldtimer Glacier not only brings the convenience of flexible global time-telling (a complication perfect for the summer travel, BTW) to the Club neomatik line’s 40mm stainless steel mix, but the soothing beige, pale blue, and red colors are as relaxing as fruity cocktail.
The world cities are presented along the outer dial ring in beige, the “home time” is presented in an attention-drawing red subdial at 3 o’clock, while the NOMOS-signature small seconds indicator at 6 o’clock blends into the dial’s primary light blue hue. Powered by a new DUW 3202 movement with 42 hours of power reserve, this colorful option is also water resistant to about 40 feet.
Price: Limited to 175 pieces, $4,720
DOXA SUB 250T GMT SHARKHUNTER VINTAGE
I mean, it’s got the word “shark” right in the model name, right? But pro and leisure divers alike swear by DOXA dive watches for their historical association with Jacques Cousteau (the whole Calypso crew wore DOXAs back in the day) and their enduring diving authenticity (one signature feature is a distinctive thin, textured outer dive bezel that is perfect for diving-gloved hand adjustment). If you know DOXA, you know.
The vintage brown dial color, oblong 40mm steel case shape, and silky “grains of rice” steel bracelet of this SUB 250T add the touch of heritage appeal referenced in the model name, and uniquely, a second-time-zone GMT function is thrown in for good measure. However, the movement’s 50-hour power reserve and the watch’s 250 meters of water resistance (that’s deeper than most people will ever dive) are fully modern, and pro-quality serious.
Price: $2,490
FAVRE LEUBA DEEP BLUE RENAISSANCE
A dive watch legend introduced some 61 years ago, this modern 40mm steel Favre Leuba Deep Blue Renaissance, especially in this all-blue on a steel bracelet rendition, is an object lesson to tell the tale of this legacy brand. Founded in 1737, one of the oldest Swiss watchmakers struggled through later centuries and decades before being revivified last year by watch industry veteran Patrik Hoffman.
With 300 meters of water resistance, a knurled unidirectional ceramic bezel, double-layered dial construction, minimal chapter ring gauging, and a small circular date aperture tucked out of the way between 4 and 5 o’clock (the date isn’t important when you are underwater, right?), it is the very epitome of a thoroughly modern dive watch, albeit from a very storied heritage brand.
Price: $2,550
GIRARD-PERREGAUX DEEP DIVER LEGACY EDITION
This new Deep Diver represents the third collaboration between the esteemed Swiss watchmaker and the upstart British design firm Bamford Watch Department. Bamford does not make watches, per se, but lends it artful design eye to create eye-grabbing versions of timepieces for other makers. As such, Bamford-touched models are always visually compelling and much sought after by collectors. This revived ode to Girard-Perregaux’s fabled Deep Diver dive watch, first released in 1957, is a perfect target for the studio’s subtle but special attention.
On the Bamford side, the original design of the vintage 1969-era Deep Diver is both honored, and embellished: The deeply recessed chapter ring carries bolder, but still era-consistent, index font; the distinctive 14-sided bezel is more sharply angled; and the 40.3 by 38mm cushion case is now rendered in titanium. All with a bold orangr, blue, and clean white color way inspired by the original. For G-P’s part, a modern 46-hour power reserve GP03300-2476 movement is used, and authentic diving details, like an inner bezel crown at 2 o’clock and a screw-down main crown at 4 o’clock adorn this dive watch, which can descend to 200 meters in this modern interpretation. On either of the provided orange or blue rubber straps, the Deep Diver Legacy Edition screams forward-looking vintage meets edgy new.
Price: Limited to 350 pieces, $17,300
BREITLING TOP TIME CHRONOGRAPH B01 FAUSTO COPPI
While this new Top Time Chronograph is inspired but yet another summer activity—cycling— its turquoise-and-white color way would be perfectly at-home on the sun parasol covering of a Portofino seaside cafe.
Honoring early 20th Century cicilismo legend Fausto Coppi, this 41mm steel watch is powered by the legendary Breitling B01 automatic chronograph caliber with a whopping 70-hour power reserve. Rounded bicompax chronograph totalizers at 3 and 9 o’clock tally elapsed timings with .25 second precision, but the technicality is stylishly off-set with a gleaming perforated calfskin leather strap in color-matched turquoise. While not technically a proper dive chronograph, the timepiece is rated to about 328 feet of water resistance, so Bagnarsi!
Price: $7,700
TITONI SEASCOPER 300 DLC ICE BLUE
A remarkably icy blue dial popping off an all-black construction makes for a bold summer statement, to be sure. While this 42mm black DLC steel watch from Swiss maker Titoni is inspired by the exploits of champion speed climber Nicolas Hojac, it is just as impressive as a chic pool-side companion as when it’s hanging off a rock cliff wall 1,000 meters up or so.
The tough DLC-coated steel case and ceramic bezel were designed to stand up to the pressures of extreme winter climbing, so this Seascoper will shrug off any summer sand interference with a laugh. Powered by a tried-and-true Sellita automatic movement, picture a Hawaiian black sand beach meeting clear blue Pacific waters when you strap it on.
Price: Limited to 200 pieces, $1,950
ALPINA ALPINER EXTREME AUTOMATIC 39
In an example of rugged wintry design meeting stylish summer wearability, Swiss watchmaker Alpina’s Alpiner Extreme line is built to withstand the rigors of mountain adventures like climbing and off-piste skiing. However, with its white-grey patterned dial and first-for-the-line light weight titanium construction, the new Alpiner Extreme Automatic 39 offers a cooling, comfortable vibe for your summer wrist.
The 39 by 40.5mm cushion case with screwed-down circular bezel reads burly and rugged, and ditto on the edged H-link bracelet, but with titanium’s feathery weight, it’s an easy pleasure to wear all day at the beach. Powered with a manufacture AL-525 automatic movement, this Alpiner can both climb the tallest peaks and brave some pretty deep oceans with its 200-meter water resistance rating…and look great while doing it.
Price: $2,495
RAKETA “AMPHIBIA” 0321
While St. Petersburg, Russia, might not be the first location that comes to mind when you think of the beach scene, watchmaker Raketa’s Baltic Sea location there means the company can boast some undeniable maritime legitimacy (along with its reputation for out-of-the-box, rakish design).
This updated 41.6mm steel Amphibia, for example, with its bold orange color way, op-artsy gauged and dotted bezel, and gigantic “0” index for the 12 o’clock position breaks the rules of more traditional dive watches without veering into an overly way-out position. Expect 200 meters of water resistance, screw-down security, and abundant lume like any dive watch. But appreciate the mermaid-rotored in-house automatic movement that you can only get with a Raketa.
Price: $2,095
ORIS ACQUIS DATE “TASTE OF SUMMER”
Last summer, Holstein-based watchmaker Oris arrived with distinctly watermelon-inspired dial colors. For this season’s picnic tables, berries are now the delicious dial inspiration for its “Taste of Summer” collection. The pinky-red ripe strawberry/raspberry dial is of this 36.5mm steel watch is certainly eye-catching, especially in combination with a grey ceramic bezel. But, make no mistakes, the Oris Acquis line is also a proper dive watch line.
Checking the diver-ready boxes of a knurled, protected crown; nubbed rotating dive bezel; minimalized date window; and a serious 300 meters of water resistance, a 41-hour power reserve Caliber 733-1 automatic movement powers this delectable diver.
Price: $2,650
CHRONOSWISS RESEC SNAKE MANUFACTURE
Lucerne-based watchmaker Chronoswiss has been producing fine timepieces since 1983, but lately the house has garnered attention for expertly combining serious horology with unexpected, mind-bending inventive design DNA. To that point, this new ReSec Snake Manufacture provides a sexy bit of white-strapped, serpentine flair to any wrist. But this 42mm green-PVD titanium watch also packs beaucoup watchmaking prowess when you look past its venomous skin.
You’ll notice that the dial utilizes three, single hands. In this complicated and precise “regulator-style” layout, each component of time-keeping is tallied on its own dial surface: the red-handed seconds play out on a retrograde gauge at the bottom, a long central hand uses the dotted outer ring to tally minutes, and hours are indicated by a broad-handed sub-dial at 12 o’clock. Moreover, the dial approach is skeletonized, relying on bridges to hold the time-keeping surfaces hovering over the dial’s seductive, shimmering “snake skin.” With an exquisite manufacture Caliber C. 6005 automatic, the ReSec Snake Manufacture delivers silky, slinky style with a legitimate horological bite.
Price: Limited to 100 pieces, $17’900
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