10 Watches for Summer
I recently received the summer number of The Print Edition, an analog newspaper from two writers I’ve followed for over 15 years (David Coggins and Michael Williams). I was delighted to find an article about watches for summer with this lovely quote: “Summer, properly enjoyed, is not a season for babying watches. It’s a season for one real watch, no occasion required. That’s the field watch.”
My mind immediately turned to what my own list would include. I started mentally flipping through great field watches, but within moments, stopped short. I love The Print Edition’s premise and list, but I disagree with the selection of a field watch as the prime choice for summer.
Summer, with all its water beckoning, is undoubtedly the season for the dive watch.
Summer, with all its water beckoning, is undoubtedly the season for the dive watch.
The freedom of summer is that you never know where the day will take you. You want a watch you can wear at your desk all day but don’t have to change when you head for the pool to float your day job away.
If you’re hiking or camping, you want a watch that can stand up to an impulsive dip in the creek or a refreshing shower under a waterfall. You might be enjoying the casinos in Atlantic City when your group decides it’s time to head for the beach and enjoy the surf. In any of these scenarios, the dive watch is the perfect choice.
A dive watch also offers three features that are indispensable on a summer day:
a timing bezel, water-resistant peace of mind, and lume.
The timing bezel is an unexpectedly useful sidekick. Just imagine all the wonderfully unglamorous summer uses: timing burgers on the grill, parking meters, 30 minutes in the hammock before you have to go somewhere, sunscreen reapplication, how long you’ve been floating in the pool while pretending your email does not exist.
The water resistance is the most important part. The dive watch is ready to handle anything.
Pool? Fine. Summer thunderstorm? Fine. Lake? Fine. Sweat? Fine. Unexpected vacation nonsense? Fine. Melted drips from frozen summer treats? Fine.
Lastly, lume. What is as lovely as a long summer day that turns into a balmy summer night? Sunscreen becomes as unnecessary as the warmth from a fire on the beach. Lume lets you check the time while you lie on your back next to your friends watching the Perseids on a warm August night.
I’m featuring some options you might not see everywhere else. Several of these I own and enjoy myself every summer. Others are included for their positive reviews, legacy, or design features. Together these provide a range of options that will suit folks looking for everything from sporty to dressy, classic to pop culture.
Criteria for inclusion:
All cost less than $800 — half less than $400.
Most are less than 40mm — butches don’t measure quality by size.
All have at least a 200m water-resistance rating — perfect for swimming.
I have the “Atlantic” version of this handsome watch and I always refer to it as my “pretty boi adventure watch.” This is the one I take when I travel. It’s beautiful, yes. But the features I appreciate most are the water resistance (250m) and the bracelet. The clasp has a micro-adjustment built in, so when I get overheated and my wrist swells up, I can loosen it in seconds. It also has quick-release spring bars, which make it easy to swap a tropic rubber strap on for beach days.
Momentum Sea Quartz 30 Eclipse
The first thing that put this on my radar was the original 1980s TV show Magnum, P.I. with Tom Selleck. For the first three years of the show, this watch was the one he wore on every episode. Personally, I think this watch matches his character’s personality and circumstances better than the Pepsi Rolex they later gave his character. The Sea Quartz is rugged and the original was a technological pioneer as one of the world’s first analog quartz diver’s watches in 1977. I find myself grabbing this every time I don’t feel like taking a moment to set one of my automatic divers. It’s a solar-powered quartz so the time is always set. That little pop of orange from the minute hand puts a smile on my face and I like knowing the summer sun is recharging its little battery.
I’ve always liked the bright “Pepsi” colors on this watch better than the social media sensation of the Rolex Pepsi. The blue here is brighter, and for a watch to wear in the water, a diver makes more sense to me than something originally designed for pilots. (Call me crazy, but I have a hard time imagining a scenario where a pilot should need water resistance.) Anyway, the unique case shape of the Seiko Turtle is so comfortable on my wrist, it gives lie to the case measurements. PADI is the world’s leading scuba diving training organization, and that “DIVER’S” text on this dial actually means something important. Belmont Watches put it nicely: “ISO 6425 is a legit benchmark. It separates watches that look like divers from watches that are built like divers.” This watch is built for the water and those bright colors look like summer to me.
I love the history of Bulova as a brand. The star of the show for this particular watch has nothing to do with history — it’s that screaming orange dial. The first time I learned about orange-dial watches was reading an old Clive Cussler novel. When I went searching for one, I found the Doxa his characters wore, but I also found this Devil Diver. Those little round indices and stubby hands took my breath away. I love the rounded case shape, the lollipop seconds hand, and the crosshairs on the dial. And the lume! Lordy, this watch will glow in the dark.
Not every summer watch has to announce its presence with a bright dial. I like the cut of the case and the stark contrast of the hands. The subtle texture on the creamy dial makes me crave a vanilla soft-serve twist in a cone. The lume will compete with those shooting stars for brightness.
Classic dial with a modern twist from the black case. The texture of the dial makes me think of the face of the moon. This is the stealth move with the blacked-out dial, case, and strap. Don’t let that fool you, though — Nezumi nails the details from top to bottom, which makes this a watch that rewards slowing down for a closer inspection.
Let’s start with that sunny yellow dial. It would be like having sunshine on your wrist. That big minute hand always makes me think of a fiddler crab. When you look closer, you can see the indices are each raised little peninsulas. Now your eyes move outward and you notice the case is an octagon. I love Spinnaker choosing stainless steel for its bracelets in a world starry-eyed over titanium. There is something grounding about a hefty, chunky watch pulling your wrist earthward. All of Spinnaker’s core designs are inspired by the ocean, and I love that intention, especially in the long hours of a summer day.
Swiss quartz with classic diver styling for under $250? C’mon. This one has some dazzle from the bright blue dial, but it’s the design choices that make it timeless. Mercedes hour hand. Perfect round indices (my favorite on a diver). Rugged oyster-style bracelet. This is classic, classic, classic.
Vaer D5 Tropic Auto — 39mm USA
Black and white, yes, but anything but boring. This dial makes me think of a roulette wheel with that hot little pop of red for the date window. Vaer watches are super solid, but what I love is their dedication to assembling these in America. That’s not a design choice, it’s a principle. Hand shape is often the thing that either sells a watch for me or makes me move on. I love that the hour hand is a little exaggerated here. That outer band of cream color and the lollipop seconds hand are chef’s kiss finishing touches. This would look good on almost any NATO-style strap, but I love this on the bracelet too. It’s not loud, but it’s anything but boring.
Dan Henry 1970 Automatic Diver
Dan Henry watches are inspired by history but made for normal folks like you and me. This one is a compression-style diver. That means the timing bezel is underneath the glass and you control it with the top crown. I love the colors that echo the sea and that pop of bright orange from the seconds hand. Let’s talk about something we haven’t addressed until now — the caseback. DH watches do a superb job of integrating the story of each watch by adding something to the caseback. This one? A freaking octopus wearing a dive helmet! Playful features like that feel like easter eggs for the wearer and I just eat them up. This watch doesn’t seem like it’s made for the water so much as it seems like it is of the water.
Time is all we have.
