If you’re contemplating treating your wrist to a seasonal makeover in the form of a colourful new timepiece, look no further – we’ve done the window-shopping for you.
Summer’s supposed to be fun, right? So is there another watch brand more likely to get us into that carefree mood than Swatch, whose wild and wacky dials and case colours have been making us smile since 1983? We don’t think so. In fact, to mark the onset of the hot weather, Swatch has dropped six new additions to its Neon collection, all of which make playful reference to the original Neo Wave Chronos and Jelly watches of the 1990s. Pictured here are four of them – from left to right, they’re the 41mm Neon Rider, 47mm Neon Jelly, 42mm Neon Wave and 42mm Neon Flash Arrow – and if you’re totally bamboozled as to which is likely to look best on your wrist, fret not. They’re cheap as chips, so why not splash out and buy the lot?
Founded in 1990 only months after the fall of the Berlin wall, the upstart Nomos brand has since grown to become the biggest watch manufacturer in the little Saxon town of Glashütte, the home of Germany’s horological industry. In its own lighthearted way, Nomos is celebrating 175 years of watchmaking in the area by dressing up its Tangente 38 Date model with so many dial-colour options you get dizzy just looking at them – and conveniently they’ve arrived just in time for summer. The one shown here is called “Poporange”, but among the many other typically offbeat choices you can also have “Flamingopink”, “Super Sardine”, “Bubblegum” and “Rambazama”. Whichever you decide on, the Tangent 38 Date features the brand’s signature Bauhaus-inspired design codes and comes with an in-house manually wound calibre that provides 42 hours of juice. In an industry that often takes itself way too seriously, Nomos’s mix of tradition and irreverence is unusual; we love it – and so should you.
A stalwart in the Oris line-up, the Divers 65 has long represented outstanding value, though its retro-style credentials have been somewhat undermined by the unremarkable Sellita-based movement nestling within its case. Now that buyers have the option of specifying Oris’s excellent twin-barrel manufacture Calibre 400, however, which when fully wound provides a power reserve of up to five whole days, the Diver is an entirely different proposition – and the fact it’s recently become available in this 38mm case size with a gorgeous gradient-green dial and sandblasted steel rotating bezel makes it one of the most attractive sports watches you can snap on to your wrist this summer. And yes, even with its superb in-house movement it still represents extraordinary value for money.
You’d have to agree that being the granddaddy of all wristwatches and the first-ever pilot’s watch are serious achievements, which is why the Cartier Santos holds a special place in the horological pantheon. Moreover, Cartier is evidently as much in love with its creation as the rest of us, because at this year’s Watches & Wonders show it presented four new variations on the theme, including a trio of large-size (43.5×31.5mm) Santos-Dumonts with lacquer dials in taupe grey, olive green and – shown here – peacock blue. Although the green model, which comes in a platinum case, is limited to 200 pieces, the other two in steel and gold are in regular production – and we reckon you’d have to look very hard indeed to find a more stunning timepiece this summer than this ultra-elegant Santos in blue and pink gold.
Breitling has given its Superocean diver a colourful summer twist with the recent unveiling of five rainbow-dial editions whose Super-Luminova hands and indexes glow in a multitude of hues. Four models come in a 42mm steel case with black-and-white dial and a rubber strap in turquoise, aquamarine, orange or
yellow, while a fifth ladies’ version comes in a 36mm red-gold case with dial, bezel insert and strap in white. The novelties are rounded off by a sixth version in a 44mm steel case with turquoise dial and strap. All sizes are powered by the self-winding Calibre 17, which provides a reserve of 38 hours.
TAG Heuer resuscitated its Carrera Skipper chronograph in 2023 via a 39mm steel version with “glassbox” crystal. This year it’s taken the makeover of the classic yachting chrono an extravagant step further by offering it with the option of 5N rose-gold for the case and dial furniture – and boy (or should that be buoy?), does it look fabulous. While the combination of blue and pink, along with green, orange and, on the countdown indicator, teal constitutes a visual feast, TAG Heuer has ensured the Skipper’s competition credentials by adapting its TH20-06 movement specially for timing regatta events, while the blue fabric strap is an equally authentic touch. We all want to head out on to the water this summer, and with this Skipper strapped on your wrist you’ll be the best-dressed matelot in the crew.
Hot on the heels of announcing a new partnership with the Inter Miami CF soccer team, Tudor revealed this Black Bay Chrono with dial resplendent in the team’s summery home-strip hue – though to our eyes it looks more lavender than pink. No matter the discrepancy or the colour’s somewhat feminine connotations, the watch has been selling like hot cakes – and, as it comes in the Black Bay’s decidedly chunky 41mm steel case, we’re assuming most buyers are male. The attraction is obvious: unusual dial colour aside, the Black Bay Chrono Pink is likely to be a single-production-run wonder, so unless you snap one up now you may as well forget it. Plus, as everyone knows, the Black Bay is one of the best value propositions in the luxury watch business, so what’s not to love and covet about this distinctive and desirable timepiece, which is also a byword for accuracy?
Longines’ Conquest celebrated its platinum anniversary this year and as if to celebrate that milestone the Swatch Group brand launched a clutch of 34mm ladies’ models of the long-serving sports watch with sunray dials in a variety of summertime hues. Our choice? This two-tone steel-and-pink-gold version with sunray pink dial and a matching rubber strap, which looks equally at home poolside or in some grand summer soirée. Nor is it a merely a pretty face: beating within is Longines’ L888 automatic calibre, which oscillates at 4Hz for a weekend-proof 72 hours of power. Visible through a display caseback, the movement also features Côtes de Genève decoration on the oscillating weight and perlage on the bridges.
One of our favourite timepieces, the sensuous and elegant simplicity of H Moser’s Streamliner Centre Seconds has taken our breath away ever since we first clapped eyes on it a few years back. But we think the two time-only versions unveiled at the recent Watches & Wonders show are even more beguiling. Take your pink from either the re-launched “Green Dragon” or, as shown here, the new “Purple Haze”, which looks so tasty you almost want to swallow it. Of course we wouldn’t do that; we’d strap that sinuous integrated bracelet around our wrist and lose ourselves in the ever-changing hues of that sunburst fumé dial, for hours and even days on end. And then come to our senses sometime in September, wondering whatever happened to the summer.
Read more: Should you invest when buying a watch? Two collectors sound off.
Managing Editor, Hong Kong
A Hong Kong resident for more than 30 years, Jon has worked on publications devoted to culture, travel and lifestyle, as well as a short stint in daily newspapers, since the late ‘70s. He loves travel, ..Read More
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