As July comes to a close, remember to break out those dive watches and get ‘em wet; to switch out those heavy leather straps for breathable perlons and colorful NATOs; to throw on those all-white G-SHOCKS and lightweight, colorful, plastic-cased watches. That’s right — summer won’t last much longer, which is all the more reason to celebrate the hot weather, beachside vacations and carefree attitude that visit us during the brief time when this rock hurdles closest to the Sun. July was full of high notes, with affordable travel watches, vintage-inspired dress watches, NASA-themed digital watches and even bright yellow ceramic watches with skeletonized movements. (Really, we swear!) So get crackin’ and enjoy the rest of summer — and summer watches — while you can. Fall will be here in no time, and with it, a new crop of leather-clad, heavy-duty wristwear to be excited about.
Monta Noble Voyager
American mircobrand Monta makes some of the best value-for-money tool watches in the sub-$3,000 space. The brand’s new Noble Voyager, based on its time-only Noble design from 2020, adds a handy “caller” GMT function with an independently adjustable local hour hand courtesy of the automatic Monta Caliber M-23 (Sellita SW330-2). Offered in handsome blue or green degredé dials and paired to a matching, stainless steel multi-link bracelet, it provides killer travel-watch value at just $2,150.
Diameter: 38.5mm
Movement: Monta Caliber M-23 automatic
Water Resistance: 150m
Furlan Marri Disco Volante
The flying saucer-inspired “disco volante” watches from the likes of Audemars Piguet (among others) have been gaining traction over the past few years — so much so that microbrand darling Furlan Marri has introduced its own modern version. The company’s Disco Volante, currently available in three colorways, hews close to the original’s conceit by offering a thin case powered by the Peseux 7001 hand-wound movement. However, its colorful dials give pops of color never seen on the vintage, midcentury originals from A.P. and others.
Diameter: 38mm
Movement: Peseux 7001 hand-wound
Water Resistance: 50m
Rado True Square Automatic Skeleton
Generally, timepieces made of ceramic — if made well — are significantly more expensive than their steel counterparts. Not so in the case of Rado, a Swatch Group brand that has long specialized in the material. The latest True Square Automatic Skeleton in arresting yellow measures a perfect 38mm across and features an integrated yellow strap. Its skeletonized R808 automatic movement, meanwhile, is visible via the dial and provides an impressive 80 hours of power reserve. Lightweight and striking, it’s an excellent summer watch for the design set.
Diameter: 38mm
Movement: Rado R808 automatic
Water Resistance: 50m
Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Quantième Complet Full Gold
Blancpain’s Fifty Fathoms was one of the world’s first dive watches. Now, the diverse collection features a solid red gold complete calendar with moonphase with a matching bracelet. Pretty fancy — and pretty cool! While the dark blue gradient dial and matching bezel insert maintain a maritime theme, the precious metal case and bracelet offer a level of luxury and refinement not often found in the dive watch space. (The bracelet, with its transverse pins and sophisticated finishing, is particularly difficult to produce.)
Diameter: 43mm
Movement: Blancpain Calibre 6654P automatic
Water Resistance: 300m
Bremont Broadsword Recon Bronze Limited Edition
Modeled on the famed “Dirty Dozen” watches of the Second World War, the Broadsword Recon Bronze Limited Edition — available in a run of just 100 pieces — is constructed from bronze, which will give each example a unique patina over time. With a chronometer-certified automatic movement ticking away inside and a handsome, matte-black sandwich dial with vintage-colored SuperLumiNova, its caseback pays tribute to His Majesty’s Armed Forces by featuring the heraldic badges of all three Ministry of Defense service branches.
Diameter: 40mm
Movement: Bremont BE-95-2AV automatic
Water Resistance: 100m
The Best Watches of the Past Month
The month was defined by high-end pieces from brands both big and small
Doxa SUB 300T Sharkhunter Clive Cussler
Clive Cussler’s Dirk Pitt, fictional explorer and adventurer, famously wore a Doxa dive watch. The new Doxa SUB 300T Sharkhunter Clive Cussler celebrates the late American fiction writer with a limited-edition version in the brand’s famous black-dialed “Sharkhunter” configuration. Fashioned from stainless steel and given a unique patina, it features the SUB 300T’s beloved no-decompression dive bezel as well as a special compass rose dial — a nod to the adventurous spirit of Cussler and his hero. Paired to a matching bracelet, it’s limited to 93 pieces.
Diameter: 42.5mm
Movement: ETA 2824-2 automatic
Water Resistance: 300m
Omega Paris 2024 Bronze Gold Edition
Created in celebration of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris — timed, of course, by Omega — the new Paris 2024 Bronze Gold Edition is based on a stunning watch from 1939 powered by the brand’s 30T2 hand-wound movement. Like its inspiration, the modern iteration is mechanically driven, though it’s been upsized to 39mm and is constructed not from steel or gold, but from Bronze Gold. Its silver dial, meanwhile, features a stunning clous de Paris texture paired with a circular-brushed minute track. Who could resist such a beautiful object?
Diameter: 39mm
Movement: Omega Calibre 8926 hand-wound
Water Resistance: 30m
G-SHOCK 6900 Series GW6900NASA241
The fifth installation of Casio’s partnership with NASA, the ref. GW6900NASA241 is largely the 6900-series G-SHOCK we all know and love, but with subtle NASA branding. (In addition to the “NASA” logo above the digital readout, the watch also features the mathematical equations for gravity and impact on its steel caseback.) Of course, it comes with all the “usual refinements,” including a wide complement of alarms, timers, world timers and 200m of water resistance.
Diameter: 50mm
Movement: Quartz
Water Resistance: 200m
Shinola Mooncraft Monster Apollo 11 Edition
Shinola’s first manually-wound chronograph celebrates Detroit’s contributions to the space race. Clocking in at 43mm, this robust (but lightweight) titanium chronograph is full of colorful touches: The matte blue dial has welcome pops of red and white in the form of applied indices, a triple-register chronograph readout, a sword handset and a white-and-red 60-minute track. Powered by the hand-wound Sellita SW510 M b movement and paired to a matching titanium multi-link bracelet, it features an exhibition caseback to show off its inner workings.
Diameter: 43mm
Movement: Sellita SW510 M b hand-wound
Water Resistance: 100m
Astor & Banks Sea Ranger M2
A sequel to the handsome Astor & Banks Sea Ranger, the M2 is a compressor-style, dual-crown diver with distinct Sherpa Ultradive vibes. Retailing for an introductory price of just $1,195, it’s packed with cool features: A 40mm “compressor” case features dual crowns on the right-hand case flank, while an internal 12-hour bezel allows for easy tracking of a second time zone. Meanwhile, the automatic G100 movement has been given a custom color-matched date wheel, which creates a seamless dial design. A matching bracelet seals the deal.
Diameter: 40mm
Movement: La Joux-Perret G100 automatic
Water Resistance: 300m
Navy SEAL Foundation 3250 “Back To The Blue”
The newest addition to Luminox’s Navy SEAL collection celebrates the aquatic origins of the U.S. military’s foremost naval special operations unit. The 45mm black case is actually stainless steel with an IP coating, while the matching black dial features gold-colored accents matched to a unidirectional dive bezel in the same color scheme. Powered by a hardy quartz movement, it features the brand’s signature Luminox Light Technology and 200m of water resistance.
Diameter: 45mm
Movement: Ronda 715 quartz movement
Water Resistance: 200m
Tudor Black Bay Ceramic Blue
In celebration of its partnership with the Visa Cash App RB Formula One team, Tudor has released a new edition of its Black Bay Ceramic dive watch with a cool blue dial. Housed in a 41mm black ceramic case, it offers 70 hours of power reserve via the Tudor Manufacture Calibre MT5602-1U, a METAS-certified automatic movement with a silicon hairspring. Paired to a hybrid black leather and rubber strap with blue top stitching, it’s a smart, highly legible addition to the Black Bay line.
Diameter: 41mm
Movement: Tudor Manufacture Calibre MT5602-1U (COSC) automatic
Water Resistance: 200m
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