The 11 Best Watches of the Past Month

California-based watch and jewelry retailer Bhindi worked with Zenith on its first limited-edition timepiece, a polychromatic version of the latter’s beloved Defy Skyline sports watch. Measuring 41mm in stainless steel, its bezel is set with colored sapphires in a rainbow configuration, while its skeletonized movement — which is visible via the star-shaped dial — is a modern version of the El Primero, one of the world’s first automatic chronograph movements. Only 50 have been made, all available exclusively at Bhindi.

Diameter: 41mm

Movement: Zenith El Primero Cal. 3620 SK automatic

Water Resistance: 100m

If you’re a tool watch nut, Marathon’s SAR line probably needs no introduction. This new entry in the collection celebrates the very first SAR model from the early 2000s. Issued to Canada’s Search and Rescue teams, it features a MIL-SPEC Type I dial with a cyclops date display and full luminous geometric hour markers. Unlike many other Marathon watches, it uses Maraglo lume rather than the tritium tubes for which the brand is well known.

Diameter: 41mm

Movement: Sellita SW200-1 automatic

Water Resistance: 300m

The Reverso — a dressy-looking watch whose case flips over in order to protect the dial, revealing a caseback that can be easily engraved — is perhaps the world’s most unsuspecting sports watch. Designed for polo players in India in the early ‘30s, it now comes in a new midsize model, which measures 24.4mm wide and just 7.56mm tall — very close to the original’s dimensions. It’s also powered by a manually-wound JLC movement. 

Diameter: 24.4mm

Movement: Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 822 hand-wound

Water Resistance: 30m

Norqain’s rapid ascent to the top of the independent watch world’s peaks is no surprise once you handle their excellent products, not least of which is the Independence Skeleton Flyback Chrono. After all, it’s not every day that a brand produces a lightweight, skeletonized chronograph with flyback capability and sells it for well under $10,000. Available in titanium on rubber or steel with a matching bracelet, it’s an impressive feat for such a young company.  

Diameter: 42mm

Movement: Norqain 8K Manufacture Calibre (NK24/1) automatic

Water Resistance: 100m

Speaking of rainbow-themed watches, check out this 2300 Sport Chronograph Rainbow from Louis Erard. Measuring 44mm in stainless steel, it’s on the larger side, no doubt, but its awesome black dial features rainbow-colored indices as well as a day-date display and a dual-register chronograph in an “up-down” configuration. Powered by the famed Valjoux/ETA 7750 automatic movement, it’s a relatively affordable way to get into the “rainbow” watch game. 

Diameter: 44mm

Movement: Valjoux/ETA 7750 automatic

Water Resistance: 50m

The “CasiOak” — an ana-digi G-Shock that bears more than a passing resemblance to a certain Gérald Genta-designed sports watch — has long delighted watch fans for its looks, utility and affordability. Now, it’s available in five new metal dial colors, plus a matching steel bracelet to give those “luxury sports watch” looks. This being G-Shock, the GM2110D features a host of alarms and timers as well as 200m of water resistance and Super Illuminator tech.

Diameter: 44.4mm

Movement: Quartz

Water Resistance: 200m

“Desk diver” is a semi-pejorative term applied to a dive watch that likely won’t be used for its intended purpose, but rather, will sit on the wrist of an office worker. This supremely fun (and literal) take on the desk diver from Christopher Ward features lots of little Easter eggs on the dial and bezel to help one time the monotonous tasks inherent in office life. Of course, it’s also fully water resistant to 200m — which makes it ready to time an underwater power nap. Brilliant!

Diameter: 41mm

Movement: Sellita SW200-1 automatic

Water Resistance: 200m

Bell & Ross’s instrument cluster-inspired watches were all the rage in the early 2000s, and they continue to delight in smaller case sizes as the brand finds new ways of displaying the time. The BR-03 Horizon, housed in a 41mm, micro-blasted black ceramic housing, features a dial designed like an artificial horizon indicator — as it rotates around a central axis, a pointer indicates the appropriate hour. Limited to 1,000 pieces, it’s one of the brand’s best recent releases.

Diameter: 41mm

Movement: Bell & Ross Calibre BR.CAL-327 automatic

Water Resistance: 100m

The Heuer Monaco, outfitted with Heuer’s Calibre 11 automatic movement, marked a turning point in the history of the chronograph. Still an important part of the modern TAG Heuer catalog, the new Monaco Chronograph Racing Green (limited to 1,000 pieces) adds a touch of verdant coloring to the typically bluesy sports watch. Inspired by the livery of vintage British race cars, it features green chronograph totalizers and a matching green leather rally strap.

Diameter: 39mm

Movement: TAG Heuer Calibre 11

Water Resistance: 100m

Raven is a classic microbrand making affordable tool watches with killer looks, solid movements, and plenty of dial and case configurations to choose from. The Trekker in gloss grey, limited to 100 examples, is the sort of sub-$1,000 dive watch that you can’t help but love: Measuring 39mm in stainless steel with a matching bracelet, its grey ceramic bezel insert and matching dial are simply beautiful, and the automatic Miyota movement is a workhorse. 

Diameter: 39mm

Movement: Miyota 9015/9039 automatic

Water Resistance: 200m

The new Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Tourbillon SORAI marks the fourth collaboration between Hublot and Save Our Rhinos Africa and India, an organization that protects rhino populations around the world. Measuring 42mm in grey ceramic and featuring a matching grey camouflage strap, its skeletonized, hand-wound movement powers a tourbillon as well as basic timekeeping and power-reserve indicator functions. The movement, sandwiched between dual sapphire crystals, is observable from the front or back of the watch. 

Diameter: 42mm

Movement: Hublot HUB6020 hand-wound

Water Resistance: 30m