A great summer watch is more than just a holiday accessory – it’s a statement. One that can handle sun cream, salt water and the odd sangria spill without missing a beat.
Summer 2025 sees a fresh wave of horological heat, from bold colour palettes and lightweight cases to impressive water resistance and solar-powered innovation.
This year’s crop of seasonal stunners ranges from the high-concept to the high-spirited – think flying tourbillons in neon hues, ice-cream-themed chronographs, and microbrand gems that punch well above their weight.
Whether you lean minimalist or maximalist, sporty or sophisticated, there’s something here to match your mood – and your travel plans.
So pour yourself something cold and enjoy our edit of the best summer watches to wear now, next holiday, and long after the tan fades.
Tudor
Black Bay 54 ‘Lagoon Blue’
In a further expansion of its Black Bay 54 heritage diver collection, Tudor has released the ‘Lagoon Blue’, fresh with its new titular dial colour.
Aquamarine blue and finished with a grained texture reminiscent of a sandy beach, the Black Bay 54’s new face was undoubtedly designed with tropical ‘out-of-office’ days in mind.
Coupled with 200m water resistance and Tudor’s micro-adjust ‘T-Fit’ clasp system, this is a real championship contender in the ‘vacation watch’ category.
Other highlights include a mirror-polish/brushed 37mm steel case and five-link bracelet; a COSC-certified automatic movement, with 70 hours of power reserve; and Tudor’s signature ‘Snowflake’ hand-set.
For more information, see tudorwatch.com
Hublot
Big Bang Unico Summer 2025
Hublot is well known for its unwavering commitment to ‘loud and proud’ summer watches, and its latest offering – the Big Bang Unico Summer 2025 – is a firm case in point.
Housed in a 42mm micro-blasted ceramic case and driven by a self-wound manufacture movement with flyback chronograph and date complications, it bears a vivid blue and orange colour-scheme intended to evoke (to quote Hublot) “Mediterranean hotspots”.
Launching with the prerequisite bang, it debuted at an event in Mykonos attended by friends-of-the-brand Usain Bolt and Mattia Vitale of Italian DJ-collective Meduza.
As the first brand to use a rubber strap in a luxury context, Hublot has been a perennial favourite of brazen Riviera-dwelling playboys since it first paired rubber with gold in the 1980s, but it continues to go from strength to strength, as this latest timepiece shows.
For more information, see hublot.com
Breitling
Superocean Heritage B31 Automatic 40 Kelly Slater
Produced alongside its brand ambassador, multi-championship-winning pro surfer, Kelly Slater, Breitling rides into summer with the Superocean Heritage B31 Automatic 40 Kelly Slater.
Mr Slater’s influence can readily be seen in the stamped floral-pattern dial, reminiscent of Hawaii’s aloha shirts (the adoptive home of Slater and, of course, surfing itself).
Pressure rated to 200m, an exhibition caseback displays the watch’s namesake B31 chronometer-rated movement on the reverse, while a unidirectional ceramic bezel is found topside.
The watch is available on either a steel mesh bracelet or rubber strap, and is limited to 500 pieces globally.
For more information, see breitling.com
Certina
DS-X
Somewhat refreshingly these days, Certina’s newest collection isn’t a throwback or a reboot but something completely new.
The DS-X is about as summer-ready as you’ll find in a timepiece. It has 200m of water resistance and a protected crown should you feel like taking up scuba.
There’s also a dual-tone GMT bezel, with a 24-hour hand for tracking time across two zones. And naturally, it comes on a rubber strap so you don’t need to worry about chlorine, salt or sunscreen.
Most impressively of all? It boasts the new DS Concept Extreme Shock Resistance. This enhances the watch’s ability to withstand impacts and vibrations, far exceeding the requirements of the ISO 1413 standard.
In other words, you can drink as many frozen cocktails as you like, drop it down a flight of stairs, and it should still help you catch your flight on time.
It’s available in five bright colourways.
For more information, see certina.co.uk
Tissot
PRC 100 Solar
Something of an outlier on this list, the Tissot PRC 100 Solar’s summer-ready credentials lie with its technical as opposed to its aesthetic attributes – with its eponymous solar powering making it perfect for the summer months.
Utilising a new in-house-developed charging system, christened Lightmaster Solar, the watch’s cutting-edge technology generates 24 hours of battery life from just ten minutes of daylight.
For winter and indoor use, rest assured it’s also capable of converting artificial light to power, so you’ll never be caught short.
Remarkably enough, Tissot mounts the PRC 100 Solar’s light capturing grid of solar cells beneath the crystal as opposed to the dial, like other competitors in this field, leaving the dial’s design unmolested by functional concerns.
For more information, see tissotwatches.com
Rado
Anatom
Rebooting its archive 1983 Anatom watch, Rado has launched three new offerings which give their forefather’s 40-odd year old design a summertime-ready makeover.
Produced in a citrus-like colour palette, the trio of new Anatom watches have either yellow, green or red ombré black dials and come complete with colour-matched rubber straps.
In terms of specs, a three-day automatic movement beats away within a black ceramic and stainless steel 32.5mm x 46.3mm rectangular case, replete with an exhibition caseback.
Eschew the swim shorts and save this one for cocktail hour where its vibrancy shines. Wear with a linen ivory dinner jacket for a louche summer look. Finish with a Tommy’s margarita.
For more information, see rado.com
LAURENT FERRIER
Sport Auto 79
Antoine Martin
To anyone in the market for a more restrained take on summer timekeeping, I direct your attention to Laurent Ferrier and its Sport Auto 79 model.
Launched in June, the watch is a 41.5mm ‘cushion’ shape, integrated-bracelet sports luxe piece with a 3 o’clock date and 6 o’clock seconds sub-dial.
A proprietary automatic calibre – finished with horizontal satin brushing and ruthenium plating – provides operational drive.
Note also the ‘spear’ shaped hour/minute hands and indices, crosshair dial motif, charmingly bulbous ‘onion’ crown, and its 120m water resistance.
It’s realised in red gold with a tonal, blush colour opaline-finish dial.
For more information, see laurentferrier.ch
H Moser & Cie
Pioneer Tourbillon Spiced Aqua
For Summer 2025, Moser has given its everyday-sporty Pioneer collection a “spicy” makeover.
Spanning four time-only and tourbillon models, our favourite is the Pioneer Tourbillon Spiced Aqua iteration [far right] which employs a stark day-glow orange fumé dial, accented with a neon-turquoise lumed chapter ring and matching hands.
The turquoise perforated-rubber strap tops-up both the colour scheme and the summer lovin’ vibe.
No slouch on the engineering front either, an automatic movement with Moser’s accuracy-boosting in-house double hairspring system and a one-minute flying tourbillon, displayed via a 6 o’clock dial aperture, powers the show.
For more information, see h-moser.com
Baltic
Hermétique Summer
Micro-brand Baltic gets in on the action, too, with pink, yellow, orange, and turquoise dial versions of its Hermétique field watch.
Combining vintage styling with spirited technicolour, the self-winding Hermétique Summer also bears throwback ‘syringe’ hour and minute hands, as well as ‘lollipop’ seconds hand, atop a classically proportioned 37mm stainless-steel case that also features a domed crystal and a black ‘railway track’ seconds scale.
In terms of wear options, Baltic has kept the vintage theme going, giving customers the choice of dial-colour FKM ‘Tropic’-style rubber straps, a ‘beads of rice’ style bracelet, or a ‘flat link’ style bracelet. With prices starting at €550, it’s great value too.
For more information, see baltic-watches.com
Norqain
Freedom 60 Chrono 40MM ‘Enjoy Life’ Special Edition
Living up to its ‘Enjoy Life’ moniker, Norqain’s special edition Freedom 60 Chrono substitutes the date for an illustration of an ice cream cone on the 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th of each month as a playful weekly reminder to indulge in one.
Continuing the dessert theme, pastel shades of green (mint choc chip?), pink (strawberry?) and blue (blueberry… raspberry… bubblegum?) can be found on the sub-dials and encircling tachymeter scale, as well as another ice cream print on the caseback.
Full of welcome surprises, an engraved nameplate at the case’s 9 o’clock can be customised by buyers, while a pair of Norqain sunglasses are included as standard.
For more information, see norqain.com
Christopher ward
C60 Trident Reef
Inspired by the work of artist Ana Brecevic and her depictions of marine ecosystems, Christopher Ward has updated its bestselling C60 Trident lineup with five new coral-themed colourways.
The new Trident Reef collection comes with a choice of five interchangeable rubber straps, and the brand has committed to donate 2% of its sales to the Blue Marine Foundation and its 30x30 conservation mission, tasked with protecting at least 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030.
The Reef notably utilises Super-LumiNova’s highest grade X1 luminous material on the hands and hour markers for a striking display of low-light timekeeping.
For more information, see christopherward.com
