Laidback, colourful, and fun, the watch industry is embraced relaxed summer vibes this month
The clock is winding down on summer, and it’s time to soak in the last of long, lazy days spent boating on your favourite body of water or lounging in the backyard mixing up your favourite tiki cocktail. We’ve been loving how the watch industry has fully embraced the summer energy with each model released this season.
‘The watches are decidedly fun, not taking themselves too seriously, from materials to colours and complications. Hublot has given us some great pastel blue, while Zenith is going pure white ceramic. These are the feel-good timepieces we all crave in the throes of spa-center vacations and neighbourhood barbecues. Here the most interesting watches launched in July, from TAG Heuer’s latest Carrera to Zenith’s newest Defy.
Hublot x Argentine Football Association (AFA)
Hublot is known for some of its wild collabs, like the gothic watch its released with Depeche Mode earlier this year. Who knows what mashups may be in store for the brand as Julien Tornare replaces Ricardo Guadalupeas as CEO, but one thing’s for certain: Hublot’s love of soccer will endure. The brand’s work with the Argentine Football Association (AFA) goes back to 2010 with the Big Bang Maradona Limited Edition. Just over a decade later, Hublot and the AFA solidified their partnership right before Argentina notched its third win at the World Cup in 2022. In celebration, the pair released another limited-edition Big Bang. Now, the duo is back with the first series of mechanical chronographs exclusively for the AFA, including two Big Bang Unicos (one in titanium and one in King Gold) as well as a Classic Fusion. All three models prominently highlight the chronograph—the ultimate complication for any sporting event—with the Big Bangs housing the latest-generation Unico Manufacture movement (the HUB1280) while the Classic Fusion houses the HUB1143. In addition, all three models feature Argentina’s signature blue colour scheme, with the two Big Bangs rendered in the team’s home kit in sky blue and the Classic Fusion in the team’s navy blue for away matches.
Big Bang King Gold, US$38,700
Big Bang Titanium, US$22,900
Classic Fusion, US$15,400
Zenith Defy Skyline Skeleton White Ceramic
In the past year alone, we’ve seen Zenith iterate on its popular Defy collection from a two-tone collaborative edition with legendary DJ Carl Coxto a fully mirror polished version. Last summer, we even saw the brand get playful with two rainbow variations of the Defy. Zenith’s latest update to the line makes the brand’s quintessential sport watch ideal for the season. With its breezy, lightweight construction and beach-ready colour palette, the Defy Skyline Skeleton White Ceramic is an effortless choice for your next vacation. Here, you get the first Defy Skyline ever rendered entirely in ceramic from the case to the bracelet. In addition, it features a blue skeletonized dial revealing Zenith’s iconic El Primero movement, the 3620 SK to be exact. Taking center stage at six o’clock, you have Zenith’s latest illustration of its ultra-precise caliber thanks to the constant 1/10th of a second running indicator in lieu of a traditional seconds subdial.
US$17,500
Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Moonshine Gold 41 and 38
Omega has been pulling out all the stops surrounding this summer’s Olympic Games, from opening a plush pop-up boutique in Paris to a slew of new releases. So far, we’ve seen warm metals at the forefront, with the Chronoscope Speedys in moonshine gold just ahead of the Games and the official Paris 2024 Bronze Gold Edition. Now, Omega has quietly rolled out a new collection of five Aqua Terra models in moonshine gold. The lineup includes three new styles at a more oversized 41 mm, including two in solid moonshine gold with green dials and the option of a bracelet or rubber strap and one two-tone moonshine gold and stainless steel with a classic black dial. In addition, we get two new 38 mm editions: a two-tone variation with a rich burgundy dial and a solid moonshine gold iteration with a deep blue dial.
US$13,600 to US$39,000
Konstantin Chaykin Limited Edition Joker Fiat Lux
Independent Konstantin Chaykin has been shaking up the watch industry with his avant-garde designs, making a major splash back in 2017 when he first unveiled his Joker collection. The original Joker and other models to follow, like the Clown and Pumpkin Head, fully embody the playful spirit we’re seeing more and more from modern watchmakers. Now, Chaykin builds on this design language with a new interpretation of the Joker featuring a skeletonized dial and exhibition caseback in a limited edition of just 38 pieces. The new design showcases the perfect balance of aesthetics and technical prowess, putting the movement on display within the whimsical face of the Joker. Speaking of the movement, powering the new Joke Fiat Lux is a modified version of the ETA 2824-2 with a proprietary 84-part module known as the automatic K.07-0 caliber. This new openworked makeup is reflected in the watch’s name with “fiat lux” translating to “let there be light.”
Price upon request
Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Full Gold
Blancpain’s Fifty Fathoms needs no introduction. It’s set the standard for dive watches since it made its debut in 1953. Since then, we’ve seen the brand reimagine its capabilities time and time again, from the accessible Bioceramic collaboration with Swatch to the highly complicated ceramic version with an annual calendar and moonphase that dropped just last month. Now, we get two new additions—the Bathyscaphe Quantième Complet Phases de Lune and the Chronographe Flyback—rendered in gorgeous rose gold. In addition, both new variants feature an elegant gradient blue dial. The combination of the metal, dial, complications, and overall finishing bring a refined and elevated touch to this iconic sport model.
US$55,300
Ulysse Nardin Diver Atoll
This month, Ulysse Nardin dropped a gorgeous new limited edition diver with a diamond set bezel and hour markers, but that’s not all. This year, stone dials have been all the rage from bold jade to more unconventional opal. Now, Ulysse Nardin is getting in on the trend with the Diver Atoll, which features a stunning stone cut dial of chrysocolla offering an interplay of blue, green, turquoise, black, and brown depending how it catches the light. In addition, the 39 mm case is rendered in 80 per cent recycled stainless steel thanks to Ulysse Nardin’s continued commitment to more sustainable practices. The Diver Atoll is topped off with the option of either a sporty white rubber strap or a chic white alligator leather strap, so the model can easily be dressed up or down from a day on the water to a night out dancing.
US$15,800
TAG Heuer Blue Panda Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon
Last week, TAG Heuer quietly released a super exclusive limited edition Carrera to the European market. If you’re stateside, you’ll have to work your magic overseas or plan your next European getaway accordingly—this one is not to be missed. TAG’s beloved Carrera has such a rich history spanning more than six decades. In the past, the model has often firmly been rooted in its racing origins, take for instance collaborations with Porsche. However, the Blue Panda Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon builds on some of the latest iterations, like the teal Carrera Tourbillon we saw earlier this year at LVMH Watch Week. For this exclusive limited edition of just 50 pieces, you have TAG’s beloved Carrera with a blue panda dial and tourbillon front and center at six o’clock. Powering the complication is the brand’s COSC-certified caliber TH20-09, an evolution of the Heuer 02 redesigned by Carole Forestier-Kasapi.
24,650 CHF
Breitling Endurance Pro 38
Breitling has always had ties to sports and athletes whether you need a purpose-built dive watch or a more casual timepiece to wear on your cross-country motorcycle trek. The brand first introduced the Endurance Pro in 2020 with a collection of colourful and oversized, 44 mm watches fully optimised for athletes. The line was marked by its cases made from Breitlight, a hypoallergenic material more than three times lighter than titanium and more than five times lighter than stainless steel. Now, Breitling has given the collection a refresh with more accessible 38 mm sizing and a slew of new colours that scream summer: purple, pink, white, light blue, or red. Like all watches in Breitling’s Professional range, the Endurance Pro is powered by a thermo-compensated SuperQuartzTM movement, a technology that’s ten times more accurate than conventional quartz.
US$3,250
Bremont Broadsword Recon Bronze Limited Edition
In 2019, Bremont began its official partnership with the Ministry of Defense, allowing the brand to become the sole luxury watch producer permitted to use the signs, symbols, and Heraldic Badges of all three services: the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force. A year later, the brand introduced the Broadsword Bronze to its Armed Forces Collection as a contemporary take on the iconic ‘Dirty Dozen’ watches of the 1940s. In 2023, the British watchmaker added to the line with the limited-edition Broadsword Recon. The model was such a success, Bremont has brought it back with a handsome bronze build. Framed within the two-piece 40 mm solid bronze alloy case, the matte black sandwich dial remains highly legible with central hour and minute functions, running seconds at six o’clock, and a date function at three. Perfectly complementing the black dial is a black sailcloth strap with bronze pin buckle, and inside you’ll find the chronometer-rated BE-95- 2AV movement.
US$3,950
Omega x Swatch Mission to the Super Blue Moonphase
Omega and Swatch have done it again with the newest installment in the highly coveted MoonSwatch collection, the Mission to the Super Blue Moonphase. The model debuts a month ahead of the blue moon expected next month on August 19—mark your calendars: sales will run 1 August through 19 August at selected Swatch boutiques and pop-up stores. With the Mission to the Super Blue Moonphase, you have many features you know and love from the duo’s previous collabs like a blue Bioceramic case, crown, and pushers as well as a blue Velcro strap with contrasting light blue topstitching and a blue Bioceramic attachment loop. In addition, you get a blue and silver-opaline panda dial with blue hands and hour markers, plus a blue Bioceramic bezel with a pulsometer scale featuring white markers. Between twelve and three o’clock, you’ll notice the moonphase indicator, which offers a special hidden detail under UV light.
US$310
This story was first published on Robb Report USA
