The Best Summer Watches: Daan’s Picks From Tissot, Sinn, Tudor, Grand Seiko, And Daniel Roth

This article comes right on time, as tomorrow marks the official start of summer here in Amsterdam. Besides, temperatures are already rising well above 30° Celcius here these days, so it’s the perfect moment to think about which watches I’d like to take with me on my family’s summer vacation to the southwest of France and the northwest of Spain. This year, my colleagues and I are each picking five watches within five budgets. My first four picks, under €1,000, under €2,500, under €5,000, and around €10,000, are all quite typical blue-dial summer watches. My fifth and final wildcard pick isn’t your typical summer piece, but I think it’ll work perfectly during the long summer nights.

I’m certainly not first in line with my summer favorites this year. Lex, RJ, Thomas, and, in a way, Jorg already shared their favorites with you. In previous years, my colleagues having gone before me meant that some of my favorites had already been mentioned before my turn came. This year, though, I’m lucky, and I can still stick to my first options. So, without further ado, let’s get ready for summer!

The best summer watch under €1k: Tissot PRX Powermatic 80 Titanium in 38mm

Ever since the Tissot PRX debuted, it has been a fan favorite. I see it on so many wrists when I walk around the city. It’s the perfect relatively affordable “wear it and forget it” sports watch. I also love its ’70s-style integrated-bracelet design. However, the initial 40mm model was a bit big for my 17cm wrist. I had high hopes when the 35mm version came out, but that, unfortunately, felt just a tad too small. Then, last year, Tissot introduced the 38mm PRX, and I was pleasantly surprised to learn it was made of titanium.

Finally, this is the perfect size for me, and the lightweight titanium construction makes it the ideal summer watch. I don’t want to wear something heavy and too precious when I hit the sea in France or the lake in Spain, so that’s why the 38mm Tissot PRX is my first pick. I’m not sure if Tissot already offers rubber straps for it, but that would make it even more ideal. I’d definitely go for the blue-dial option, as I think it looks great with its waffle-like texture. It also complements the titanium case and bracelet’s slightly darker shade of gray. You can pick up the Tissot PRX Titanium 38mm for €875. I might as well do so before we leave in about three weeks.

The best summer watch under €2.5k: Sinn U50 B

For my second pick, I had quite a few contestants. I first thought about the Echo/Neutra Rivanera Piccolo with the plain black dial, titanium case, and black rubber strap. It’s lightweight and has an automatic movement; however, its water resistance isn’t great. Then, I thought about TAG Heuer’s new Formula 1 Solargraph Pastel Collection. Those watches certainly look like fun and very convenient with their solar-powered movements. But there was another option in my head that offers more value for money, I think.

Ever since we had a few versions of Sinn’s U50 in the office for hands-on reviews, the watch has been on my mind. Its case, made of German submarine steel, feels super solid. The design is somewhere between classic and modern, and what you get for the price is quite the package. Sinn recently introduced the U50 B with a matte blue dial, which looks like the perfect option to swim around with this summer. It starts at €2,350 on a textile or leather strap. However, if you want it on a bracelet or a curved-end silicone strap, you’ll go slightly above today’s budget. In addition, you can also choose to get it with Sinn’s scratch-resistant Tegiment coating. Then, you won’t have to worry about sandy beaches ever again.

The best summer watch under €5k: Tudor Black Bay 54 “Lagoon Blue”

I’m surprised no one came up with this next one before I did. Henry already showed it off in the perfect context, and I feel like Tudor purposely made this watch for summer. First of all, the Black Bay 54’s 37mm size is perfect for not getting in the way. Also, the brand put it on a Jubilee-style bracelet, which, with its polished center links, will blind some of the people surely staring at your wrist. If that doesn’t work, the naked, polished bezel insert will finish the job just fine. This thing is made to reflect, and you know it.

Finally, we get to the real star of the show here. The “Lagoon Blue” dial is unlike any other ice-blue dial out there. Many summery dials feature a sunburst finish, which is great. However, that’s nowhere near as good as the textured finish on the Tudor BB54’s dial. This makes this watch shine even more than it already does, and it simply screams summer. For €4,520, the Black Bay 54 “Lagoon Blue” offers a COSC-certified automatic movement with a 70-hour power reserve and Tudor’s high-quality execution all around.

The best summer watch around €10k: Grand Seiko Evolution 9 Spring Drive U.F.A. Ushio 300 Diver

This next one is a cheeky pick, as it surpasses the €10k budget. However, I feel this watch most definitely deserves a spot in the overviews of our favorite summer watches. The Grand Seiko Evolution 9 Spring Drive U.F.A. Ushio 300 Diver, as its name indicates, is complete overkill for a summer watch, but that’s also exactly what’s so cool about it. Grand Seiko finally managed to present a smaller dive watch, giving this one a 40.8mm diameter. Its case and bracelet are made of the brand’s High-Intensity Titanium, meaning the watch is very wearable, even on my 17cm (6.7″) wrist. Plus, its utilitarian look simply makes me want to go out there and explore.

Inside is Grand Seiko’s marvelous in-house Spring Drive 9RB1 automatic movement. It’s part of the brand’s Ultra Fine Accuracy series, which means it has a deviation of only ±20 seconds per year(!). Sure, there’s a rather useless power reserve indicator on the dial. However, the perfect finishing all around, the magnificent wave texture on the dial, and that smoothly sweeping seconds hand will make you forget about that fairly quickly; trust me, I already have. Of course, €12,500 is a lot of money for a summer diver, but when considering the other luxury dive watches around this price point, I think the Ushio 300 beats them all in terms of features and finishing.

The ultimate long-summer-night watch: The Daniel Roth Extra Plat Rose Gold Skeleton

Honestly, there were quite a few contenders in this category. First, I thought about the beautiful Girard-Perregaux Laureato Fifty, either in two-tone or with a beautiful blue-green enamel dial. However, its 39mm case is slightly too big for my wrist. I also feel the Chopard Alpine Eagle XPS 41 “Mountain Glow” with its brilliant champagne dial is a bit too big. The same goes for the Rolex Day-Date in Jubilee gold with its magnificent green aventurine dial. And finally, I was a bit afraid of scratching the meticulously engraved front on the Louis Vuitton Tambour Convergence Guilloché.

So, I had to look for something else, and that’s when I remembered wearing the Daniel Roth Extra Plat Rose Gold Skeleton during LVMH Watch Week in Milan earlier this year. You can clearly see that the watch was a passion project by master watchmakers Michel Navas and Enrico Barbasini of La Fabrique du Temps. I can already imagine myself gasping at the movement sandwiched between the gracious bridges, fully redesigned for this skeletonized version.

I wouldn’t need anything other than that watch on my wrist during the long summer nights. In fact, I wouldn’t even need to take a good book with me, as I could get completely carried away by the skeletonized movement. Unfortunately, this will probably never happen, as I don’t really have CHF 85,000 lying around, so I guess I’ll stick to the books.

Which watches would you like to take on your vacation this summer? Let me know in the comments below.