The Best Summer Watches — RJ’s Five Perfect Picks From Hamilton, Sinn, Omega, Rolex, And Piaget

Last week, Lex started our series of articles on the best summer watches. Each of us will pick five of our favorite watches for the summer, ranging from under €1,000 to no budget. Today, it’s my turn, and I’ve made a selection of new and pre-owned watches.

A picture from a few summer holidays ago

Five summer watches for different budgets

Summer is not only about holidays (I wish it were, though). It’s also about the temperature and the activities you do after work or on the weekends. All of these might “require” a different watch. Or you may simply need one watch that can do it all within a specific budget. The five budgets we’ll be sticking to today are under €1,000, under €2,500, under €5,000, under €10,000, and anything above.

Usually, I take two to three weeks of vacation in the summer. Destinations vary, but this year, it will be Italy. We are renting a nice house for two weeks, and on the way back, we will stop in Austria for a few days. We will drive (and stay in the EU), so I can bring as many watches as I want. Usually, I bring only one or two because I don’t like leaving watches in hotel rooms, apartments, or houses. During our visits, we try to do different things but keep it very relaxed (that’s the purpose of a vacation for me, anyway). We enjoy nice dinners (and BBQs), visit nearby places, swim occasionally, and spend time with the family in the good weather.

Kamado

But the summer is longer than just the three weeks of holidays. Luckily, I live near the beach, so that’s one of the destinations I will visit during these weeks, not only to cool off in the water and enjoy the breeze there but also to enjoy the beach clubs we have here. It’s also the time to play golf, or be in our garden, and enjoy a good read, conversation, and BBQ. And to be honest, my first big purchase this summer will probably be a new BBQ or kamado rather than a new watch. The old Weber kettle has served its best, and it’s time to upgrade to either a newer model or a kamado. Tips are welcome in the comments.

A personal list

Anyway, all these summer activities need to be accompanied by a nice wristwatch. And for different occasions (and budgets), there are several wonderful options available. Remember, it’s my list and my picks; it’s not a list that tells you what is best for everyone. It simply reflects personal choices and the reasoning behind why each of these watches is on there. I simply hope that specifications are not the (only) reason to pick a watch. A watch should reflect your taste or style, have a neat story to it or remind you of a story (or someone), and, in the best case, move you. That has nothing to do with price, but since everyone has a different-sized bank account or a different amount they’re comfortable spending on a watch, I picked five watches across five price categories.

Under €1,000: Hamilton Khaki Field 36mm

For less than €1k, I picked this new Hamilton Khaki Field 36mm, which retails for €675. It’s a mechanical watch with an 80-hour power reserve, a very readable dial and hands, 100m water resistance, an all-brushed 36mm case, and a slim 10.2mm thickness. This watch is plain, simple, and affordable.

It’s based on a 1970s military watch, so many of its ingredients tick the boxes for a GADA watch. Today, most people probably prefer a sapphire crystal over acrylic, but the latter, which this watch has, is quite charming. This no-nonsense Khaki Field Mechanical (ref. H69399930) would do well when I’m exploring the streets of Sirmione but also when I’m preparing a nice BBQ dinner in our garden in a village to the west of Lake Garda. Best of all, it’s a watch I don’t have to worry about.

Even a dip in the pool should be perfectly fine with this one. The fabric strap will dry quickly in the Italian sun. My grandfather wore a similar military wristwatch for decades (before losing it somewhere in the late 1960s), so that’s a nice plus for me. His watch was much older, but the style was identical.

Under €2,500 (or thereabouts): Sinn 103 St Ty Hd

This is the watch I recently bought and reviewed. Admittedly, it’s €90 over budget, but in this day and age, that just means skipping a few glasses of wine at restaurants. The Sinn 103 St Ty Hd has vintage vibes but modern specs. Like the Hamilton, though, it has an acrylic crystal. For me, that’s not really an issue, and remember that serious sports watches also used acrylic crystals for decades.

The Sinn 103 offers 200m water resistance, which is always handy when visiting a beach or a swimming pool. Just make sure it’s on a NATO or rubber strap when you take it into the water. Especially in Italy, the European country historically most intrigued by cool watches, I can imagine a vintage-looking watch may spark a conversation or two. The color scheme of the watch — black and champagne panda with touches of red — is very attractive and properly readable. If you want a more modern-looking alternative, there are quite a few other 103 models available in the Sinn catalog. The most basic version is the Sinn 103 St, which comes in at €2,350 and is also one of my favorite-looking models, besides my 103 St Ty Hd.

If I were also into diving, the Sinn U50 would probably be my pick (starting at €2,350), but it lacks the cool 1970s vibes of the 103 St Ty Hd. This hand-wound chronograph and pilot bezel come in handy for BBQing.

Under €5,000: Omega Seamaster 300M Professional 2531.80

Not all watches need to be new. On the contrary, there’s a lot of good stuff out there in the secondary market. I have had Seamaster 300M 2531.80 watches since 2000, but I kept trading them. It wasn’t until a holiday (in Spain) in 2018 that I realized that I should just buy a nice one and keep it forever. This realization came because I saw quite a few people at our holiday destination wearing a 300M. Every time I saw someone wearing it, I felt a pang of envy.

This watch looks so good, and the blue dial and bezel have aged very well (sometimes with a slight color fade). The 2531.80 is a thin no-nonsense dive watch with professional specifications. Inside is Omega’s caliber 1120 (based on ETA’s 2892-A2), which could be found in all of the brand’s top-of-the-line three-hand watches in the 1990s. Fun fact: the Seamaster 300M 2531.80 was the first Omega I bought new, back in the summer (!) of 2000, as a student. Apart from my studies, I worked as an IT guy at a large (at the time), well-known publishing house. The Seamaster 300M had a retail price of €1,540 (approximately 3,400 guilders), which was quite a sum back then for a young guy.

Today, on the pre-owned market, you can find examples starting at €2,000. However, I selected this one (full set), which has an asking price of €3,395. This early model with a tritium dial is in amazingly nice condition. And since our budget here is €5,000, I would spend a little extra to ensure it lives up to its original 300m depth rating. That shouldn’t add that much to the bill.

Under €10,000: Rolex Sea-Dweller 16600

For less than €10k, I can’t think of another summer-proof watch I’d rather have than the Rolex Sea-Dweller 16600. If you can source a Rolex GMT-Master 16710 in good condition for under €10,000, it would be a difficult choice for me, but those currently sell for a bit more.

During previous holidays (also in Italy), I used to bring my PloProf 1200M. That’s another great contender, but I also have to be honest: when it’s getting really warm, the watch is a bit clunky and heavy (279 grams) on the wrist. I do wear the Rolex Sea-Dweller 16600 very frequently and have since 2003. I might even have some old holiday photos of me wearing it.

Anyway, in 2014, I traded my first Sea-Dweller reference, the 16600, for a GMT-Master 1675 from the year of my birth, and I kept it for a few years. However, the itch was strong, even stronger than owning a Rolex from my birth year, and by chance, I bumped into another 16600 from the same year as my original one (1996), so I bought it again. Today, the Sea-Dweller 16600 can be found in the €8,000–9,000 range in good condition, leaving a bit of money for a water resistance check and perhaps replacing some gaskets.

The sky’s the limit: Piaget Polo 79

We also have a category over €10,000, and then the choices are endless, of course. Although I do own watches in this category, I thought it would be more fun to fantasize a bit about an end-game watch I could bring on a holiday. I think an over-the-top holiday for me would be a stay at an extremely luxurious hotel, like the Mandarin Oriental or Villa d’Este on Lake Como in Italy, or a beautiful villa with lake view, arriving in a stylish Ferrari Testarossa/512 TR or 328.

I don’t know where to leave luggage in those cars, or, more importantly, my family, but let’s forget about details for a minute. On the wrist would be a Piaget Polo 79 in yellow gold. This is a perfect watch for spending nice summer evenings on Lake Como. I’m also not sure I would touch a Weber or Green Egg BBQ with that watch on the wrist, but again, details…

The Polo 79 debuted in 2024 and is based on the original Polo models with “gadroons” from the late 1970s and early 1980s. The 50m water resistance will keep you away from doing stupid things with it, such as swimming or diving. Inside is Piaget’s caliber 1200P1, ensuring this watch has a slim 7.45mm profile. The retail price of the Piaget Polo 79 is currently €88,500. That’s probably only a little bit north of the entire bill for a lavish, luxury three-week holiday on Lake Como with the family.

What would be your picks for the summer? And more importantly, what are your plans for the season? Share with us in the comments below.