Summer watches: Don’t be fooled by these brightly coloured stunners; there’s some serious horological clout here
Summer: that time when every magazine lightens its pages with vibrant yellows, azure blues and that indefinable shade of pink that only surfaces between June and August (somewhere between “old lady” coral and Legally Blonde fuchsia). I thought I’d join the club. My esteemed peers and I sometimes have a tendency to get bogged down with horological detail, to focus too much on what goes on under the bonnet. So, let’s just take it as read that everything mentioned hereon in has enough technical nous to impress the watch connoisseur and concentrate instead on why these summery stunners deserve a place on your wrist.
Omega is rightly making a fuss over its latest global ambassador Eddie Redmayne, but don’t forget the Swiss powerhouse also makes gorgeous women’s watches, such as the Constellation. There are a few iterations in this collection but the combination of steel, diamonds and a powder-blue dial (complete with sea-like waves) makes this the perfect foil for crisp linen and warm evenings.
If you’re in the market for something less Hamptons and more Hvar, then how about the Zenith Elite Ultra Thin Lady Moonphase, which is available in a shade of pink so amazing it defies precise classification. Zenith is usually known for a more restrained palette so this is a real surprise. It may be a bit too ostentatious for some, but imagine yourself at a beach bar watching the sun set and suddenly it feels very right indeed.
What’s also very right for this time of year is Nomos’s Tetra Kleene (pictured). The dial is the most mesmeric shade – veering from Tiffany blue to peppermint depending on the light – and the square case, with its delicate dimensions, looks impossibly elegant dangling from a bare, tanned arm.
However, looking good isn’t the only prerogative when the sun comes out. For some, a fullhouse of cartoon suns on the BBC Weather app is a sign that surf’s up, which means wristwear that’s more than just an adornment. Stepping up to that particular plate, or board if you’d rather, is TAG Heuer’s Aquaracer. This is a deceptive watch. Its 80s “ladies who lunch” gold-and-steel bracelet suggests a timepiece that does little more than look good on the wrist but it is actually a proper diver’s watch. Ambassador Cameron Diaz has gone on record saying she used to dive in hers before she was in the employ of the brand. And if it’s good enough for Ms Diaz, who are we to argue? FYI: if you want an automatic – and why wouldn’t you? – seek out the 34mm version.
These watches come into their own when the sun is shining but they also look sensational if the skies are grey, too, which is lucky really; who knows how long the British summer’s going to last?