From Surf To Shore: Six Summer Watches To Style At The Beach

Maybe it’s plain happenstance that nine times out of ten a diver’s watch is a default recommendation for a beach-friendly timepiece. There’s enough overlap of an aquatic attribute with the beach environment that lends it reason. A watch that works well for the beach must definitely be of an amphibian competence, with equal attributes of anti-ingress against both solids and fluids. Yet, in a space where specific classification of products occurs with intended competence in air, sea and land, the amphibious habitat of a beach is somewhat left deprived of any such dedicated specialty.

A diver’s watch is usually a good beach watch.

Maybe, it’s a doing of common sense. When the chief objective of the intended excursion is nothing but to lose the track of time, the only existing gadget that serves a measure of it, seems sinful to pair on as an accessory. Just like it feels basically bizarre to wear socks on sand. Still, if you’re bound by oath to knowing the non-spatial dimension, even if it risks a weird tanning on your forearm, well, I can’t argue against that. Moreover, if you’re Daniel Craig-level spectacular, there’s nothing better to adorn other than your azure beach shorts and an Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M (Casino Royale - 00:30:37). That would probably be the absolute endgame move in GRWM for the beach.

What Becomes A ‘Beach Watch’ Most?

Why we need a specific watch or a type of watch, if only we must need one, to accompany on the near-aquatic odyssey is something attributed to the notoriety of the beachside environment. And that could best be explained by a probable reminder of your previous misfortunes at the beach - better demonstrated by sand clogged cameras, smartphones, earphones and every other thing you carry to suffice your beachy vacay. So, when it comes to the beach, selection is key.

Subjectively, there could be infinite iterations for an ideal beach watch making. But to realize a tangible quantification of the same, we need to focus on the feature overlaps. What does a beach signify? Summer, sand, water, and yes, ice-cream. Now, with these established as the fundamentals, what watch can be conceived? The answer - a comfy, water-resistant and colorful one.

While the many perceived executions could be united by features such as an ergonomic design, an element-resistant strap, and a decent depth-rating, it is the color that would make the squad pop and actually work as the differential factor in attaining a working classification of such commodities. So, here's what I recommend as wristwear for your next beach adventure, indexed by a chromatic assortment.

Breitling Superocean Automatic 44
Blue

There’re large proportions of hype attached with turquoise. The reasons as well as the watches attributing to it are well known. However, for the purpose of our curation, turquoise will be nothing more than just a color. To keep it sane even, we’ll only call it blue. In this rendition of the Breitling Superocean Automatic 44, the fit-for-summer blue-on-blue aesthetic paired with a diving competence of, more than you and I could ever need, 300 meters, is sufficient to qualify it on regards of the established beach watch codes.

For a brand dining out on the Navitimer for a very long time, literally picking its bones to the bare, the Superocean collection offers a very pleasing aside in what actually is a fantastically enormous catalog. For a proactive wearer, the Superocean Automatic 44 passes the checklist of specs with a ceramic-inlay bezel, easy underwater legibility, and a very welcome-for-the-beach and rarely marketed - shock, sand and saltwater resistance. In Breitling’s own lingo, you can “surf with it, swim with it, hit the beach bar with it, then wear it out to dinner.”

Simply, la perfection.

Doxa SUB 200T Professional
Orange

While the aesthetic codes of a diver’s watch are purely standardized by now, there occur a few asides to the rigid rendition of a rotating bezel timepiece. In an industry where almost every one-watch collection chases the basic dive watch aesthetic, the cult form-factor of Doxa, although being an acquired taste, stands out on pure merit of its design. In the emblematic execution of the SUB 200T though, all the cherished diver’s watch ingredients make for something more than just a purpose-built timekeeper. They realize a fluorescent opus, fitting for our curation, with so much orange that it could brighten our combined futures. Every other orange feels literally dull compared to the Doxa SUB 200T.

In the hunt for a perfect beach-dweller though, the Doxa SUB 200T makes a wonderful find. This is a watch anyone could categorically identify from a mile and would even work as a perpetual beacon, were you to be lost on a fun family outing. This color though - “Professional,” which translates to orange in Doxa diction, fits the beach theme so perfectly that I’m compelled to make the Italian ‘kiss and flick fingertips’ gesture. Despite its chromatic quirks, it’s not technically impeded in any way with a 39 mm 316L stainless steel construction supporting 200 meters of diving competence.

This ‘starter package’ Doxa in orange is one of the most accessible and wearable diver’s watches, delivering equal parts fun on sand as well.

Tissot Sideral S Powermatic 80
Yellow

A perfect summer accessory is a fun, carefree and refreshing thing. Take for example sunglasses, straw bucket hats, totes, and slip-ons. Each of these suffices a predestined purpose without ever feeling like an overburdening gadget-y contraption. They’re effortlessly user-friendly and fit-for-the-intended tasks. It gets a bit hard to retain this carefree cool essence whenever technical intricacies burden a product.

There are exceptions though, and the Tissot Sideral S Powermatic 80 is one colorful retro recreation that exhibits a hippy charm while being an over-engineered and competent timekeeper. It’s the perfect reference for a pure summer watch, and I don’t care if it’s 300 meters water resistant, anti-magnetic, has a forged carbon and steel case or its regatta timer can countdown the start of a sailing race. Its mere coolness triumphs its engineered exploits and renders a product that’s inherently marketed as a summery, chill and fun watch. That’s the whole point of the Sideral S Powermatic 80. There’s no attempt to turn this into an overly intense tool watch.

In yellow, you get a product that’s quintessentially summery, relaxed and bold. In summary - a perfect beach-friendly watch.

Longines Legend Diver 39
Red

After what honestly felt like a long-raging internal conflict, the Longines secures its spot in this list. In the selective-tug-of-war that found an arena in the writer’s orbitofrontal cortex (that’s the part of brain responsible for decision-making), the Legend Diver felt emotionally, aesthetically and thematically more suitable a beach-friendly timekeeper than the fresh-outta-furnace Tudor Black Bay 58 ‘Burgundy.’

Secret: I’m a sucker for an internal rotating bezel!

Here, the hue of red isn’t a pure red. It’s equal parts orange, brown and red. So, Longines has chosen to call it ‘terracotta’ and rightly so. This watch absolutely punches above its weight in regards to quality and finish. In its terracotta hue, a very rustic color reminiscent of romantic sunsets, the Legends Diver goes brilliantly well as a beach-day accessory.

The Longines Legend Diver 39 with its duo of crowns is a dive watch that’s as good looking out of the sea as it is handy within. In favor of its beach-friendliness, it’s more dressy than tool-ish, and with its super-compressor case, definitely that bit more niche.

Nomos Ahoi Neomatik
White

There are diver’s watches that undeniably look the part and the 36.3 mm Nomos Ahoi Neomatik isn’t necessarily a flagbearer of that genre. In truth, it’s very much a dive-capable dress watch with that capacity quantified at 200 meters. Quite impressive! In this rendition, it’s not a case of confused identity though, but more of a spec-maxima execution masquerading an everyday watch. In its ‘siren white’ dial which gets red typography and the choice of a light gray textile strap, the Ahoi Neomatik Reference 564 is as robust in the sea as it’s fun on the shore.

This minimalist exhibit of Saxon horological refinement reserves all the elements that make an ideal summer watch and, in many regards, even the most summer watch in this curation. Hence, automatically a perfect beach-friendly timepiece.

Baume & Mercier Riviera Automatic
Green

The carefree lifestyle of the French Riviera serves the inspiration for the terminal timepiece in our curation. Its inherent ocean and beach inspiration with a summer vacation feeling makes it a perfect beach-friendly watch. The Riviera Automatic 42 mm in a deep green dial is a modern recreation of a 1973’s classic which was the first to jump onboard the angled-bezel aesthetic train.

In its contemporary realization, the watch packs in decent specs at an accessible price-point with a legitimately-shared aesthetic heritage with the planet’s most desirable watches. Another one of the positives - it gives you four more sides to savor than you know what.

With roots dating back to watchmaking’s revolutionary era of design, the Riviera Automatic is a fine everyday watch with the right pop of green to make it fit for a beach day on a hot summer day.

Sun, Swim, Sand And Style!

On many levels, summer is synonymous with the beach. In all reason, the best realization of a perfect summer day is a day spent at the beach. It’s also exactly what the doctor ordered. Summer breeze, salt water and sandy shores are ingredients that make a delectable ‘feel better’ recipe.

Well, beyond this ‘state of the mind’ essence though, the better attainment of a ‘fit for the fun’ beach theme is any of the watches you read about above. It could be the final detail in what’s ideally a day well spent at the beach, of which I wish you many.