Summer watches 2024 – 6 favourites

Text: Andreas Johansson

If you have not already done so, it is high time to acquire this year's summer watch. Which criteria should a summer watch have? Below our writer Andreas Johansson lists his six favourites ahead of the summer of 2024. 

Diver, colourful, or gold? The qualities of a summer watch of course start from your own personal references. Personally I think a summer watch should be water resistant, robust and it may well have some kind of colour combination. Below I list some personal favourites from 2024, the watches have somewhat different qualities and are in somewhat different price ranges. But hope you can find inspiration ahead of this year's summer. 

Seiko Prospex SPB451

Seiko recently released a new Prospex in three different models. I personally fell for the blue one and think it would work excellently as a summer watch. The watch measures 40 mm in width and is 46.4 long and should fit most wrists. The watch feels robust and has an impressive water resistance (300 metres), so completely perfect when you are going out diving in various seas during the summer. The watch lists at: 17 998 SEK. 

Oris Aquis Date Upcycle

The use of recycled plastic has become more and more popular. The brand Oris has worked with this for a longer time and this year they released an updated version of their Aquis Date. I fell for the version ”upcycle” where the dial is made of recycled plastic. This means that every dial is unique. The watch measures a full 43.5 mm in width and has a rotating ring in tungsten. The automatic in-house movement Oris calibre 400 has a 120 hour power reserve. The watch lists at 4,200.00 USD. 

Zenith DEFY Extreme Diver

This year's Watches and Wounders was a disappointment for many. Now that I have had a chance to reflect a little, I still thought there were several releases that were really good. Among others Zenith's DEFY Extreme Diver. My guess is that the model is a divider of opinion and it is expensive. But I think the execution is good-looking and it has impressive specifications, such as, for example, water resistance to 600 metres, 60 hours of power reserve, an ”interchangeable strap system” for quick changing of the three different straps that come with it. The watch came in two different versions, a blue/orange and a black/orange. The watch is made in titanium and lists at 129 900 SEK. 

Omega Seamaster 300 Paris 2024

Omega has made a new version of its Omega Seamaster 300 ahead of the Olympics in Paris, which take place later during the summer. The watch, which is made in steel and ”Moonshine gold”, has a white dial with several Olympic details such as, among other things, a seconds hand shaped in the Paris Olympics logo. The watch is fantastically nice and gives a fresh summer look with the white and golden details. The Olympic watch list at 117 500 SEK.   

Panerai GMT Luna Rossa Titanio 

Panerai is a brand that is big in Sweden. This year's release from Paneri at Watches and Wounders was dedicated to the Americas Cup boat ”Luna Rossa”. I fell for the ”GMT Luna Rossa Titanio”, the watch has a blue sunburst dial and measures 42 mm and the case is in titanium. The watch is water resistant up to 500 metres and has Super-LumiNova ®. The watch lists at 12 500 Euro. 

The pre-owned diver 

The last ”watch” on this list is dedicated to the ”pre-owned diver”. There is an abundance of watches on the second-hand market that without doubt qualify as possible summer watches. Why not wear an Omega Seamaster 300 or a Rolex Submariner during the summer's lovely months, the model comes in loads of different versions and price ranges and both are timeless classics. In a more affordable price range there are among other things pre-owned Swatch, Tissot, Oris and Seiko divers that are reliable and nice watches. But if you choose a pre-owned watch ahead of the summer, then do not forget to pressure test it.