Fratello Favorites: The Best Summer Watches At Three Different Price Points — Jorg’s Picks From Certina, Sinn, And Hublot
With the summer holidays approaching, it’s time to talk about summer watches. Thomas started this series with his three favorite summer watches at three different price points. We are looking for one pick under €1,000, another under €10,000, and an unlimited-budget option. It seems like a fairly straightforward task, but as it turns out, it’s not that easy. Still, I managed to create a list of three proper summer watches I would love to wear wherever the Sun shines!
We’ve made lists like this before, so it shouldn’t be that hard, right? Well, the two higher-budget options, in particular, can lead to much internal debate. At those price points, it’s easy to go for something rational, but a summer watch should bring something colorful and summery. Or should it?
Determining a great summer watch
As Thomas explained in his article, the definition of “a great summer watch” is very personal. The most obvious would be a sporty watch that you can swim with during that day and that has enough style for a casual evening dinner. Additionally, a colorful presence adds to the summery vibes, and lightweight material makes for a comfortable and relatively worry-free daily wearer. I would certainly agree with these attributes if I were going to spend my holidays in summery southern Europe.
But a great summer watch doesn’t have to be those things. As some of you know, I have a soft spot for the desert/safari aesthetic that also could be perfect in summer. The light colors and a sturdy, more classic watch design could also be my go-to summer look. So it’s not only a colorful diver that could be the best summer watch for me. Ultimately, I could come up with five of these lists and be perfectly happy with them. But life is about making choices, so I’ve whittled my picks down to three watches that I’d love to wear all summer long.
Jorg’s favorite summer watches — Sub-€1,000: Certina DS Action Diver 38mm in titanium
For my first pick, I will immediately bend the rules without breaking them. There are many great options under €1,000, and a watch in this category can be a worry-free daily beater during summer. I would always gravitate towards microbrands with this budget because they have figured out how to combine impressive modern-day specs with colorful, whimsical designs that channel summer vibes perfectly.
But there is one sub-€1K exception from a bigger brand that I can never forget. The Certina DS Action Diver 38mm in titanium is one of those watches that hasn’t left my mind since we had it in the office. The incredible value for money and its unique presence make it the perfect first pick. Lex even went as far as questioning whether it was a Tudor Pelagos 39 killer. It shows how impressed we were with the watch.
The watch has a 38mm case that measures 12.2mm thick, 45mm long, and 19mm between the lugs. Along with a 300m depth rating, it offers a dark gray titanium construction and a brown-gray aluminum bezel insert. Combined with the gray dial and its applied indices filled with light blue Super-LumiNova, this makes for a super stylish watch that immediately stands out in today’s horological landscape. Inside the case, Certina equips the DS Action Diver with the Powermatic 80.611 automatic movement, allowing a convenient 80-hour power reserve.
Bending the rules with a purpose
This DS Action Diver is available on either a strap or a bracelet. The former is a light blue and black NATO strap, giving it a great look for summer days and keeping it within the budget at €995. But when the Sun goes down and I’m getting ready for dinner, I would love to replace the strap with the titanium bracelet. While the watch maintains its summery pops of color on the dial, the bracelet transforms it, giving it a bit more of a serious style.
This will require bending the rules as the watch costs €1,095 on the bracelet. But I’ll happily do that because the watch is just that good. Since we had it in the office, I have been a huge fan of this titanium Certina DS Action Diver 38mm. That’s why it is my first pick for this list.
Sub-€10,000: Sinn T50 GDBR
There are so many great options under €10,000, and it took me ages to reach my final pick. But as soon as the Sinn T50 popped into my head as an option, I knew this was it. I was lucky to review the full-titanium T50 and this version with a titanium case and a Goldbronze bezel.
As I said in my review, who would have thought that Sinn would come up with some impressive two-tone bliss? What seemed like an uncomfortable clash of materials at first turned out to offer a unique wearing experience that made me fall in love with this Sinn T50 GDBR.
When it comes to summery characteristics, the watch ticks a lot of the spec boxes. How could it not? After all, it’s a Sinn. The light watch has a 41mm bead-blasted titanium case with a Goldbronze bezel. With its 12.3mm thickness, 47mm length, and 20mm lug spacing, the watch sits very well on my wrist. It’s water resistant to 500 meters, and Sinn also equips it with an Ar-Dehumidifying capsule. Inside the case, the Sellita SW300-1 offers a 56-hour power reserve.
How functional design became a style statement
What makes the T50 my favorite Sinn model is that the functional approach to design has resulted in a super stylish timepiece. There are quite a few details that make the T50 an incredibly well-designed watch rooted in practical solutions. The Goldbronze bezel, for instance, was chosen because of its better compatibility with the skin and higher corrosion resistance in seawater. But it ended up a winning combination with the bead-blasted titanium case.
Another example is the light gray text on the lower half of the perfectly balanced black and white dial. It nicely corresponds with the color of my preferred light gray silicone strap. This strap is super comfortable and adds a touch of light color, giving the T50 GBDR an airy presence that suits summer well. At €4,140 on this strap, the watch is well below the set budget of €10,000. That’s why I would also buy Sinn’s white silicone strap to mix things up and add more summer appeal to this super cool T50.
No budget: Hublot Classic Fusion Original Yellow Gold
Many may not classify my last pick as a summer watch. However, the Hublot Classic Fusion Original Yellow Gold transports us to the summer luxury of yacht life on the French Riviera in the early 1980s. When founder Carlo Crocco unveiled the first Hublot watch in 1980, he presented not just a watch but also a daring combination of materials. Most of you will know the story of the traditional porthole design that inspired the watch and led to an instantly recognizable style. This style still feels relevant, and I adore it, but that is not the main reason I think Crocco was a visionary.
The original Hublot from 1980
His idea to combine a yellow gold case with a rubber strap was something most watch fans considered blasphemy back then. The audacity of combining a cheap material like rubber with yellow gold was a step too far for many purists. However, the reality is that more than four decades later, the combination of materials has become an industry standard. It’s all the proof you need that Crocco was right about his idea. Hublot brought back the original Classic Fusion early last year in three different materials and sizes. While the titanium and black ceramic options are great modern variations, it’s all about the 38mm model in yellow gold for me. That watch brilliantly shows that the Classic Fusion has never gone out of style.
Bringing back the original design
The 38mm case, with its layered construction consisting of yellow gold and black rubber, is only 9.85mm thick. It is combined with a smooth black rubber strap that fits the minimalist style of the dial nicely. Inside the case, you will find the Sellita SW300-1-based HUB1110 caliber, which offers 42 hours of power reserve. While I would try to rationalize the design, it’s the original idea that Crocco had that made it so special for me.
The orginal Hublot watch from 1980
European royals wore the original watch during the warm summer days of the ’80s when purists hated it. It’s brilliant proof that the validation of great ideas does not come from a small group of insiders. That fact makes the Classic Fusion more than just a stylish statement, which is why I would gladly wear this €22,300 Classic Fusion Original as my summer watch during a trip to the Mediterranean. More than four decades after its introduction, this Hublot design is still as cool as it was in 1980.
Jorg’s favorite summer watches — Honorable mentions
Nowadays, with any list also comes several honorable mentions. The first I would love to bring up is the Nezumi Baleine Limited Edition. I had the pleasure of writing about the watch not too long ago. I mentioned that it was the perfect summer watch, and I stand by that. The combination of a retro-inspired diver with some popping colors works wonders. Add a colorful rubber strap, and this Miyota 9039-powered Baleine LE, which is still available, is a great option at just over €700.
After writing last week’s list of the best GMT watches from the first half of 2024, I was tempted to make the new Patek Philippe Aquanaut Travel Time 5164G my third pick. However, to avoid repeating myself, I decided to make it an honorable mention instead. This new Aquanaut Travel Time adds a touch of summer style with the blue dial and strap. It’s a look that suits the Aquanaut well. On top of that, this dual-time watch is a great traveler’s timepiece that adds the recognizable style of the Aquanaut to a brilliant complication for CHF 53,000.
Final thoughts on my favorite summer watches
There you have it — my five favorite picks for the best summer watches of 2024. The big question is whether they would only make it out of the watch box during spring and summer. The truth is that I can easily see myself wearing all of these watches all year round. While they might jump out during summer days, they would certainly be great during any season.
What are your favorite summer watches at the moment? Let us know in the comments below!
