Top 5 Fun and Reliable Watches to Wear this Summer 2022
Summer is the time for fun and vacations. Beaches, grilling, and chilling with friends are common activities when it warms up. If you want to have a great time during the hot season, you are going to need a reliable, good-looking, and fun summer watch for the social scene.
Summer offers the opportunity to wear watches that are out of the ordinary. With the warm weather of summertime comes brighter colors, and different styles for clothing and accessories. There are a lot of great options for anyone who wants to wear something more fun on their wrist - and leave the ordinary behind.
If you like watches as much as we do, you probably want some ideas about watches to wear for the summer. Read on for our top 5 picks!
What Makes For A Good Summer Watch?
Forget about anything consertive this summer. Think about fun style and bold colors. Any summer watch should also be able to handle the outdoors, and deliver some decent water resistance.
A good summer watch works well on your wrist while grilling, swimming, and joshing with friends. It should be able to keep time reliably, and add something to your overall style options.
We have found 5 interesting choices for a summer watch that you can add to your wardrobe, or serve as inspiration for your next mod.
5 Watch Ideas
BOLDR Expedition Dune 7
BOLDR Supply Company makes watches with an urban inspired theme and classic designs. The Singapore and Malaysia-headquartered company creates tough, stylish watches with top-notch parts.
The BOLDR Expedition Dune 7 is a great looking watch that also packs some interesting features. While it is clearly inspired by traditional field watches, it also uses two crowns, which gives it a very interesting look.
Matches the sandy beach! Source: BOLDR Supply
The watch is named after one of the highest dunes in the world which is Dune 7 located in the Namib desert. The watch features a rotating internal bezel operated with the crown at 2 o'clock. The movement is an automatic Swiss Made Sellita SW200-1, which is operated with the 4 o'clock crown.
In addition, the watch uses a sapphire crystal and will give you 200m water resistance. Its canvas strap is comfortable to wear, with sand coloring that simply looks great in the sunny summer weather, and will match just about anything you want to wear.
Though most known as a great summer watch, the Dune 7 also could be used on other casual occasions when summertime is over.
Zodiac Super Sea Wolf
The Super Sea Wolf diver is ‘a 70s-inspired diver that offers loads of vintage style with modern components. With a 40mm wide case the Super Sea Wolf is very wearable. The domed sapphire crystal with mineral crystal bezel insert gives this vintage diver some bling factor, and it shines in the sun quite nicely too.
If you take a look at Zodiac’s website, you can find a wide collection of Super Sea Wolf divers to choose from. The dial uses a handful of fonts that harken back to dive watch designs of the late '60s and early '70s, and the jubilee bracelet adds to the flash and vintage cool of this model.
The Super Sea Wolf uses an automatic movement made by Swiss Technology Production (STP) called the STP 3-13, which operates at 4Hz. It has 26 jewels and a power reserve of around 44 hours.
A great watch to consider for water excursions. Source: Wrist Watch Review
With water resistance to 200m, the Super Sea Wolf is also ready to go into whatever watersports might be in your plans. While this isn’t a budget model, the Super Sea Wolf has an amazing specs sheet, and uses innovative engineering for your summer fun.
Depending on the color combo you choose - the Super Sea Wolf could also be a great year round casual watch for your collection.
Collins Sonar
The Sonar is Collins Watch Company’s first dive watch and it offers loads of style and value for way less than $1000 USD. With a tip top spec sheet, the Sonar offers similar performance to watches costing 10x or more.
From a fashion perspective, the Sonar is available in a total of six dial variants that are offered in black, white, green, orange, yellow, or blue. The playful use of color makes the watch fresh and fun, and lets you buy something conservative or crazy for the summer.
A reliable diver with a sunny dial. Source: The Time Bum
The Sonar’s Oyster style bracelet is thick and screams ‘tool watch’. It also has a dual trigger with a flip-lock, which just reinforces the work-hard-play-hard vibe the Sonar exudes.
With a 39.5mm diameter case that is 12mm thick, the watch offers water resistance up to 300 meters. It runs on a Sellita SW200 movement which keeps good time and has long been well-known as a reliable movement produced by the Swiss.
It would be hard to find another small batch diver with these kinds of specs and a Swiss movement, especially in the under-$1000 category. If you want a watch that can go just about anywhere, and do it with some style, the Sonar is an amazing pick.
Shinola Sea Creatures Detrola
When it comes to playful summer watches, the Shinola Sea Creatures Detrola can’t be ignored. This simple, colorful injection-molded plastic watch is loads of fun, and with a Swiss made quartz movement, it delivers some serious accuracy.
How's that for a beach-ready line up? Source: Wrist Watch Reviews
The Shinola Sea Creatures Detrola is available in many colors, some of which look like an ice cream shop inspired the design. The bright yellow version is the very definition of a warm-weather watch. Because it is made from recycled ocean plastic, it is both lightweight, and very durable, and helpful to the environment too!
With a 40mm diameter case and a 12.2mm thickness, it is easy to wear. The indices are generously sized and lumed, so it is an easy watch to read. The movement is called an Argonite 715, and the company says it is hand assembled in Detroit.
These watches are a lot of fun, but with a retail price of $450, it isn’t the cheapest plastic watch out there. Of course the plastic was harvested from the ocean, so that should count for something!
Seiko SBGH271
If you want to splurge on an amazing summer watch, the Rikka, AKA the SBGH271, is a Grand Seiko you can’t go wrong with. It was made as a part of a collection that is inspired by the four seasons. Despite its deep green dial, it is actually one of the models that pays homage to the fall.
The SBGH271 case is a classic design that follows the 62GS case introduced by Grand Seiko in the late 1960s. The modern SBGH271 is everything that one would expect from a Grand Seiko costing more than $6000. Its dial is to die for, and the case and bracelet are immaculate. A Seiko watch like this is something special.
A beautiful watch for summer hikers. Source: Grand Seiko
This example of Grand Seiko perfection is powered by the 9S85 high-frequency movement, and its dial is finished with gold markers and hands. With the green dial behind them, this watch looks absolutely stunning.
Like any Grand Seiko, the Zaratsu polishing helps the case and bracelet shine like the sun. The sides feature dual polished edges, and the contrast of the brushed mid-case is lovely.
The Rikka comes in at 40mm, and is 13.3mm thick. Like anything from Grand Seiko, there is no real downside to this watch, other than the price.
Bonus: Seiko SRPE33
It is hard to argue that the King Samurai from the Save The Ocean series isn’t a perfect summer diver watch. Ok, maybe it isn’t the only perfect summer Seiko diver, but it is a lovely watch that works perfectly in the hot weather.
This special edition is 43.8mm wide, 12.8mm thick, and a robust 48.7mm lug-to-lug distance - like any other watch from the Samurai line. This model stands out because it has a beautiful dial that shows rays swimming in a deep blue sea, and some other upgrades as well.
The dial instantly conjures images of the beach in the mind. Source: Fratello Watches
Unlike a regular Samurai, this King Samurai features a great looking ceramic black bezel insert, as well as sapphire glass. Its stainless steel case is water-resistant to 200m, and the whole package just looks smashing.
Like the stock Samurai, the SRPE33 uses a 4R35 movement. One of the best things about the King Samurai line is the price, as these beauties can be had for less than $600. Think about that, a special edition with an in-house movement for an amazing price.
Way to go Seiko!
Wrap Up
If you want to create your own Summer Watch, we are here to help. At namokiMODS we sell some of the best Watch mod parts in the market. For a summer watch, we would recommend our field case watches to use for the base. These feature minimal designs which allow modders to ‘go crazy’ with the other parts to use with them. This means a bright colored dial, and the strap to match. Our cases are rated to 200m WR too so you don’t have to worry about taking them to the beach.
Most people in the watch modding community know we have loads of great SKX007 parts, but we also carry a wide selection of OEM Seiko spare parts as well.
With all the Watch spare parts that are out there, be sure you get the most for your money. Please check out our extensive online catalog for more info, or just drop us an email with any questions you may have!