While September’s Geneva Watch Days is the big event on the horizon that’s on every watch nerd’s calendar, there’s been plenty of action in the interim. From a wonderfully complicated Moser to a regatta-themed Panerai to a Bremont honoring a famous astrophysicist, July delivered a compelling mix of timepieces.
Before you break out your pitchforks and decry the profusion of high-five-figure sticker prices, take a closer look at our picks: in addition to an eye-watering Armin Strom, there are also a couple of $1,000 pieces that would look lovely on your wrist, and plenty of fare in the $2,000 to $10,000 range, too. So go ahead, reach for a colorful watch — it’s summer, after all! — and I’ll see you soon in Geneva.
Built in celebration of Panerai’s partnership with the Luna Rossa sailing team ahead of its America’s Cup entry in 2027, the new Luminor Luna Rossa Chrono PAM01768 is a water-resistant chronograph designed specifically for yachting. Housed in a 44mm stainless steel case with the signature Luminor crown-protection device, it features a silver sunray dial with an outer tachymeter scale; 30-minute and running-seconds subdials; “sandwich” construction with luminous indices; and sword hands with a red-accented central seconds hand. Its automatic cal. P.9210 provides 42 hours of power reserve, while the collection’s first Velcro strap makes for a comfortable wearing experience on the water.
While H. Moser & Cie. is perfectly adept at delivering quirky, idiosyncratic models that cause an involuntary smile, its latest watch is something else entirely — namely, one of the most genuinely beautiful designs of the year. Combining lightweight construction, a dial-side minute repeater with two visible gongs, a cylindrical flying tourbillon, an aventurine subdial with mother-of-pearl inlays and fully skeletonized movement construction, it serves as a reminder that the Schaffhausen-based independent brand remains a horological force to be reckoned with. Limited to 20 pieces, the Cosmic Rain is finished with a hand-stitched grey nubuck alligator leather strap with a titanium pin buckle engraved with the Moser logo.
Though its dial may not be double-signed like beloved examples from the past, the new Grand Seiko “Peach Blossom” SBGA279 is a limited-edition reference created for Reeds Jewelers in Atlanta. Limited to just 30 pieces, its case architecture is based upon that of the 62GS, the brand’s first automatic watch from 1967. Measuring 40mm in Zaratsu-polished titanium, it’s fitted with a lovely pale pink dial inspired by the peach blossom tree as seen at first light and features a date window balanced with a subtle power-reserve indicator. Powered by Grand Seiko’s cal. 9R65 Spring Drive movement, it comes paired to a matching High-Intensity Titanium bracelet and will be available exclusively at Reeds Jewelers’ Grand Seiko Boutique Lenox Square in Atlanta.
Hot on the heels of the reintroduction of Doxa’s Sub 200 T.Graph II diving chronograph, the new “Great White” Topper Edition offers a themed version celebrating one of the world’s apex predators. Fitted within a 42mm stainless steel cushion case with dual pump pushers and Doxa’s famed no-decompressions dive bezel, it features a fully luminous white dial with dual chronograph registers, no date window, and a large sword handset with an oversized minute hand and an arrow-tipped central chronograph seconds hand, all the better for tracking bottom and decompression times. Paired to an elegant beads-of-rice bracelet with just 100 pieces produced, it’s yet another excellent limited edition — and the perfect summer watch to boot.
These Sub-$500 Seikos Should Be Your New Summer Watches
Rowing Blazers teamed up with vintage watch expert Eric Wind to craft two killer divers
For those who enjoy a bit of whimsy, there’s Metrical’s lovely Epiphany. Its multi-layered dial in deep purple with polished steel indices and a brushed chapter ring displays the time using an unconventional yet intuitive readout: a central rotating disc features depictions of the sun and moon that are used as indicators to correspond to the correct hour, while a central hand indicates passing minutes. A sapphire caseback offers a glimpse of the automatic Sellita cal. SW331-2 automatic powering the watch, while a 39mm stainless steel case with chamfered lugs gives a mix of tool-like proportions with elegant finishing.
Bell & Ross’s instrument cluster-inspired collections continue to rank among the more interesting modern pilot watch designs. The new BR-03 GMT Green Lum retains the square-shaped housing of many popular models, while offering a cool green-black gradient dial with a black 24-hour GMT bezel and plenty of green-glowing Super-LumiNova C3. With its highly legible design — including oversized Arabic numerals and an arrow- and plane-tipped handset — as well as its comfortable black rubber strap and 100m of water resistance, the Green Lum is designed for the adventurous globetrotter.
The fourth collaboration between American microbrands Nodus and Raven, the new TrailTrekker Carbon fits the duo’s excellent tool watch into a matte-grey DLC steel case with a matching bracelet. The star of the show is the bezel-dial combo: machined from forged carbon and infused with plenty of Super-LumiNova, it gives the watch a marbled appearance whose grain effectively makes each piece unique. The watch is currently sold out, but another batch should be made available in late 2026. Sign up on the brand’s website for pre-order news.
Created in honor of Stephen Hawking, the Bremont Supernova Hawking Edition features an appropriately cosmic dial: a black galvanic base is 3D-stamped to resemble a spacecraft’s solar array through a triangular grid pattern, while chronograph subdials are rendered in real meteorite. With a white tachymeter scale and matching luminous accents throughout the handset and indices, the design is highly legible despite its black-hole inspiration. Meanwhile, the 41mm-wide tonneau-shaped case is made from black DLC-treated stainless steel upon which sits a decahedral black ceramic bezel. Paired to a matching multi-link bracelet, it’s a stealthy tribute to one of science’s greatest minds.
The concept of sympathetic resonance lies at the heart of Armin Strom’s Mirrored Force Resonance watch, rendered here in striking red guilloché created using a traditional rose engine machine. A limited edition of just 15 pieces, this high-end independent release features an in-house movement consisting of two independent balance wheels oscillating in opposite directions that are synchronized via the brand’s special Resonance Clutch. On the dial, this synchronization is represented with dual seconds displays and the aforementioned red time-telling dial. A 2 o’clock pusher resets both seconds hands to “zero,” allowing the wearer to watch them re-synchronize.
A harlequin GMT from a favorite Swiss brand should be enough to cause excitement, but this limited-edition Norqain raises the stakes in a big way. One of the 500 pieces includes a “golden ticket” for two to the Ayada Maldives resort, where they’ll enjoy an all-expenses-paid trip to paradise. As for the watch? It’s not too shabby, either: made of stainless steel and measuring 40mm, it features a sherbet-hued map of the world with cultural icons highlighted throughout, plus a neat “Happy Hour” indicator on the dial’s GMT ring. COSC-certified and boasting a 70-hour power reserve, it’s a watch that reminds you there’s more to life than the grind.
One of the most elegant models in Longines’s modern collection, the Conquest Heritage Central Power Reserve is based upon a vintage watch from 1959. It displays its signature complication through a clever rotating disc in the center of the dial, while a handy date window occupies the 12 o’clock position. By reading this central dial against a prominent black index, the wearer can tell how many of the 72 hours of power reserve are left within the cal. L896.5 automatic movement. New for this July is a baby blue colorway that looks particularly striking with the watch’s stainless steel case and matching bracelet, though it’s also available on a leather strap.
Though the initial batch of 100 pieces is almost sold out (there’s exactly one left at the time of publishing), it’s worth signing up for updates regarding possible future production of the Wren x Ben’s Watches Diver One Obsidian. A sequel to the pair’s Diver One Magma, it consists of a cool black DLC-coated stainless steel case with both a matching bracelet as well as an orange FKM rubber strap. Water resistant to 200 meters, it boasts a neat orange-to-black gradient dial surrounded by a black ceramic dive bezel. Taken as a whole, it looks like a watch fished out of the center of an active volcano.
More Like This
This article appeared in The Stitch. Sign up for free to get an expertly curated guide to the ever-changing world of fashion, offering insights and and advice on how to navigate current trends and elevate your personal style.