The Best Watches of the Past Month

Believe it or not, what you’re looking at is the very first Longines watch in carbon — and what a watch it is! The Saint-Imier-based brand chose its deep-diving Ultra-Chron as the guinea pig, fitting it with a 43mm case made from strips of carbon fiber and epoxy resin. Weighing just 80 grams but water resistant to 300m, each case has unique striations and patterns due to the material’s manufacturing process. Within the watch is the Longines calibre L836.6, an automatic hi-beat movement beating at 5 Hz and boasting Chronometer certification via TIMELAB, an accredited, independent watch testing laboratory in Geneva.

• Diameter: 43mm
• Movement: Longines calibre L836.6 automatic
• Water Resistance: 300m

Ulysse Nardin partnered with Kyrgyzstan-born artist Amoureuxpeintre — known for his collaborative projects with Nike and his own brand SEVER and GENESIS 2.0 — on a special version of its Skeleton X watch that puts minimalism and youth culture at the fore. A 42mm anthracite-colored, sandblasted titanium case and bezel houses the Manufacture Calibre UN-371, a hand-wound movement with 96 hours of power reserve and an advanced silicon balance wheel with nickel flyweights. The dial, crafted to evoke the frosted glass frequently found in offices, is achieved through the combination of an advanced laser technique and metallization. Limited to just 29 pieces, it ships on a grey Alcantara strap.

• Diameter: 42mm
• Movement: Ulysse Nardin cal. UN-371 hand-wound
• Water Resistance: 50m

If you’re in need of an everyday, no-fuss automatic watch that can be worn day-in-day-out, you might consider the Shinola Circadian Monster 36. Measuring — you guessed it — 36mm in diameter, this genderless timepiece features a stainless steel case, a screw-down crown, a sapphire caseback, a smooth bezel, a multi-link bracelet with brushed and polished surfaces, and the Sellita SW200-1 automatic movement. Two fresh dial colors are available: While the Glossy Enamel Alabaster reference will blend easily with any outfit, the Sandblast Sunray Eucalyptus features a subtle green hue for a touch of je ne sais quois. Both boast applied indices, lumed sword hands, and a framed date window at 3 o’clock.

• Diameter: 36mm
• Movement: Sellita SW200-1 automatic 
• Water Resistance: 100m

British watchmaker Christopher Ward can always be counted on for a cool, affordable take on the classics. The brand’s Dune field watch, available in numerous configurations, has received an update in the form of the new C65 Dune Aeolian Automatic, whose name celebrates the special wind-blown “Aeolian” patterns that form in sand dunes and deserts around the world. Available in Silica grey, Eve blue, Marram green and White Sand, each dial features an undulating, textured pattern accented with applied indices and plenty of Super-LumiNova BL Grade X lume. Powered by the reliable Sellita SW200-1 automatic movement, each watch comes paired to a Camel Orlando leather strap or the Bader steel bracelet.

• Diameter: 38mm
• Movement: Sellita SW200-1 automatic 
• Water Resistance: 150m

Reconfigured in a thinner, pocket watch-inspired silhouette with a fluted crown and domed crystal, the new 40.5mm Chopard L.U.C. Lunar One combines a perpetual calendar display with a unique, precision orbital moon phase display contained within a rotating window. Available in 18K yellow gold or 18K white gold, this elegant, complicated model boasts a hand-guilloché dial in blue or salmon (respectively) fitted with applied gold indices, an elegant gold handset and several displays showing the date, month, leap year, moon phase, day and day/night. Powering the watch is the automatic Chopard L.U.C Calibre 96.13-L movement with dual stacked barrels. a 65-hour power reserve and the Poinçon de Genève quality hallmark. Sophisticated and beautiful, the L.U.C. Lunar One is a sight for sore eyes.

• Diameter: 40.5mm
• Movement: Chopard L.U.C Calibre 96.13-L automatic
• Water Resistance: N/A

Colombian-born musical superstar J Balvin worked with G-SHOCK to create a special limited-edition 5600-series watch. Executed in bright, translucent yellow (and shipping with an extra black bezel and strap), it features J Balvin’s lightning-bolt motif and handwritten function descriptions in the singer’s own handwriting, making it the first G-SHOCK to feature Spanish language on the bezel. Dubbed “Ma G” — Balvin’s nickname for those in his inner circle — it’s a fun, affordable homage to Balvin’s lifelong love of the brand and its watches. Being a G-SHOCK, it’s also ready for action: With 200m of water resistance and a full complement of alarms, timers and calendars, it’s made for a life on the road.

• Diameter: 43.8mm
• Movement: Digital
• Water Resistance: 200m

For decades, IWC’s “Mark” line of watches has provided a reliable, go-to accessory for the world’s (actual or would-be) pilots. Stark and business-like, the handsome tool watch collection has also proven the ideal platform in which to launch collaborative editions. Case in point is the new Pilot’s Watch Mark XX Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team, a special version of the watch that celebrates IWC’s position as “Official Engineering Partner” of the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team. Housed in a matte-grey 40mm titanium case, it features a black dial with PETRONAS-green indices and hands, a matching rubber strap and the IWC cal. 32111 automatic movement with an impressive 120-hour power reserve. 

• Diameter: 40mm
• Movement: IWC cal. 32111 automatic
• Water Resistance: 100m

Get ready for one of the coolest watches of 2025 (thus far): The Oris Divers Sixty-Five 60th Anniversary Edition celebrates the independent Swiss brand’s first-ever diver with a contemporary take at unbeatable pricing. For $2,500, you get a 40mm, crown guard-less stainless steel case with an old-school bidirectional elapsed-time bezel, a double-domed sapphire crystal with AR coating, the Oris cal. 733 (Sellita-base) automatic movement and a cool rivet-style steel bracelet (plus an additional leather strap). But the real showstopper is the dial: Black with vintage-colored, stylized Arabic and short dash indices, it even features the old-style Oris logo with the words “WATERPROOF” and “ANTI-SHOCK” displayed prominently.

• Diameter: 40mm
• Movement: Oris cal. automatic (Sellita base)
• Water Resistance: 100m

If you’re a tool watch aficionado, you’ve doubtless stumbled upon Mark II in your horological travels. The brainchild of entrepreneur Bill Yao, this American microbrand — and its sister company Tornek-Rayville — makes awesome modern tool watches inspired by long-out-of-production vintage models. (And it prices them affordably, we might add!) The Fulcrum 39, an update to a 2013 model, celebrates a certain vintage Submariner issued to British special operations forces in the 1970s. Available with either 12-hour or dive bezels and with or without 4:30 a date window, it’s a killer homage to a timepiece issued in well under 2,000 examples that carries a multi-hundred-thousand-dollar price tag on the secondary market. Best of all, the Fulcrum 39 comes with a steel bracelet as well as additional ribbed nylon and rubber straps.

• Diameter: 39.5mm
• Movement: Miyota 9015/90S5 automatic
• Water Resistance: 200m

The Tudor Black Bay Chrono may be the ultimate modern tool watch, but that doesn’t mean that Rolex’s sister brand doesn’t know how to have some fun. Hot on the heels of the Black Bay Chrono Pink, the new Flamingo Blue iteration injects some additional South Beach-inspired levity into the collection. Measuring 41mm in stainless steel and paired to Tudor’s excellent multi-link bracelet, the new ref. M79360n-0024 boasts a turquoise dial with black chronograph registers and luminous, applied white indices. Framed by a black aluminum tachymeter bezel insert and powered by the Tudor Manufacture Calibre MT5813 automatic, it’s got 200m of water resistance and Chronometer-grade accuracy.

• Diameter: 41mm
• Movement: Tudor Manufacture Calibre MT5813 automatic
• Water Resistance: 200m

Love the idea of the Blancpain X Swatch Bioceramic Scuba Fifty Fathoms but don’t quite fancy its looks or sizing? Bulova’s newly revamped Snorkel collection might be the ideal place to find an alternative. Measuring 41mm in a colored hybrid-ceramic case and featuring a mineral crystal, an unidirectional elapsed-time bezel, 100m of water resistance and a quartz movement, the Snorkel shares its tonneau shape with the brand’s beloved Oceanographer collection. Available in four different iterations with cool wave-pattern dials, bi-color bezel inserts and perforated rubber diving straps, the Snorkel might be the most horological fun you can have for under $400 in 2025!

• Diameter: 41mm
• Movement: Miyota cal. 2115 quartz
• Water Resistance: 100m