Words: Charlie Thomas
As far as timepieces go, you can’t go wrong with a classic dress watch. Suitable for a wide range of outfits, events and day-to-day wear, it’s hard to go wrong. Only wearing dress watches though is like only eating pasta or only listening to the same album. There are times when you might want to mix things up a bit, so a quality sports watch should do the trick.
Available in an overwhelming array of styles, sports watches can broadly be narrowed down into three main categories; diving, aviation and automotive. Tool watches at heart, sports watches usually perform a specific function or ability that separates them from a standard time-only piece. Chronographs feature heavily, useful for timing dives or lap times, and water resistance is a must. Here are the best sports watches for every budget.
DIVING
Whilst dive watches are made for deep water, for the most part they don’t see much action. In today’s market, the average consumer is attracted to impressive figures from a watch that has been rigorously tested, but aesthetics are more important than ever. The modern diving watch wearer will likely never take it to even a fraction of its depth limits, but the simple fact that it can plummet to 200m or more is an alluring trait that simply can’t be ignored.
Under £500:
SEIKO SKX007
Seiko SKX007, £159.09 from Amazon
Under £5000
ROLEX SUBMARINER
Rolex Submariner, £3,395 from Watch Finder
£5000+
BLANCPAIN FIFTY FATHOMS AUTOMATIQUE
Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Automatique, £8,320 from The Watch Source
AVIATION
Although designed to help pilots during mid-flight, aviation watches are some of the most stylish timepieces on the planet. There’s something about their functional design, which is both intrinsically appealing and unwaveringly masculine, and for this, we love them. Keeping track of time is essential in the skies for all manner of reasons, so a highly legible, often oversized dial is essential, and chronographs and tachymeters are often used to time and measure speed intervals.
Under £500
HAMILTON KHAKI PILOT PIONEER CHRONOGRAPH
Hamilton Khaki Pilot Pioneer Chronograph, £430 from Watch Shop
Under £5000
BAUME & MERCIER CAPELAND 10063
Baume & Mercier Capeland 10063, £3,000 from B&M
£5000+
BREITLING NAVITIMER
Breitling Navitimer 01, £6,770 from Breitling
AUTOMOTIVE
Motorsport is one of The Gentleman’s favourite pastimes, largely because of the constant excitement, thrill of speed and flirtation with danger, among other things. Automotive-themed watches are inspired by these very notions, featuring elements borrowed from some of the finest racing machines to grace the planet. Both chronographs and tachymeters feature often, allowing you to time laps and measure speed, traditionally providing essential information to the man behind the wheel.
Under £500
AUTODROMO PROTOTIPO
Autodromo Prototipo Chronograph, £492 from Page & Cooper
Under £5000
HANHART RACEMASTER GTM
Hanhart Racemaster GTM, £3,540 from Page & Cooper
£5000+
ROLEX COSMOGRAPH DAYTONA
Rolex Cosmograph Daytona, £8,280 from Rolex
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