Watches for summer vacation are often associated with diving watches. However, summer is not just about hot sunny baths and swimming in warm seas. A wonderful way to enjoy summer is by taking marine trips on a motorboat or yacht. In this case, wristwatches are required to not only be functional but also elegant. Companies like IWC, Rolex, and Tag Heuer offer watches in a nautical style that best reflect the concept of marine instruments while remaining stylish accessories.
The first watches of the Portugieser collection, designed on request, appeared in the history of IWC in 1939. The Portugieser combined the precision of a marine chronograph with the convenience of wristwatches. The IWC Portugieser Yacht Club Orlebar Brown is an elegant watch in a sporty style, created by IWC in collaboration with the British brand Orlebar Brown, specializing in men’s swim shorts.
On the dark blue dial with Arabic numerals, divided by a “railroad track” minute scale, leaf-shaped hands with luminescent coating indicate the hours and minutes. The dial design is balanced by two chronograph counters: a 12-hour and a 60-minute counter at “12” o’clock and a small seconds subdial with a date window at “6” o’clock. The large red central seconds hand measures intervals on the white outer seconds scale. IWC chose the blue-white-red color scheme for this model as these colors are present in most creations of the Orlebar Brown Pret-a-Porter brand.
The in-house caliber 83691 is housed in a stainless steel case with a diameter of 44.6 mm. The case has a water resistance of 60 meters, and the power reserve is up to 68 hours. The IWC Portugieser Yacht Club Orlebar Brown comes with a dark blue rubber strap with a textile insert.
The Yacht-Master collection, introduced by Rolex in 1992, continues to be popular among yachtsmen. The models in this collection represent the perfect combination of luxury and reliability. The warm yellow gold tone of the Rolex Yacht-Master 42 Yellow Gold watch, combined with the black bezel, dial, and rubber strap, looks elegant, while the signature attributes of the Yacht-Master collection emphasize the sporty style of the watch.
The bidirectional bezel with a graduated 60-minute scale features a high-tech Cerachrom ceramic insert. The wide hands and large hour markers in the form of triangles, rectangles, and circles, filled with luminescent material, provide excellent readability of the dial at any time of the day.
Inside the 42mm yellow gold case is the in-house caliber 3235 with automatic winding and a power reserve of up to 70 hours. The case is water-resistant to 100 meters.
The iconic Carrera collection, first introduced by Tag Heuer in 1963, was dedicated to the treacherous car race along the world’s longest Pan-American Highway. In 1967, the brand released the Carrera Skipper ref. 7754 watches in honor of the yacht Intrepid’s victory in the America’s Cup. A distinctive feature of these watches is found on the dial: a 15-minute tri-color subdial at “3” o’clock, which allows the timing of the start of sailing competitions. This year, Tag Heuer introduced a modern interpretation of the vintage Carrera Skipper.
The dark blue dial with orange accents on the hands and hour markers, as well as the vibrant summer hues of the subdials, create a playful and light impression of the watch. Despite this, the Tag Heuer Carrera Skipper remains a serious chronograph. Inside the 39mm stainless steel case is the automatic in-house caliber TH20-06 with a power reserve of up to 80 hours. The case is water-resistant to 100 meters. The watch comes with a blue fabric strap.
