The idea of the “sport watch” used to be fairly literal. Tools built for diving, flying, racing – designed for specific, often extreme conditions. Today, though, the sport watch operates more like athleisure: technically capable, though rarely pushed, and worn almost exclusively at rest.
For my part, I love a sport watch as a point of contrast to a high glam look – a watch-wearer’s answer to pairing a suit with trainers or a T-shirt with a sequin skirt. A big dive watch with a tiny tee just feels cool – and sometimes, you just want a little more heft on your wrist.
At Watches & Wonders in Geneva, the world’s greatest watch trade show, sport watches topped the podium. One of the most notable launches comes from Patek Philippe, which is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Nautilus this year. At the fair, the house unveiled a smaller more traditional 38mm sizing reminiscent of the OG collector reference (Patek Ref.3800) that many vintage watch fanatics hold in highest-esteem. The Nautilus sits, undisputedly, as the most desirable of all the sport watches on the field. Queen of the Nautilus, Victoria Beckham, is often seen sporting her gem-set rose gold version – though she owns quite the selection – pairing hers with a suit, a hoodie, and everything in between.
Tudor, sister brand to Rolex, is catering to women in the most directional way of all the brands, making sporty watches in “women’s sizes” that men want too – the ultimate tool watch status that few watch brands manage to achieve. The BB54 is based on a vintage dive watch from the 1950s and has perfect 37mm proportions – retro in feel, but built to withstand a modern lifestyle. Free of gemstones and a little more rugged in looks than your average mid-size watch, the Tudor BB54 has been released in a perfect shade of royal blue, just in time for your deckside adventures on the Med this summer.
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If you are leaning into the unisex sporty look, Vacheron Constantin has just the thing for you, going all in on the ’00s trend for oversized on a rubber strap. Chanelling Y2K surfer girl à la Blue Crush, I can clearly envisage the brand’s Overseas Dual Time Cardinal Points paired with a Quicksilver baby tee, a pair of tie-side bikini bottoms, and a puka shell accessory. It might sound like an unexpected direction of the third of the Swiss watch Holy Trinity (Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet being the other two), but the brand has been releasing some serious ’70s- and ’90s-inspired sport watch hits over recent years, and this latest nostalgia-tinged release is sure to cause commotion among fans of the horological genre.
IWC takes a slightly more refined approach to sporty with its Ingenieur Automatic 35. It still carries the timepiece’s signature 1970s design language – the screws, the integrated bracelet, the grid dial – but doesn’t feel overly technical or aggressively macho for it. Originally designed by the late Gérald Genta (the mind behind the Patek Philippe Nautilus and Audemars Piguet Royal Oak), the Ingenieur is also celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, adding to the commemorative tone of this year’s fair.
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Now offered in 35mm, it sits perfectly on the wrist, with this year’s proffering a version with a smattering of diamonds on the bezel, as well as one with a plain blue dial. It’s still a sport watch, technically, but it’s an impossibly refined piece – there’s zero hint of banker-bro about it.
For all the so-called stainless steel sport watch competition out there, the Chopard Alpine Eagle has my vote as the category underdog. A brand that doesn’t always get its due credit in the watch world – better known for its high jewellery, Happy Sport watches, and glamorous partnerships on the Cannes red carpet – Chopard often flies beneath the radar. The Alpine Eagle, however, is a winner in my books. This year, it’s been released with an icy, baby-blue metallic dial, the hue of the perfect shade of ’90s pastel blue eyeshadow.