Who Says A Summer Watch Has To Be A Sports Watch?

This summer has been, in a word, hot. Very, very hot. In fact, it’s been hot in a record-setting fashion. Scientists are projecting that 2023 will be the hottest year on record, and that wouldn’t be the first heat record of the year. Two notable records already broken are the most days in a row with peak temperatures above 110°F in Phoenix, Arizona (the record, as of this summer, is 31 days) and the hottest month ever, or at least since we started tracking such phenomena in the 19^th century).

But you came here to read about watches, not temperature records, so what does this have to do with watches? Well, if you’re anything like me, what you choose to wear in the summer, especially when it is brutally warm, is not the same as what you wear in the winter.

Paul Newman always knew how to dress for the occassion. Image, Mark Kauffman

Flannel shirts make way for lighter Oxford cloth and linen, denim washes get lighter, jackets make their way into the closet, and sleeves spend more time rolled up. I’m told some even choose to wear short pants on occasion.

This begs the question, if you change up your wardrobe to account for the heat, why wouldn’t you change what’s on your wrist as well?

Since it seems like most of the northern hemisphere is going to have to suffer through at least a little more heat, let’s take this as an opportunity to examine some options to help keep you cool and comfortable until the sweet relief of fall, flannel shirts, and more pleasant weather.

FIRST THING FIRST, CHANGE YOUR STRAP.

While Summer heat may mean more light and time outside, it also brings with it some unpleasant side effects. Swollen and sweaty wrists hardly make pleasant bedfellows with leather straps. No one wants to spend the summer sweating into an increasingly funky and worn-down strip of leather.

Thankfully, there are options, and, as it turns out, the easiest and most cost-effective method of getting your watch collection ready for summer is to, well, get the watches themselves ready for summer.

So, before we dive into specific watches that will thrive on your wrist in the summer, whip out your spring bar tool and swap out that leather bund for a NATO-style fabric strap. If NATOs aren’t your thing, don’t worry — there are plenty of great strap options available to you.

Rubber, perlon, and canvas straps make great choices, and synthetic leather options made from pineapple fibers or apple peel can make great summertime alternatives to traditional calfskin leather straps (how leather is made from fruit is beyond me, let me know if it’s something you would be interested in my investigating).

Some bracelets also make for excellent hot-weather options. Metal bracelets can be wonderful in the summer, especially if you are spending time in and around the water. Since bracelets don’t retain water, a morning swim doesn’t condemn you to several hours of clamminess as your strap dries out, and straps with a quick-adjust system, like Rolex’s Easylink, negate the challenges of a swelling wrist with little fuss.

Rolex’s Glidlock system goes even further than Easylink, offering easy tool-free adjustment by as much as 20mm. Image, Rolex

But say none of this is enough and, like me, you would rather just use the summer heat as a convenient excuse to fill another slot (or several) in whatever receptacle you use to store your watches. Well, in that case, read on, and let us see if we can work on solving your problem together.

WOW, THIS IS LIGHT.

Recently, I had the pleasure of experiencing a Richard Mille RM67-02 for the first time. I had been warned for years that the first time I picked up a truly lightweight RM, I would have a very specific reaction and, you know what? I did.

When I picked up that watch, I laughed.

The disconnect between what my brain expected and the tactile experience I was enjoying was beyond what I could have expected, and the only response I could muster in the immediate was to laugh.