Tag: diving watch

5 Sports Watches You Can Still Wear with a Suit

In an ideal world, our wardrobes would be chock full of watches for every occasion: an evening watch to pair with your tuxedo; a no-frills watch with a leather strap for the office; and a stainless steel watch for running errands on the weekend. However, most of us need a watch that can do double-duty and can easily be dressed up or down.

Here we round up our favorite diving and sporty watches that look just as sharp with a t-shirt and jeans as they do with a finely tailored suit.

Rolex Submariner
The Rolex Submariner is the brainchild of René-Paul Jeanneret, a former Rolex board member and diving enthusiast who, in the 1950s, pitched the idea of a diving watch that was elegant enough to wear every day. Although it took some convincing—and the helpful intervention of Jeanneret’s friend Jacques Cousteau—Rolex ultimately designed the Submariner.

The Submariner’s overall design hasn’t changed much over the last few decades, making it one of the more decidedly “sporty” watches (aesthetically speaking) on this list. However, because the Submariner is so iconic and it was originally intended to be a dressier diving watch, it kind of gets a pass and looks as sharp with a tux as it does with a scuba suit.


Omega Seamaster Aquaterra
The Omega Seamaster is unmistakably a diving watch. The Seamaster exudes a prototypical sporty flair, primarily thanks to its distinct hour markers and wide rotating bezel, specially designed for easier underwater legibility.

However, its sister model, the Seamaster Aquaterra, puts a luxurious spin on the original Seamaster. While you’ll still get that quintessential Seamaster look-and-feel thanks to its triangle-shaped hour-markers, the Aquaterra’s dial features a unique teak motif which was inspired by vintage Italian wooden yachts. The Aquaterra elevates the formal appeal of the Seamaster, making it a handsome but not stuffy watch option.


Patek Philippe Nautilus
Until the 1970s, watches were pretty cleanly split between sports watches and luxury watches; there was little cross-pollination between these two fundamental watch categories. However, Patek Philippe wanted to be the first to bridge that gap and challenge the wildly popular Audemars Piguet Royal Oak with an even more refined sports watch that would appeal to luxury watch connoisseurs. In turn, they commissioned famed watchmaker Gerald Genta to develop this newfangled watch category.

And Genta introduced his signature design, the Patek Philippe Nautilus. The Nautilus draws its sports watch flourishes from its porthole-inspired octagonal watch case shape and brushed stainless steel finish. But it still exudes that classic luxury watch persona thanks to its horizontally embossed dial and stark hour markers.


Breitling Heritage Collection
Breitling is best known for its hefty watch cases which make them a cool statement piece but also makes them a little tricky to wear with a suit as your sleeve catches on the watch case, creating a very unattractive and rumpled sleeve situation.

However, Breitling’s Heritage Collection harkens back to the brand’s foundational models that feature a slimmer watch case profile. Select a model with a metal or mesh metal bracelet to give the watch more board room appeal.


Panerai Radiomir
You wouldn’t know by looking at it but the Panerai Radiomir was a cutting-edge diving watch in 1936 that offered unparalleled luminosity (ideal for underwater reading) and was specially-commissioned by the Royal Italian Navy.

The Panerai Radiomir looks the least like a traditional diving watch which makes it easy to transition into more formal settings. We picked the Radiomir over the (somewhat similar-looking) Luminor for formal-wear because the Radiomir’s crown doesn’t have the crown-protecting bridge. While this unique crown distinguishes the Luminor and makes it even more water resistant, it can be a little cumbersome under a fitted suit or button up sleeve. To make the Radiomir look even more sleek and polished, skip the rubber watch strap in favor of one in leather.

Can I Work Out with My Watch On?

Watch brands and watches in general are intimately tied to the world of sports. Omega is the official timekeeper of the Olympic Games. Dozens of watch models have been specifically designed for extreme sports like deep sea diving and race car driving. Not to mention that tennis and golf pros regularly play in their Rolex and designer watches.

However, the catch to all this is that not all luxury automatic watches should be worn during physical activities, including your morning work out. Before you don your watch to the gym, read these important watch care tips!

Screw down the crown before swimming laps.
Assuming your watch is water-resistant, your automatic watch is only water-resistant if the crown is fully pushed in and screwed down. So always double-check that the crown is properly set before you dive into the pool.

And if your watch fogs up, it’s a sign that water leaked into your watch and you should have it serviced to ensure its internal components were not damaged.

Use your diving watch’s rotating bezel to time your swim.
Never use your watch’s chronograph (or stopwatch) pushers while you’re already in the pool; pressing them compromises your watch’s water-resistance and may allow water to seep inside. Therefore, only use the rotating bezel to avoid any water damage.

Invest in a sweat-friendly band.
Swap out your watch’s leather or exotic strap for more a resilient or easier-to-clean band like a silicon, rubber or NATO strap. (Leather does not fare well when it gets wet with sweat.) Metal bracelets are a fine option but wipe down the links with a polishing cloth after your workout to avoid build-up.

Keep your watch in your locker during weight lifting and contact sports.
If you wear your watch during a strength training workout, you run the risk of brushing and scratching the crystal against the metal dumbbells, weights and exercise equipment. As for contact sports, a sudden impact to your watch can break its balance staff, which keeps the balance wheel and hairspring in place. If that happens, you’ll need to have your watch expertly repaired.

Double-check your cardio equipment’s method of resistance.
Treadmills, bicycles and elliptical trainers have different types of resistance systems—motors, tension belts, air and magnets—help you work up a sweat. But, if your gym has magnetic cardio equipment, they pose a threat to your automatic watch’s inner components. Magnetic fields can throw off your watch’s escapement (which regulates your watch’s oscillations so it keeps proper time) and damage the movement.