Versace Medusa Pop

The Medusa Pop is a typical Versace creation, so it is not for the shy and introverted. This is also the fun part of a watch like this, which stands out by the bold Versace letters and Medusa head on the silicon strap that also covers the case. This means that the wearing comfort is outstanding, in which also the diameter of 38mm plays its part. The dial is what gives this Versace an extra dose of character as the gold-tone hands turn behind a three-dimensional Medusa. The head is actually placed on a flat crystal which is in turn protected by a domed sapphire crystal. A quartz Ronda movement ensures accurate timekeeping, so you won’t miss happy hour. You can match the Medusa Pop watch to your swimming attire, as it is available in black, white, blue, purple, and even red. Price: $495.

For more info, visit Versace, here

Swatch Neon Wave

In case you haven’t noticed yet, neon colors are back in fashion. The hues that decorated the 80s and 90s made a strong comeback, perhaps because we were missing them. Swatch took inspiration and launched an entire collection in bright neon colors, or perhaps I should say relaunch as these colors were one of the cornerstones of the success the brand enjoyed back in those days. With the Neon Wave, you get a bold combination of colors, but you stay still in control thanks to the chronograph and date function. Its matte yellow case is attached to a structured silicon strap that is very comfortable. With its diameter of 42mm, it is a statement, but when you are worried that it won’t match your outfit, don’t, as it is not supposed to. Price: $130.

For more info, visit Swatch, here

Maurice Lacroix Aikon #Tide Camo

The Aikon #Tide Camo is a watch that either perfectly blends in, or stands out like crazy. With its case, bezel, and dial in green hues combined with a camo-colored strap, this is not a watch that you need to lay somewhere when camping in the woods because the chances are that you will never find it again. Anywhere else the watch will make quite a statement, which might also be what you are looking for. The 40mm large case is made from upcycled plastic that is retrieved from the oceans, a material that is also used to craft the buckle. As a result the Aikon #Tide Camo is pleasantly light to wear, while its quartz movement makes sure that you don’t miss a beat during vacation. Price: $825.

For more info, visit Maurice Lacroix, here

G-Shock G-LIDE

To some, nothing says vacation like a G-Shock, as these resilient watches are known to withstand a beating and look good doing so. When you are going to the beach, and even more so when you enjoy watersports there, the G-LIDE also offers a wide variety of useful functions, the main being a tide indicator. The display of the G-Shock is very well organized as we are used from the brand, making it easy to take all the information in. The strap and part of the case are made form biobased resin, with the rest being stainless steel. The G-Lide is water resistant up to 20 ATM/200 meters, and the Bluetooth function not only makes setting it a breeze but also gives you an excuse to be on your phone during vacation. Price: $160.

For more info, visit G-Shock, here

The G5600BG-1 isn’t even that different from its siblings, apart from one thing: the resin used to make the case and the strap contains scraps left over from the production of other G-Shock models. To make this evident, they use red and yellow colored scraps and blend that into the fresh, black urethane from which the watch is crafted. This blended look gives each and every G5600BG-1 a unique pattern and also adds a bit of fun to the watch. It is not so much that it turns this G-Shock into an instant eyecatcher, but it is more for the subtle enjoyment of its owner as it gives the watch just that bit more flair. For those who prefer a more monochrome look, check out the G-5600SRF, a limited edition that G-Shock launched together with the Surfrider Foundation, which is a group of surfers dedicated to environmental protection activities focusing on the oceans. 

As is to be expected are the specs of the G5600BG-1 on point. The watch is solar powered, and G-Shock even mentions in its description that it can run continuously for 12 months, with normal use, without exposure to light after it is fully charged. While I hope you are never going to find yourself in a situation where you have to forgo light for an entire year, it does say something about how well G-Shock has regulated the power consumption of the movement. As the watch is only 12.7mm thick, and this is mainly due to its shock absorption measures, the battery inside is not that large. 

As always, G-Shock is taking full advantage of the G5600BG-1 being a digital watch, so it offers a wide variety of different functions, ranging from a 1/100th of a second stopwatch to the option to set 5 daily alarms, as well as a perpetual calendar programmed to the year 2099 and a convenient LED backlight function. It also comes with a 20ATM/200-meter water resistance, and as it weighs only 47 grams, wearing comfort is superb.

With a recommended retail price of $150, you are getting a lot of watch for your money, but even more so getting a watch that you don’t have to worry about. With the recycled resin inserted in the case and strap, the G5600BG-1 is a unique addition to the extensive G-Shock collection, as each of the watches will look slightly different. So, as we congratulate G-Shock on another birthday, the best news is that after all these years, they are still entirely in sync with what made them so great in the first place.

For more info, visit G-Shock, here

As many watch enthusiasts are aware, the history of aviation and horology have long been linked through the necessity of a pilot needing to know the time immediately while in the air. Through this, the pilot’s watch has developed over the decades to become the recognizable icon it is today. The flieger triangle at 12 o’clock, the oversized case and crown, and the development of lume have all been tied to catering to a pilot’s needs while in flight so it was only a matter of time before watch brands embraced the altimeter. In this visit to the WatchTime Archives, we look at five brands that have done just that in recent years. 

Oris Big Crown ProPilot Altimeter

In 2014, Oris tapped its flight heritage to release the Big Crown ProPilot Altimeter. The watch has two crowns: the crown at 2 o’clock adjusts time and date, while the crown at 4 o’clock operates the altimeter. To activate the altimeter, you must unscrew the second crown into position one, indicated by a red ring. At position 2, the altimeter can be set. Once this is completed, the watch illustrates the altitude through the yellow indicator and the air pressure via the red indicator. The altitude scale is read through the outer dial ring and can measure the altitude up to 15,000 feet. The air pressure scale is located between the altimeter scale and the central dial. The 47-mm watch uses the Oris Caliber 733, which is a modified Sellita SW200 movement. The watch costs $3,800 on a textile strap and $4,100 on a bracelet.

Favre Leuba Bivouac 9000

In 2017, Favre-Leuba marked its 280th anniversary with the Bivouac 9000, a mechanical watch that boasts the capability of measuring altitudes up to 9,000 meters (29,527 feet) above sea level. This isn’t exactly new territory for Favre-Leuba, as the Bivouac 9000 is the direct descendant of a 1962 wristwatch the brand released that was the first timepiece that could measure the altitude up to 3,000 meters. The 48-mm titanium case houses an aneroid barometer, which allows the watch to indicate the elevation at a given point by reacting to the changing air pressure surrounding it. The central red altimeter hand indicates altitude gain in 50-meter steps and goes up to 3,000 meters in one rotation. Once the watch has completed three such rotations, you know that you’ve reached an altitude of 9,000 meters The price is CHF 7,500, or approximately $8,000.

Casio PRG-650Y-1

Casio is a popular choice for many daredevils that want extreme functionality without compromising on good looks. Last September, the Japanese brand expanded its Pro-Trek collection to add the PRG650Y-1 and PRG650YBE-3, two new timepieces that include a magnetic sensor for compass readings, a pressure sensor that functions as an altimeter and a thermosensor for temperature. The two analog-digital watches also have stopwatch capabilities, up to five daily alarms, water resistance up to 100 m, a worldtimer, and a countdown timer. This kind of souped-up gadgetry is what Casio is best known for and it doesn’t disappoint here. Both watches are powered by Casio’s Tough Solar Power technology that eliminates the need to change a battery. It’s worth noting that every watch in Casio’s Pro-Trek series includes an altimeter. The PRG650Y-1 is available for $320 and the PRG650YBE-3 for $340.

Citizen Promaster Altichron

Citizen’s main focus in 2017 was on ultra-rugged watches that spare no expense. Along with a diving watch that can reach a depth of 1,000 m, the Japanese brand introduced the Promaster Altichron which has an altimeter that reaches up to 32,000 feet. Citizen chose to display the time and functions in analog rather than digital form to simplify the information available. The various functions include the altimeter, a compass, a power reserve, and a date window. Like all Eco-Drive watches, the Promaster Altichron is powered by light and it has a rate of plus or minus 15 seconds per month. You can find it for $550.

Bremont U-22

It’s no secret that Nick and Giles English, the British founders of Bremont, are quite fond of flying. At Baselworld 2015, the young brand unveiled the U-22, which contained a date window inspired by an altimeter. Yes, this technically doesn’t have a functioning altimeter but it’s a great looking watch that has been flight tested by the brand up to 100,000 feet for over 12 hours in the air and to temperatures as low as -50 degrees. The watch also features a bi-directional rotating bezel that has been altered to form a compass quadrant, often used in weather mapping. The Bremont U-22 uses the COSC-certified caliber 12 ¼ BE-36AE and has a 38-hour power reserve. It costs $5,195.

In the past decade, we have witnessed more and more professional climbers and explorers tackle the world’s tallest and most treacherous mountains wearing rugged timepieces designed to withstand unfathomable extremes. It is a phenomenon, though, that will reach far into the future.

For just about a century, top watch brands have been inextricably linked to explorers and mountain climbers as they strived to reach new heights, conquer new summits and explore Earth’s greatest mountains. Each expedition in real life, where watches went to extremes with explorers brave enough to push the boundaries, resulted in better, stronger, more precise timepieces. Today, watch brands continue to accompany climbers to mountain tops worldwide with timepieces that can go the distance.

Almost 70 years ago, in 1953, Rolex made history on the wrist of Sir Edmund Hillary when he and Tenzing Norgay became the first explorers to summit Mount Everest. For that successful climb, Rolex (which had begun furnishing expeditions to the Himalayas with watches decades earlier) equipped the expedition with Oyster Perpetual watches. Those timepieces made it to the summit intact and still working precisely — attesting to the strength and durability of watches, as well as man. The now-famed Explorer watch that was able to withstand those extreme conditions was launched later that year, followed by evolutions ever since.

A couple of decades after Sir Edmund Hillary’s daring 29,032-foot Mount Everest ascent, in 1970, adventurers Naomi Uemura and Teruo Matsuura became the first Japanese to reach the South Peak of Everest from the steeper Southeast Ridge. Uemura was a fan of the Seiko dive watch and during that climb, he wore a Seiko 6159-7001 watch. He continued to believe in Seiko watches for his expeditions: when he became the first adventurer in the world to reach the tallest peaks in all five continents later in 1970. He went on to wear that watch on a two-year solo dog sled expedition from Greenland to Alaska in 1974 and, while he disappeared forever in 1984 on the descent from Denali, Seiko honored him last year on what would have been his 80th birthday by creating a modern interpretation of the watch, the Seiko Prospex Diver’s Automatic. Each of these expeditions, and the many others over the years that led to physical conquests and fulfillment of knowledge, were reallife tests for the timepieces before the extensive laboratories of today existed. The watches were put to harsh tests of altitude and temperature changes, water resistance and so much more, and as climbers rose to new heights, the watch brands accompanying them did, too.

Today, certain watch brands are keen on continuing collaborations with explorers, adventurers, and others to make their watches better, stronger and more wearable to the everyday consumer who wants reliability and durability. The ultimate goal is also to equip today’s explorers with the tools they need to get the jobs done.

Pushing the Limits Without Oxygen 

Montblanc is one such brand that supports adventurers. In fact, the brand partnered with Reinhold Messner a couple of years ago, in 2020, to create the 1858 Geosphere that was named in his honor. He was one of the first to climb Mount Everest without the assistance of supplementary oxygen in 1978 (and also summited Everest solo two years later).

Now, as Montblanc wants to real-life test its newest 1858 Geosphere Zero Oxygen watch on Everest, Messner suggested working with mountaineer Nimsdai, Nirmal, Purja, who is began his ascent in May 2022. An ex-Gurkha and an honoree of the British Military, Purja has accomplished the fastest ascents in a single season to the world’s 14 highest peaks. The current expedition to Mount Everest is being done without supplemental oxygen — something Purja has not accomplished before.

The 1858 Geosphere Zero Oxygen watch accompanying him was made in an oxygen-free environment at Montblanc’s workshops. By allowing no oxygen inside the watch case, fogging as climbers endure drastic temperature and altitude changes is eliminated and the movement delivers greater precision and decreased oxidation. Additionally, special oils are used that can perform at temperatures below 50 degrees Celsius. The 44-mm watch is made of titanium to ensure light weight, especially given Purja’s equipment weight minimums. While the watch has been tested to Montblanc’s 500 Hours standards and is certified, this adventure is the ultimate real-life test.

In a Watches & Wonders Geneva 2022 preview, both Nicolas Baretzki, Montblanc’s Global CEO, and Laurent Lecamp, the brand’s Managing Director of Watches, said the relationship with climbing is all about pushing new boundaries while remaining authentic. “We have three key pillars in our strategy,” says Baretzki, “which include working with authentic people and differentiating ourselves with innovative and distinctive elements.” (He went on to say that the third pillar is offering undisputed perceived value.) These important mantras are what led to the development of the Zero Oxygen watch.

Watches with Experiences

Another brand that anchored into the mountain climbing field in 2021 is Officine Panerai with its partnership with professional alpine climber, National Geographic photographer and filmmaker Jimmy Chin. Chin has climbed Everest, trekked on foot across Tibet’s 275-mile Chang Tang Plateau and is one of the only people ever to ski off of the summit of Mount Everest. He is also the co-producer of the documentary Free Solo, which tracked climber Alex Honnold’s ropes-free solo climb of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park.

Chin was a perfect partner for Panerai, which had already collaborated with other extreme explorers, including Mike Horn, and had created special edition watches with them that were sold with an “experience.” The same held true of the Jimmy Chin relationship, where Panerai produced the Submersible Chrono Flyback Jimmy Chin Edition watch in two versions: one (in a limited edition of just 14 pieces) for customers who also were invited on a Jimmy Chin climbing experience in summer of 2021 in the Grand Tetons, and one not involving an experience.

Both versions were 47-mm brushed titanium cases housing an automatic mechanical movement with Incabloc anti-shock device and have since sold out.

As to the Jimmy Chin experience: customers joined Chin in his hometown of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, for a climb of the Grand Tetons. Most came away with an incredibly humbled respect for the risk-taking and physical abuse Chin takes daily. Panerai continues its relationship with Chin, but future watch plans are currently under wraps.

New Comfort Zones

Vacheron Constantin — a brand not typically associated with scaling Everest — also embarked on new mountain adventures as far back as 2018 when it entered into a collaboration with climber and adventurer Cory Richards, who is also a National Geographic photographer and a member of Vacheron Constantin’s “One of not many” marketing campaign.

Richards has survived avalanches, including one that was a near-death experience, has summited Everest without the use of supplemental oxygen, and, in 2019, made a third ascent to Mount Everest via one of the most perilous routes, the North-East Ridge. For that trek, he took a specially made Vacheron Constantin Overseas watch with him. Its performance was stellar, encouraging the brand to create a special edition in honor of Richards, and an ensuing Everest-inspired watch.

In fact, Vacheron Constantin recently released the Overseas Dual Time Everest limited edition watch inspired by Cory Richards and his Everest climbs. It houses a new mechanical self-winding movement developed in-house by Vacheron Constantin that consists of 234 components and offers 60 hours of power reserve. As with all Vacheron Constantin, the watch carries the Hallmark of Geneva seal attesting to its quality standards. The watch offers second time zone, day/night indicator and date synchronized with local time. Crafted in titanium and stainless steel, the watch is created in a limited edition of just 150 pieces.

Beyond Thrill Seeking 

More and more, today, the list of thrill-seeking brands hoping to test their watches to the fullest, is growing. Bremont, for instance, already tests its Martin Baker watches by ejecting them out of planes strapped to Martin Baker ejection seats. This brand also recently teamed with Aldo Kane, a world-record-setting adventurer who began his career in the Royal Marine Commandos, and today provides safety services for television and aerial crews in extreme places around the world. Recently featured in Welcome to Earth with actor Will Smith, Kane has been seen scaling cliffs, heading into volcanoes and testing his Bremont S501 watch “beyond endurance.”

So, what’s the point other than giving watch brands the chance to test their timepieces in ultimate real-life settings to continually improve quality and durability? Making sure they can offer real-life people the watches that can go the distance with them. Watch lovers may not all be extreme adventurers who want to scale Everest, but they might want to climb more achievable mountains to follow their dreams — even if it’s running a mountain path.

To that end, Casio has the answer with its newest G-Shock Move sports watch. Associating with mountain runner Joseph Gray, an 18-time USA National Champion and the only African American member of the U.S. Mountain Running Team, G-Shock outfits him with the GBDH1000-1A7 watch. This piece shows off its smart side with the ability to receive GPS signals for location access, and to offer heart rate monitoring and vital information such as altitude, barometric pressure and temperature changes.

As horizons widen, and the sky seems to no longer be the limit, what watch works for you?

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While visually reminiscent of the original, the TRN-50, which is water resistant to 100 meters, boasts modern technological features. In addition to receiving time calibration signals from six stations worldwide, it functions as a solar radio-controlled watch with Mobile Link capability, allowing synchronization with smartphones via Bluetooth. Other features include world time indication, several alarms and countdown timers, and a 1/100-second chronograph.

While the logo on the blue dial faithfully replicates the original, the closed case back sports a new symbol in celebration of the anniversary. Like the original, the TRN-50 is attached to a metal bracelet.

Pricing for the Casio Casiotron is marked at $500.

To learn more, visit Casio, here.