Make Your Wrist Pop With These Six Brightly Coloured Watches

We’ve just passed the longest day of the year, meaning it is officially summer season. Summer is the season of relaxation, fun in the sun, a splash in the pool or something a bit more adventurous. And with it, there’s no need to be shy about what you put on your wrist. Make it pop and stand out, as summer is the perfect opportunity to be more creative in your watch selection. Luck would have it, several watchmaking companies have embraced this state of mind too. They have enriched the industry with bright, fun watches that will surely get noticed when you’re strolling down the boardwalk lounging in a deckchair or whatever you want to do during the summer. With that in mind, these six watches provide you with all the horological pop you need, while also adding something fresh and different to your ensemble.

Hermès H08 Colours

The Hermès H08 range is, quite frankly, a very cool collection of watches. The design is fresh and original, the attention to detail is evident, and the mechanics are very good. Even more so with the new braided fibre glass composite case, coated with aluminium and slate powder. Hermès adds a good dose of colour as the seconds hand, some of the markings on the dial and the gasket for the crystal come in orange, blue, yellow or green. You also get a colour-matching strap to slap it on your wrist. This eye-popping Hermès H08 retails for EUR 7,000.

For more information, please visit Hermes.com.

Quick Facts – 39mm x 39mm – braided glass fibre composite coated with aluminium & slate powder – brushed black ceramic bezel – ceramic screw-down crown – sapphire crystal front & back – concrete colour dial with orange, blue, yellow or green details – Hermès Manufacture H1837, made by Vaucher – automatic winding – 193 components – 28 jewels – 28,800vph – 50h power reserve – colour-matching rubber strap with titanium folding clasp – EUR 7,000

Hamilton Pan Europ automatic

If the Hermès or the Maurice Lacroix coming up next is a bit too much for you, perhaps the new Hamilton Pan Europ is better suited. Rooted in the brand’s past, this new set of Pan Europ Automatic watches come in a fresh set of colours, one in light green and the other in beige. The familiar barrel-shaped case is still there, fitted with a rotating bezel that has a burgundy insert. The seconds hand is lacquered in burgundy to match. The combination is a bit unusual, but it works rather well! Power comes from the H30 calibre, Hamilton’s take on the Powermatic 80. And at EUR 1,195, with two straps to boot, it’s very good value!

For more information, please visit HamiltonWatch.com.

Quick Facts – 42mm x 11.55mm – stainless steel case, brushed & polished – rotating bezel with burgundy insert – sapphire crystal front & back – 50m water-resistant – sunray-brushed light green or beige dial – burgundy lacquered seconds hand – day-date indication – Hamilton H-30, automatic – 21,600vph – 80h power reserve – Nivachron hairspring – hours, minutes, seconds (hacking), day, date – perforated leather strap & brown or burgundy textile NATO strap – EUR 1,195

Maurice Lacroix Aikon Masterpiece Grand Date Technicolour

Maurice Lacroix has had huge success with the Aikon, the brand’s take on the luxury sports watch with an integrated bracelet/strap. Based on the Calypso from the 1990s, the Aikon comes in many guises, none of which are as brightly coloured as the Masterpiece Grand Date Technicolour. The large 45mm by 15mm steel case is coated with black PVD and finished with brightly coloured orange, blue, yellow or green details. The contrast is striking, to say the least, especially with that front-side mounted balance wheel and the titular Grand Date display. Limited to 50 pieces each, it retails for CHF 8,790.

For more information, please visit MauriceLacroix.com.

Quick Facts – 45mm x 15mm – stainless steel case with black PVD coating – signature claw bezel – sapphire crystal front & back – 100m water-resistant – black base with offset orange, blue, yellow or green hour & minute dial, small seconds and big date indications – exposed balance wheel – calibre LM331, in-house automatic – 18,000vph – 50h power -reserve – colour-matching rubber strap with black DLC-coated pin buckle, additional black rubber strap – limited to 50 pieces each – CHF 8,790

Bvlgari Aluminium Capri Chronograph

The Bvlgari Aluminium has always been a suitable summer watch thanks to its lightweight case and comfortable strap of articulated rubber and aluminium links. The new Aluminium Capri Chronograph adds a cool splash of colour, as it comes with a blue rubber bezel, a light-to-dark gradient blue dial, blue sub-dials, blue and white hour and minute hands and a blue rubber strap. The chronograph and small seconds hand are yellow for a touch of extra contrast. Inside ticks the calibre B130, based on the ETA 2894, offering 42 hours of running time. It’s not limited and retails for EUR 5,200.

For more information, please visit Bulgari.com.

Quick Facts – 40mm diameter – aluminium case – titanium crown and pushers with DLC coating – blue rubber bezel – sapphire crystal with titanium caseback – 100m water-resistant – gradient blue dial – blue subdials – blue, white and yellow hands – automatic calibre B130 (ETA 2894 base) – 28,800vph – 42h power reserve – blue rubber straps with aluminium links and pin buckle – reference 203844 – EUR 5,200

Tissot Sideral

The 1960s and 1970s were home to lots and lots of cool and interesting watches, many of which make a return in a slightly updated and modernized style. The same goes for the new Tissot Sideral, based on the original one from the late 1960s. Then using a monoblock fibreglass case, its modern counterpart has a forged carbon fibre case instead. The brightly coloured Tissot Sideral can rely on the well-known Powermatic 80 movement. The strap is also unique, as it doesn’t have a traditional buckle and pin but a pin & hole fastening system to secure it into place. It comes in bright, primal colours and costs a rather reasonable EUR 1,075.

For more information, please visit TissotWatches.com.

Quick Facts – 41mm x 46.5mm – forged carbon case – coloured flakes embedded into the case for the blue version only – sapphire crystal front & back – rotating bezel with black insert – black base dial with yellow, blue or grey minute track – regatta timing section – white and red central hands – Powermatic 80 movement, automatic – 21,600vph – 80h power reserve – Nivachron hairspring – blue, yellow or red rubber strap with pin & hole fastening system – EUR 1,075

Horage Lensman 2 exposure

The final watch on the list is unlike any other. The very original Horage Lensman 2 Exposure takes inspiration from the world of photography, just as the Lensman 1 did. But, and this is truly novel, it lets you determine optimal exposure settings. The Lensman 2 is fitted with a bidirectional rotating bezel that’s a functional exposure calculator paired with special scales and symbols on the dial. Speaking of which, it comes in classic black or silvery-white and more out-there bright yellow (which is why it made it to the list!) Worn on a black or yellow rubber strap, this yellow version of the Lensman 2 retails for CHF 5,900.

For more information, please visit Horage.com.

Quick Facts – 39mm diameter – grade 5 titanium & matte black anodized aluminium case – bidirectional exposure calculator bezel – sapphire crystal front & back – 50m water-resistant – yellow dial with black scales and markings – central hour, minute, seconds and GMT hand with Super-LumiNova – in-house K2 movement with micro-rotor – 25,200vph – 72h power reserve – silicon escapement hairspring – COSC-certified chronometer – black or yellow rubber strap – CHF 5,900