From the Rolex Yacht-Master to Breitling’s SuperOcean, 8 Watches Designed for the High Seas

With August vacations seconds away from kicking off, you might be dreaming of kicking back on azure seas and golden sands or jet-setting to Mediterranean destination ports. If that’s the plan for this annual summer sojourn, consider adding one of the latest yacht-friendly timepieces to your wrist. These 2022 debuts blend high-end precision with functions and styling and are perfect companions for sailing and motor yachts excursions alike.

Rolex

Rolex

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The coveted Yacht-Master 42 received a stylish update for 2022, with a 42 mm Oyster case cast at the brand’s foundry in Geneva. The bidirectional rotatable bezel is crafted of a matte-black ceramic insert with raised polished numerals against a sandblasted background. The black dial features a Chromalight display on its hands and hour markers for legibility, while the crystal includes Rolex’s signature Cyclops lens over the date at 3 o’clock. The piece is finished with an Oysterflex high-density elastomer strap with Oysterlock safety clasp, so you can keep your watch on your person while going for a dip off the stern.

Rolex Yacht-Master 42 in 18-karat yellow gold ($28,300)

Breitling

Breitling

This just-released SuperOcean respects the idea that Breitling fans may love the look of this iconic dive watch more than they require every tool it offers. That’s the thinking behind a design update that includes the addition of vivid dial colors like turquoise (seen here) or coral, which is named for legendary surfer Kelly Slater (a black dial, which indeed looks handsome within a bronze case, is also offered). Case sizes from 36 to 46 mm to ensure you get the piece that works for your wrist; this 44mm style highlights its turquoise and white dial against a stainless-steel case and black rubber strap.

Dive-friendly features include water resistance to 300 meters, broad hands and indexes coated in SuperLuminova, and a unidirectional ceramic bezel, which is bidirectional on the 46mm style. Then again, if your first thought is how the turquoise on the dial compares to the waters of Gustavia Harbor in St. Bart’s, that’s understandable (spoiler alert: It’s pretty close).

SuperOcean Automatic 44 in stainless steel and turquoise ($4,700)

Glashütte Original

Glashütte

The latest in Glashütte Original’s SeaQ collection recently debuted with a 39.5 mm case of 18-karat red gold, offering a striking look against the galvanized black dial with a sunray finish. Water resistant to 200 meters, this SeaQ includes a date window at 3 o’clock and a unidirectional bezel with ceramic inlay. It is available in a black leather strap or the grey NATO strap seen here.

Glashutte Original SeaQ in red gold with grey NATO strap ($22,300)

IWC Schaffhausen

IWC

White ceramic watches feel tailor-made for summer sailing, which makes this IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Top Gun Edition “Lake Tahoe” a perfect fit for any yachting excursion (the sport-friendly piece also was worn by Tom Brady when he participated in The Match golf tournament at Wynn Las Vegas in June). The 44 mm white ceramic case is offset by a black dial and a crown and pushers in stainless steel, while the specific white hue of the case and rubber strap is inspired by Navy dress uniforms (Pantone dubbed the shade “IWC Lake Tahoe,” as the area surrounding that freshwater locale is a popular training spot for naval aviators).

Functions on this automatic piece include a 12-hour chronograph, day/date window at 3 o’clock, subdials for running seconds and sub seconds, a 46-hour power reserve and water resistance up to 6 bar or roughly 61 meters.

IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Top Gun Edition “Lake Tahoe” ($10,700)

Blancpain

Blancpain

In 2023 Blancpain will celebrate the 70^th anniversary of its iconic Fifty Fathoms, the dive watch conceptualized by Jean-Jacques Fiechter, at the time the watchmaker’s CEO and himself an avid diver. Three years later, Blancpain introduced the Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe, designed as a stylish timepiece that also would be suitable for everyday wear. The latest, the Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Quantième Complet, indeed seamlessly blends dive functions with Blancpain’s elegant aesthetic and upscale complications.

This self-winding watch is water-resistant to 300 meters and features a unidirectional rotating bezel on a 43 mm red gold case crafted in a deep blue ceramic, while the sunburst blue-gradient dial highlights a complete calendar and a moon-phase indicator. For a style that feels a bit sportier, Blancpain also released a titanium model in tonal grey hues.

Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Quantième Complet Phases de Lune in red gold ($31,600)

Officine Panerai

Panerai

The Italian yachting team Luna Rossa will compete in the 37^th America’s Cup in Barcelona in 2024, and when they do, this is the watch teammates will wear, the Luminor Luna Rossa from Italian watchmaker Panerai. This just-debuted hand-wound mechanical timepiece features a sleek new look of a white dial in a brushed-steel 44 mm case on a gray strap highlighted by the red Luna Rossa stripe. Limited to 1,500 pieces, functions on this watch include a small seconds subdial at 9 o’clock and a three-day power reserve.

Luminor Panerai Luna Rossa ($5,900)

TAG Heuer

TAG Heuer

Rated to 1,000 meters of water resistance, this watch lives up to the “Superdiver” in its name. The TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 1000 Superdiver is crafted of a 45 mm titanium case with a crown protector and helium escape valve to enable the piece to achieve that depth, while both the black sunray brushed dial and bidirectional bezel in titanium and ceramic are embellished with SuperLuminova for maximum readability. With a date window at 6 o’clock, this automatic certified chronometer also features a 70-hour power reserve.

TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 1000 Superdiver ($6,650)

Ulysse Nardin

Ulysse Nardin

The Le Locle, Switzerland-based watchmaker recently signed on as both the official timekeeper of The Ocean Race, the around-the-world yacht race that will kick off in Alicante, Spain in 2023, and as a sponsor of the 11^th Hour Racing Team, based in Newport, Rhode Island. Limited to just 200 pieces, the just-released Diver X The Ocean Race celebrates the partnerships.

The brand has long exhibited its dedication to ocean conservation and sustainability, and that’s seen here in both the case and strap: The latter is fully crafted of recycled fishing nets, while the 44 mm case is a blend of recycled fishing nets and Carbonium, which the brand describes as a composition of aeronautical-grade carbon fibers. A blend of matte and satin finishes, the gray dial features a date window and small seconds subdial at 6 o’clock and a 60-hour power-reserve indicator at 12 o’clock.

Diver X The Ocean Race ($11,500)

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