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The Top 5 Rolex Watches to Wear This Summer
As we all know, getting your wardrobe right in the summer is crucial to your enjoyment of those longer days and warmer temperatures.
And, in the same way you wouldn’t wear a winter jacket when it’s into the 90s outside, selecting the right timepiece can make all the difference, both aesthetically and practically.
There are actually a surprising number of factors to take into consideration when looking for that perfect summer watch:
Good water resistance is an obvious one. Many of us spend the majority of the season submerged in one form or another; whether it’s in a pool, the ocean or the hot tub. If not in any of those, we can usually be found showering off after getting out of one of those. And if, like me, you live in the U.K., you’re likely getting caught in the rain as well.
This is also the time of year when getting the bracelet right on your watch is at its most crucial. Hotter weather means you’ll be perspiring more than normal, so rubber or NATO straps will be kinder to the skin than steel or gold. Leather is probably the least ideal as it absorbs sweat and salt and dries out in the sun.
You will want to think about the size and thickness of the case too. Lighter and thinner models will be more comfortable in the heat, and keeping the diameter in the 36mm-40mm range should ensure things don’t get too heavy.
Don’t neglect other factors such as durability and ease of cleaning either. You will doubtless be more active in the summer than you might otherwise be, so finding a watch able to shrug off the knocks and bumps is a must. Think sapphire crystals and ceramic bezels if possible. Similarly, with perspiration and sunscreen building up fast, you will want to make time to clean your watch more often. That rules out pieces with intricate bracelets and sensitive materials.
Functionality is important as well. If you are travelling a bunch, a GMT will help with jetlag. Likewise, a dive bezel is a handy simple timer, not just for measuring your time underwater but also for gauging other things, like when you need to reapply the factor 30.
Away from those functional aspects, a great summer watch is one which looks the part. This is arguably the most relaxed of the seasons, so leave the dress watches in the box and go for something more casual. Light colored dials not only look great in the sun, they also reflect the heat better than dark faces. Bright or pastel shades are ideal.
And, if you’re packing light for a trip, think about versatility. A single watch that can transition effortlessly from beach to bar is the best option, and means you don’t have to worry about leaving a beloved model in the hotel safe.
So, that’s a long list of prerequisites to fulfill for the perfect summer watch.
Fortunately, Rolex has got your back.
Rolex Oyster Perpetual 41 Pistachio Dial ref. 134300
Straight out of the blocks with one of my favorite 2025 releases from Rolex.
The brand’s entry level range has become one of their most interesting in recent years, with a phalanx of new and beautifully judged dial colors arranged over the series’ five sizes.
Key among them for this year is the so-called pistachio dial, a gleaming yet soft green color with just a hint of yellow undertone. Rolex create and apply this new shade in a controlled-environment atmosphere to ensure their dials remain free from dust and other contaminants, and build each one up with a total of six meticulously precise lacquer layers.
What we are left with is a departure from the somewhat in-your-face offerings we’ve had for the OP lately, such as the bright and borderline controversial Celebration dial, now sadly discontinued. This new generation are toned down and hover more on the matte side, but are still striking enough to get you noticed.
There is a pistachio dial available on every OP—28mm, 31mm, 34mm, 36mm and 41mm. My preference would certainly be the latter, with the diameter hitting the sweet spot for my wrist, but the best thing about the range (other than the price) is there is one in the ideal size for anybody.
The Oyster Perpetual is the Rolex for those who don’t take themselves too seriously, and this latest pastel example is a sure fire summer hit.
Rolex Yacht-Master 42 Titanium ref. 226627
Kicking it up a notch, here’s one for those expecting to be especially active this summer.
If you take a look back at our list of watch considerations, the titanium Yacht-Master hits most of them with ease, and thanks for that lands mostly at the door of its case material.
Rolex’s proprietary alloy, RLX Titanium, means the ref. 226627 is not only incredibly strong—about twice the tensile strength of even the 904L steel the brand uses—but is also almost unbelievably light. Weighing in at just 100g, it is some 70% lighter than the other 42mm models in the range, in yellow or white gold, despite those sitting on the Oysterflex rubber strap. Compared to the steel pieces, which are 2mm smaller, it is only about two-thirds the weight. That makes it an extremely easy all-day wear, even if the day in question is baking hot.
Coupled with that you get 100m of water resistance, more than enough for most water activities short of full-on Scuba, and it, of course, has the trademark rotating bezel to act as a simple-to-use timer.
Perhaps most of all, however, is the versatility. There is barely any situation you can imagine in which the ref. 226627 would not look entirely appropriate.
Swimming in the pool, sunbathing on the beach, exploring new cities, galleries and museums, hiking, camping or (a little on the nose) island-hopping on a yacht, the watch looks absolutely at home.
The only possible downside is it is so light you might forget you’re wearing it.
Rolex Explorer ref. 214270
Of course, there’s versatility and then there’s versatility!
Rolex brought out their Explorer in 1953 and it has been arguably their least altered model ever since. Why? Because they nailed it right out of the gate.
A stark and austere masterpiece, this is the watch many experts agree kicked off the entire tool watch genre—even though it contains pretty much nothing in terms of additional functionality.
What it is instead is a study in minimalism, a highly legible, go anywhere companion reserved for those who recognize the beauty of stylish understatement.
Why does that make it a great summer watch? Because occasionally we choose as our holiday destination those places where it perhaps makes sense not to walk around with a watch which screams ‘I’m a Rolex!’
Sometimes it pays not to advertise the fact you’re wearing an expensive watch, yet we still want the superb readability, the bombproof build quality, the faultless timekeeping, the effortless elegance; the Explorer is that watch. It is the Rolex for those who don’t want or need to tell people they are wearing a Rolex.
For the first half century of its life, the model stayed at a vintage 36mm. Then, in 2010, the brand launched the ref. 214270, a 39mm version for a more modern audience.
Although it proved a highly popular move, the reference only stayed in production for 11-years before being quietly withdrawn. Two years later, Rolex brought out the latest 40mm.
However, I would argue the 39mm remains the most versatile. It’s lightweight, sits on the utilitarian three-link Oyster bracelet as standard, although it also looks great on a NATO, and its Twinlock ensures 100m water resistance.
In short, it is a classic all-rounder; sophisticated enough to wear in even the most formal situations, but just as at home poolside as it is at a backyard BBQ.
Rolex Daytona ref. 126518LN Turquoise Dial
And then there’s those times you don’t want to go unnoticed!
Rolex’s industry-leading Daytona collection is the most populous family in their Professional range. At last count there are more than 40 variations of the world famous Cosmograph listed on the company website, encompassing every metal the brand uses bar titanium, and giving options such as metallic, Cerachrom or gem-set bezels, diamond hour markers, a host of different dial colors and, crucially, Oyster or Oysterflex bracelets.
For our purposes, that last is the important one. The Daytona is a substantial watch. Even though its movement, the Cal. 4131, is among the most component-efficient chronograph engines currently in production, it still contains somewhere in the region of 200 parts. All of those add weight and when partnered, as in the case of the ref. 126510LN, with a body of 18k yellow gold, the watch has an unavoidable and definite heft to it.
However, the reference also sits on Rolex’s first and only rubber strap, the Oysterflex. Introduced in 2015 on the Yacht-Master, the Oysterflex continued the lifelong Rolex tradition of massive overengineering. As close to a standard rubber strap as a Ferrari is to a Fiat, the patented bracelet consists of a titanium-nickel internal blade encased in a high-performance elastomer for flexibility and comfort and is fitted with flared ‘wings’ on the underside to lift it off the wrist and allow airflow underneath. That both improves fit and keeps the wearer’s wrist cool even in hot climates.
Most significantly, it is light. Whereas a solid gold Daytona on a gold Oyster bracelet might weigh somewhere in the region of 218g or so, the inclusion of the Oysterflex slashes that down to about 162g. While the weight of two AA batteries might not sound like much, it makes a difference on the wrist.
So which is the ideal summer Daytona? Well, 2025 seems to be the year of turquoise. Rolex rocked up to Watches & Wonder in April with a hatful of fresh
colors, and among them was the stunning and ‘Stellaesque’ turquoise lacquer dial. Inspired by the Tiffany logo in no way whatsoever, the vibrant blue-green is certainly the shade du jour and, together with the jet black totalizers, strap and ceramic bezel, all set against the yellow gold case, it makes an arresting sight.
In complete contrast to the Explorer above, this one is for those who want to be seen. You can easily imagine this piece in the casinos of Monte Carlo or around a Michelin-starred dining table on the Amalfi coast, the sun glinting off that gold and lifting the aquamarine face.
A winners watch for the highly successful, the ref. 126518LN is a cut above.
Rolex Submariner ref. 126610LV
Is Rolex’s Submariner the most multipurpose, universally acceptable watch ever made? I dunno. But, yes, probably.
It is hard bordering on impossible to think of a situation, environment or setting where the venerable Sub would look out of place. And it has been that way for the last 72-years.
These days we have the largest Submariner there’s ever been, measuring a still modest and highly wearable 41mm, and the contemporary collection rounds out at eight examples. In amongst those are three in solid gold (two in yellow, one in white), two in Rolesor and three in steel, including the single no-date example.
Literally any of them would make an ideal summer wear, such is the power of its flawless industrial design.
But if I had to choose, I believe I would plump for the ref. 126610LV, a stainless steel model with green Cerachrom bezel more commonly known as the Starbucks.
Released in 2020 as one of the latest wave, it carries on the decades-old tradition of introducing green elements into the traditionally black colorways which began with 2003’s sort-of anniversary piece, the ref. 16610LV (nicknamed the Kermit for its green aluminum surround) and expanded in 2010 with the ref. 11610LV which added a green dial (aka The Hulk).
The Starbucks reverts back to a black dial and, paired with the naturally muted quality of Rolex’s ceramic alloy on the bezel, results in lending the watch the most restrained look of any of the three green Subs.
Underneath that, all is as it should be. The case is cast in ultra-tough 904L steel to give supreme corrosion resistance and the Triplock crown safeguards it down to a more-than-you’ll-ever-need 300m. Basically, you will expire before the watch does.
Running the show is the Cal. 3235, the benchmark in mass-produced mechanical watch movements. Accurate to within -2/+2 seconds a day, the engine benefits from Rolex’s own highly efficient Chronergy escapement and antimagnetic Parachrom hairspring and will keep on running for 72-hours should you ever want to take it off.
All in all, the Submariner remains the epitome of not just the ideal summer watch, it might well be the only model you will ever need for anything.
Featured Photo: Mixed art by Oriol Mendivil for BKT Archive.
