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The Top 5 Watches To Wear This 4th July
Nobody does national pride quite like America.
4th July marks the day when the country comes together to celebrate its independence and, more than that, it reminds us of the philosophical principles which have become central to the American way of life.
However, just because all men are created equal, it doesn’t mean all watches are. Some timepieces are simply more appropriate to wear on this most important of national holidays. It might be because they are designed and built here, using American expertise and knowhow, or it might just be their red, white and blue color schemes call to mind Old Glory.
Whatever the reason, we have complied a list of five of the best watches you can wear this July 4th, perfect for the cookout, ballgame or fireworks display.
The Casio G-SHOCK DW6900US24-2 ‘4th of July’ Limited Edition
Casio’s ultra-patriotic offering actually came out last year but is still available to buy in the States for 2025.
The three-eyed monster is shot through with Stars and Stripes symbolism, from its navy blue bezel to the red, white and blue accents on the dial, to the motif on the band loop. What’s more, press the distinctive gold IP metal front button and the EL Backlight reveals the American flag in the digital display.
(@ks_time_store)The DW6900US24-2 retains the timeless design of the original 6900 series from 1995 and adds contemporary flair, leaving a bold, all-American flavor. Best of all, it’s a G-SHOCK, meaning it is robust enough to survive just about anything.
As well as 200m of waterproofing, the model is also massively shock resistant, features a multi-function alarm and a 1/100 sec stopwatch. All in all, more than enough to withstand a raucous BBQ and a day by the pool.
Hamilton Pan Europ Day Date Automatic
A beautiful watch in its own right, Hamilton’s Pan Europ Day Date Automatic also embodies true American spirit—despite the name.
While now under Swiss control, Hamilton was one of the pioneering names in U.S. watchmaking in the 19thand 20th centuries, bringing us the first ever electric battery-powered wristwatch, the Ventura, in 1957 (worn by Elvis Presley—and you can’t get much more American than that) as well as the world’s first digital LED watch, the Pulsar, in 1970
The Pan Europ features a nicely judged combination of sunburst blue dial, white chapter ring and bright red seconds hand, all held on the wrist by a red, white and blue striped NATO strap. The clean, open design is finished off with a super handy day date complication, making this the perfect companion for a classic American road trip.
Breitling Navitimer B02 Chronograph 41 Cosmonaute Scott Carpenter Centenary
As only the second American to orbit Earth, Scott Carpenter spent four hours, 56-minutes and 5-seconds in space. To commemorate the achievement, Breitling have launched a celebratory watch in his honor and given it a name which takes the same length of time to say as his historic flight.
America and Breitling have a shared history in the great beyond. The U.S. won the Space Race against the Soviets and Breitling can lay claim to making the first ever Swiss watch to go into orbit. That piece was a special variant of the original Navitimer specially commissioned by Carpenter in 1962, complete with wider bezel for ease of reading and, because he would be experiencing a sunrise and sunset every 90-minutes, a 24-hour dial.
His custom-made watch inspired the Cosmonaute series, and this limited edition is a continuation of that, released to coincide with Carpenter’s birthday in 1925.
Cast in platinum, the watch has a dark blue dial, that famous slide rule in white and, again, a red chronograph hand. Because it is cast in the king of metals, it is in no way cheap, but with a price tag of $42,000, you can be sure you will be a standout in any situation.
Ulysse Nardin Diver Hammerhead Shark
Big and bold and with a great story behind it, the Ulysse Nardin Diver Hammerhead Shark encompasses everything good about America, even without being overtly 4th of July related.
The large 44mm wide and near-15mm thick piece comes in blue PVD-coated titanium, with a blue rubberized insert in the titanium bezel and a mostly blue textured dial. The crown protectors are in a striking red, as is the numeral at the bezel’s zero marker, while the hour indexes and big, shovel-like hands are stark white
So the colors are all there, but what about the tale? Well, the limited edition of just 300 units came into being as a collaboration with surfer, photographer, artist and marine conservationist, Mike Coots. The 47-year old Hawaiian and Ulysse ambassador was attacked by a tiger shark in 1997 at the age of just 18, during which he lost his right leg. Rather than letting his life-changing injury defeat him, Coots was back surfing with a prosthetic limb just a month later. But, even more remarkably, he became an advocate for the preservation and protection of all sharks, and it was through his efforts that Hawaii passed a law in 2010 prohibiting the possession of shark fins.
Better yet, Ulysse Nardin’s membership of ‘1% For The Planet’ ensures one-percent of the annual sales from the $12,100 Hammerhead Shark will go to conservation charities.
RGM Watch Co. Pennsylvania Tourbillon
There can be nothing more patriotic this July 4th than wearing a watch designed and built entirely in the U.S. And if you’re going to choose one homegrown watch company, it has to be the one based in Pennsylvania, the birthplace of American independence.
RGM Watch Co. was started in 1992 by Roland G. Murphy, WOSTEP grad and former Hamilton designer.
Often described as the Roger W. Smith of America, RGM’s output stands at the top of haute horlogerie, with in-house calibers, bespoke models and hand-guilloché dials.
Their flagship piece, the Pennsylvania Tourbillon, features the very first and so far only serially produced tourbillon made in the U.S. The handmade complication sits in one of the largest cages ever fitted to a 43mm watch and is powered by the brand’s proprietary Caliber 801.
Created, fabricated and assembled entirely in RGM’s Lancaster County manufacture, the movement is made from the highest quality materials such as German silver, gold, silver and black polished steel.
The brand has become renowned globally for their models, skillfully blending the contemporary with the traditional—the watch’s artisan-applied decoration, for instance, is done with an antique rose engine.
The RGM Pennsylvania Tourbillon represents a reminder of the cachet America once had in the industry, and could have again in the future. An example of brilliant, pure watchmaking, the piece is available in steel at $125,000, or platinum—and if you want to know how much that one is, you’ll have to ask RGM directly; no one said patriotism was cheap!
Feature Photo: Mixed art by Oriol Mendivil for BKT Archive.
