Sports Watch Ultimate Buying Guide | Bob's Watches

This video covers everything you need to know about sports watches before you buy. Click here now to shop the collection: https://www.bobswatches.com/collections/sport-watches-1.html

Luxury sports watches are an incredibly diverse category. We’ve put together a comprehensive buying guide on the topic here, including what a sports watch is and its many sub-categories. Click here now to learn more: https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-blog/buying-guides/luxury-sports-watch-buying-guide.html

What are sports watches, exactly? Despite the name, sports watches aren’t developed with a particular sport in mind. Instead, they’re typically designed to accommodate various activities that require a durable timepiece. Think diving and mountain climbing, rather than football or soccer.

The category is quite varied, and the actual definition of a sports watch will be different depending on who you ask. However, they’re usually water-resistant to some degree and offer a legible reading that the wearer can rely on while taking part in athletic activities. Furthermore, they typically exude a functional and utilitarian design. Much of the hype surrounding luxury sports watches originates from that design ethos.

The Patek Philippe Nautilus and Audemars Piguet Royal Oak favor more luxurious designs, while the Tudor Ranger and Black Bay collections adhere to more utilitarian design codes.

From there, the sports watch category includes numerous sub-categories that vary depending on the brand. Those sub-categories can consist of classic sports watches, diving watches, racing chronographs, regatta timers, and pilot’s watches.

Classic Sports Watches:

Rolex is the most recognizable luxury watch brand on the market. The first sports watch released by the Crown came to market in 1953 via the Explorer to celebrate the first summit of Mount Everest. The Explorer is as classic as they come with a minimalist design and time-only movement.

The Aqua Terra is comparable to the Explorer in that it forgoes the traditional rotatable bezel in favor of a smooth bezel. It also features a straightforward dial that is legible and easy to read in most environments.

Dive Watches:

The most prevalent sub-category consists of dive watches. Most luxury brands include a dive watch category. They’re often distinguished by a waterproof case, a luminous display that is easy to read in light or dark environments, and a bezel with a 60-minute diver’s scale.

The most notable offerings on the market include the iconic Rolex Submariner, waterproof up to 1,000 feet. Ever, the innovators, Rolex has since developed their depth ratings to include 4,000 feet via the Sea-Dweller and 12,800 feet via the Deepsea.

Omega’s most successful divers include the Seamaster Diver waterproof up to 300 meters and the Planet Ocean waterproof up to 600 meters.

Racing Chronographs:

Even if you’re a novice watch collector, you’ve laid your eyes upon the famed Rolex Cosmograph Daytona at some point. With its tachymeter bezel, signature side pushers, and coordinating registers on the dial, the Daytona is instantly recognizable. It is the epitome of the classic chronograph watch.

Chronograph watches are used to measure distance or speed and are more often associated with the world of motorsport. Although other professions, such as pilots and astronauts, also find them quite useful.

With that in mind, the Omega Speedmaster is another successful timepiece that earns its nickname “Moon Watch” after it became the first watch on the Moon. It follows the same design rules as the Daytona with a Tachymeter bezel and stopwatch functions built into the movement.

Regatta Timers:

Intended for the world of professional sailing, regatta timers often include a countdown function that syncs with race start times. Rolex, once again, holds the title of the most recognizable regatta timer with their Yacht-Master series. The Yacht-Master II is one of the most impressive, boasting a sophisticated programmable countdown and a Flyback function.

Omega’s Seamaster Diver chronograph is another excellent example of a regatta timer, featuring a chronograph movement that the wearer can use to countdown to race start times.

Pilot’s Watches

Even though this category caters to a specific profession, flying is also considered a hobby or sport for some, making it more than suitable for this guide. Pilot’s watches offer dual-time capabilities and legible dials. Other possible functions include chronograph movements and slide-rule bezels.

The GMT Master is a perfect example of a true pilot’s watch, featuring a bezel calibrated to 24-hours and a coordinating hand on the dial. The Breitling Navitimer is even more functional, offering a slide rule bezel to calculate various stats while in the air.

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