6 Best Watches for Sports Suitable for Active Pursuits

A habitual watch wearer or an enthusiast must have heard about a sports watch. Among other types of watches, sports watches have a special versatility that caters to everyone’s taste. It’s a timekeeping device for demanding outdoor activities that also works as a stylish accessory.

When a sports watch hugs around the wrist, it must ensure comfort while providing a number of helpful features to track the wearer’s performance. The design plays a crucial role in determining the quality of a sports watch.

With comfort and functionality at the forefront, what is the general perception of the best watches for sports? Before getting into the list of recommended sports watches to choose from, take the following information into account.

What Is a Sports Watch?

A sports watch is a specifically crafted timepiece built to withstand various physical activities. Commonly, the watch has several features to help the wearer track their performance. Aside from the utilitarian aspect, a sports watch prioritizes comfort for the wearer.

The best sports watches for sports are lightweight, allowing easy wear during a workout or an exciting game. Sports watches vary in purpose; some of them are designed for diving activities, while others are for pilots. Chronographs and GMTs also fall under the umbrella of sports watches.

Essentially made for active pursuits, sports watches are regarded as tool watches. They cater to a select group of people, like adventurers, athletes, pilots, and soldiers. However, it doesn’t mean they look out of place in formal or business settings. Though still exuding elegance, sports watches are made of durable materials that can withstand rough conditions.

Sports Watch Characteristics

Understanding what a sports watch means requires a close look at its characteristics. At first glance, style may capture casual watch wearers. However, a sports watch is more than a sleek accessory to wear around the wrist. To fulfill its role as a reliable tool during demanding activities, a sports watch must have the following features:

1. Water Resistance

Durability is the deciding factor in determining the best sports watch for men. One of the aspects of durability is water resistance. For those who enjoy exploring nature, a watch with dependable water resistance can go a long way.

During an outdoor activity, accidental moisture seepage may risk the inner mechanism of a watch. Moisture that enters the inside of a watch can pose fatal damage to the mechanical or electric mechanism. Even though one doesn’t enter the deep water, a sports watch should still feature decent water resistance.

A sports watch should at least have a 100 m water resistance. Once the watch is released into the market, the quality will remain. However, time and constant use will gradually erode components of the watch, like rubber gaskets. To ensure a sports watch’s quality, regular servicing is recommended.

As timekeeping technology advances, watchmakers around the world migrate to screwed components to ensure better water resistance. Screw crowns and casebacks contribute to the more demanding diving activities.

Read also: Waterproof vs. Water Resistant in Watches: A Full Guide 

2. Shock Resistance

Another metric in a sports watch’s durability measurement is shock resistance. In this case, materials and other features make up a watch’s overall durability. To protect a watch from extreme bumps, the balance needs a thorough check.

The regulating mechanism consists of an oscillating wheel with a spring in the middle. Together, the components work to create the iconic ticking sound. Such an operation can often be seen through a watch’s caseback window.

Though the Incabloc mechanism that protected a watch from shock was developed in 1934, watches were not properly equipped with shock protection until the 1950s. Many wristwatches still use the technology today, but other brands have developed their in-house shock-resistant features, like Seiko with its Diashock.

3. Good Readability

Functionality remains the most important part of a sports watch, which makes readability the most defining factor in its crafting process. Good readability allows the wearer to read the time in every lighting condition. When the darkness engulfs the sky, the watch can still show the time by using the luminous paints.

The first use of glow-in-the-dark paint was around the First World War. Watch companies painted the hands and dials of their watches with radioactive radium, which resulted in fatal health consequences. Around the 1960s, watchmakers started to adopt tritium to paint the hands and dials luminous.

In today’s market, the standard for luminous hands and dials is Super-LumiNova or materials that produce similar effects. The Super-LumiNova and the like can absorb light and glow brightly at first. However, the glow usually fades after several hours.

4. Automatic Winding

As a utilitarian timekeeping device, a sports watch needs to be ready to use every time. It means that manual winding may not be an ideal choice to keep the watch ticking. Instead, the automatic winding can power a watch just by being worn. This way, it won’t run out of power while the wearer engages in demanding activities, like navigating an airplane or scuba diving.

To add to that, sports watches commonly have screw-in crowns to ensure reliable water resistance. If they’re not equipped with automatic winding, the wearer will have to regularly unscrew the crown manually to wind and power them.

Automatic winding relies on the rotor that drives a series of gears connected to the barrel. Besides serving an important role in the inner mechanism, the rotor has also become a canvas for decoration. In many designs, the wearer can also see the rotor through the see-through casebacks.

5. Rotating Bezel

Most beloved sports watches for men usually feature rotating bezels. However, it’s worth noting that not every sports watch features a functional bezel. Some bezels may not rotate but only serve as a decorative element.

A watch bezel can serve a purpose and elevate the sportiness of the design. Even if some bezels don’t turn, they may still feature the scales that work alongside the hands and dial. For instance, a tachymeter in racing chronographs can work together with the stopwatch to calculate the average speed an object moves at a known distance.

Best Watches for Sports

In the vast amount of sports watches for men out there, selecting one may become a taxing thing to do. The following recommendations include the best watches for sports based on their defining features.

1. Seiko 5 Sports “Street Style” Blackout

The Seiko 5 Sports “Street Style” Blackout features major upgrades while keeping the design true to the original. As one of the SKX’s reissued models, the SBSA025 transforms into an affordable essential piece among modern sports watches.

With the enticing all-black design, the 42 mm watch offers a sleek design and an open caseback, which allows a peek at the Seiko’s automatic caliber, 4R36. It features a reliable 100 m water resistance and an aluminum rotating bezel with large black printed markings. To further accentuate the sleekness, the top of the bezel receives Seiko's Hardlex treatment. 

For better readability in the dark, the Seiko hour markers are surrounded with metal trims, while the hands have matte black finishes. The all-black markers and handsets are coated with Seiko’s LumiBrite, which allows them to glow in the dark for hours. Ensuring comfort, the sleek black sports watch uses a nylon strap with a fitting matte black buckle.

Price: $399 USD

Read also: 6 Most Exquisite and Graceful Blackout Watches for Women 

2. Yema Rallygraf Meca-Quartz Chronograph Reverse Panda

As the first chronograph on the list, the Yema Rallygraf Meca-Quartz Chronograph Reverse Panda measures at a decent 39 mm diameter. To honor its beginning, the racing watch features an aluminum tachymeter bezel. The scale bezel allows the wearer to measure the average speed at a known distance during racing.

Design-wise, the chronograph watch deserves a shout-out for its use of a retro black dial and two white sub-dials, which paint the image of a panda. The black matte dial and bezel allow a striking contrast to the white chrono sub-registers, giving the wearer better readability.

Trust the chronograph watch to give maximum legibility in low lighting conditions for its application of BGW9 Super-LumiNova on its hands and metallic markers. To ensure durability against moisture, the watch features a push-pull crown, which gives it a 100 m water resistance.

Price: $399 USD

3. Seiko Prospex Speedtimer Solar Chronograph

Another Seiko sports watch to consider is the Seiko Prospex Speedtimer Solar Chronograph. The 39.5 mm watch has a sleek black outlook that suits any wrist size. As a chronograph watch, the watch features a fixed polished tachymeter bezel in a similar black color.

Covering the sleek black dial is the sapphire, anti-reflection coating glass. It allows the wearer to read the time better under bright light. The hour markers and handsets are painted with Seiko’s LumiBrite, which allows them to glow in the dark and provide optimal legibility.

Beyond the solid caseback lies the Seiko Cal. V192. It’s an in-house solar-powered quartz chronograph movement that provides a power reserve of about 6 months on a full charge. The Seiko chronograph watch also has a 100 m water resistance, allowing reliable protection from potential moisture splashes during outdoor activities.

Price: $677 USD

4. Orient Star Avant-Garde Skeleton Blackout

The best watches for sports may not look like something classic but more avant-garde. For its artistically designed dial, the Orient Star Avant-Garde Skeleton Blackout is worthy of the title. The skeletonized dial reveals the stunning inner work of the balance wheel under the sunburst black dial. To balance the openwork design, the watch features a second sub-dial at 6 o’clock.

Under the flat sapphire crystal with an anti-reflective coating, the skeletonized dial can showcase its intricate design safely. The luminous hour markers and handsets improve the watch's legibility. At the back, the in-house automatic movement, caliber F6F44, powers the watch and has a 50-hour power reserve.

At 43.2 mm in diameter, the skeleton blackout watch stands strong with its stainless steel case. The black aesthetic around the case is paired beautifully with a matching black screw-in crown, giving the watch a reliable 100 m water resistance.

As a sports watch, the Orient Star blackout features a fixed bezel with screw-like markings mirroring the aesthetic of car tires. Pairing the black case and a perforated black leather rally strap that hugs the wrist perfectly gives a trendy impression to the rugged sporty look.

Price: $970 USD

5. Dietrich Skin Diver SD-2 Militare Green

The exclusive Dietrich Skin Diver SD-2 Militare Green exudes an unmistakable vintage aesthetic with its design. To make the green bezel stand out, the sports watch features a matte grey dial. Accentuating its vintage dive watch design, the SD-2 stands at 38.5 mm in diameter.

The 120-click deep green anodized aluminum bezel adds a charming vintage flair and is effortless to operate because of the six distinct grip points. Additionally, the watch features a curved, scratch-resistant sapphire insert paired with lumed non-numeric markers coated in C1 Super-LumiNova. The luminous coat allows the markers to glow the green light in low light.

Inside the caseback is the Swiss Sellita Cal. SW200 automatic movement, which reliably powers the watch with its impressive specifications, including a power reserve of approximately 38 hours. Featuring a solid sterile screw-in caseback and a screw-down crown, the SD-2 has a dependable 150 m power resistance. For better protection in the water, the watch also features a matching waterproof NBR rubber strap.

Price: $1,150 USD

6. Alpina Alpiner Extreme Regulator Automatic Blue

The Alpiner Extreme Regulator Automatic Blue measures 41 mm in diameter, making it a suitable sports watch for every wrist size. Encased in 316L stainless steel, the ultra-modern design accentuates the sports theme.

Covered by a sapphire crystal, the textured blue dial features a repeating triangular pattern that gives it an almost architectural three-dimensionality. For added functionality, the textured blue dial is accompanied by grey sub-dials at 10 and 6 o’clock.

Applying luminous material across the handset and indices allows the watch to be readable in the dark. The caseback protects the AL-650 automatic movement, which gives the watch a dependable 38-hour power reserve. With a screw-in crown, the sports watch bears a 200 m water resistance.

Price: $2,595 USD

Final Thoughts

Candidates for the best watches for sports are plenty to find in the global watch market. Ultimately, the choice of the most suitable watch to wear depends on the preference of the wearer. Instead of aiming for prestige, consider checking all the features a watch offers. Some of the reliable sports watches don’t even cost much to begin with.

Therefore, it’s recommended to explore the options in various price ranges. Not limiting the search to a specific brand may also allow better coverage. In every corner of the watchmaking industry lies the right sports watch for every casual wearer and vintage collector alike.

Read also: How to Measure Watch Durability for Everyday Wear and Tear