Summer may be slipping away into crisp autumn mornings and the sudden appearance of wool sweaters around the office, but for horology enthusiasts, the shifting of the seasons offers a welcome opportunity to reflect. Labor Day has come and gone, school schedules have resumed, and the carefree, relaxed days of summer are largely behind us. Yet, before the white trousers are permanently packed away for the year, a lingering question remains: What watches actually accompanied industry insiders through their warmest months, toughest travels, and most memorable adventures?
To find out, a peek behind the curtain at the Hodinkee editorial team reveals an eclectic mix of ultra-affordable microbrands, vintage re-issues, high-end independent watchmaking, and hard-worn daily drivers that tell a story of a summer well-lived.
DWC Terra Titanium
If there is one defining characteristic of the Hodinkee editorial team, it is a shared appreciation for a good inside joke. So, when Mark Kauzlarich emerged from anesthesia following spinal fusion surgery earlier this summer, he decided to purchase a timepiece tailored specifically to the moment.
"Look, I’m not saying that James Stacey gatekept this from me, but when I saw the Delhi Watch Company Terra on his Instagram, I felt left out," Kauzlarich notes. Turns out, missing out on the initial wave of thirty thousand units of this super cool, $47 titanium quartz-powered watch out of India left him scrambling. By digging through his surgical notes following his operation—which detailed the four screws, two rods, and a tire-jack-like spacer placed between L5 and S1 in his lower back—Kauzlarich realized he was practically "Mr. Titanium." With three titanium watches already in his collection, leaning into the surgical hardware seemed like the ultimate bit.
After putting out a call in a special Slack channel, a fellow enthusiast parted with a DWC Terra for cost, and $120 later, the watch became a daily desk companion. While the finishing might leave something to be desired—featuring water-jet-cut 6mm sides and a low-sitting crown—it is a $50 watch that wears like a thin brick. It lacks serious dive credentials with its 30 meters of water resistance, but it has proven to be quirky, cool, and a conversation starter among colleagues.
The Citizen Aqualand Duplex Lost and Found on a Shipwreck
While James Stacey shared some of his most-worn summer rotation pieces with teammates, he spent the first half of the season wearing a largely forgotten Citizen Aqualand Duplex from the late 1990s. The reference C506-Q00711 TA—a techy titanium ana-digi diver—represents a convergence of Stacey’s favorite horological categories. After trading for the watch over the winter without its original bracelet, July brought a trip to Chicago for the Windup Watch Fair and a sponsored dive outing dubbed Windup In A Lake.
The evening before the dive, a fellow collector traded him a period-correct titanium bracelet. Stacey fitted it over drinks at a bar, and the next day he extended the ratcheting dive extension over a 7mm wetsuit cuff before plunging into Lake Michigan to explore the historic shipwreck of the Wells Burt.
While bobbing in the surf waiting for the rest of the dive team, he felt the tension on his wrist release. Looking down, he watched in horror as the Aqualand, bracelet and all, fluttered past his fins and vanished into the occluded depths. Assuming a faulty springbar was to blame, he finished a great 50-minute dive on the wreck, only to share his sob story back on the boat. Geoff of @watchcowsdive, the last to surface, pulled the Aqualand from his BCD pocket. He had spotted it resting inside the confines of the old ship during a final sweep. As it turned out, the vintage dive extension had simply extended to the point of detachment. Hilariously, the watch faithfully tracked both depth and bottom time throughout its solo excursion, making it the undeniable watch moment of the summer.
Timex Ironman 8-Lap Limited Edition for Hodinkee
For Matt Thompson, the past year has seen a shift in cycling philosophy, moving away from grinding out grueling intervals on a road bike toward the easygoing pace of bikepacking—trading high functional threshold power for good old-fashioned alcohol-by-volume. This transition required stripping away unnecessary technology in favor of a simpler understanding of the world. Average speeds no longer mattered, provided he reached the campsite before sunset.
Amidst this lifestyle shift, the Timex Ironman 8-Lap Limited Edition for Hodinkee proved to be the ultimate companion. Built explicitly for sport, the watch is lightweight enough to go completely unnoticed on the wrist. It easily withstands heavy sweat, swimming sessions, and even accidental impacts with mountain bike trails, all while retaining a distinctly cool aesthetic.
Unimatic U3-DHBR Heritage Chronograph Diver
Gifts often carry sentimental weight, but few travel as far as the Unimatic U3-DHBR Heritage Chronograph Diver gifted to Shota Akiyoshi by an editor earlier this year. Captivated immediately by its proportions, case size, and warm brown dial, Akiyoshi found it to be an ideal match for his personal style.
Since receiving it, the chronograph has logged frequent flyer miles across Switzerland, Germany, Japan, and Puerto Rico, collecting minor battle scars along the way. A standout memory involved a family vacation in Puerto Rico, where the watch accompanied him by the pool and into the sea. Photographed at Hotel El Convento—a historic former convent in Old San Juan—alongside an aged key fob and travel keepsakes, the watch quickly transformed from a mere accessory into a living record of his travels.
Panerai Luminor 1950 PAM 233 Dot Dial
For Adam Schoenberg, a breakfast meeting in early March with Panerai CEO Emmanuel Perrin and Brand President Laurent Toinet provided the opening to discuss a long-held collecting obsession: the Panerai PAM 233 with the dot dial. To his surprise, Perrin mentioned he had been hunting for one as well.
Shortly after, Schoenberg tracked down a single-digit serial example—one of the earliest produced in a run that concluded in 2008. Since acquiring it, the watch has remained glued to his wrist. Winding it every Sunday serves as a mental exercise to plan out the week ahead, supported by its generous eight-day power reserve. Traveling to Italy with it this summer, the GMT function and AM/PM indicator proved exceptionally useful, embodying the core argument for Panerai’s robust, utilitarian design ethos.
Tudor Black Bay 58 Bronze Boutique Edition
Andy Hoffman treats his Tudor Black Bay 58 Bronze Boutique Edition as a physical scorecard for his summer misadventures. The shifting and darkening patina, alongside an accumulation of dings and scratches, documents every trip.
Low-maintenance yet robust, the 39mm case offers 200 meters of water resistance and a convenient T-fit clasp adjustment. Over recent summers, the bronze diver has joined Hoffman on hikes in the hills of Lugano, snorkeling and paddleboarding on Lac Leman in Geneva, and navigating a steep descent to a Mediterranean swimming spot in Spain. It has doubled as a reliable dinner companion at establishments ranging from upscale Italian eateries to German kebab shops. While he occasionally ponders using a mild acid solution like lemon juice to restore the watch’s original gold-like luster, Hoffman ultimately prefers to leave the accumulated history intact.
Bulgari Serpenti Tubogas
Working in a horology office set to a frosty 68 degrees presents a sartorial challenge for Meyme Nakash, especially when favored timepieces are better suited for warmer, sleeveless attire. As a result, she reserves her Bulgari Serpenti Tubogas for weekends and special occasions.
Received for her twenty-first birthday five years ago, the watch remains one of her most cherished possessions. Though minor wear marks the passage of time, Nakash resists the urge to polish the piece, viewing the scratches as tangible evidence of affection and a keepsake marking her coming of age. Having naturally stretched over the years from wrapping tightly around her lower forearm to fitting a bit looser, the double-wrap Serpenti continues to serve as her most-worn watch of adulthood.
Doxa SUB Army 200T for Hodinkee
Tim Jeffreys spent his summer alongside the Doxa SUB Army 200T for Hodinkee Limited Edition. Long drawn to the brand, Jeffreys found this particular collaboration impossible to take off. The watch ventured into Norwegian fjords, spent lazy afternoons by North Carolina lakes, and hit the California coastline.
The comfortable wrist presence even pushed Jeffreys outside his comfort zone, leading him to wear it on a rubber strap rather than his usual NATO configuration. Despite a short ownership window, the Doxa feels like a permanent fixture in his collection, primed for many future summers of travel.
Otsuka Lotec No. 5 Kai
For TanTan Wang, the Otsuka Lotec No. 5 Kai proved utterly addictive, anchoring itself to his wrist nearly nonstop throughout the summer. While wandering hours complications are hardly new, Jiro Katayama’s execution offers a refreshing take at an accessible price point, even amidst secondary market hype.
Featuring a wearable case design with short lugs and a conventional silhouette, the No. 5 hugs the wrist comfortably. Through its oversized crystal, the industrial wandering hours display provides endless visual entertainment. Though perhaps too unconventional for formal suiting, its lighthearted, mechanical charm made it the ideal companion for casual t-shirts and shorts.
Tudor Black Bay 58
David Aujero found himself reaching for the classic Tudor Black Bay 58 almost by default this summer. Requiring zero deliberation, the 39mm steel dive watch seamlessly transitioned across any outfit and destination, particularly regular trips to the beach.
Worn almost exclusively on its steel bracelet for added wrist presence without sacrificing comfort, the watch quietly documented family trips and casual outings. Reviewing his camera roll at the end of the season, Aujero noted the quiet, constant presence of the Black Bay 58 in the background—a subtle testament to a summer thoroughly enjoyed.
TGN x CWC "Crew Watch No. 1"
Griffin Bartsch views warm weather as a time for a fuss-free watch, a role fulfilled entirely by the TGN x CWC "Crew Watch No. 1" (CWN1). Having traveled globally since its arrival in dazzle camo packaging a year and a half ago, the watch has climbed Pen y Fan in Wales’s Brecon Beacons and explored forests in Nagano Prefecture.
To test his loyalty, Bartsch temporarily traded the CWN1 for a Tudor Pelagos FXD for two weeks in July. The brief separation only confirmed his deep attachment to the watch. Returning to his wrist just in time for summer, the CWN1 accompanied him on hikes in Acadia, cold ocean dock jumps, long bike rides, and backyard drinks—cementing its status as an enduring warm-weather companion.
