a watch with nylon strap is better for summer
The watch I currently wear, a Casio W735HB (no longer in production but you can look for one if you like), has what I consider to be the best strap material, nylon. But not just any nylon, as it has the thicker, better stuff.
During summer, PUR (polyurethane resin) straps, leather straps and metal bracelets stick when you sweat, and flimsy nylon wears out too easily.
Better nylon is far and away the best thing for a summer watch, as it does NOT stick when you sweat and breathes well. And wow, is it a tall order to find a watch with nylon strap that isn't terrible. But I found a few.
I used to own this watch. The only reason I parted with it is because it's slightly too large for my 6.5"/16.5cm wrist. I would have kept it otherwise.
SGW100B-3V has big digits, good nightlight and is easy to read. While not a G-SHOCK in terms of toughness, it's darned close to it and can definitely take a knock. This model is several levels better than a W218H (which is also great, but nowhere near as good as the SGW100B model).
This is labeled as an "avion field watch" (hence the dial style), and it's an Eco-Drive model, which means it's solar. The strap on this one is 22mm wide, and that's nice. Wide is good where nylon is concerned. Overall, a good case design, highly legible, and 100m water resistant. The khaki strap basically goes with anything, which is also a plus.
This is a smaller case at 39.4mm and also a fully automatic mechanical watch, so no battery involved with this one.
I like the pilot style dial with the hours inside the circle and the minutes on the outside before the minute track. The fact this is a day-date is also nice.
I saved the best for last, because this watch is just straight up gorgeous. This Seiko is an automatic, has great lume, ultra-good legibility, and has that "land tortoise" shape that's supremely comfortable on wrist. Nice size too, as it's a 42mm.
My favorite part other than its appearance is that the hour hand is a huge arrow. That makes an already-legible watch even more legible.
Usually I'm not a fan of blue dials, but it pairs up oh-so nicely with the strap color, so it totally works.
Published 2025 Jul 10
