Oris Aquis GMT Date ($2,500)

Oris鈥檚 GMT dive watch is perfect for aquatic adventures thanks to its steel case, which is water-resistant down to 300 meters. The primary hands show local time, the yellow one tracks a second zone, and the 24-hour ring handles a third. A nice perk: the strap easily expands over a wetsuit sleeve.

G-Shock Mudmaster GGB100 ($350)

This behemoth is impervious to muck, with a case sealed against dirt and other crud. It features Bluetooth for navigation, notifications, and time-zone correction, plus sensor tech for altitude, barometric pressure, and direction. It also tracks activity.听

Breitling Superocean II 36 ($3,475)

The latest addition to the Superocean family was designed with a smaller dial that鈥檚 more suitable for women鈥檚 wrists. The steel case with screw-down crown has a 200-meter depth rating, and the self-winding movement is 99.99 percent accurate. The timing ring and rubber strap are dive-ready, but this watch is just as suitable for paddleboarding.

Monta Atlas ($1,565)

Monta is a St. Louis brand that manufactures its classically styled watches in Switzerland. The Atlas is sleek, with the looks to go from the office to the beach, and the fourth hand points to a 24-hour scale that can track a second time zone.

Bell & Ross BR V2 Military Beige ($2,900)

This pilot鈥檚 watch has sword hands, Arabic numerals, and an unobtrusive date window. The elastic canvas band is reminiscent of parachute-pack straps from the 1970s, while the screw-down crown ensures 100 meters of water resistance.

Seiko SNJ025 ($525)

Seiko鈥檚 analog-digital watch takes inspiration from an eighties version nicknamed the Arnie, which appeared on the wrist of a certain action hero in several films. It has a shroud protecting the rotating timing ring, 200 meters of water resistance, and a long rubber strap. The digital display boasts a countdown timer, an alarm, a second time zone, and a stopwatch. Solar charging is new, so the battery won鈥檛 die before you 鈥済et to the choppa!鈥�

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On July 21, 1969, Captain Buzz Aldrin descended the ladder of Eagle, the Apollo 11 Lunar Excursion Module (LEM), and became the second person to walk on the surface of the moon.听Strapped to the outside of his space-suit sleeve with a long nylon Velcro band was an , thus becoming the first wristwatch on our own celestial pet rock听and securing the greatest marketing hook in history.

Fifty years later, Omega is still capitalizing on the Speedmaster鈥檚 lunar provenance, with annual limited editions, tributes, and events where it听parades octogenarian astronauts onstage alongside George Clooney. But it鈥檚 not mere fluff. The hand-wound mechanical watch is still the only watch NASA approves for EVA, or extra-vehicular activity. Its celebrity was also entirely organic and hard-won through a brutal selection process that eliminated other prominent brands from the running. For these reasons, the 鈥淪peedy鈥� retains a reputation as an honest timepiece in a field swollen by marketing hyperbole and high prices.

The Speedmaster鈥檚 story begins back in the late 1950s, when Omega, looking to capitalize on the growing interest in motor sports, released a stark, oversized chronograph (a watch with a stopwatch function) with a tachymeter scale on the outer ring for timing laps on a racetrack. It was immediately popular with racing fans and gearheads alike. One of those fans was , a hotshot test pilot, who showed up for the Mercury astronaut selection in an Austin-Healey roadster and with a Speedmaster on his wrist.

When Schirra blasted off into earth鈥檚 orbit in 1962, his personal Omega went with him (John Glenn wore a TAG听Heuer, Scott Carpenter a Breitling). By 1965, NASA decided it needed to find a standard watch for all manned spaceflight and called in a handful of candidates, from Longines and Omega to Rolex and Wittnauer. After a battery of tests that tested the watches鈥櫶齬esilience to听severe vibration, cold, heat,听and acceleration, the agency听selected the听Omega Speedmaster. Later that year, when Ed White became the first American to venture outside a capsule and walk in space, he did so with听the Speedy on his wrist, a photo of which made its way into Omega magazine ads.

In the late sixties, all things space were the rage, a hype only hinted at this summer with the lead-up to the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. Like drinking Tang, wearing a Speedmaster was one of the few tangible ways a space nerd could emulate their astronaut heroes. It continued to sell well听even after the Apollo program ended, space exploits faded from public attention, and digital quartz watches replaced mechanicals on most wrists. Because NASA recertified the Speedmaster for use on space-shuttle missions in the seventies, Omega didn鈥檛 dare meddle with it, keeping it exactly as it was in 1957.听

The Speedmaster鈥檚 extraterrestrial mettle also made it a suitable adventure companion on earth. In 1968, the first expedition to undisputedly reach the North Pole by surface means was timed by the Speedmaster. And as late as 1990, wore one when he crossed Antarctica on foot.

There鈥檚 something poignant about the fact that even today, as Elon Musk is sending Teslas into space and NASA is aiming for Mars, there remains a quaint remnant of a more seat-of-the-pants era: a watch that has to be wound by hand听and that times engine burns and EVAs with a gear train driven by a tightly coiled spring.

And it may still be useful. The reason Neil Armstrong鈥檚 Speedmaster wasn鈥檛 the first on the moon was because he left it in the LEM as a fail-safe backup to a glitchy electronic onboard timer.

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For as long as watches have been made, precision timekeeping has been the ultimate goal. Watchmakers have invented all manner of methods for counteracting gravity, magnetism, shock, and temperature fluctuations that can affect a device鈥檚听ability to keep perfect time. But in 1969, an innovation upended horology once and for all听when Seiko introduced its , the first of its kind to feature a battery-powered movement whose timekeeping was governed by a vibrating piezoelectric-quartz听crystal, promising consistent accuracy in a robust package. The quartz revolution had begun.

It didn鈥檛 take long for quartz watches to dominate the market. Their advantages were many: with fewer moving parts, quartz movements were not susceptible to shock;听a battery meant it didn鈥檛 have to be wound up;听and the accuracy was beyond what a finicky, hand-regulated balance spring in a mechanical watch could match. After the first few years of their introduction, they became cheaper, too, thanks to mass production and lower听labor costs. After Seiko鈥檚 first salvo, Casio and Citizen quickly followed, while the Swiss brands resisted adopting the newfangled technology. Soon听the flood of Japanese quartz watches nearly drove the Swiss watch industry to extinction. Between 1970 and 1988, employment in the Swiss watch industry听was slashed by more than听two-thirds, and dozens of storied brands closed their doors. This black era is known in Switzerland as the 鈥渜uartz crisis.鈥�

Despite the promise of better timekeeping, watch enthusiasts have, ironically, long disdained quartz watches. A watch powered by a battery instead of a tightly wound spring, and driven by a circuit board and small motor, is considered 鈥渟oulless鈥� compared to the tiny gear train of a traditional mechanical watch. Watchmaking has long been considered an art, combining engineering with decorated mechanical movements.听Even the slow, smooth sweep of the second听hand is more elegant听as opposed to the jerky 鈥渢ick听tick鈥� of a quartz watch.

So how does a quartz watch work? At its most basic, a piezoelectric-quartz听crystal, which can be mined or synthesized, has electrically conductive properties. When current from a battery is applied to a sliver of this piezoelectric quartz, it vibrates at a rate of 32,768 hertz, which can be used to precisely regulate the timekeeping of the watch, whose hands are driven by a tiny stepper motor. Open up the back of a quartz watch and there鈥檚 not much to see, which is its advantage: fewer moving parts means less susceptibility to shock damage. The one Achilles鈥� heel of a quartz movement is temperature, which affects accuracy, but some higher-end models, from brands like Breitling and Grand Seiko, are 鈥渢hermocompensated鈥� to account for this.

Then, of course, there is the battery, which must be changed every so often. Nowadays, watch batteries can last up to ten years, while some brands鈥擟asio, Citizen, Seiko鈥攗se tiny solar panels under the dial to charge the battery, meaning there鈥檚 no need to ever crack open the caseback.

Quartz watches are also tougher than you might think. Sure, mechanical watches were standard kit for soldiers, climbers, divers, and explorers for much of the 20th听century. But once quartz watches matured, they found their way onto wrists in harm鈥檚 way. In 1980, when Reinhold Messner first climbed Mount Everest solo without supplemental oxygen, he wore a Rolex Oysterquartz. By the early eighties, the British Ministry of Defence rewrote its specifications for dive, pilot, and general-purpose watches to be quartz powered. And in 1983, perhaps the most badass watch of all time was born: the Casio G-Shock, a quartz-powered digital watch designed to survive a ten-meter (33-foot) fall, ten听bar (100 meters) of water pressure,听and a battery life of ten听years. The G-Shock has become the standard bearer for rugged watches, adopted by Special Forces and weekend warriors alike.

Despite the disdain for quartz watches by connoisseurs, by some estimates they account for nine out of every ten traditional wristwatches sold today. So, clearly, battery tickers can鈥檛 be all bad. In fact, there鈥檚 even evidence that they鈥檙e enjoying a renaissance. Perhaps it鈥檚 the rise of smart听watches听which make quartz timepieces听seem almost quaint and vintage.

And despite the lack of romance, a quartz watch does have its place. It ticks on faithfully from your desk drawer, requiring no extra attention, a grab-and-go听weekend piece that watch nerds like to call a 鈥渂eater鈥� for its no-nonsense ruggedness. So even if you鈥檙e a Luddite who likes to wind your听own most of the time, take another look at quartz. Go on, I won鈥檛 tell anyone.

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For the next few months of lazy river floats, peak bagging, and lake swimming, let鈥檚 take things a little less seriously. Here are five watches that can handle some knocks听and add a bit of听seasonal color.

Timex Q ($179)

Timex reached into its archives for a watch it made in the 1970s. , and while that might be a dirty word for watch snobs, on a summer watch, it translates to affordable and cheerful, not to mention durable. The 38-millimeter steel case is classic, conjuring dad, sideburns, and Kodachrome, while the woven steel band is comfortable even when the weather gets steamy. The blue and red 12-hour bezel rotates to provide a simple way to track a second time zone, should you be road tripping cross-country.

Garmin Instinct ($299)

The is an affordable connected watch that provides training data, such as听heart rate, elevation, distance, and speed, in addition to track-back navigation, for specific sports as varied as climbing, cycling, or kayaking. Its light, reinforced polymer case and soft silicone strap are comfortable on the wrist while still meeting the U.S. military鈥檚 standard for field use, including temperature tolerance and 100 meters of water resistance. Its battery life is better than that of most connected watches, lasting up to two weeks between charges so听long as GPS isn鈥檛 used extensively. The Instinct is available in six summery colors, including flame red, sea foam, or my favorite, sunburst.

Bulova Oceanographer ($795)

Bulova鈥檚 dive watches, dating back to the 1960s, were all given the diabolical nickname Devil Diver,听due to their 666-foot depth rating. For , the company dusted off a design from 1970, with a round steel case, bicolor timing ring, and those distinctive 3-D hour markers. The mechanical movement inside stays wound up as long as the watch is on your wrist, and with that devilish water resistance, there鈥檚 really no reason to take it off.

Farer Lander II 听($1,425)

A colorful watch goes well with the more casual clothes of summer and few do it as well as the . When was the last time you saw a watch with a deep-teal dial like this one? It just begs to be paired with a faded T-shirt and a strong rum drink. That longer听orange hand points to a 24-hour scale on the outside of the dial, allowing you to track a second time zone, useful for overseas sojourns. A subtle element: the crown is made of bronze, which will age to a green patina after years of wear.

Rado Captain Cook Automatic ($2,000)

Dive watches are perfect for summer, since you can ride them hard and put them away wet. They also evoke the beach, even if you鈥檙e playing on a weedy, mosquito-infested lake. Rado鈥檚 1960s has been revived for a new century, retaining all the charm and modest size, but it鈥檚 been upgraded inside and out with a ceramic timing ring and an antimagnetic self-winding movement with 80 hours of power reserve. While green isn鈥檛 a color often seen on dive watches, it feels just right for the fleeting, verdant days of the season.

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Zodiac Super Sea Wolf Automatic Blue Rubber ($1,095)

In the 1950s, Zodiac was one of the first companies to make a purpose-built diving watch. The Super Sea Wolf hearkens back to the original with its distinctive bezel markings and dial script. The colors stand out in ocean murk, and the timing ring helps ensure you don鈥檛 stay down too long.

Bremont Supermarine Type 300 ($4,095)

You鈥檇 be hard-pressed to find a more precise timepiece. This British diving watch has a mechanical movement that鈥檚 99.994 percent accurate over 24 hours. Its self-winding motor is housed in a stainless-steel case that鈥檚 rated down to 300 meters and, like the Zodiac, features a timing ring for clocking dives or just a parking meter.

Nixon Ascender Sport ($200)

A moon-phase display and a date ring are frivolities on the slim dress timepieces they often adorn. But they make sense on the Ascender Sport, a rugged watch with a burly rubber strap and murdered-out steel case that鈥檚 water-resistant to 100 meters.

Luminox Atacama Field Automatic 1907.NF ($890)

Luminox made its name on the 24-hour visibility of its watch faces, courtesy of tiny tubes filled with glowing tritium gas. Despite the tech, the Atacama Field looks like a classic military timekeeper, with an olive drab textile strap, 200-meter water resistance, and a self-winding mechanical movement.

Citizen Promaster Tsuno Chronograph Racer ($795)

Modern timepieces needn鈥檛 be digital. This one draws inspiration from a 1973 Citizen, but it鈥檚 altogether 21st century, with solar charging, a 12-hour stopwatch, and an alarm. The leather strap鈥檚 red stitching hints at the Tsuno鈥檚 racing heritage.

Victorinox Swiss Army I.N.O.X. Professional Diver Titanium ($750)

Victorinox tortures the watches in its I.N.O.X. line with 130 different tests, like exposing them to extreme temperatures and running them over with a tank. As a result, the Professional Diver is the toughest timepiece here. The paracord strap can be unfurled for use in an emergency, and the hypoallergenic, corrosion-resistant titanium case is waterproof to 200 meters.

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Touch down at any airport in the world in a commercial jetliner, and the first thing you鈥檒l notice is the cabin lighting up as hundreds of smartphones sync with the local time and pull down e-mail听and Instagram likes after an airborne slumber. I prefer a different ritual. On arrival, I slip off my wristwatch and manually set the hands to my new local time. It feels old-fashioned and considered鈥攁 moment of calm mindfulness before the stampede to the door and baggage claim.

We travel for work, to visit family on holidays, and听for events, but we also travel to escape from the grind of the day-to-day, to unplug. Smartphones have a way of undercutting this effort. They are remarkable devices, but they operate with a kind of cold precision and automation that will never match the charm of that classic explorer鈥檚 tool, the travel watch. Wearing a watch that displays the hour in multiple time zones imbues a measure of worldly sophistication and sense of adventure to its owner, while offering a measure of utility and even comfort to the homesick expatriate or jet-set backpacker.

If the past few years are any indication, travel watches are as hot as ever. In 2018, the runaway favorite of the annual Baselworld watch fair was , a nostalgic nod to a travel watch of the 1950s. This year, Zodiac鈥檚 reissued sold out a few days after its release. So what explains the enduring popularity of these timepieces in the age of smartphones? Most likely it鈥檚 the way they capture the romance of travel鈥攖hat sense of wonder and possibility. They also offer constant inspiration and a reminder that it鈥檚 time to book the next trip.

Today鈥檚 travel watches, while classical in their architecture, are hardly relics. Modern iterations are dynamic and demonstrate their function up front. They鈥檙e often colorful, with bicolored bezels for indicating day or nighttime hours, or evocative, with a ring of city names that conjure up exotic locations, an atlas of possibilities on the wrist.

Their origins date back to the optimistic postwar years of the fifties, when people were ready to get out and see the world. The development of the jet engine and its adoption for commercial aviation made transcontinental travel more commonplace. It was suddenly possible to leave Paris after dinner and be in New York for breakfast, which introduced people to new languages, cuisines, adventures, and a new ailment: jet lag. It also ushered in a new type of wristwatch, one that could track multiple time zones at once. Air travel was elegant and stylish, and even though it was too expensive for most people at first, wearing a watch with multiple time zones was a visible way to project a bit of Jet Age allure.

In 1954, Pan American Airways commissioned Rolex to create a wristwatch for its long-haul pilots that could track two time zones simultaneously. The result was the GMT-Master, a watch with an additional hour hand that circled the dial once every 24 hours, pointing to an outer scale on the rotating red and blue bezel. By simply turning that bezel, the wearer could align the correct time in a second time zone to keep track of both home time and local time. The watch became a sensation and later an icon, worn by the famous and infamous, from 听and Magnum P.I. to Colonel Kurtz and Fidel Castro.

The Rolex model ushered in a flood of GMT watches from brands big and small. Many had names that evoked the sexiness of jet travel, such as听the , , and听Zodiac鈥檚 Aerospace GMT.听Similarly, world-time watches, through the use of an outer ring of global city names, could tell the time in all the world鈥檚 zones at once. Glancing at such a watch during a boring meeting in Omaha might have its owner wondering about the temperature in Dhaka, what it would take to sail to South Georgia, or the diving conditions in Noum茅a.

The GMT watch has evolved little since the 1950s, though new case materials have been introduced, like titanium and ceramic, movements have become more sturdy and resistant to magnetism and shock, and brands have added GMT capability to other genres of watches. Most commonly seen on pilot鈥檚-style watches, that travel-tracking capability is also well suited to dive watches, like 听or the .

World-time functionality has traditionally been seen more听on dress watches, but , which shows all time zones in both hemispheres, and the 听are proof that high functionality can still come in an elegant but rugged package.

Our connected, digital world has made booking a flight, finding a hotel room, or checking waves and wind speeds easier. What we so often lack is the soul of travel. We look at Google Maps, Yelp reviews, and TripAdvisor instead of asking a local for help or enjoying the simple thrill of getting lost in a new city. This is where the intangible pleasure of reading a book in the shade, writing in a journal, or snapping a photo can stem the digital influence. Same with setting a watch to local time upon touchdown in Marseilles, Mumbai, or Lima. Of course, one thing a travel watch can鈥檛 do is help you overcome jet lag. But then again, neither can a smartphone.

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Every spring for about the past century, the watch world has focused its attention on Basel, Switzerland, where hundreds of international brands set up booths to display their latest wares. And while 听is shrinking in the face of a changing industry and evolving marketing models, it鈥檚 still the biggest show of its kind and a can鈥檛-miss event. Those who don鈥檛 travel to this city on the Rhine River compulsively refresh their Instagram feeds to see all the new releases from brands big and small. I attended Baselworld for four days the week before last and sifted through the good, the bad, and the ugly to winnow a list of horology鈥檚 best and brightest, with a particular eye toward听watches that can stand a little abuse in the name of fun. These seven were the best that I found. Warning: some are priced听high enough to听decimate your bank account.听

Zodiac Aerospace GMT ($1,695)听

Hands down听my favorite watch of the show, the Aerospace GMT is a pitch-perfect homage to a watch Zodiac sold in the 1960s. Updated to the more modern diameter of 40 millimeters, the watch boasts a self-winding Swiss movement, water resistance up to 200 meters, and a colorful rotating 24-hour bezel that tracks a second time zone in coordination with the fourth hand on the dial. Limited to just 182 pieces of each colorway, this听watch is already sold out. But if you鈥檙e lucky, you can grab one from one of Zodiac鈥檚 retailers or secondhand, just in time for summer travels.

Tudor Black Bay P01 ($3,950)

Easily the most controversial watch of Baselworld, is a riff off of a prototype piece called the Commando that Tudor built for the U.S. Navy in the 1960s. Its dial and hands are classic Tudor diving watch, but the feature causing the purists鈥� kerfuffle is the hinged end-piece that locks down the rotating 12-hour ring, which gives the watch its unique look. I am still on the fence with this one听but mention it because it was all the buzz around Basel.

Oris Aquis GMT Date ($2,500)

The Aquis family has been a proven and durable line of diving watches from Oris for years. To freshen things up, this adds a smart way to track three time zones at once, utilizing the rotating, ceramic 24-hour ring and a separate 24-hour ring on the dial, which, in addition to the main hands, can keep you on schedule at home and on the road. Oris鈥檚 usual high-quality straps round out this versatile sports watch.

Seiko SNJ025 听($525)

Forget the unimaginative official name for this Seiko, and instead call it by its nickname: the Arnie. In 1980s movies like Predator and Commando, Austrian action star turned California governator听Arnold Schwarzenegger听was seen sporting a black Seiko diving watch with both analog and digital displays on the dial and a rotating timing ring protected by a shroud. While this watch is something of an acquired taste, Seiko aficionados have been waiting for a reissued version for years, and there鈥檚 no denying that it鈥檚 a go-anywhere, rugged听ticker. The new one adds the听zombie-apocalypse feature of solar charging, in case you鈥檙e on the run for a long time.

Citizen Promaster Aqualand 30th Anniversary Edition ($775)

In 1989, Citizen introduced a line of sea, air, and land watches it called Promaster. This year marks the 30th anniversary of that first family of so-called tool watches, and the brand has released a tribute trio in听commemoration. The most iconic of the three is , which sports an electronic depth gauge, just like the original. Unlike the original, however, this one鈥檚 battery is charged when the watch is exposed to natural or artificial light.

Breitling Navitimer听Ref. 806 1959 Re-Edition ($8,600)

If you鈥檝e been following along here, you鈥檒l notice that watch companies like anniversaries and special editions. Breitling is no exception, and the 听 looks back to, you guessed it, 1959听and the brand鈥檚 most iconic timepiece. With a slide-rule bezel that pilots used for calculating airspeed, remaining fuel, and anything else imaginable, it looks complicated but is a masterpiece of mechanical functionality. The reissued watch, limited to 1,959 pieces, is a dead ringer for the original, right down to the honey-colored dial markers.

Sinn Arktis ($3,760)

We鈥檝e covered watches from Switzerland and Japan, but let鈥檚 not forget that Germany produces some pretty bomber timepieces as well. Perhaps none are more rugged than Sinn, the Frankfurt-based brand known for its aviation and dive watches made from hardened submarine steel. The is a reappearance of a watch Sinn made for many years, which, as its name implies, is designed to be used in cold places. Sinn claims the Arktis will keep ticking down to minus 45 degrees centigrade (negative 45 degrees Fahrenheit), thanks to special lubricants that resist the cold. Perfect for next winter鈥檚 polar vortex.

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To paraphrase Mark Twain, rumors of the luxury watch鈥檚 demise are greatly exaggerated.

Consider the recent attempts by several digital- and smartwatch makers to tap into the je-ne-sais-quoi听magic of traditional听high-end timepieces: an Apple Watch with an听, for example, or a . But it鈥檚 not just a one-way street. Alpina, Breitling, and TAG Heuer, all old names in the luxury-watch space, have released their own connected watches that retain the materials, build quality, and prices听of their classic offerings. Clearly听these brands all feel that consumers still want luxury even in products that are largely designed for obsolescence. Now Garmin gets in on the game听with that target听specific groups of affluent buyers.

Garmin gained its cutting-edge reputation in the early days of GPS products, with its first customer being none other than the U.S. Army in the 1990s. Since then, the company has expanded from handheld GPS devices to everything from car navigation to aircraft systems, to bike computers, to perhaps its most widely known offering: connected wristwatches. Garmin has become a leader in this field, and if you show up at any bike, ski, or running event or trailhead, you鈥檒l likely see Garmins on most wrists. Garmin鈥檚 watches bristle with technology鈥攏otifications, heart-rate monitoring, activity-specific tracking, and color GPS screens鈥攁ppealing to the athlete-geek who likes to slice and dice their workout data. But to date, the brand has aesthetically been on the鈥攕hall we charitably say鈥攕porty side: oversized and black with long elastomer straps. The new Marq line aims to change that and appeal to a new audience, one that might want to wear a high-tech watch beyond the weekend.

There are five Marq watches, each crafted with different features and design听cues aimed at a specific sport: the Aviator for pilots, the Driver for car enthusiasts, the Captain for sailors, the Athlete for endurance junkies, and the Expedition for hikers and mountaineers. All of the watches feature a set of standard features, including an always-on, sunlight-readable display with GPS, built-in music storage, notifications, daily activity tracking,听a wrist-based heart-rate monitor, and a wrist-based pulse oximeter. From there, each differs in its sport-specific offerings. For example, the Driver has information from 250 of the world鈥檚 best-known race tracks that allows for live lap splits, average speed calculations, and race timing. The Aviator offers aviation maps, Nexrad weather radar, airport information, and Garmin cockpit integration. And the Expedition allows for remote control听of听Garmin鈥檚 InReach Mini GPS device, which allows messaging from anywhere on the planet.

In addition to these specialized features, the watches also stand apart in their design and materials. Their cases are made from light, corrosion-resistant titanium and look distinctly like luxury watches from the likes of Omega or TAG Heuer, with angled strap horns and sleek ceramic bezels. The straps are designed for each watch鈥檚 intended activity, in both spirit and function鈥攖he Captain has a water-repelling jacquard fabric strap woven in France, while the Driver鈥檚 titanium band has a soft inner silicone lining. In other words, these watches wouldn鈥檛 look out of place in a boardroom, albeit not easily sliding under a shirtsleeve, but with the added bonus of built-in bragging rights about the weekend鈥檚 adventures.

The Marq watches have only just launched, coincidentally (or not) just ahead of Baselworld, the biggest Swiss watch trade show. A few years ago, Garmin rival听Suunto听tried a similar strategy with its Elementum line听aimed at sailors, divers, and hikers, with swanky straps and sapphire crystals. But those more primitive digital watches never quite caught on and frustratingly left off some key features in favor of sport-specific ones. Perhaps they came a few years too early, before the age of feature-packed smartwatches. Garmin is banking on a generation of well-heeled weekend warriors who want it all鈥攖he functionality of a connected watch, sport-specific features for their diversions, and the听design and quality of a luxury timepiece.

So听will the Marq series be a hit for Garmin? Will the company鈥檚 existing clientele pony up $1,500 (Athlete) to $2,500 (Driver) for a premium connected watch? Have those who already own luxury watches been waiting for a timepiece that does all the things the Marq does while also possessing听cred among the horological cognoscenti? Garmin hopes so and has invested a lot in the faith that they will. Time will tell.

We鈥檙e at an interesting point in watch history, where people want bleeding-edge functionality but aren鈥檛 quite ready to abandon well-made things that last for generations. Watch companies haven鈥檛 entirely figured out how to marry these ideas, but it sure keeps those of us who follow听the industry busy and entertained.

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So you decided to go old school and buy a听mechanical watch鈥攏ot just one with hands and a dial听but one that鈥檚 powered by a coiled spring and gear train instead of a battery. Congratulations, you鈥檝e got one of the few man-made objects that鈥檚 been built the same way for the past 200 years and will keep running for the next 200鈥攂ut only if you take care of it. I鈥檝e compiled a few pointers for keeping that watch running well and looking good, so you can pass it down one day after it accompanies you on all of your adventures.

One of the most satisfying things about owning a mechanical watch is that it requires your interaction in order for it to function. Unlike a quartz watch, a mechanical timepiece doesn鈥檛 get its energy from a battery. Instead, the power that drives the hands around the dial comes from the unwinding of a tightly coiled flat spring that is meshed with a train of gears. This 鈥渕ainspring鈥� requires regular winding, which, if you bought an automatic, will be wound up as long as it鈥檚 on your wrist (and you move every now and then). If it鈥檚 a hand-wound watch, or an automatic-winding watch that has been sitting on your dresser for a few days, you simply need to spin the crown a couple dozen听times a day, which is an oddly gratifying chore.

While winding a watch is a simple process, there are a couple things to be aware of. First of all, don鈥檛 wind it on your wrist: the angle can be awkward and put lateral stress on the winding stem. Second, if it's a听hand-wound watch, don鈥檛 overwind it. When it feels like you can鈥檛 turn the crown anymore, don鈥檛. At that point, it鈥檚 good to go.

Setting the watch is equally as simple: pull out the crown and spin the hands to the desired time. If it has a date mechanism, there鈥檚 a slight caveat:听avoid adjusting the date between听8 p.m.听and 3 a.m., since that鈥檚 when the mechanism that automatically advances the date is engaged, and forcing it can break delicate components.

Though mechanical watches may seem fragile, they鈥檙e actually听remarkably rugged, a fact that has been proven out on countless battlefields, mountain peaks, and coral reefs for the past hundred years or so. However, watches do have a few enemies, namely shock, magnets, and moisture. Wrenching on your truck or splitting wood are best avoided while wearing a mechanical watch. You should also avoid setting your watch on devices containing strong magnets, such as the TV, your laptop, or stereo speakers, as this can magnetize the movement and set your watch running too fast. If this happens, take it to a local watchmaker or jeweler, who can quickly demagnetize it.

Your watch is likely rated for some measure of听water resistance, which is plenty for almost anything you could get into. But before you go dive the Andrea Doria, make sure that your watch鈥檚 crown is pushed in all the way. Most dive watches have crowns that screw down tight to the case for an extra measure of safety. A 30- or 50-meter-rated watch is fine for swimming, sailing or snorkeling, but if you plan to go scuba diving, 100 meters is considered the minimum safety margin for water resistance. And if you spend a lot of time in the water, it鈥檚 a good idea to have the seals replaced annually and the water resistance checked.

If you听wear听your watch frequently, it鈥檚 bound to get a little dirty and, like any other piece of gear, should be cleaned. Make sure the crown is pushed or screwed in, then have at it with an old toothbrush and some water. Try to avoid using soap, as it can compromise the watch鈥檚 gaskets.

Leather straps look great and last many years, but they can get pretty gnarly from sweat or moisture, so if you鈥檙e wearing your watch in the water or sweat a lot, consider a steel band听or a rubber or nylon strap.听Changing straps is an easy task: simply get yourself a and pop off the spring bar, then听swap in the new strap. Changing straps is a great way to change the look of your watch without spending much听and can become fairly addictive.

Some regular maintenance for your watch is a good idea. Given that a typical mechanical timepiece ticks almost 700,000 times every day, those gears and springs need attention eventually. So every five years or so, it鈥檚 a good idea to have a watchmaker clean and lubricate the movement. Ask them to听swap out the gaskets while they鈥檙e at it.

A mechanical watch is still one of the most reliable devices you can own. There are countless watches from the middle of the last century still in common use today, keeping time as faithfully as the day they were bought. I can鈥檛 think of another everyday product that can claim that record of sustainability and longevity. So wind it up and听wear the hell out of it, but take care of it. It will reward you by collecting the time of your life.

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Alpine skiing is a sport that takes style seriously. This, after all, is the outdoor activity that continues to get adults to embrace the glory of the onesie. A fine wristwatch fits right into skiing鈥檚 sporty yet elegant aesthetic, and there are many well-made, durable options that don鈥檛 have to be left behind when you鈥檙e out on the slopes. Here are five of the best.

Zodiac Grand Rally ($495)

This 听recalls听an era听when the top ski racers wore wool pants, leather boots, and a chronograph on their wrists. Think Jean-Claude Killy at the 鈥�68 Olympics or Robert Redford circa 1970. The Grand Rally鈥檚 sculpted steel case is sturdy enough to take some abuse, while the white-on-black dial with red accents is both legible and stylish. The padded leather strap pairs well with your Carrera goggles for full-on retro chic. Use the quartz stopwatch function to time runs for bragging rights in the chalet.

Seiko Astron SSH01J1 ($2,100)

Step off the plane in Gstaad or Aspen, and the 听will already be on local time, thanks to automatic time-setting from satellites. The dual time function lets you keep track of what鈥檚 happening back home. The solar-charged battery will last six months in the unlikely event you keep it in a drawer during the off-season.

Autodromo Group B Series 2 Automatic ($975)

With its integrated tapered听bracelet and super-slim case, the 听slides unobtrusively under your glove while you鈥檙e out on the slopes. The bright-orange dial, inspired by rally car instruments of the 1980s, will draw attention on the sun deck afterward. Be forewarned: The sleek retro looks demand that听you match this watch with a stylish听kit.

Oris Chronoris Date ($1,750)

A consummate sports watch, the 听blends old-school Swiss quality with a colorful design that effortlessly goes from the back bowl to the fondue bowl. One crown winds and sets the self-winding mechanical movement; the other rotates the timing ring. The perforated leather strap lends a rustic yet refined edge.

Omega Seamaster Diver 300M听($4,750)

The appeal of a dive watch goes well beyond its subaquatic capabilities. High water resistance and a sturdy build mean听the 听can shrug听off the knocks and tumbles of skiing. The ceramic dial and bezel look sharp under the sleeve of your favorite sweater. No wonder it鈥檚 James Bond鈥檚 choice.

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