5 Cool Sports Watches for Women under EUR 5,000

There is good news for women today: wearing an oversized men’s sports watch is a thing of the past, and we are finally getting some of the coolest sports watches on the market in sizes designed to fit our wrists. Watch brands have understood that there are women out there who want the performance and dynamic look of sports watches, but do not want to wear massive men’s models. Here are our top five sports candidates that combine resilience, water-resistance and sexy sporty styling – ideal everyday companions that won’t fall off your wrist – and, of course, all are mechanical.

Rolex Oyster Perpetual 34mm

The Oyster Perpetual is the heart and soul of Rolex and a fantastic entry-level candidate. Classic, robust, yet smart enough to wear to the office, the Oyster Perpetual is the evolution of the world’s first waterproof timepiece, put to the test on Mercedes Gleitze’s epic cross-Chanel swim in 1926. Water-resistant to 100 metres and endowed with an exceptional automatic movement, the Oyster Perpetual is a rock-solid everyday companion. This Oyster Perpetual 34mm is crafted in Oystersteel with brushed and polished finishes and features an attractive white opaline dial with 18k gold hour markers treated with luminescent material. The watch is fitted with a comfortable yet resilient Oyster bracelet and an Oysterclasp. Inside the solid case is Rolex calibre 3130, an automatic COSC-certified movement with Rolex’ demanding Superlative Chronometry certification ensuring deviations of -2/+2 seconds a day after casing. Without a doubt, the Oyster Perpetual is a true classic designed to last a lifetime.

Quick facts: 34mm diameter – stainless steel case – screw-down caseback and winding crown – 100m water-resistance – sapphire crystal – calibre 3130 with Parachrom hairspring – 48h power reserve – COSC and Superlative Chronometer certified – Oyster bracelet with Oysterclasp – EUR 4,700 – more details on www.rolex.com

Omega Speedmaster 38mm

A celebrity of the watch world, Omega’s Speedmaster has not lost an inch of its gravitational pull since it was spotted on Buzz Aldrin’s wrist in the epic Moon landing of 1969. Now available in 38mm, the legendary Speedmaster is ready to conquer women’s wrists. Like its 1957 ancestor, the Speedmaster features the iconic tachymeter scale on the bezel, which in this model is picked out in navy blue aluminium to contrast with a more feminine sun-brushed sky-blue dial. The sub-dials providing elapsed times and small seconds have an oval frame and are snailed for additional depth and fewer numerals for a simpler, cleaner look. Presented on a practical stainless steel bracelet, the watch is water-resistant to 100m allowing you to swim with the watch. An officially certified chronometer, the watch is equipped with calibre 3330, a self-winding chronograph movement with a column wheel and Omega’s famous Co-Axial escapement. Packed with technical goodies and an unbeatable slice of space history, this watch is the very definition of a cool sports watch for women.

Quick facts: 38mm diameter– stainless steel case – 100m water-resistant – sapphire crystal front and back – calibre Omega 3330 automatic chronograph with column wheel and Co-Axial escapement – 52h power reserve – steel bracelet – EUR 4,600 – more details on www.omegawatches.com

TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 9 Automatic 28mm

From the race track to your wrist, this 28mm version of the celebrated Carrera is perfect for women who like sports watches but don’t want the bulk. The Carrera is an iconic sports watch created by Jack Heuer in 1964, directly inspired by fast cars and motor racing. Still going strong and perfectly in tune with today’s return to smaller-sized women’s watches, the Carrera has been stripped of its original chronograph functions to provide a clean, classic dial that still retains the spirit of its famous ancestor. Fitted with a trendy blue dial with three hands and a date, the 28mm steel case is polished as is the integrated metal bracelet giving it an attractive streamlined profile. Water-resistant to 100 metres, the movement is automatic with a 40h power reserve. Who says a sports watch can’t have dainty proportions?

Quick facts: 28mm diameter – stainless steel case and bracelet – 100m water-resistant – sapphire crystal – blue sunray brushed dial – automatic Sellita SW100 – 40h power reserve – EUR 1,950 – more details on www.tagheuer.com

Tudor Black Bay 32mm

The Black Bay collection is to Tudor what the Oyster Perpetual is to Rolex: an icon. Revisited in countless formats, Tudor has finally realised that women wanted some of the action and presented a 32mm size, perfect for women’s wrists. Like other models in the family, the Black Bay features a dial inspired by the divers’ watches produced by the brand during the 1950s. This Black Bay 32mm is housed in a solid stainless steel case with brushed and polished finishes and is water-resistant to 150 metres. The dial can be deep black or a new a rich blue lacquered colour that changes with the light conditions going from a vivid electric blue to a dark navy blue, a perfect background to contrast with the bold luminescent hour markers. The characteristic angular hands – known as ‘snowflake’ hands – and the large winding crown are all details that hark back to Tudor’s early divers. This model comes with a black fabric strap, but can be ordered with either a steel bracelet or a leather strap. In a nutshell, you’re getting all the robustness of a tool watch in a smaller format that won’t let you down in the depths.

Quick facts: 32mm diameter – stainless steel case with satin and polished finishes – screw-down crown – 150m water-resistant – blue lacquered dial – snowflake hands – sapphire crystal – automatic calibre 2824 – 38h power reserve – Steel bracelet / black fabric strap with buckle / Leather strap – EUR 2,290 – more details on www.tudorwatch.com

Oris Divers Sixty-Five 36mm

Take a plunge into cool vintage waters with this retro dive watch by Oris. Directly inspired by the brand’s first dive watch of 1965 – with a unidirectional rotating bezel, bold luminescent numerals and water-resistance to 100m – the diver resurfaced 50 years later and is currently one of the brand’s most successful models. Housed in an anti-corrosive 36mm steel case, the edge of the fluted bezel is crafted in bronze, giving it a nice vintage dive watch touch. The black dial features bold hour makers, which in turn have been treated with a vintage-coloured Super-LumiNova known as ‘light old radium’. Even the glass protecting the dial is vintage-inspired and features a bubble-curved glass, made from scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating. The movement is automatic and features Oris’ hallmark bi-directional winding red rotor – although you can’t see it because the caseback is sealed. All in all, the Oris Divers Sixty Five is a robust daily companion with a very pronounced vintage diver vibe.

Quick facts: 36mm diameter – stainless steel and bronze case – minutes scale on the bezel – steel caseback – screw-in crown – 100m water-resistant – black dial with beige vintage-style Super-LumiNova on the hands and indices – automatic calibre SW200-1  – 38h power reserve – brown leather strap with steel buckle – EUR 1,900 – more details on www.oris.ch