5 Watches to Make a Statement

Watches are an interesting item. We can use them for all kinds of things, such as timing dives, calculating speeds, or simply telling the time. While they can offer us so much, they're often used as a somewhat functional fashion accessory. We allow watches to reflect our personal styles and tastes through their aesthetic design. A great way to complement the aesthetic design of watches is through fitting our own straps to them in order to take true ownership of the design. By carefully choosing the right watch strap, we can help our watch make a bigger statement than the OEM strap or bracelet ever could.

Here are 5 of our favorite men's statement watches and some ideas on how you can upgrade them to the next level simply by changing their strap.

1. The TAG Heuer Carrera

Beginning its life in 1962 when Jack Heuer decided to create a chronograph for the gentleman driver, the TAG Heuer Carrera has become one of the most iconic automotive tool watches around. Designed to be easily legible, comfortable on the wrist, capable of timing races and calculating speeds, the Carrera is the distilled embodiment of Jack Heuer's engineering know-how.

The modern Carrera is an iconic TAG Heuer watch as not only is it rich in history, but it is also a collector favorite due to its iconic, eye-catching design - making it a great statement watch. With a fixed steel and ceramic bezel sitting atop its 43mm case, the Carrera grabs people's attention. With its metal numerals and large silver-colored sub-dials, the Carrera is accentuated perfectly by a Horus Camo Rubber Strap. Take it to another level by adding one of our many leather TAG Heuer Carrera watch straps for a more luxurious feel.

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2. The Breitling Navitimer

Released in 1952, the Breitling Navitimer was the pilot's watch to end all pilot's watches. Based on the 1942 Breitling Chronomat, the Navitimer was the evolution of what was already an incredibly useful instrument for pilots. With the use of its slide rule bezel, pilots could figure out fuel consumption rates, average speeds, cruising speeds, climb speeds, and much more. With its paradoxically busy yet easy to read panda-themed dial, the Navitimer stands out on the wrist of any man, making it the perfect statement watch.

The Navitimer's traditionally blue and white or black and white dial lends itself to several Breitling watch strap combinations, especially when you consider the standout red second's hand. A Navitimer with a black dial pairs well with our Red Camo Rubber Strap or our Black Leather Strap with Red Stitching. For a blue dial Navitimer, our Blue Camo Rubber Strap is a customer favorite.

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3. The Panerai Luminor

Previously only available to military forces, the Panerai Luminor was released to the public in 1993. While the Italian brand was relatively obscure for most of its early days, it was catapulted to fame by Sylvester Stallone. The Panerai Radiomir, the Luminor's predecessor, caught his attention as he passed a boutique in Florence. He subsequently wore the watch in the movie ‘Daylight', which helped promote the brand. Panerai's iconic dials, clear numeral font, large case, and crown guards became incredibly popular as the large watch trend was beginning to take off. It is these characteristics that make the Panerai Luminor a perfect statement watch.

Panerai encourages their collectors, the Paneristi, to change the straps on their watches. They supply screwdrivers, make their lugs easily accessible, and provide secondary straps. These straps, however, are often rather traditional. You can add some flare to your Panerai by adding a Green Camo Rubber Strap to it, paying homage to the brand's military background. If Camo is not your thing, we also offer a variety of solid colored Panerai Luminor straps.

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4. The Rolex Submariner

The Rolex Submariner is, without a doubt, one of the most iconic watch designs in the world. Released at BaselWorld in 1954 as a divers watch, the Submariner was leagues ahead of its competition. With its iconic single piece construction oyster case and screw-down crown and case back, the Submariner boasted a 200m water-resistance. All of this had every other dive watch manufacturer racing to compete. With such an iconic design, it is a given that the Rolex Submariner is a great statement piece.

The Submariner’s traditionally black bezel and dial creates a simple look for the watch, which gives a lot of options for customization with a strap. With so many color combinations of watch straps for Submariner available to make your watch jump off your wrist, it is hard to just decide on only one. For the summer, our White Rubber Strap will make the bezel and dial pop, whereas for winter months you can opt for a toned-down approach with our Black Rubber Strap - our best selling strap for Rolex. For a more fashion forward look, go for one of our Camo Rubber Straps for Rolex.

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5. The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Rubber Clad

Released in 1993 at BaselWorld, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore was the result of 4 years of R&D and direct inspiration from one of the most influential watches of the 20th century, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak. Audemars Piguet has always been a brand known for watches that disrupt the industry and make a statement, and the Royal Oak Offshore did just that. The Rubberclad became very popular with watch collectors, and to this day, it remains an iconic and unique piece, mostly due to its use of rubber on the bezel. Its heavily rubberised design, 42mm case, chronograph dial, large numerals and date bubble grab the attention of anyone that sees it. It’s available in both stainless steel and gold. The gold version, like any gold watch, will naturally be a statement piece, but the black rubber elements of the watch help to dress it down a bit. It’s the perfect blend of sport and flash.

You can nicely coordinate your strap with the design aesthetic of the gold Rubberclad by choosing a rubber strap for Audemars Piguet in a color that will either accentuate the gold dial or match the black rubber. Our Black Rubber Strap, for example, will be in perfect harmony with the watch as a whole. Our Red Rubber Strap will subtly contrast the black rubber on the watch while highlighting the gold of the case. If you wish to really add a unique twist to this iconic piece, our Graphite Camo Rubber & Blue Camo Rubber straps are very popular choices.

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Although each piece we have highlighted comes at a different price point, each one is sure to make a statement on the wrist. The iconic nature of these watches makes each of them a worthy investment for years to come.