Watch of the Week: Ralph Lauren’s New Polo Watches Bring Bold, Preppy Style to Your Wrist
Since 2008, when Ralph Lauren Watches and Fine Jewelry launched, the brand has released many high-quality, stylish timepieces in addition to its well known apparel. That trend continues with the company’s latest collection: a set of four Polo-branded watches powered by Swiss-made mechanical movements and dressed in several eye-catching colors. If you’re a fan of the brand’s iconic take on menswear, you won’t want to miss these.
“When considering Americana style, no brand is more top of mind than Polo Ralph Lauren,” says Men’s Journal Fashion Editor Kevin Breen. “With the drop of its second watch collection, the brand offers a new slew of collectable timepieces that fuses its iconic logo with its heritage sport-prep colorways.”
The new Polo watches—a follow-up to the first Polo timepiece collection from 2018—marry Ralph Lauren’s bold, preppy style with Swiss watchmaking tradition. The first thing you’ll notice about them are the dials. Each one comes stamped with Ralph Lauren’s polo player logo brought to life in a multicolor, 3D-printed image, and it makes a clear focal point on the face of each watch. The polo player first appeared as a stitched logo on Polo shirts back in 1972, but the colorful rendering on these timepieces brings out a whole new level of detail. We love the way it adds visual interest to the collection.
Although a polo player riding across the dial might sound a bit overbearing, the tasteful accents on the rest of the watches balance the logo nicely. Their 42mm stainless steel cases come with an exhibition caseback that shows off the inner workings of the automatic movement—a nice counterpoint to the colorful details on the front. In addition, simple luminescent indices and sword-shaped hour and minute hands make the watches easy to read and keep them from looking too busy.
Picky about what goes on your wrist? Luckily, you have plenty of options here, and that makes the Polo watches great for merging into an adventurous wardrobe or adding color if you usually opt for neutral tones. The dials come in green, navy blue, and black (available with stainless steel or matte black trim), all topped with curved sapphire crystal glass. Once you pick a dial color, there are a wealth of straps and bracelets to choose from, including polished or black sandblasted stainless steel and cotton and leather straps with designs inspired by Ralph Lauren apparel. The straps really let you tweak the look and feel of these watches, whether you’re looking for something refined or something a little more sporty.
Of course, any watch with the “Swiss-made” moniker attached to it should have some impressive machinery inside, and the Polo watches don’t disappoint there, either. No matter how you option your timepiece, you’ll get a caliber RL200 automatic movement that offers a 38-hour power reserve. The watches are also water resistant to around 100 meters—enough to survive the occasional splash, so you can feel good about showing yours off day-to-day.
The new Polo collection shows that Ralph Lauren’s preppy styling can work well in the realm of fine mechanical timepieces. From the striking colors to the polo player logo, there’s no mistaking who designed these watches.
[From $1,650-$2,150; ralphlauren.com]
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