Unlike a diving watch, which must be water resistant to a staggering depth and bold enough to read under the sea, beach watches have perhaps even more specific requirements.

First, they must be impervious to scratches (sand, obvs). Second, they must be water resistant to a reasonable degree and third, they must look great with your swimming trunks. 

Here is a selection of some of the best in the world right now - whatever you're looking to spend.

1 | Swatch

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Affordable enough that you won't worry too much about getting a few scratches on it, but stylish enough that you'll want to keep it looking smart, Swatch's slick Dark Water is perfect for beach wear as it's also water proof to 20 bar, making it perfect for splashing around in the shallows.

Swatch Dark Water, £57, swatch.com

2 | Timex

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Water resistant to 50m and attached to a summer-ready NATO strap (it's breathable, which is great in the heat, and can withstand exposure to sea water), the Timex Expedition Scout will look the business worn with a pair of navy blue swimmers from Orlebar Brown.

Timex Expedition Scout blue, £60, timex.co.uk

3 | Victorinox

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Claiming to be the hardiest watch on the market – Victorinox drove a tank over it to prove that point – the Inox is perfectly equipped for beach wear. This, the Professional Diver take on the style, features luminescent hands which are great for reading underwater, while the rubber strap is perfect for wear in both the sea and the sand.

Victorinox Inox professional diver,  £449, victorinox.com

4 | Gucci

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Gucci is the brand of the moment, and this – the Dive 45mm – proves why. Water resistant to 200meters and finished with a super cool NATO strap in Gucci's classic green and red webbing, just be sure to get some Gucci pool slides to match.

Gucci Dive 45mm, £620, gucci.com

5 | Tudor

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Waterproof to 500 meters but also super elegant, the Pelagos Chronometer black is a lot of watch for relatively little money, given that it contains a COSC-certified in-house manufactured movement.

Tudor Pelagos Chronometer black, £2,840, tudorwatch.com

6 | Breitling

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Available in both 42mm and 46mm, this smaller take on Breitling's classic diving watch is chic, elegant and perfect for beachwear. The punctuated rubber strap is breathable and salt water-ready, while the glareproof sapphire crystal is both sand-resistant and readable on the beach.

Breitling Superocean Heritage 42mm, £2,930, breitling.com

7 | Rado

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Rado's specialty is super lightweight, scratch-resistant ceramic watches. The Hyperchrome Automatic Chronograph is crafted from the best ceramic on the market (plasma high tech), making it super sand-resistant, while the sapphire crystal features anti-reflective coating.

Rado Hyperchrome Automatic Chronograph, £3,650, rado.com

8 | Zenith

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Complete with an in-house manufactured 400B caliber 13 ¼" automatic self winding movement {try saying that three times quickly), the El Primero Sport features a 50 hour power reserve, a smart black rubber strap and is water resistant to 200 meters.

Zenith El Primero Sport Stainless Steel and Rubber, £7,400, mrporter.com

9 | Rolex

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One of the best water-ready watches in the world, Rolex's yacht master features the marque's patented oyster perpetual water proofing technology (you can take it down to a respectable 100 meters), is neat enough to wear on it's own with a pair of trunks at a relatively compact 40mm and features a clever Oysterflex bracelet, which is made by moulding rubber over a super-flexible yet incredibly durable titanium and nickel alloy blade.

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Yacht Master 40, £16,650, rolex.com

10 | Patek Philippe

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Characteristically elegant and impeccably manufactured, Patek Philippe's slightly retro-looking Aquanaut is perfect for beach wear, as it's water resistant to 120m, features a scratch resistant sapphire crystal and a 'tropical' composite strap. Smart.

Patek Philippe Aquanaut steel 5167A-001, £14,590patek.com