Ice Cream Dreams: A Roundup of Summer’s Tastiest Pastel Timepieces

Chromotherapy is a form of therapy that uses color and light to address certain mental and physical health conditions. I interviewed a chromotherapist once, and the thing she said that has stuck with me over the years was that a chromotherapist doesn’t prescribe a color to fix what ails you but rather helps you find the hue you need to feel better.

So let Watchonista be your guide to finding a watch that makes you feel good this summer.

There are plenty of studies exploring how certain hues affect our moods. Pastels, for example, are said to feel uplifting while neutrals keep you grounded. I don’t really know how hard the science behind these statements is, but anecdotally, there’s something about a colorful watch that makes me feel good.

Watches also make us enthusiasts feel good. A friend recently described the acquisition of a new, pink watch as a dopamine hit. A recent round of releases from Hublot (unveiled today in Saint-Tropez as part of the brand’s Hublot Summer event happening), Norqain, Kollokium, Vanguart, and, of course, the Royal Oak POP, all spark joy.

If you are in the market for the perfect summer timekeeper, look no further.

There’s an undeniable emotional boost that comes from wearing a colorful timepiece. Hublot knows this and embraces it more than most brands.

In fact, every year since 2017, the brand has celebrated the return of warm weather by releasing tinted ceramic, limited-edition models that evoke a summer spent relaxing around the Mediterranean. This season, the brand has released two Big Bang Summer models: the manufacture Unico Flyback chronograph in 42mm and the manufacture automatic tourbillon in 44mm.
 

Announced today, both feature a pastel palette of mint, pink, and sky blue meant to evoke the peaceful feeling of watching a perfect summer sunrise.

The 42mm model with the manufacture Unico Flyback chronograph, produced in a limited edition of 200 pieces, is a tasty scoop of micro-blasted and polished pink and mint-green ceramic framed by a sky-blue ceramic bezel and a matching sky-blue case-back. The dial is a swirl of matte pink and mint tones.
 

The 44mm model with a manufacture automatic tourbillon offers a more sculptural dessert by featuring a transparent pink sapphire crystal dial that exposes the many layers of the movement.
 

The Hublot Big Bang Summer Multi-Colored Ceramic 42mm is priced at $34,300, while the Big Bang Summer Multi-Colored Ceramic 44mm is limited to 10 pieces and priced at $119,000.

A watch with a striking dial is a wonderful way to express your fun side. Thus, for the second year in a row, Norqain has released a sweet treat as part of its “Enjoy Life” series.

In 2025, the family-owned independent Swiss watchmaker launched the “Ice Cream” edition. Now, for this summer, the brand has added some extra decoration to its tantalizing summer series by releasing the Freedom Chrono Enjoy Life “Sprinkles.” And, like the colorful candies that decorate a sundae or donut, this watch captures the brand’s signature warmth and optimism while rekindling the childlike joy of enjoying a special summer treat.
 

The 40mm stainless steel watch comes in two flavors: “Strawberry” or “Blue Raspberry.” Both feature matte dials topped with applied “sprinkles” that are finished in Super-LumiNova, so they glow blue in the dark.

Available with a stainless-steel bracelet or on a white rubber strap featuring additional luminescent accents, the extra icing on this horological dessert is its double anti-reflective, scratch-proof, box-type sapphire glass on top and a flat sapphire glass on the caseback, which is printed with the words “Enjoy Life” and special-edition markings.
 

This tri-compax dial layout, with a 30-minute chronograph, is powered by the Norqain Calibre N19, an automatic movement that delivers an impressive 62-hour power reserve.

The Norqain Freedom Chrono Enjoy Life “Sprinkles” is priced at $6,150 on a rubber strap with a steel pin-buckle, $6,290 on a steel bracelet, and $6,350 on a rubber strap with a steel deployant clasp.

Another thing that’s so exciting about this year’s class of colorful watches is that of-the-moment manufacturing techniques allow for greater precision dial production, unlocking a whole new diversity of available shades. For Kollokium, that means the project-based indie is embracing super-saturated color for the third iteration of the Projekt 02.
 

Just a refresher, the Projekt 02 is composed of a topographical dial made of 67 dial plates. With the new Variant C, the 3D dial has been highlighted with a gradient of turquoise-blue tones, making it more comparable to soft serve in a cone than to a topographical map.

It’s not just the dial that has a cooling effect. For an extra-refreshing finish, the case feels more like sapphire crystal than metal thanks to bright rhodium plating. And the matte finish on the individually crafted, painted, and assembled dial plates catches and reflects light, revealing a range of blue hues.
 

The Kollokium Projekt 02 Variant C is a limited edition of 299 pieces (which is, sadly, already sold out) and is priced at CHF 3,666.66.

Serious watches can be fun too! Super complicated timepieces can act like high-end fidget spinners to ease our anxieties. Adding a soothing splash of color can only help improve our mood. Which is why the latest edition of the Vanguart Orb offers a welcome take on the summer watch.
 

Since its founding in 2017, Vanguart has been at the, ahem, vanguard of indie watchmaking. In 2024, the brand launched the Orb. Then, at this year’s Watches and Wonders, Vanguart added ceramic to the design for the first time. However, beyond a visual update, the material allowed the brand to incorporate colored ceramic into the Orb’s curved structure.

According to the Maison, soft pink and blue tones signal a lighter, more carefree approach to haute horlogerie without compromising technical complexity. And while it feels like a summer watch, its scratch- and fade-resistant ceramic is designed to retain its brilliance even after prolonged exposure to the elements year-round.
 

Finally, if the idea of wearing a tourbillon to the beach freaks you out, its 30-meter water resistance should also help set your mind at ease. The Vanguart Orb Ceramic comes in pastel pink or blue, is limited to 25 pieces per model, and is priced at $225,000.

Lastly, we should never forget the power of nostalgia in elevating our mood. Looking at the past through ice cream-tinted lenses brings back happy memories, as does revisiting playful and adventurous color schemes of past decades.
 

I am not a psychiatrist, but in retrospect, perhaps the appeal of the recent Audemars Piguet x Swatch Royal POP collaboration owes something to our subconscious attraction to the slushies, popsicles, gelatos, frozen custards, shaved ices, and faloodehs of our youth.

This feels especially true for the sherbet-toned Otto Rosso and Blaue Acht models done in the Lépine style with the crown at 12 o’clock. Moreover, with its multi-hued screws, the Huit Blanc conjures the look of sprinkles atop scoops of vanilla ice cream. Not to mention that the Royal POP collection’s Bioceramic cases also recall the frosty surfaces of a frozen confection.
 

Another similarity to buying frozen confections from an ice cream truck on a summer’s day? You must wait in line to get one.

All of the Audemars Piguet x Swatch Royal POP Lépine-style models are priced at $400.