Which wrist watch

[Rubber Duck]

Which type of wrist watch is best for cruising?
Analogue, digital, Atomatic ?,
Degree of water resistance required etc.
Are alarms and features really necessary ?
All opinions welcolme.

 

[FlyWright]

I'd get the cheapest watch that meets your needs so when it goes overboard, you won't be upset.

 

[gaston]

Pffff wrist watch's are a thing of the past its 2016

Ever since I owned my first mobile phone I have never worn a watch of any sort and never lost a second in time it even has a calendar and you can make phone call on it as well

 

[Conrad]

I'd get the cheapest watch that meets your needs so when it goes overboard, you won't be upset.

I've lost more than one that way; unfortunately I was wearing them at the time.

 

[78puget-trawler]

I love watches and clocks, old school I guess. I still don't text or own an I phone or whatever they are. I don't think any watch is more appropriate than others for cruising as such but admit I do like any Rolex looking type watch. Right now I wear a Steinhart Ocean One (green), an automatic (self winding) stainless watch with water resistance to 300 meters though obviously that is marketing baloney. If one is not in a good submersible vehicle it will hardly matter. I don't care for alarms or other geegaw and foofaraw on my watches, its just mostly clutter. This is a relatively inexpensive watch compared to many but its very attractive and so far pretty reliable. You can check them out on line. They ship from Germany, though are Swiss made.

 

[Crusty Chief]

I brought a watch cuz the admiral thought I might need it. It's here on the boat somewhere, but after 45 days of cruising and 75 plus days since we left home, haven't needed it yet. Come to think of it, not really sure where it is. Might be in that place that I seem to lose a lot of stuff along with the memory!

 

[dimer2]

Pffff wrist watch's are a thing of the past its 2016

Ever since I owned my first mobile phone I have never worn a watch of any sort and never lost a second in time it even has a calendar and you can make phone call on it as well

The difference is I know where my watch is, I can never seem to find my phone, even in the rare event of it ringing. My Walmart $20 special watch is digital with numbers so big I can read it at night without my glasses, which are about as hard to find as my phone.

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. RD. I do have a wrist watch. It's in the side table beside the bed. Been there for probably 15 years. On board, a wall clock is more than sufficient for time keeping.

 

[FF]

Spend the excess after tax income on a good ships strike clock.

It will TELL you, and the rest of the crew, the time , rather than having to look.

On offshore passages it as master clock can save a bunch of arguments from watch standers.

 

[O C Diver]

I to haven't had a wrist watch since carrying a cell phone, going on 20 years. Time is also displayed in the pilothouse on the GPS and other places in the boat.

Ted

 

[psneeld]

Every wrist watch I owned died an early death from persperation working it's way into stems or pushbuttons.

So I haven't worn one either since the advent of cell phones.

I am in the cheap, multi function one camp...but then I don't ever wear clothes that need a good looking watch...especially cruising.

 

[caltexflanc]

My watches of choice have been a Timex Explorer for several years now. Cheap, accurate, stand up to hours of swimming in salt water, easy to read dials, and I love the "Indiglo" light-up on demand feature which is extremely handy in addition to the mildly luminescent hands. I wore them, and still do, with my best business clothes too, having built a pretty high end wardrobe before becoming a boat bum.

 

[Phil Fill]

We buy the cheap pretty ones so we have several depending on the day, out fit mood. We also have lost over board. When the battery runs out it's time for a replacement. We both like the watchs with large analog faces so we can see the time with some glimor. All our watch cost under 20 bucks and most of the clocks are anolog. I usually have 3, going out, every day, and work. Wrecking a 10 watch is not as traumatic.

I will admit I have to every once in a while have to look at the phone for the day and date. When retired every day is a Saturday. What's today. Oh it actually is Saturday. So tomorrow must be Sunday, the day we go to church and rest to get ready for another week of Saturdays.

 

[rwidman]

I haven't worn a watch since I started carrying a pager. I do have a couple clocks on the boat and of course my MFD is set up to show the time and date.


If you want a watch to wear on your boat, I would suggest an inexpensive digital watch. About $5 or less.

 

[ragin cajun]

Rolex Submariner, Stainless Steel. Come on guys! You deserve to wear a fine time piece that can be handed down to future generations. Totally waterproof, rust proof and bullet proof! Besides, this is one of the few luxury items that will hold its value over time unlike our boats!

 

[psneeld]

When the watch costs as much as the boat....maybe its time I look in the mirror harder...

 

[S41]

I have been wearing the same watch for about 20 years. It is a Rip Curl stainless tide watch. Picked it up at West Marine in Virginia when I had a channel to my dock that wasn't quite deep enough for my sailboat at low tide. It was a great addition at the time. I had no idea that it was going to be the least expensive watch I have owned because of how well it has lasted.

Waterproof to 600 meters so works great swimming or snorkeling. Last year the band had to get replaced and it has had 5 batteries through the years. It looks good and is tough as nails. Tides worked great on the East coast, not so much for the PNW.

I like wearing a watch. Although I carry a smartphone, I don't like pulling it out of my pocket to look at the time.

 

[twistedtree]

I too gave up on wrist watches a few years ago. I always have my phone with me so can check the time as needed. But my wife thinks I'm a human clock since I can usually tell you the time to within 5-10 minutes. And when on board or at the helm, there is always at least one clock within sight.

The biggest issue I had with watches is that they were always either too loose or too tight. It would fit fine, then I'd get outside and get working and hot, and it would be too tight. Getting rid of it was like loosening your belt a notch - something I am too prone to do.....

 

[rwidman]

When cruising, the only time the "time" matters to me is knowing if I'm likely to get to a marina before it closes. Oh, and timing drawbridges.


I often forget what day it is.

 

[RT Firefly]

 

[78puget-trawler]

Since my grandfather Doc Freeman was a ship broker back in the day, he amassed quite a collection of ships clocks off of various surplus Navy boats he bought at auction etc. I was fortunate enough to finagle a few out of the storage room, with permission of course. Thus I have a wonderful Chelsea brass ships clock, a black bakelite Chelsea Mark 1 deck clock and a brass Seth Thomas deck clock. Yes, I like time pieces, especially nice ones. I could never quite go whole hawg and pop for a Rolex but have come close to going for a Tag Heuer more than once. For now I am happy with the Steinhart Ocean One I wear.

 

[78puget-trawler]

The OP asked what type watch did we like for cruising, not how many of us sneer at having one.

 

[ksanders]

Like few others here apparently I like a good quality Mechanical wristwatch.

The brand I prefer is Omega. The model I wear most of the time is a Planet Ocean.

If you ever see the inside of a mechanical watch you'll quickly apreciate the level of craftmanship required to make one.

Although I do not scuba dive...

This watch is waterproof to 2,000 feet. It has a sapphire crystal that won't scratch. The case is a type of stainess that flat will not rust or discolor.

The Omega Planet Ocean has good company among the finest mechanical dive watches ever made. Craftmanship that you just do not see in comsumer goods anymore.

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. 78. I think "sneer" is a bit of a strong word. Personally I don't see the need for one considering my circumstances. The case has been made for both the high and low end models and the reasoning behind same so IF the desire to wear a timepiece is there, knock yourself out.

 

[BandB]

For daily wear, my wife decided my watches should be stylish and recently Fossil has come out with interchangeable bands and straps and she enjoys switching them around. Today my band is blue with anchors in white. She also just picks up watches here and there she likes. They all have blue faces.

Now, I do own one ridiculously extravagant watch that means the world to me. One day in 2001, we fiancee and I went shopping for wedding rings. Her diamond to be blue matching the sparkle of her eyes, mine to have small blue diamonds so she's always with me. Now, during the course of already spending far more than we'd planned, we were shown a necklace and earrings which matched her ring. I sneaked a purchase of those and put them in my pocket. That night almost at the same time we told each other we had a present for them. Hers was the earrings and necklace. Mine was the watch below. We only wear them on going out, dress up occasions. I did wear mine to the office. I always feel a little closer to her when I wear it. It's a TAG Heuer, which I admit otherwise I'd never heard of. Amazingly, that same model is still in their line.



And this is the watch I'm wearing today.

 

[BandB]

Greetings,
Mr. 78. I think "sneer" is a bit of a strong word. Personally I don't see the need for one considering my circumstances. The case has been made for both the high and low end models and the reasoning behind same so IF the desire to wear a timepiece is there, knock yourself out.

Before my wife I'd worn Casio and Timex and stopped wearing those as any watch with a metal back breaks my arm out if I wear it continuously. Now we coat the backs of all of them with a silicone/plastic coating.

 

[Bay Pelican]

Another viewpoint on watches. Water proof (resistant) yes. If you are anchoring out while cruising the watch will get wet. You don't need a dive watch unless you snorkel or scuba.

Cheap vs expensive. If your cruising ground is Narragansett Bay or Ft. Lauderdale, then by all means have a watch which reflects a high net worth. We cruise where it is valuable not to appear as a target so we leave all the high end stuff home, and replace it with steel wedding bands, Timex watches and plastic jewelry. Actually, I have two cheap watches and I have found getting a watched fixed or even a battery replaced is not the easiest thing to do outside of the first world countries.

 

[BandB]

Another viewpoint on watches. Water proof (resistant) yes. If you are anchoring out while cruising the watch will get wet. You don't need a dive watch unless you snorkel or scuba.

Cheap vs expensive. If your cruising ground is Narragansett Bay or Ft. Lauderdale, then by all means have a watch which reflects a high net worth. We cruise where it is valuable not to appear as a target so we leave all the high end stuff home, and replace it with steel wedding bands, Timex watches and plastic jewelry. Actually, I have two cheap watches and I have found getting a watched fixed or even a battery replaced is not the easiest thing to do outside of the first world countries.

We never wear nice jewelry when cruising of in places of risk. We don't even wear fake. The problem is good fake might look real and that can just as easily make you a target. We don't wear it exploring NYC but if we go to Carnegie Hall or the Opera we do.

 

[Larry M]

My watches of choice have been a Timex Explorer for several years now. Cheap, accurate, stand up to hours of swimming in salt water, easy to read dials, and I love the "Indiglo" light-up on demand feature which is extremely handy in addition to the mildly luminescent hands...

I wear one till it breaks. I've never had one leak when free diving or showering. Hard to beat at ~$35.

 

[Capt.Bill11]

View attachment 51948 Rolex Submariner, Stainless Steel. Come on guys! You deserve to wear a fine time piece that can be handed down to future generations. Totally waterproof, rust proof and bullet proof! Besides, this is one of the few luxury items that will hold its value over time unlike our boats!

They don't keep time very well.

Most people I know who fo celestial navigation use a Timex or Casio.