What's on Your Wrist?

[Reality Check]

Originally Posted by Spammy

Yes, I've heard the "cheap quartz digital vs expensive mechanical" argument before, but it's a bit like the argument about buying the cheapest sailboat you can find because it is, after all, still a "sailboat"....
On me: 26-year-old mechanical Rolex.....still keeping time after all these years. (Wonder how many times I would've had to replace those cheap watches?)

let us see... you could probably replace it with the $20.00 casio every 3 to 4 months if you wished for 26 years and still have money in your pocket and have better timing accuracy... but less bling...

[Spammy]

Reality Check,
Yes, it's easy to joke about "bling". But that's not my thing. I respect and like the fine hand craftsmanship of a good Swiss Watch.
Nothing whatsoever to do with "bling" or elitism......There is quite a bit of sentiment attached after all these years, though.
In my own life and in my job, I like to think of the work that I do as being more like the Swiss watch than the cheap mass-produced one.

[stevensc]

On my wrist a timex expedition, inexpensive, easy to see even when I'm not wearing my glasses, and has the backlight for night viewing, that works very well. I've had it for a 18 months. In my dresser drawer a gold rolex (they were derigeur in my sales job) which I bought in 1985, it ran flawlessly and I'm sure still would if I put it back on. But a cleaning(2X) or God forbid a rebuild of the gold band(1X) even an SS band will pay for a bunch of timex, casio or similar.
Walking around some areas with what may be worth a months, or 6 months, even a years salary in some places, on your wrist is inviting trouble.
Good Cruisin'
Steve

[SeaKing]

I quit wearing watches a few years ago. I had a couple of good diving watches and a "dress" watch and some cheap digitals. I broke a pin one day on a cheap digital "work watch" and realized that I had two cell phones with clocks in them, clocks in the computers, clocks on the wall , clock on the radio in the car, great clocks in GPS's so I just didn't bother replacing the watch pin that broke.
A few months later, opening Christmas gifts I opened a gift from my wife, a new tide watch. I gave here a funny look and said something about I had quit wearing watches. Boy was that the wrong thing to say, that tension lasted for months.

But I still don't wear a watch!

[Alondra]

a breitling yachting, count down, water proof, 21 years old, high end, perfect

[Talbot]

Rolex Chronometer - original was bought secondhand and not really working for $40 (£20) - a service at rolex was 5x that, but entirely replaced the mechanics. since replaced by the insurance following a silly accident.

I also have a Jacquet-Droz divers watch (21st birthday present) and a Casio G Shock divers watch. but normally wear the rolex.

[Pblais]

I have a better Casio with baro, temp, timers and altimeter. I had a watch with the compass - it sucked. I can guess better than it can. The temp on casio reads the termperature of my arm quite well The barometer is actually quite good. The watch is now almost 8 years old and still works well. Always did keep good time. It has a light you operate by button. I replaced the band twice so I do wear it alot. It's also good in the water to 9 feet or something shallow so you can swim with it.

I think you need something you can swim with, has one or more timers with date and time and a light for night time. The band needs to be a strap type so it can't slip off.

I splashed a nice watch in the drink when the band snapped open as I was tossing a line. After that it's other features don't get used much. The Altimeter was great when I was into mountaineering and was why I bought it, but the baro has been handy as well for sailing. I try not to get above or below sea level when boating.

[Tspringer]

I wear a Panerai Luminor Chrono, 2003, 1 of 750. It has the Zenith El-Primero mechanical chronograph movement and a really neat crystal backing that allows you to view the movement. Neat. Its also always easily readable in any light which is nice. I have had lots of watches.... this one is my favorite, particularly because almost nobody has any idea what it is.


Terry

[Hud3]

Dan,

Whatever you decide on, make sure it has a sturdy band. I had a brand new Swiss Army analog with a leather strap stripped right off my wrist and into the water during a sail change in a race. A fold of the luff between hanks grabbed it and, Zip, it was gone!

[SelkirkWind]

I wear a Citizen. They have all of the features, the Eco-power solar charge, so no batteries. Great styles. Expensive in stores, great deals on the web.CITIZENWATCH.com | Welcome to Citizen Watches Online

[Zach]

I don't wear a watch... mostly because of what Seaking said.

Then there is the whole burning slag from welding, and generally getting hung up working on anything mechanical... shock risk of anything electrical. So, my Timex spent more time in my pocket. Then the face clouded over from coins and keys... I said to heck with it.

[SeaKing]

Yeah the watch that I lost the pin in was my "work" watch. I had started using the watch bands that were a one piece with buckle and the pins held the watch to the band. Break a pin and the watch was still on the band on your wrist held by one pin.

[Weyalan]

Because I still race, I prefer a watch that has a countdown timer. I'm not one for ostentatious / expensive timepieces (because I break them with tedious regularity). Usually that means a Timex "Ironman" adorns my wrist - its cheap, robust, waterproof and has the features I require. Currently, however, I have a Casio "Sea-pathfinder", which has all the features of the Times plus moon phase and tide... I only have it because we won it in a regatta earlier in the year. Frankly the moon / tide stuff is a bit wanky... when I lose or break it I'll probably go back to a Timex. I have a soviet Union navy issue officers watch (perpetual) for my dress watch, heh.

[Pelagic]

I use my cell-phone these days

[MidLandOne]

Like a number of others have said a Citizen Eco is the one I would personally choose nowadays. Not stupidly priced, no need for expensive maintenance or regular battery replacement and very accurate - unlike the mechanical "chronometers" (sic) .

My wife bought one soon after they came out and a few years ago I did the same for myself after looking again at the more expensive ones - only problem with hers is she has knocked a couple of the diamonds out of their mounts but that is wimins' stuff .

Mine doesn't have all the gizmos and whirly hands of some, I don't think you will find an Eco that has everything you want either though - but that, I think, for reasons of preventing your watch arm's knuckles dragging along the ground or developing a twitch from the precesssion effect of all the whirlygigs .