The wristwatch was invented in the 1600’s when a French mathematician used a piece of string to tie a watch to his wrist.
Timekeeping has come a long way since then. These days, watches are like mini-computers that can forecast the weather, help you find your way in the woods or even get you to class on time.
For professional adventure racer Travis Macy, 23, his watch helps with navigation and keeps his team on track during grueling multi-day races.
“If we’re doing a trekking section and we’re falling asleep on our feet, we’ll stop and sleep for half an hour,” says Macy, a former Cub Scout. “And then the whole race is hanging on my watch to wake us up!”
Dealing with that kind of pressure and the race on the line, Macy knows watches. He can teach you a lot about how to pick the best one for your time-keeping needs.
FEATURES
“Before you go to buy a watch, think about the features you’re looking for,” Macy says.
If hiking and camping is your thing, consider a watch with a compass and perhaps an altimeter and barometer. If you’re into jogging, find a heart-rate-monitor watch. Remember: Just because a watch is packed with features and functions doesn’t mean it’ll be easy to use. Try it before you buy to make sure it’s user-friendly.
ANALOG VS. DIGITAL
Most modern watches use tiny quartz minerals to keep the time. When electrified, the quartz crystal vibrates a reliable 32,768 times per second; those vibrations are translated to seconds, minutes and hours. Analog watches have a standard clock-like face with two or three (or more) hands that point at numbers, which is more classic yet can be tougher to read than digital watches. Digitals continuously highlight the exact time in numerals. Some watches have dual faces with both analog and digital readouts.
DURABILITY
If you spend much time outdoors, durability is a key factor in a watch. “Make sure it’s rugged,” Macy says. “If it has a compass swivel on top, try turning that to see if that feels like it’ll hold up. Play with the buttons. Are they easy to push? Take a look at the band and the buckle to make sure they’re flexible and will hold up to the elements.”
SIZE
You want the face of the watch and the numbers to be big enough so you can see them while you’re riding a bike or running. But in general, the bigger the watch the heavier and bulkier it will be. Try to find a size that’s comfortable.
“If you’ll have only one watch, think about whether you’ll want to wear a big watch to school,” he says. “I wear the same big watch for everything, but I’ve gotten used to it. Some guys will feel more comfortable with something smaller.”
THE WATCHBAND
The way your watch is strapped to your wrist is important. If you’re outdoors a lot, choose a polyurethane band. These bands are waterproof, won’t hold odors and are very durable, but they can also be sticky in hot climates. Another good choice is a canvas and Velcro band, which is more breathable.
“Velcro bands keep your watch snug against your wrist and you can wash it when it’s dirty,” Macy says.
Leather bands don’t perform well in wet environments, but they look cool. Meanwhile, metal bands can sometimes pinch your skin, though they are usually super durable.
WHERE TO SHOP
There’s nothing more helpful than going to a store and trying a watch on to see how it feels on your wrist. Of course, you’ll probably pay more at a store versus buying it on the Internet.
“Take a look online and see if you can find a better price,” Macy says. “There are search engines where you can type in the product name and a whole list of prices will come up so you can find out what’s a good price.”
If you buy online, make sure the store is reputable and beware of counterfeit or fake watches.
Not sure which gear to buy? Need tips for maintaining your equipment?
G-Shocks are teerible go with expedition g-shocks are a scam and they rip you off
My G-Shock broke today:( I hit it REALLY hard on a piece of steel and i guess I hit it in just the right place because the inside screen broke. it still works I just cant read the screen. I think the Analog watches are a little more tougher then the digital (mine was digital) But I am going to get another because it was such a nice watch and the are still SUPER tough I guess I just did to much to mine.
$11 watch at wal-mart. Works Great, waterproof to 250ish feet
Whatever dude! as soon as you pass 5 feet of water the thing is going to leak! $15 wal-mart watches are not worth it. get a watch that is going to last!
I’ve had it for a few years, and on every camp out, been swimming with it, this watch holds up
Take a peek at “Expedition” series; inexspencive, tough, water proof and has a nice band. I take mine swimming and it hasn’t failed me yet in 5 years. The alarm is a bonus too. I have the programable version that stores phone numbers in it. Great as a back up.
My mom has to buy a new Expedition watch every several months because they break so much!
Casio G-shock is unarguably the best watch ever.
My mom has to buy a new Casio G-shock watch every several months because it breaks so much.
Ok please dont copy my comment and please tell the truth. if your mom really broke a G shock every month she would have to be a millionar! they cost at least $100 dollars a watch. I got mine on sale for $60. plus go to the g shock website and look at the destruction tests they do. I dont think your mom could break a g shock.
(chuckling) Yeah whatever you say kid. look Ive had my G-shock for 20 years and I had it while in Iraq and Afghanistan. I doubt you mom could break a G-shock if I couldn’t.
I do not like G-shock.
Why? are they to manly for you! if you don’t like G-Shocks because of their size then get a Baby G its a smaller version of the bigger ones. And if you don’t like them for their hefty price look online at amazon or ebay. they may be expensive but its worth it, it will never break!
Dudes… G-shock cannot be beat! have had mine for 5 years now! an that was after my dad used it for 15 years!
armitron is a great company to buy a high quality watch. i take mine camping and its lasted me 3 years.
I think the best kind of watch is an old style, automatic Three-hand watch. I wear a Citizens Eco-drive Divers with rubberized band. I has a rotating bezel and date window. It is solar powered and waterproof to 300 meters. Good thing is that in a pinch, I can use my watch as a compasss. See your BSA Handbook for instructions on how to use a watch to determine direction. You can’t do that with a digital watch.
Sorry you just can’t beat a G-Shock! although your watch sounds like a good quality one but I would still take a Casio GW500A-1V Atomic Solar watch over this one. oh one more question is your watch shock proof?
@ irock:). yes there are good inexpensive watches but they are probably not as good as a G-shock. here is a watch by Casio that is cheap but good. Casio Men’s W800H-1AV Classic Digital Sport Watch. retail is $20 but I found it on amazon.com for $15. I do not own it but I have had 2 other Casio watches and they where tough as nails! as I type this I am wearing a Casio GW500A-1V Atomic Solar watch. Hope this and my comment in the knifes section helps! Good luck watch hunting!
thanks
no prob
most waches i find thatare good are a lot of $ where could i find a good wach that is cheap?
Casio Men’s W800H-1AV Classic Digital Sports Watch. $15 on Amazon.com glad to help!
There are lots of inexpensive watch options. Check out Amazon.com and search for “Casio sports watches.” I found a few that meet your needs including the Casio Men’s W800H-1AV Classic Digital Sports Watch (retail $20; casio.com). It’s water resistant to 100 meters and has a 10-year battery life
I also recommended the Casio Men’s WS300-7BV Ana-Digi Illuminator Sport Watch. I had one for almost two years before I switched to a G-Shock. The band on it got ripped off while I was working. I still have it siting on my desk and it is still working after 3 or 4 years! It is $28.48 on Amazon.com. hope this helps!
Go to amazon.com and type in Casio sports watches some are for only $15
G-shock,G-shock,G-shock…. all i gots to say buddy
@ Troop 27 member. G-SHOCK all the way bro! What type of G-shock do you have??
Casio G-shock is the best bang for your buck.
rolex
The Casio MTG-900 is really heavy though.
Well if you are smaller than average size then yes it is heavy. but once you carry it on you wrist for a while you don’t even notice it. besides, its got a TON of technology packed into it! so it is going to be a little heavier than other watches!
CASIO G-SHOCK is the BEST!!! I have the GW500A-1V Atomic Solar watch got it for $60 at amazon.com (it is $120 any where else) best watch TIMEX,ROLEX and sooo many other watch companies cant hold a candle to this watch!
I like rolex watches
I perfer colman watches because i had a colman flashlight watch for 4 years and it only needed the battery changed once and it was the 2 flashlight batterys cause they went dead. But I dont have it any more because I lost it somewhere at a lake but i just got a differnt colman watch and it has prooved itself already.
go timex expedition
Timex 0 Casio 100. Casio is the king!!
I prefer Timex watches because most of them have lights and are water proof.
there all cool
best watches are Casio pathfinders, and Suuntos, Timex are not very dependable.
casio pathfinders are very expensive
yes an thing from casio is really good
g-shocks are the best
are gshocks water proof?
Most g shocks are waterproof up to 250 meters, which, unless you’re in a submarine, you’ll never go down that far.
I agree with exds Casio G-SHOCK is the best of the best! Granted it is really spendy ($120) but once you have it NO WAY is that thing going to break! And yes it is water proof (no way a $120 watch is not going to be water proof)The only way it will break is if you drop an anvil on it from 40 stories up! Best watch EVER!!!!
I want a G-SHOCK sooooo bad!! G-SHOCK ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
YESSSSSSSS!!!! I got my G-Shock about a month ago and it ROCKS!! all ready I have dropped it,banged it,and soaked it and there isn’t a scratch on it!!!