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?
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 $120 watch is not going to be water proof)The only way it will break is if you drop an anvil on it from 40 stories up! Best watch EVER!!!!
I want a G-SHOCK sooooo bad!! G-SHOCK ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
YESSSSSSSS!!!! I got my G-Shock about a month ago and it ROCKS!! all ready I have dropped it,banged it,and soaked it and there isn’t a scratch on it!!!
water resistant watches are great because you can swim with it on and not worry about it shorting out or losing track of time
i bought a cheap watch at walmart and it works great
Timex WS4
timex are the BEST i recommend TIMEX some of the watches fog up on
the inside of the screen though
true. there the BEST
dude do you even know what it means when A watch fogs up?? It means water got in it!=( Casio will NEVER fog up! Timex is not as good as a Casio! However they are by far better then 10$ wal-mart watches!
You need to get a spynet watch! It has a camera ,a video camera,a voice recorder,a voice changer, a lie detector,games ,and it tells the time and the date!
do you really need all those?
Percy that really wouldn’t be a good watch for the outdoors.
Totally. It’s a cool play watch but if it’s not water-proof forget it.
Plus I also agree with Montana teen, since when will you need a lie detector when camping??? Spend the money and get a 120$ Casio G-SHOCK and that watch will last you forever! I’m not kidding! You’ll be able to hand it down to your grand kids!
Who said anything about camping? Since it can take picures and video, it’s great for museums and things like that.
I said it was a cool watch. but I go into museums like once a year so it would not be a good watch me. plus I am outdoors a ton and the weather can get nasty some times so if it’s not water proof forget it. I do agree it is a very cool watch for some one who lives in the city or someone who is indoors a lot. but just not for me.
timex expeditions with compasses work great and are handy
I got mine without a compass. I wanted it because it was cheap, replaceable, and light. I do cross country running, so do not need anything to weigh me down. I have had three of the same watch in three years, so it is by no means durable if you are Extremely athletic.
Dude, a compass weighs like 2 ounces…how is that going to weigh you down????
I have a Forester analog that has a small digital part that has the date,stop watch,time,and dual time. and lights up but not the digital part and its water resistant 100m(300ft) That is All
The forester is a Casio right?
timex iron man triathlon is a awsome watch. It is water proof 100 meter and it has everything.I got it for $35.00
Swiss army. Nuff said!
Are you rich? im just fine with my timex watch
dude… its worth the $$!
I like the Casio G-shock watch