Wristwatches suitable for sailing, celestial navigation, anc scuba diving

[tmccaffery]

Rolex GMT-Master, it does it all.

[Valmika]

I have been using Citizen eco drive watches for the last 20 or so years. They are powered by solar and never need a battery. The only reason I stopped using my first one was I wanted the dive watch version which gave me depth and a few other dive functions. I think I have had it for about 9 years now with no maintenance and no battery. I tried to look it up but can't find a new one with the depth function but I can tell you mine has been to over 100 feet with no issue. If you like Digital and backlit instead of luminous I believe casio also produces solar powered watches. Here is a photo of mine and a link to a newer one for about $170


https://www.amazon.com/Citizen-Eco-D...H0TM9EWSXAJM7Q


Solar is the way to go

[Valmika]

Sorry here is the pic.


PS Do NOT throw them in a drawer or more than about three weeks. That was the only time I had an issue. They are supposed to work for about three months on a six hour charge or something like that.

[LongGone]

If you want to go crazy, take a look at the Garmin Descent MK 1. It retails for $999 in the USA (https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/568181). This is basically a Garmin Fenix 5 with dive computer functions and top-of-the-line waterproofing. Using the Garmin app store, you can download all of the Quatix sailing functions as well as all the other multisport functions of the Fenix series. It is air integrated, and it will talk to Garmin (and other?) chartplotters.

Although I do not have hands-on experience with the Descent model, I have been a happy user of the Fenix 3 (previous model) for 5-6 years, and have used it successfully for running, cycling, swimming, hiking, climbing, and back-country skiing. I have installed several of the sailing apps that come with the Quatix, and have successfully used the Anchor Alarm, Tides, and Sailing Waypoint apps.

[ozdigennaro]

I have a Timex "field watch" analog dial. It drifts about 3 seconds per month. No "atomic" stuff, claims 50 meters. Cost $30. You can't go wrong here. It even looks Way nicer than the Casio stuff.

[oilystain]

I love my Citizen Eco Drive. I replaced the metal band after several failures with the Citizen rubber strap with great results. This watch has been below 150 feet with me several times and over 10,000 ft in unpressurized aircraft. I leave it on while doing mechanical work and the watch is usually tougher than the stuff I am working on. I do send it back for factory service every decade or so and they seal it and do a pressure test on the case and give me the certification paperwork. It sets itself with the atomic clock signal (something to see when your watch just listens at its proper time and then resets itself to the proper time). It is a lucky watch too because my wife bought it after winning some money at the casino in Foxwoods. Great watch, great wife.

[Nani Kai]

Originally Posted by ranger42c

Casio G-Shock. Daily "atomic" updates.

-Chris

+1 on the Casio G Shock. I'm on my third G Shock over the past 30 years of professional diving, boating, and all around hard abuse. Accurate, rugged as you could possibly want, good to depths way beyond what you would be doing as a sport diver (took one of my previous G Shocks regularly to depths up to 235 feet and never had a problem). Mine have been exposed to high surface temps and cold Alaskan waters, never had a problem. 10 years seems to be about when they give up the fight. I don't think I replace my battery more often than every five years but don't remember exactly. Less than $100.

[PassePort III]

I still wear my Casio pathfinder I bought in 2008 and it still running good. Took it down to +-140 ft a couple of times, always full charged when sailing with its solar battery. Barometer is handy to keep an eye on the weather.

Robert
s/v PassePort

[CaptainJohn49]

Originally Posted by ranger42c

Casio G-Shock. Daily "atomic" updates.

-Chris

This is the watch, I have one and check it with the official radio time signal at 5.000 MHz. It’s always exactly on time and I mean a fraction of a second. There is no difference at all. Used it on the ocean for over 30 days last year, still in perfect shape. Needs no batteries, has a solar cell. Has a light for night watches that is bright but not blinding. Only drawback is it’s a little large. I got used to that and now wear it everyday. I keep mine set to UTC and figure the local time from that. Kinda a fun game.

[GrowleyMonster]

A watch doesn't have to have that level of accuracy. You should know how to rate a watch and apply correction to watch time to get GMT. If you know it loses 15 seconds a month or whatever, then you know how to correct the time. All chronometers are used thusly on commercial ships. And that Casio or Timex is probably more accurate than the ship's chro.

[Sailmon]

A cautionary note about Casio - I’ve had really bad luck with the Sea Pathfinder. They come with a 2 year warranty. After around 26 months, the numbers in the digital display began to fade then disappear. The company told me the chip was failing. Because it was 2 months out of warranty, they refused to stand behind it - offered to sell me a replacement at discount. I reluctantly gave them my credit card and ordered the replacement watch (original one purchased on Amazon). After 3 years, the numbers began disappearing on the replacement watch. Also, while the watch’s features seem very cool & useful living on a boat, they are more fluff than truly reliable functions. The compass is very susceptible to deviation - and can provide general directional information - but has been as much as 30 degrees off at times. The altimeter is based on barometer - so again varies based on environmental factors any given day. The tide function is cute - but really just window dressing. It only reflects tide cycle for the home time zone & is not location specific. Barometer does seem pretty accurate and is useful. Guess I should have read the fine print in the instructions before purchasing. Given watch’s functional limitations, unreliable/failing chip(s) and poor company warranty support, I’d steer clear.

[AiniA]

We don't dive so that is not a consideration for us. Other than that for long-range cruising we found no need for a watch. We have accurate time on the plotter (really nice to know that your watch at 4 am will end in 23 minutes) and onshore in obscure places no real need to have accurate time. One nice thing about cruising is getting away from watches and time constraints (except for watch changes at 4 am).

[Q Xopa]

I'm of the 'haven't had a watch since mobile phones' crowd.

However I do like the look, and have been thinking about the Vesper AIS Deckwatch app https://www2.vespermarine.com/deckwatch. Only know what it says on the site but sounds like a good idea to me. Works on a number of Smart watches like- LG Urbane, Nixon Mission and LG Sport. Does collision prevention, anchor alarm, man over board etc.

[hellosailor]

sailmon-
For future reference, make sure your credit cards offer free warranty extension. Many will give you "double the factory warranty, or one additional year of warranty" for no charge. I have a friend who saved a $1400 repair bill on a TV that way.
Your watch doubtlessly was a credit card purchase on Amazon...so next time...

Growley-
"And that Casio or Timex is probably more accurate than the ship's chro."
You're dating yourself. Chronometers are now meaningless and totally obsoleted. They have been since around 1960, when the Bulova Accutron came out and broke them all. A genuine Chronometer rating just means a watch has been tested, and adjust, in six(?) positions (stem up, stem down, face up, face down, etc) and after about two weeks of adjusting and testing, it will keep an accuracy of plus or minus two minutes per month, no matter what position it is kept in.
Accutron blew that away by guaranteeing one minute per month, and typically coming in under 30 seconds, which any competent jeweler could actually adjust to better than 15 seconds. And it blew them away at 1/10th of the price.
Yes, they needed a battery every 18 months but they didn't need the expensive annual cleaning and lubrication and retiming that chronos do.
It took more than a decade for quartz watche$ to break that bar again, and while the higher priced ones are guaranteed within 20 seconds or so...no self-contained watch has really done any better.
Chronometers? Lost their meaning some 60 years ago. There's some new marketing term to supercede that these days, IIRC.

[GrowleyMonster]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

sailmon-
For future reference, make sure your credit cards offer free warranty extension. Many will give you "double the factory warranty, or one additional year of warranty" for no charge. I have a friend who saved a $1400 repair bill on a TV that way.
Your watch doubtlessly was a credit card purchase on Amazon...so next time...

Growley-
"And that Casio or Timex is probably more accurate than the ship's chro."
You're dating yourself. Chronometers are now meaningless and totally obsoleted. They have been since around 1960, when the Bulova Accutron came out and broke them all. A genuine Chronometer rating just means a watch has been tested, and adjust, in six(?) positions (stem up, stem down, face up, face down, etc) and after about two weeks of adjusting and testing, it will keep an accuracy of plus or minus two minutes per month, no matter what position it is kept in.
Accutron blew that away by guaranteeing one minute per month, and typically coming in under 30 seconds, which any competent jeweler could actually adjust to better than 15 seconds. And it blew them away at 1/10th of the price.
Yes, they needed a battery every 18 months but they didn't need the expensive annual cleaning and lubrication and retiming that chronos do.
It took more than a decade for quartz watche$ to break that bar again, and while the higher priced ones are guaranteed within 20 seconds or so...no self-contained watch has really done any better.
Chronometers? Lost their meaning some 60 years ago. There's some new marketing term to supercede that these days, IIRC.

Marine chronometer... obsolete? Maybe. No argument from me. Sort of like the sounding lead that is still required LOL! Still required aboard ship. I can't remember seeing only one, actually. Generally there are two. You would be surprised at the equipment that is required aboard a ship. BTW a marine chronometer and a wrist chronometer are two different things. You can't wear a marine chronometer.



I may be wrong, but I think a marine chronometer is required to be serviced every three years.