Hunting with a watch?

[whoami-72]

Well, what watch do you guys hunt with besides your phone?

Personally, I hate watches. However, when I'm hunting I refuse to bring anything electronic. My phone gets turned off and I barely allow myself to bring a headlamp and I'm only allowed to use it in extreme scenarios. Anyways, I've recently started using my phone for early morning alarms and I'd like to replace that with a watch to ensure I don't ever turn my phone on. Recommendations? I'd be willing to go with an electronic watch if I have to.

 

[Maki35]

It depends on what you want in a watch. If you're just looking for the basic functions of a watch such as date, time, alarm... maybe take a look at a Casio Protek or Casio G-shock for hunting.

If you want something with more bells & whistles... maybe a Garmin watch... Fenix 7.
Or Suunto Traverse. I have the Traverse.
I always carry a headlamp because I tend to hunt until sunset (+ in case of emergency).
(I can't use my cellphone where we hunt because of a lack of signal.)

 

[Gone4Days]

G Shock GW-M5610 (known as the ‘square’) is the only watch you ever need. Especially the only outdoor watch you need if you like simple, small and comfortable. It is solar atomic, around $100 on Amazon and proven for decades. Never change batteries, and updates atomic time every night. I love my mine so much. Waterproof, bomb proof. There is a reason most soldiers wear G Shocks.

Greatest watch of all time.

 

[87TT]

I have a flip phone but turn it off except for an alarm. But……… I always have my Inreach and a Garmin GPS. My left wrist always has my watch. It’s like the gun on my belt, always on or I don’t feel dressed.

 

[SBFD63]

G Shock GW-M5610 (known as the ‘square’) is the only watch you ever need. Especially the only outdoor watch you need if you like simple, small and comfortable. It is solar atomic, around $100 on Amazon and proven for decades. Never change batteries, and updates atomic time every night. I love my mine so much. Waterproof, bomb proof. There is a reason most soldiers wear G Shocks.

Greatest watch of all time.

I agree with this. You can also go with more basic Casios to save money and still get an alarm.

I own 4 squares and to many of their other watches.

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[mighteywhitehunter]

+1 on Casio

Casio Protrek Solar. 10yrs and still running strong, only thing that has ever needed to be changed is the band, once.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Gshock fan too. I favor the more simple ones Like the 9052. Have tried Suntoo and a garmin watch. Back to my g shock. I broke a timex Ironman in the 1990s playing army and bought a gshock. i buy a new one when they get pretty beat up. Maybe 7-8 years. Currently on #4 and #3 is still going fine.

 

[gtriple]

I bought a $20 Casio from Walmart years ago to take my PE exam. It's still kicking and what I wear just for a quick time check and an alarm. I'll probably upgrade to a Gshock eventually

 

[mrbillbrown]

Love a Gshock for a simple bombproof watch but rarely wear mine after getting a Garmin Instinct and Fenix 5X. Tracking workouts and daily health is fun, but not required. Dropping way points on my watch and knowing I’ve always got a back up way navigating back to camp is priceless for me.


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[rayporter]

i took off my watch when i retired. back in ahhhhhhh lets say way back. i have had to dig out the in reach and or a phone [dead battery] several times.
a small wind up alarm clock kick starts the mornings when out in the woods.

 

[TxLite]

G shock with the solar has treated me good for almost 10 years. Drama free and does what I need.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00791YUPO?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

 

[whoami-72]

Well, this got a lot more attention than I expected. Thanks for the input guys.

 

[nobody]

Another vote for a Casio G Shock. I've had a few smart watches in the past and liked them for tracking fitness and elevation change and such, but I hated that they needed charged constantly and were buzzing with notifications and reminders. Switched to a G Shock back in 2020 and I haven't looked back. The one caveat is to buy up to a solar model. It's worth the up charge to never have to worry about battery power. Bombproof, relatively inexpensive to replace if lost, and plenty of aftermarket bands out there if you ruin one.

The square one mentioned above is hard to beat. A close second is the GW6900-1. It's a play on the original G Shock that the Navy Seals wore/still wear. It's beefier than the square G and a little less wearable (all relative), but by dang do I love mine. I admittedly have a bit of a G shock obsession, I have 4 of them that have all been obtained since 2020.

 

[Profiler]

Go to eurooptic under closeouts. You can pick ip a garmin fenix 6x for $300 ish

 

[Marbles]

For you, it sounds like a Casio G-Shock or ProTrek. Both are great. You can also get cheaper watches that will work. $20 Timex used to last me 5 years of none stop wear. The G-Shock and ProTrek are nicer though, however once I got a Fenix 7 I stopped wearing the G-Shock and the ProTrek.

 

[Coopsdaddy]

Vaer field watch
Does what a watch is supposed to do,never take it off.

 

[WhiskeyDoc]

Another vote for Casio Gshock. I don’t remember which model I used as I’ve since gone to just straight analog for watches and use my phone + garmin when outdoors.

But the Gshock was solar, I prob had it for 8+ years and never had an issue. It survived sub freezing backpacking trips in the Colorado Rockies, and 115+ degree sandstorms in the Middle East.

 

[BH2010]

I picked up a Garmin Instinct Solar this Spring after a long time of not having a watch. I've been enjoying it for getting in shape for the fall since it had a heart rate monitor and pedometer, not to mention an altimeter, barometer, compass, and a whole lot of other features. I've been averaging 35 days between charges, so while it's not as low maintenance as a regular solar watch, it's not nearly as bad as most smart watches. It will also interface with Garmin Inreach devices, but I haven't tried that out yet.

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[Dos Perros]

I couldn't even be caught in a North Vietnamese prison camp without my watch!

 

[WKB]

I am in the minority here. I hunt with a watch, but I eschew all quartz or electronic watches for a myriad of reasons. I wear strictly mechanical or automatic watches, partly because I cannot wear smart watches at work, and partly for the same reason why Chevelles and Sean Connery are cooler than Camrys and Pete Davidson. I never have to worry about beeps, boops, or bips. no batteries to die. They can be very rugged. Very easy to set. Most have functions beyond just telling time that can be useful for outdoor activities. When hunting I usually wear a Hamilton Khaki Mechanical or a Seiko Prospex "turtle diver" automatic watch.