Survival watch - priorities

philwar

philwar

Joined
Mar 27, 2009
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What characteristics should a watch posses in case the S really HTF?
I want it to be powered independantly. It needs to be rugged, as in shock resistant, water resistant, with tough glass.
Do extra functions matter? (compass, altimeter, depth meter, gps, etc) Do you have a preference for types of mechanism, and why? (electronic is bad during EMP, mechanical has short reserve, etc).
What type of band do you prefer and why?

You thoughts please.
 
I'm more of a traditional automatic watch guy. The cool bells and whistle watches with GPS, compass, altimeter and such are handy tools but can be real complicated and expensive. I wore a Seiko auto diver and a real old school Citizen Aqualand diver for most of my military careeer. Big thing is you want a watch that is tough and water proof and keeps good time (main reason for wearing a watch right?). I was issued a Marathon auto diving watch called a SAR on my last tour in Iraq and it would be a great choise also, if not a little spendy if you had to buy it. A lot of my Soldiers wore G-Shocks and Suunto watchs and for the most part they held up fine, although I saw at least 2 Suunto Vectors go tits up. I never saw the need to use a compas or GPS on my watch but if you were stranded with only what you had on your person then they would be real handy. I like diver style rubber or nylon bands for the field. They seem to be the most comfortable and you could put a small compass on one. Also you can adjust them to fit over shirt or jacket sleeves, attach to belt loops or pack straps, etc. They are techniques to determine rough direction (N,S,E,W) with a watch with hands.
 
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I'd be wearing a simple, easily read, mechanical watch.

Like... my Lum-Tec.
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Josh K said:
I'd be wearing a simple, easily read, mechanical watch.

Like... my Lum-Tec.
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I am interested. But a brand name is meaningless to me, please elaborate why you think this is a good 'survival' watch. I might then actually agree with you and buy one too, it certainly looks good. ;)
 
philwar said:
I am interested. But a brand name is meaningless to me, please elaborate why you think this is a good 'survival' watch. I might then actually agree with you and buy one too, it certainly looks good. ;)
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I only give the brand name because it helps define the watch. Like CRK or Spyderco. :)

It has a large (44mm?) case with big hands and large numbers. Very easy to read in all light conditions. The mechanical movement (which I prefer) is a nice overbuilt movement adjusted for accuracy.

It's also not fancy. It doesn't have a million functions on the watch. It tells time, and has a date window. I rarely use the date window. The reliability comes from the simplicity of it. I believe that in a survival situation you need simple, solid, dependable tools. The simpler and more reliable your basic tools the more you can do with them. Sure it might take a bit longer, or take more work, but you can do more with basic building blocks then you can with a complicated finished product.
 
I can certainly vouch for the Seiko Monster automatic diver.

I have worn mine for about a year now on duty at the PD job and it has done extremely well. Mine has great accuracy for an automatic. Depending on how I rest it at night, it keeps perfect time with the Atomic clock. If it does gain or lose, it is to the tune of +/- 1 or 2 seconds per day.

Mine has the stainless band which is a fabulous watch band. It can be a bit aggrivating to remove links due to the pins and teeny tiny matching couplers but it is possible to do at home if you are paying attention and have the band over a table with good lighting.

The watch has a day/date function and a rotating bezel. Screw down crown and a Hardlex crystal....which is a fancy word for mineral crystal. I would prefer sapphire but sapphire is more likely to shatter rather than scratch like Harlex and that is the mentality behind using mineral.

Not sure if the black dial is still in production but the orange Monster seems to be the crowd pleaser and I can still find it on the net.

http://www.princetonwatches.com/shop/SKX781.asp
 
I have not decided yet what watch I would want in a time like that. Even the best quality self wind or manual wind watches need regular service to maintain accuracy.
Maybe one of those solar powered Quartz watches would wind up being the best survival watch in the long run.
 
Mannlicher said:
I have not decided yet what watch I would want in a time like that. Even the best quality self wind or manual wind watches need regular service to maintain accuracy.
Maybe one of those solar powered Quartz watches would wind up being the best survival watch in the long run.
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A Citizen Eco-Drive or similar would be great. :thumbup:

I just like my mechanicals.
 
why a watch for survival? in a survival situation is being able to tell exactly what time it is that important? im not trying to be an ass or anything..just an honest question...
 
edge, the simple answer to your pretty good question is that it is an individual thing.
Some folks, like me, feel a need to know the time. Others place less importance on it.

As Josh just said, I like mechanicals as well.
 
understand man. didnt wanna come off as being anti or anything. just curious.

kinda like how i prefer a big blade when most prefer a 4" er
 
I have a nice Citizen Eco-Drive that I got as a gift a number of years ago that I wear most days. It is solar powered, but if your SHTF thoughts involve EMP or the like, it would be toast.

I think a rugged automatic or windup would be the best choice. I'd love to get one some day.
 
Jim malone said:
I have a Citizen eco drive Diver's 300M watch.
Strong, solar powered, keeps time fantastic.
Replaced the rubber dive band with a steel band.
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I have the exact same one. Should last for many years without needing servicing.

I also have some quality mechanical selfwinders. Less accurate but even less prone to break or die.

As for what you need a watch for: I can think of several applications for knowing time. Also, an analog watch can double as a compass. Lastly, you might trade it in a pinch for something you need even more. :D
 
My choice would be analog and mechanical. Of the ones I have at present I'd probably take the SandY 490 (handwind); it's amazingly accurate, tough and has H3 tubes so it's easy to read at night.

For the money I don't think you can beat a Seiko diver.
 
A G-shock so it's rugged with dials so I can use it for a sun compass. Don't need the bells and whistles unless it helps getting laid
 
theedge13 said:
why a watch for survival? in a survival situation is being able to tell exactly what time it is that important? im not trying to be an ass or anything..just an honest question...
Click to expand...

It could be mentaly hard not know where you are, not know what direction, not know the time. If you wear a watch you might feel that you are more in controll, and when you sit there in the dark rainy night not knowing when sunrise is coming, a watch might give "some" more self-confidence, just a little.(At least, I know what time it is) And you could use a watch to point out cardinal direction.
Once when we where out canoeing for two days and nobody carried a watch, and everbody asked all the time, what time is it? Now this wasn´t a survival situation, but still it points out something. At least for me, people wants know what time it is ;)
 
I am thinking Casio G shock, digital only type. With no moving parts, there should be less to go wrong, and some models have very good battery life.
 
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