Survival watch - priorities

sasha said:
Hey Phil if you dont mind me asking how durable is that watch. Under rough use? I use some power tools and lost a few watches due to vibration and shocks. The ECO-DRIVE seemed to be priced right.

Sasha
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I can't say with regards to such use as you describe, but it is pretty rugged. There are two versions, a stainless steel one and a titanium one. The latter is a lot lighter but also a fair bit more expensive.
Mine is the cheaper one, and it's seen a fair bit of use, but nothing really extreme. It looks and feels like it could stand a bit of rough and tumble, but that is just subjective on my part.
 
arijer said:
Not to be sound stupid. but are we talking here about price limit also.

I say that, because in reality watches such as Rolex or Breitling meet alot of what we are talking about here. They are mechanical, tough, reliable and very accurate in their time mechanism. I have not bought one, but alot of my friends have and they fish hard, get knocked around the boat alot. They all have Rolex marinar and swear by them.
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I own a Breitling and an Omega, and they are both very reliable and accurate, as well as tough.
Not as accurate as any of the quartz watches I have, but I doubt that kind of accuracy is ever really needed.
 
My #1 watch is the Suunto Vector. I also have a suunto Core and I swear by them. The compass is pretty accurate, but needs to be calibrated, so its useful to learn the procedure for when you need it. The thermometer is also pretty accurate, though you have to detach it from your wrist for 5-10 mins for a more accurate reading.
Battery life is acceptable, last time I changed mine was 3 years ago.
I'm looking at the luminox series of watches, but I'm getting mixed reviews.
 
Josh K said:
I'd be wearing a simple, easily read, mechanical watch.

Like... my Lum-Tec.
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I agree --:)
 
I bought a watch last year specifically for the worst case scenario.

First off, let me say that I’ve had G-Shocks since they first came out, in other words, decades.
They are very tough, but there are a few things I don’t like about them. First, they use batteries. More than once I’ve had batteries go dead on me where replacement was not possible. Second, they are hard to see at night, and if you use the light, the battery issue is amplified. Third, EMP, ‘nuff said.

I bought a Traser Automatic Pro last year.
No batteries
Always visible- Blue Tritium dial.
EMP-who cares?
Plenty tough and water resistant for me. My body will break before this watch does, I’m sure.
http://www.traserusa.com/en/watches/detailkat5watch26.html
 
It's a bit on the dressy side, but of the watches I own right now I'd take this one...

Swiss Legend tunsten automatic.

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I have a couple casio, and timex sport watches but their rubber and leather bands tend to fall apart pretty quick, and they are battery powered.

This one only has time , date, compas dial, and glowing hands for features but that is about all I really use anyway. Not sure exactly how shock resistant it is, but for what it cost I would think it's pretty durrable. Definately don't have to worry about ever having to replace the band.

One thing about tungsten though is that it's heavy! I have an all titanium watch that weighs half of this one ...but it runs on batteries:grumpy:
 
I could be wrong, but I wouldn't worry too much about an EMP. For about every article I've read that mentions it as a serious threat from high-altitude nuke, I've read actual scientific reports of tests done in the 50's(?) that showed very little actual impact of a high-altitude EMP on the electronics (of that era). There were several reports that I found; I thought I had kept them somewhere, but I seem to have lost them in the electronic miasma that is my computer. But in any case, ever since reading those reports, I've largely disregarded EMP as a threat. To be close enough to be a threat, the radiation is likely going to minimize my needs for long-term survival.

Your thoughts may vary, and some of you may be smart enough or work in that arena to know more than these reports. So you pays your money, and you takes your chances.
 
50’s, vacuum tubes
80’s and beyond, small integrated circuits, easily fry-able. Not to mention a power grid that is far different than the 1950’s versions.

Those in the know are VERY concerned about EMP attacks.

Radiation risk is negligible from EMP.

You’ll be fine. In fact, you probably wouldn’t even notice the explosion 200 miles above the United States, until the lights start going out, everybody’s car quits running, and you are standing there saying: “What happened?”

Everything that uses electronic circuitry, (in other words, EVERYTHING), will cease to work. It could easily set us back to the 1800’s and cripple this country.
 
bearcut said:
Those in the know are VERY concerned about EMP attacks.
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Yep, was about to point out we can make EMP bombs that generate no radiation other than electro-magnetic.
It'll just fry everything electronic, and almost everything IS electronic these days. Daily life would pretty much come to a complete stop.
Iran seems to be actively working on such a device.
 
I've been wearing the same G-shock for the past 5 yrs without a hitch. Solar powered analog and digital combo. I've beat it to heck and back and it only shows minor wear.
 
For SHTF, Apocalypse, 2012, TEOTWAWKI etc. a watch may not be important.

However I believe a watch is an invaluable bush tool. So that you are able to say "I'll be back in an hour", give times to meet up, know how much sunlight is left, time food while cooking. On an overcast day, it is sometimes very difficult to tell the time without a watch.

I wear a Ti Field watch everyday, It is waterproof and reliable. Although the GITD leaves something to be desired, and I would feel better with an automatic. At least I can still drool over the that GSAR. :D
 
bearcut said:
50’s, vacuum tubes
80’s and beyond, small integrated circuits, easily fry-able. Not to mention a power grid that is far different than the 1950’s versions.

Those in the know are VERY concerned about EMP attacks.

Radiation risk is negligible from EMP.

You’ll be fine. In fact, you probably wouldn’t even notice the explosion 200 miles above the United States, until the lights start going out, everybody’s car quits running, and you are standing there saying: “What happened?”

Everything that uses electronic circuitry, (in other words, EVERYTHING), will cease to work. It could easily set us back to the 1800’s and cripple this country.
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Sorry, my mistake. I managed to dig them up. The reports are from the 1990's, by members of Sandia National Laboratories, Electric Power Research Institute, and professors from the Electrical Engineering Departments of Georgia Tech and the Univ. of South Carolina. They took into account the power grid itself, as well as the micro-chip populated controlling segments of that power grid, as well as nuclear power plants, and indicated money spent to harden all those components was better spent elsewhere.

The only scenario that actually presented a risk, and that one rather small because it would only cause safety devices to trip and need to be reset, was self-induced EMP saturation by large-scale multiple detonations of nuclear warheads defensively in the upper atmosphere across large sections of the US in order to stop incoming warheads from reaching their targets.

Obviously (or perhaps not so obviously), these reports did not consider any "EMP device" being built specifically for EMP damage by the Iranians. Only the various types of EMP that are generated by megaton-range fusion and fission/fusion warheads. So, it can't hurt to continue with your planning for the EMP death bomb. It certainly can't hurt to be prepared. But my choice for a watch would be a solar-powered quartz.
 
If we stay on the survival talk. Just having a working watch on your hand makes it a great barter for anything you may want. I have a friend who traveled all over the world for more then 20 years. He alwayed carried a few watches and a cheap camera. When in third world countries it was better then money. But he did do it in the 60s to late 70s. He been to the north pole and the south pole and everywhere in between. One of those lucky dogs he is.
 
I used to prefer digital watches but now I love my mechanical watch.
I don't need to know the EXACT time (atomic clock) in a survival situation. I do however want one that doesn't drain batteries quick, like several Timex Indiglos I've had. I want a watch that wont be effected by extreme cold or heat, like some other digital watches I've had. I want a watch that can stand up to rain and submersion.

The watch I chose several years ago was the Luminox Navy Seals Dive watch. The battery in this thing lasts years! It glows super bright 24-7 for easy viewing, no buttons to push. Ive used it to look for things in the dark, its bright. It's rugged and water proof to 200 meters not that I dive or would need that, but I know it could. It has been the best watch I have ever had.

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