Are you totally outdoorky, and a survival enthusiast? If yes, welcome to the club! It probably means that knowing all about the gear that gets you through the rough times when you’re out on an adventure is important to you. An essential part of the survival gear is a watch! Survival and outdoor watches for men are extremely useful. Considering their purpose, it’s important to choose this type of gear with care, as it goes with you everywhere, unlike your favorite knife that you gonna leave at the airport when traveling.
When it comes to survival watches, the choice is wide, but let’s categorize them first. There are paracord, G-shock and navigation type watches. We might even put the last two under one roof, but we’ll keep them apart. The difference is that G-shock watches are more rugged than navigation watches. No matter which category, watches listed below are top-listers and a real survival enthusiast’s gear.
#1 Casio PAG240-1CR Pathfinder (Top Choice )
We’re starting off with Casio as a leading manufacturer with tradition in the field. Its special features are barometer and altimeter, atomic clock, and a digital compass. It has low-temperature resistance, timer, stopwatch while showing the temperature and world time. The compass can be adjusted for magnetic declination and calibrated with bidirectional and northerly. It can also store an angle in memory. Simple to operate, durable, Casio Pathfinder has a though mineral crystal face and a strong wrist strap. Although easy to read, the display might be hard to read at extreme angles. Great for emergency situations and outdoor adventures!
#2 Suunto Core
Suunto is a leader when it comes to extreme sports, so you can rely on it. Interestingly, it can operate in English, French, German and Spanish. Its barometer has high abilities to measure the atmosphere beyond the walls. Storm alarm senses drops in air pressure and notifies you of approaching storms. Hence it helps you stay safe and plan your activities. This watch presents the tides and moon information. Other characteristics of this watch are dual times, date display, altimeter, a compass indicator around the dial timer, world time indicator, along with other features are included. You would need to change the battery every 6 to 12 months. Drawback? The wristband might not endure all weather conditions.
#3 Casio G-Shock Mudmaster GWG-1000-1AJF
Yes, it’s pricey! Does it pay off? Absolutely! That is if you are fond of G-shock watches, stainless steel, vibration resistant, large (no one complains about it though), easy to read watches. Made in Japan, Casio Mudmaster owns wave reception, compass, barometer, altimeter, thermometer, countdown timer, and many others. It can definitely survive all weather conditions and get you through any adventure. Check its detailed review to make sure it’s worth the investment!
#4 Timex Expedition Shock Digital Compass Watch
Take this Timex T49612 Expedition watch and throw it hard! Not because it’s no good, but because it’s shock resistant to I.S.O. standards. No wonder it’s most sought for among the military personnel. It uses a lighting technique called Indiglo, meaning that the backlight employs different electro-luminescent lamps in order to provide different levels of lighting. This sturdy survivor features a stopwatch, countdown timer, two-time zone settings, 99-lap counter, and three daily, weekday or weekend alarms with five-minute backup. Still, the wristband durability is doubtful.
#5 Aussie Survival Gear Survival Watch
Not to neglect the paracord type watches, here’s one worth mentioning. This is actually a 6-in-1 survival gear featuring a watch, paracord 550, compass, whistle, thermometer, and a fire starter. Unlike the others in the category, it has an adjustable band thanks to the velcro wrap under the paracord, it’s waterproof and it’s not bulky. Paracord comes useful in emergency situations like making a shelter, binding a raft or… we’ll leave it to your imagination! Anyway, this inexpensive sturdy tool i.e. watch is a good one.
In conclusion, besides Casio, which is the leader, and others mentioned, there are watches from Luminox, Ohsen, SureFire, Citizen etc, that can complete your survival gear. If you want to choose smart, don’t call it a day! Continue to explore and find what best suits your needs.
