What Watch do you wear when you hunt?

Bonk said:

I recently bought a GS Snowflake. Wore it for a couple of days and took it back. I didn’t like the feel of the titanium. Absolutely beautiful watch but it’s light weight felt cheap to me. I know that sounds crazy but I couldn’t get right with it. I also own a GS White Birch and I thought a Ti Snowflake would be a good companion. Guess not but I still love my White Birch.View attachment 761086

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Beautiful.

I like the feel of the Ti Snowflake. But I like Ti watches in general. I do understand the 'feel' of a stainless watch though. GS produces amazing pieces.

Makes me want to find my pocket watch in the safe
Gumpy

Betterinthebush said:

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Wow! Big reveal. Congratulations

Grumpy gumpy said:

Makes me want to find my pocket watch in the safe
Gumpy

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Makes me want to hunt leopard.

I’m usually wearing one of my Sangin Instruments watches. If not wearing one of those I’m wearing a GR-7900KG-3 (G-Shock).

I wore my grandfather’s 1912 Hamilton pocket watch to last week’s Kentucky Derby party.

I’ve been wearing my Citizen EcoDrive Garrison since 2014. Just an analog watch with a date counter. Simple, stands up well to saltwater, and keeps time great.

Alright watch people, a question for y’all.

Who wins the battle for toughest mechanical movement? I’ve got battery powered quartz, quartz solar, and a Grand Seiko Spring Drive. I’m thinking of adding an automatic mechanical watch. Something my great- grandson can still have serviced by a watchmaker in 100 years. And yes, I fully understand that quartz wins here. I do. But of the mechanical movements, what do you think?

I would prioritize toughness > wearability > accuracy > cost > brand

I would like to wear it anytime I’m not wearing my Grand Seiko, to include hunting.

My searching seems to indicate that Seiko mechanical movements are quite durable when it comes to rough-and-tumble. The Co-Axial escapement in Omegas can supposedly lend some durability. I love watching videos of men that have worn their Rolex or Tudor every day since Vietnam, get it serviced, and it’s back to nearly perfect accuracy for another who knows how long. I tried on some very comfortable IWCs that look great, but I’ve read some accounts of their warranty being ill-defined and service being slow.

What would you suggest? Omega? Rolex Submariner? Tudor diver of some form? Someone like Sinn using Sellita but putting their own magic into it? A Seiko, and if so, which movement and price bracket.

Thanks!

A couple photos: 1) my oldest personal watch, a Victorinox Swiss Army Whisper I found in a junk drawer and have worn on many a hike and hunt. (Also, Clancy dog as a pup)

2) my wife’s great grandfather’s Rolex, still in the family, still running. Part of the inspiration for me asking this question. My research shows it was probably made in the 1940’s. I don’t know much about vintage watches so feel free to enlighten me.

@Cooposo - There are many very durable and accurate movements out there. It’s what most of the top tier companies have been trying to achieve since the invention of horology.

Just saying a brand (Omega, Rolex, Tudor…etc) or even a model (Planet Ocean, Submariner, Black Bay…etc) isn’t specific enough. The movements in these watches have continued to evolve over the years.

It also depends on what exactly you’re looking for. Do you want a sport (mostly means a dive) watch? Dress watch? Chronograph? Do you understand the difference between a chronograph and chronometer? COSC certified? METAS master chronometer certification? Date/no date? Sub dials? Small seconds? Materials used? Color? It only gets more specific from here.

There are just too many options and that’s just the hard data without taking into consideration how the aesthetic factors speak to you. Some people don’t like certain aspects of a brand, whereas others absolutely love it. Your tastes are subjective.

All that said, there are some legendary movements. For example the Omega Speedmaster Ed White 321 manual-wind chronograph that was used on all the lunar missions. Or the Rolex 3135 that was the backbone of the company and used in the Sub, GMT and Datejust. Every company has their highlights…but they have lowlights as well.

In general, if you’re buying a ‘tool’ watch from the likes of Omega, Rolex or Tudor that was made in the last 30 years…it should be good. But that doesn’t mean you don’t do your homework.

If you have some ideas of what you are looking for and a budget, I would be happy to assist with you in making a decision. Shoot me a DM if you have any questions.

BeeMaa said:

@Cooposo - There are many very durable and accurate movements out there. It’s what most of the top tier companies have been trying to achieve since the invention of horology.

Just saying a brand (Omega, Rolex, Tudor…etc) or even a model (Planet Ocean, Submariner, Black Bay…etc) isn’t specific enough. The movements in these watches have continued to evolve over the years.

It also depends on what exactly you’re looking for. Do you want a sport (mostly means a dive) watch? Dress watch? Chronograph? Do you understand the difference between a chronograph and chronometer? COSC certified? METAS master chronometer certification? Date/no date? Sub dials? Small seconds? Materials used? Color? It only gets more specific from here.

There are just too many options and that’s just the hard data without taking into consideration how the aesthetic factors speak to you. Some people don’t like certain aspects of a brand, whereas others absolutely love it. Your tastes are subjective.

All that said, there are some legendary movements. For example the Omega Speedmaster Ed White 321 manual-wind chronograph that was used on all the lunar missions. Or the Rolex 3135 that was the backbone of the company and used in the Sub, GMT and Datejust. Every company has their highlights…but they have lowlights as well.

In general, if you’re buying a ‘tool’ watch from the likes of Omega, Rolex or Tudor that was made in the last 30 years…it should be good. But that doesn’t mean you don’t do your homework.

If you have some ideas of what you are looking for and a budget, I would be happy to assist with you in making a decision. Shoot me a DM if you have any questions.

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Thank you for the offer, I’ll be sure to take you up on it. I’m sure I want a new or very recent manufactured sport/dive style watch of at least 100m water resistance. Not because I’m diving, but because of the build quality that usually lends and because I 100% will get the watch wet and submerged. I’m not too worried about COSC vs METAS and I do understand what those entail. I do have a local watchmaker that could regulate my watch if it needed a little adjusting. If the movement had just a bit of positional variation so I could regulate it myself to keep perfect time by the way I position it overnight, that would be great. I could not do this with a Tudor Ranger I previously owned because it didn’t lose time in any position.

I don’t love small seconds but it wouldn’t be a deal breaker. I do love a date but the absence wouldn’t be a deal breaker. At most I’d want a date and GMT. In the least a time only. Not wanting a chronograph as I have one already. Titanium is great in my book, steel is ok if the watch does not exceed 160 grams.

I think you’ve already answered my biggest question. That is, if there is a standout movement in terms of toughness and durability. Sounds like there are lots of good options if that is the criteria!

@Cooposo - It's always interesting to see what someone places value on when looking at a watch and for you a primary concern is weight. I've not been asked about that before unless it was comparing two of the same watch with steel vs titanium.

For reference, a new Rolex Submariner (Ref 124060) no date weighs 159 grams and is at the light end of most dive watches. It directly competes with the Omega Seamaster Diver 300M that's 194 grams.

I'm sure there are many titanium options out there to lighten the load, but they do come at a premium price point as well. Good luck with your search. Talk to you soon.

Cooposo said:

Thank you for the offer, I’ll be sure to take you up on it. I’m sure I want a new or very recent manufactured sport/dive style watch of at least 100m water resistance. Not because I’m diving, but because of the build quality that usually lends and because I 100% will get the watch wet and submerged. I’m not too worried about COSC vs METAS and I do understand what those entail. I do have a local watchmaker that could regulate my watch if it needed a little adjusting. If the movement had just a bit of positional variation so I could regulate it myself to keep perfect time by the way I position it overnight, that would be great. I could not do this with a Tudor Ranger I previously owned because it didn’t lose time in any position.

I don’t love small seconds but it wouldn’t be a deal breaker. I do love a date but the absence wouldn’t be a deal breaker. At most I’d want a date and GMT. In the least a time only. Not wanting a chronograph as I have one already. Titanium is great in my book, steel is ok if the watch does not exceed 160 grams.

I think you’ve already answered my biggest question. That is, if there is a standout movement in terms of toughness and durability. Sounds like there are lots of good options if that is the criteria!

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Have you looked at the Tudor Pelagos FXD GMT? Sounds like it may be up your alley.

Ryan Brown said:

Have you looked at the Tudor Pelagos FXD GMT? Sounds like it may be up your alley.

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It’s definitely on my list of watches I have to see in person. We’re a little short on Tudors here in middle-of-nowhere Idaho!

I wore (still wear) an Omega Seamaster in Africa for 20 years. Sometime with a nato strap, sometime with the stainless steel.
Never had an issue. Only have the one watch.

Hunt in long sleeves but not sure that reflection is an issue if yo are not in a military situation.
Done a lot of fieldwork/research with it on too.

Scratches tell stories - its a tool not a art object.

I don't like electronic watches - well never had one, but I know mine mever makes a sound and I can't 'play' with it.

Gomer said:

I’ve been wearing my Citizen EcoDrive Garrison since 2014. Just an analog watch with a date counter. Simple, stands up well to saltwater, and keeps time great.

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Chago said:

You know, there are so many threads about tipping vs not tipping, brake vs no brake, Hornady vs Nosler, Blaser vs everything else LOL.

Here is one I have not seen. Watches.... I am a huge watch lover. I was curious what do all of the AH.com crowd wear when on a hunt? I wore a Suunto Traverse Alpha on my last few hunts. I am so anti digital watches, I am a bit of a snob when it comes to watches. But I thought it would be great as it has a built in breadcrumb view via GPS. This allowed me to leave the GPS at home for my backpack hunts etc. But I quickly learned this watch "specifically designed" for hunting, was crap. When in normal watch mode the battery lasts forever. But in GPS mode which I assume everyone is using if they bought the "hunting" version. The battery hardly lasts 5-6 hours. So I am debating dumping this and going back to a good ole fashioned automatic watch, something like a Rolex super clone that looks incredible without the GPS drain headache. One where battery won't matter. And bring back my GPS which last for weeks in GPS mode.

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The Suunto Traverse Alpha GPS battery life is a well known letdown for serious backcountry hunts. Going back to an automatic is the right call. Battery anxiety gone completely and a quality mechanical watch will outlast any smartwatch. Pair it with a dedicated Garmin inReach for GPS and you have weeks of battery life instead of hours.

Cooposo said:

Alright watch people, a question for y’all.

Who wins the battle for toughest mechanical movement? I’ve got battery powered quartz, quartz solar, and a Grand Seiko Spring Drive. I’m thinking of adding an automatic mechanical watch. Something my great- grandson can still have serviced by a watchmaker in 100 years. And yes, I fully understand that quartz wins here. I do. But of the mechanical movements, what do you think?

I would prioritize toughness > wearability > accuracy > cost > brand

I would like to wear it anytime I’m not wearing my Grand Seiko, to include hunting.

My searching seems to indicate that Seiko mechanical movements are quite durable when it comes to rough-and-tumble. The Co-Axial escapement in Omegas can supposedly lend some durability. I love watching videos of men that have worn their Rolex or Tudor every day since Vietnam, get it serviced, and it’s back to nearly perfect accuracy for another who knows how long. I tried on some very comfortable IWCs that look great, but I’ve read some accounts of their warranty being ill-defined and service being slow.

What would you suggest? Omega? Rolex Submariner? Tudor diver of some form? Someone like Sinn using Sellita but putting their own magic into it? A Seiko, and if so, which movement and price bracket.

Thanks!

A couple photos: 1) my oldest personal watch, a Victorinox Swiss Army Whisper I found in a junk drawer and have worn on many a hike and hunt. (Also, Clancy dog as a pup)

2) my wife’s great grandfather’s Rolex, still in the family, still running. Part of the inspiration for me asking this question. My research shows it was probably made in the 1940’s. I don’t know much about vintage watches so feel free to enlighten me.

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For me Rolex wins hands down. I have a Date Just, with a jubilee bracelet. I’ve worn it continuously since 1985. I’ve had it serviced several times. If something happens to mine I would buy another one. Otherwise not in the watch market. If I had a son, I would add a Patek Philippe Calatrava.