Best Military Watch: Stay On Time
Whether you’re out hiking or camping for fun, or you are in an emergency situation, having a high-quality watch is essential. And when we think of the best, we often think about the military. It is no different for watches. The timepieces made for and used by military personnel have some of the most desired features of any watch. Yet there are literally hundreds of different choices out there, making finding the best military watch extremely difficult.
But that’s what we’re here for. We’ve put the time and effort into researching all the different options so that we could recommend to you the best military watch. Armed with out detailed review methodology, we have arrived at the Casio Men’s GW-9400-1CR Master of G Digital Quartz Black Solar Watch. This thing is amazing. It’s loaded with tons of features, it has the durability of a classic G-Shock watch and it also has the sleek look of a military watch.
If you are looking for the best military watch available on today’s market, get the Casio Men’s GW-9400-1CR Master of G Digital Quartz Black Solar Watch now.
Contents
- Why You Should Trust Us
- The Advantages of a Military Watch
- How We Conducted Our Review: Finding the Best Military Watch
- Testing Results
- Best Military Watch
- 94/100—GW-1CR Master of G Digital Quartz Black Solar Watch (Best Military Watch)
- 86/100—Armitron Sport Men’s 20/5062 Analog-Digital Chronograph Resin Watch (Best Budget Military Watch)
- Wrapping Up
Why You Should Trust Us
As dedicated lovers of the outdoors—campers, hikers and hunters—we understand how important the gear you use is. After experiencing bags, tents and all other types of equipment breaking out on the trail, we set out to make sure this wouldn’t happen to you or anyone else. We only ever recommend products we would use ourselves.
However, our passion for this stuff isn’t the only reason you can rely on us and our reviews. We put all the products we review through a lot of scrutiny to make sure what we recommend is the best. Our review process consists of reading hundreds of reviews, and comparing and testing hundreds of different products.
This allows us to eliminate all those products that simply aren’t good enough. And from this we can confidently present to you that which we consider the best. It also allows us to clearly demonstrate how we arrived at this recommendation.
The Advantages of a Military Watch
You may be thinking that out on the trail you can use any old watch and that will do just fine. For smaller trips or calmer day hikes, sure. But when things get more intense, either by choice or because of an emergency, you need to have something better.
This is why the military doesn’t use just any old watch. They use high-quality watches equipped with special features so that they can be prepared for any situation.
Plus, a watch is something you need to be able to depend on. Knowing what time it is can give you vital information about the weather and about the surrounding area, helping you make important decisions. For example, knowing what time it is can help you decide if you should stop and make camp or if you can continue on. Not knowing what time it is, or having an inaccurate watch, could leave you in a difficult situation.
Also, these watches are often way more than just watches. They are stopwatches, alarms, calendars and sometimes they even have GPS and a compass. One of these things could end up saving your life, so you want to make sure you have the best.
How We Conducted Our Review: Finding the Best Military Watch
To kick off our search for the best military watch we started by looking at what other people are saying. We throw out any options that receive consistently bad reviews.
Then, we continue on to try and narrow the list even further. To do this, we come up with a set of criteria that we would like to see in the best military watch. After we do that, we go through the different watches, eliminating those that don’t meet these criteria. This gets our list down to about five, which we test out ourselves. At the end of all this, we are left with just one option, the best military watch.
Here are the things we look for in our review:
Digital vs. analog
The first thing you need to decide is whether or not you want a digital or analog watch. Part of this is simple personal preference. But also consider that digital watches usually come with more features. Plus, they are slightly more dependable. Analog watches require a slightly-more-complex timekeeping mechanism that can break more easily.
Some also consider digital watches to be easier to read. One reason for this is that you can set them to a 24-hour clock, which helps eliminate confusion when you’re out on the trail.
Because of this, we consider digital to be the preferred choice, but an analog watch is certainly suitable.
Battery
You want to make sure your military watch is with you and working all the time. To ensure this, you need to make sure you have a reliable battery system. Some watches use traditional batteries. When they run out, you need to bring your watch in to have the batteries replaced.
A good alternative is a solar watch. These watches recharge themselves over time so that you don’t need to worry about replacing batteries. This makes them far more reliable, as you don’t need to worry about the batteries running out in an inopportune moment.
Timekeeping mechanism
The way in which your watch keeps time is also something to consider. The traditional method is a mechanical spring, but this becomes inaccurate after some time and needs to be reset. Most watches nowadays measure the vibrations of a quartz crystal.
But you need to be careful with these because if the quartz is not sufficiently protected, then it can be damaged, ruining your watch. Most military watches address this, but it is something to keep in mind.
Some of the best watches go one step further and include atomic timekeeping. Atomic watches receive a small frequency that is sent out from different points all over the world, which corrects any inaccuracies. This technology is found on the most advanced watches and is a great feature for maintaining your watch’s accuracy.
Extra features
Something to really pay attention to with military watches is their special features. You are buying a tactical watch because you want it to be a useful tool for when you need it most. As such, you want to find something that will provide you with what you need.
Some of the most basic features you should look for are a stopwatch and alarm clock. But you should also look for things such as a compass, a thermometer, a barometer and an altimeter. Some watches will even give you information on tides and moon phases.
Durability
Last but certainly not least, you need a watch that is going to last. The watch needs to be able to withstand shocks, as well as exposure to magnets and water. Plus, you want a watchband that isn’t going to wear away after a period of time. Rubber and nylon are great materials for this.
Testing Results
With our criteria clear, the first thing we did was try to shrink our list by looking at existing reviews. If a watch has less than 3.5 stars on Amazon, we do some further investigation and throw it out, but only if the reviews are legitimate.
Then, with a smaller list, we use our criteria to further narrow it down. We threw out top options from the running for best military watch based on features, build quality and price.
From there, we got the list down to five. We then tested these out ourselves. This led us to the best military watch.
Here are the results of the second step of our review process:
Elimination Round 1—Not enough features
The first thing we did is to throw out some options because they didn’t have enough features. You buy a military watch so that you can have an extra tool in your arsenal. It needs to go above and beyond what a normal watch does. From the best military watch we expect at least a compass, if not more.
Some of the options we threw out because they didn’t have enough features were the Citizen Men’s AT0200-05E Eco-Drive Stainless Steel Watch, the Luminox Men’s 3001 Quartz Navy Seal Dive Watch and the Seiko Men’s SNZG15 Seiko 5 Automatic Stainless Steel Watch.
Elimination Round 2—Low Build Quality
After this, we eliminated some options because of their build quality. A military watch needs to last you through thick and thin. Anything made cheaply or with poor materials is not worth the money.
We crossed the Siniya Men Sports Watch, the Fanmis Men’s Sports Analog Digital LED Watch and the Aposon Men’s Large Dual Dial Analog Digital Quartz lectronic Sport Watch off the list because of their low build quality.
Elimination Round 2—Price
Lastly, we eliminated some options because they are simply too expensive. While you want to get something of quality, and this costs money, there are some options out there that are simply too much. You don’t get enough from the extra money to justify the price.
Examples of those we threw out because they are too expensive are the Casio Men’s G-Shock GWG1000-1A3 and the Invicta Men’s 19708SYB S1 Rally Stainless Steel Watch.
Best Military Watch
After going through this extensive review process, we got the list down to five. From there, we tested some of these things out ourselves. Our goal was to judge the feel and the quality of the watch. This led us straight to our choice for the best military watch.
Here are the results:
94/100—GW-1CR Master of G Digital Quartz Black Solar Watch (Best Military Watch)
The GW-1CR Master of G Digital Quartz Black Solar Watch is far and away the best military watch on the market. It has a nice blend of features and it is built to last. Plus, it doesn’t cost a fortune. Here’s more about why we love this watch so much:
Pros
What makes this watch stand out is its features. It has a little bit of everything. Beyond the traditional alarm clock and stopwatch, it also features a world clock, thermometer, compass and barometer.
But despite all these features, the display is not cluttered. With other watches, manufacturers try to put everything on the watch face at once. That isn’t the case with this watch. Instead, you switch between the different functions, which allows for a cleaner display.
The Tough Solar technology and Atomic 6 timekeeping are also nice features. The battery will last forever and you don’t need to worry about it being inaccurate. Plus, it is a G-Shock watch. This means it is plenty waterproof (up to 200m), and it will also stay safe from dust and shocks.
Cons
One minor issue with this watch is its size. It is somewhat big. However, this is often a desirable trait for military watches. It means you can see and access the display much more easily. However, for some, this may be an issue.
Also, it takes a bit of time to get used to how to use this watch. Because you need to switch between different screens, it might take you a while to learn how to useit. But after you get the hang of it, this shouldn’t be much of an issue.
Overall
If you are looking for the best military watch so that you can have a quality and useful tool with you at all times, then get the GW-1CR Master of G Digital Quartz Black Solar Watch now.
86/100—Armitron Sport Men’s 20/5062 Analog-Digital Chronograph Resin Watch (Best Budget Military Watch)
Some of you may be looking for the best military watch but would like to spend a little less. That’s okay. You can still get a great watch. The Armitron Sport Men’s 20/5062 Analog-Digital Chronograph Resin Watch is a great budget military watch.
Here are some more details about it:
Pros
For being a budget option, this watch is quite durable. It is water resistant up to 100m, and it is also able to withstand shocks with its 50 mm resin case and acrylic dial window.
Also, while it doesn’t have all the features of the best military watch, it’s got enough. It has a stopwatch, lap timer, countdown timer, dual time, a calendar and an alarm. This is enough to be useful to you in most situations.
This watch also feels great. The resin band resists scratches and tears, and it also fits nicely around your wrist. Plus, it looks great. It features an analog and digital design, so you get the best of both worlds. This also allows you to set two different times, in case you want to keep time in another part of the world.
Additionally, at less than $50, this watch will certainly not break the bank.
Cons
The big downside of this watch is that it doesn’t have all the features we expect from a military watch. For example, it doesn’t have a thermometer, compass or barometer. You can probably get by without this. However, there will be times when you will miss these features.
Also, the analog/digital mix can at times be distracting. The display is big enough, but it takes some getting used to know what you are looking at. This is especially the case if you have the two set for different times.
Lastly, this watch uses a traditional battery. Again, you can probably get away with this in most cases, but you do run the risk of having the watch die on you when you need it most.
Overall
If you are looking for a quality watch that gives you many of the features you expect from a military watch but costs less than other options, then get the Armitron Sport Men’s 20/5062 Analog-Digital Chronograph Resin Watch now.
Wrapping Up
A military watch is an essential piece of equipment to have in your arsenal. However, with hundreds if not thousands of different options on the market, finding the best military watch is a real chore. So we did it for you.
We put our detailed review methodology to work in search of the best military watch. The result: the GW-1CR Master of G Digital Quartz Black Solar Watch. It has all the features you would expect, such as an alarm and a stopwatch, plus a thermometer, barometer and compass. Also, it’s a G-Shock watch, so you know it will last you forever.
If you want to get the best military watch on the market so that you can be prepared for any situation, then get the GW-1CR Master of G Digital Quartz Black Solar Watch now.