Time for a new watch...
 

I am presently looking at either a Casio "Pathfinder" or a Suunto "XG345-GPS-TV-CD, and DVD player". No, really I don't know if that is the model number of the Suunto or not. Therefore, I come to the QP's for advice and guidance into this matter.

What I want is an "extreme" outdoor watch that can withstand the riggers of the occasional "fista-cuff, mud, water, tactical tracking, and take a licking and keep on ticking". I like the features of the Pathfinder and am leaning towards one. I like the compass, barometer, altimeter and temperature features and it is big enough for my eyes to see well. Now my brother-in-law who is still procuring equipment for outgoing TDY E-Tacs says the Suunto is a better buy and is requested more by the "guys". So I need all your advice as you all have the knowledge and I do not. What works and what doesn't?

Thanks guys! :munchin

I am using the Casio and am happy with it.

The new Suunto with the GPS built in looks like a nice gadget, but it is over $600.

TR

I haven't shopped for a new watch in quite some time. I've got a Seiko Automatic that my mom bought me for Christmas in 1987 right before I ETS'ed. I was extraordinarily hard on watches back then. Think I went through about 2 per year.

The Casio looks like a pretty nice watch. My Seiko will run down and stop if I don't wear it for one day, and almost 18 years of use has left it pretty beat up looking.

a primary factor in my selection of field watches is, how hard will I cry if I lose it or break it?

LOL, magician. True!! Get the Doxa. got mine while in SF . For a couple decades, they quit making them. They're back! Mine has been through hell, too many stories to type. no gadget stuff, just a hard working watch that can take that beating, I can attest to that, cause I put it through hell. Check out www.doxawatches.com One thing though, I got mine in 1969 and it cost me 200 bucks. That was a ton of money back then, to get one now is ........... well a bunch of money. Tough watch. Had a bunch of watches as a diver, SF, whatever, this one is the toughest.

I like my G Shock just fine.

Yup, me too..simple and fairly rugged

Hoepoe

G Shock
 

That was mine also. Simple and had enough functions to cover anything I needed. Duel time zone function, Zulu and local, helps if you're going and coming a bunch.

Pete

The Casio "G" shock seems to be a rugged watch. I know many divers who use it down to 130 feet plus with no problems.

That said my everyday watch is a Rolex GMT Master II. It has GMT time and date. No batteries, which I like! It's a little pricy though. It is pretty rugged too. Would I cry if I lost it? You bet! I usually don't dive with it. (It's also a old SF thing, on the old list.) It was a retirement gift from my wife...always wanted one.

My other watch/dive computer is the Suunto Mosquito. It is basically a dive computer set up for recreational SCUBA diving on compressed air or nitrox. It keeps track of depth, time at depth, assent speed, times safety stops and also will connect to ones computer and with Suunto's software and cable give you all the data of your dive history. (Note: Dive wise, it gives you a lot more then I have mentioned.)

As a watch, it gives you (2) time zones, different timer functions and an illumination light built in (Press button). One con on it is the face is plastic and scratches easy.

I have a clip on Suunto compass on the watch band. It seems to work pretty good for a quick reference. I've had it down to 138 FT. No problem.

For a diver it's a great watch and BU dive computer! :munchin

I bought myself a Sector a few years back for everyday use. I was really dissapointed; it kep time great, had chrono, timeer, alarm etc., but every now and then, way to often would be a few seconds out of sync and would require me to reset the seconds to 0, really irritatng for a 550$ watch!

Hoepoe

Been thinking about the "how hard will I cry if I lose it or break it?" question for some time now. I have been thru allot of Casios & Timexs in 20+ years because of people who don't understand the meaning of "Put your hands on top of your head!" The Rolex is nice but a little out of my price range and I would cry if I lost or scratched it. Still thinking about the Pathfinder though. Anybody else here believe in "Better to have and not need, than to need and not have" as far as functions go?

After visiting the "Doxa" website I can conclude with the utmost certainty that those of you who have them are in an "elite" fraternity all to yourselves. :eek:
Doxa's are out of the reach of this mere "Civil Servant". :(

I would find it easier to explain to my wife why I spent several thousand dollars on a pistol than a $1500 watch. :rolleyes:

bberkley,

Bro, I concur completely. Those are nice watches, no doubt about it, but for that much I could by a nice precision rifle and an excellent piece of glass to top it off. :)

Is then the Suunto a better "bang for your buck" watch compared to the Pathfinder?

Also, TR, how accurate is the compass on that compared to an actual compass?

I was actualy thinking of getting this Nike ACG Ascent Compass Watch, at $99 it's a decent price imho.
But being the cheap bastard that I am, I'm waiting until my Timex dies (or at least until the battery runs out). :D

What about this watch:

http://www.shoplite.com/84601.htm

This watch does not have many features but I think it might basically meet my needs:

Second hand sweep for taking pulses

Alarm

Water resistant

Sturdy band

I like the pathfinder but quite a few of them are all digital and the compass feature would not be allowed in at least one Army school.

I have a Timex Expedition right now, which I purchased recently to replace my nine year old Timex Ironman. The model I have looks similar to that, ccrn, but without the rotating bezel or digital readout. It is very simple and I like it - but it is really freakin' loud! I cannot leave it on my nightstand or it will keep me awake!

G Shock.

I've worn it up to 35,000 feet un-pressurized.
Down to 110 feet below water.
Fired a few hundred thousand rounds while wearing it, to include anti-tank rockets, Claymore mines, etc.
I have fought with it, jumped with it, had it in some of the hottest and coldest climates on this planet, the only thing I've ever replaced on it was the battery.
If I were headed back into combat tomorrow that’s one piece of kit I’d be taking.

TS

BTW, I don’t work for Casio.
Casio did not need to ask me to endorse their watch, they have earned my endorsement!

TS - I'm with you. The Casio G-Shock is the most cost effective, durable, versatile watch I've ever owned. I can't claim 35,000 agl/asl unpressurized but I will vouch for it at -240 ffw. So it doesn't have a sweep second hand - just set the countdown timer, push start, quit counting when it goes beep, and do the appropriate multiplication. Besides, I'm with bberkley - I would much rather spend the money on something useful than a piece of jewelry. My ego already has enough support, it doesn't need expensive watches. :D FWIW - Peregrino

Edited for bad taste



Hoepoe

Aafes
 

I had the battery for my G shock changed at AAFES Camp Doha, then went swimming in the Gulf the next day, Viola! one dead G Shock! Evidently saltwater and circuit boards dont mix well. So I bought another G shock. Ditto what TS said. Just make sure they always change the seal when they change the battery.

A couple of friends of mine have the new G-shock Solar Atomic that gets a signal twice a day from the Atomic clock and uses Solar power. They were very reasonably priced at Sears of all places, I believe they were Around $70 for the basic model

I was a G-shock guy for ages until I was issued a Suunto Advisor. Last year I got one of teh new Nike watches to try out and if you think that the Suunto's buttons are bad for inadvertantly changing your function, the Nike buttons are a nightmare. They even turn my chime on and off especially when wearing a jacket.

You guys had it good, my first G-SHock had most of the Med off Tel Aviv inside when i went for a swim the day after buying!! It never had a seal!!!

Anyway, Casio exchanged it no problem, and i have the exchanged one still, about 3 years later.

Hoepoe

Oh that is tactically sound :rolleyes:

Yesterday I got a very base model G shock for 40 bucks at walmart.

I almost got the Atomic/ Solar one but I figured I would beat the shit out of the 40 dollar one and if it held up then I would upgrade.

Hey, it only cost $200.00. I've had it for 26 years. That's $7.70 a year. By the way, I couldn't afford one of the new ones now either. Hell, my car needs at least $1500.00 in repairs. (Didn't have a car in 1969) ;)

Freestyle
 

I am a former G-shock lover myself , its a great watch no doubt. I use my freestyle here in Iraq (http://www.freestyleusa.com/product/...ebuzz.html)and the best feature on this watch is the Vibrating alarm. Perfect to help keep track of time in noisy vehicles, and aircraft and it goes without saying you'll never have your watch start beeping while your trying to be sneaky sneaky. Plus being a dead sleeper audible watch alarms dont wake me up. Plus the price 70$ makes it pretty affordable. It's also rated to 500 ft although I haven't had it any deeper than a shower so I can't personally vouch on that.

One thing about the $uunto watches I don't like is of course the price and that for all the multifunctions none of my friends watches I have tried had a single gadget on them that actually was useful. unless you are a weatherman what do you need a barometer for ? clinometer, hey it's uphill you can see that right? And my experiences with the compass feature didn't leave me impressed. Maybe to have as a double back up if my compass fails and then My GPS batteries go dead. However 600$ is an expensive back up.

If you are looking for a wrist mounted GPS the Garmin Foretrex 101 (129$) is the Ideal. And it tells you what time it is , GPS time ! It doesn't get any more accurate than that right. However The $uunto GPS watches aren't as clunky or should I say the $uunto are much more wearable than the Garmin Foretrex.

I hope I have been some help

strykermed:

Not sure what your field time is like as a light guy, but I have one of the Casio Pathfinders, and I have used the "gadgets" frequently.

You might consider that your average SF trooper who frequents this site does not ride around in a 15 ton vehicle with a ton of gear strapped to the outside, or have a reaction force on hand which includes a weatherman.

As a field soldier, I used the barometer to tell me when bad weather was approaching, or it was clearing. I use the compass frequently in the woods, in aircraft, or in vehicles when I want to check status on a heading. If you know your route planning, that can tell you where you are on your route. That is particularly handy if we do not have a vehicle power supply or 5 ton with batteries for a GPS out in the boonies where we usually wind up. The altimeter, if properly adjusted, can help you to verify where you are, to help set up a DZ, if your aircraft is climbing or descending, or if you are approaching jump altitude. Believe it or not, you can not always look and tell if you are going up or down hill. I have used the stopwatch to time fire missions, TOTs, to calculate speed, check the burn rate on my time fuze, or about a hundred other things.

It is a bit heavier and bulkier than just a plain wristwatch, but it is one thing I always have on and reduces the need for additional devices that are even bulkier that also measure time, barometric pressure, direction, and altitude.

Just my .02, but in closing, I would recommend that you look around at who you are talking to and where they have been before you start coming across as all-knowing and arrogant. There are some pretty experienced people on here who know what they are doing.

Good luck.

TR

TR: I have read that the Casio GPS in the watch is not very accurate, and is sometimes 10's of metres off. Any thoughts on that?

Have not seen the Casio with the GPS, just the Suunto, and it seemed to be pretty accurate.

Not a GPS expert, but all of them will depend on the antenna and ability to capture satellites. More satellites equals better accuracy. Not sure what role, if any the power supply plays in this.

Maybe someone who has one can answer that.

TR

I have a G Shock. Another good thing with it is how easy it is to do a Time Check ( 2 seconds is enough), and also to have the Z Time. Mine also has a stopwatch. And it offers no light reflection.
I saw many watches being broken in the field, but never my G shock.

Gentlemen, I found this site to have the best prices for the watches that you may be looking for:

http://casio-watches.pajamacrisis.ne...ches/c3872/23/

Archangel - Thanks for the URL. Now I'm all confused. :confused: I bought my last G-Shock at Walmart years ago, was satisfied with its (minimal) capabilities, wasn't even curious about what else was out there - and YOU had to go and show me all of the options. Not like choosing a new rifle or pistol with only a few functional enhancements. YOU had to show me watches with capabilities I'll need a PhD to figure out. Just to realize I'll never need/use most of them anyway. (I'm going to blame you when the boss wants to know why I'm spending so much time researching watches on the internet. :p ) Have a great SF day. :D Peregrino

LOL. Hey it's TR's fault. He mentioned that he liked his Pathfinder so I did a Google search. I thought there was only one Casio Pathfinder until I found that site. I'm in the same boat you are... I don't know which one to get. I bought a cheap watch from Walmart & it did got owned by some Wait-a-Minute veins on Land Nav. :cool:

Sure. I've just misread your post a bit. Cheers anyway, though.

solar power?
 

Reaper Sir, are you using the solar-powered model?
Would you mind pinpointing the model in the forementioned website?
Thank you

Negative.

Using the Pathfinder - PRG403VDR.

Great watch, my old Casio Triple Sensor ate batteries like crazy, this one has been good for over 24 months.

Doesn't mean that it is the best model for you, but I like mine.

TR

I have the casio Pathfinder Model PRG60.. and like TR i use the function quite often (just to get use to them in the case i really need them). The compass has some variations, Alt is very good and its solar so no need for a battery change.

Got it on ebay new and saved about $300 so if i lost it i be sad but not heart broken..

Archangel,

Yes, thanks also! I just arrived back from an extradtion and now I really don't feel so good. I thought this was going to be easy but I am now with Peregrino; so many Casio's and only two wrists. :D

I don't have issues with only having two wrist because I'll wear those suckers on my ankles when I run out of space on my wrist. My problem is cash flow. :cool: