Hello,

I'm from Chicago. Looking for an EDC watch. I know any watch will do. But after reading these forums, I have a different view on the purpose of a watch. So in an urban environment, what kind of watch would be prefered?

What type do you carry and why?

i wear a simple digital casio watch. It has proven to be very reliable and does everything i want it to do.

I prefer a diver's watch myself. A Divex for work, and a Posideon Sub-Deep elsewhere. They both have a small compass attached to the wrist band. I prefer diver's watches because they are tough, accurate, reliable and have an easy read analoge face.

It's the Casio G-Shock for me. Relatively inexpensive and they come in various configurations. You can add a compass on the watch band and some have thermometer's on them. I am on my second G-Shock, the first one didn't wear out, but they came out with the push button back light and I had to move up. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I prefer the older Casio G-Shock. As long as you don't use the light, the battery lasts a very long time, so I don't use the light. The G-Shock is plenty rugged, waterproof to reasonable depths and cheap.

Timex expedition with light, stopwatch, timer, alarm and compass. There are enough features to keep me amused, it's relatively inexpensive ($30-$40) and so unassuming that it's an unlikely target for a thief.

I wear a Marathon SAR most of the time; it's the issue watch for Canadian Forces, NASA, and IDF divers. It's sort of like a Rolex Submariner in the same way that a HUMMVEE is like a Range Rover: http://www.broadarrow.net/SAR.htm

It keeps fantastic time (well within COSC standards), and is big, ugly, has great night lume and is much more indestructible than I am. You can get models with quartz and/or tritium gas-tube illumination now. I love mine with a depraved unholy passion.

For playing outside I have a Casio PRG-70: solar powered, a slew of timekeeping functions, EL backlighting, plus compass, altimeter, barometer and thermometer (which is sort of useless unless you take the watch off and let it cool to ambient temperature: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1850813491/103-6629599-0467859?v=glance&n=3367581

Yeah the PRG-70 is a total turd, but I like it <img src="/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> , go figure. It keeps time well enough and stays charged. I EDC it. I would not like to have to use the compass to navigate. It is probably a little dangerous, I have seen it off by as much as 90 degrees.

Marc

My EDC watch until recently has been a Seiko Divers Automatic for the same reasons as you Leigh. I am Really tough on my watches and I have been unable to distroy the watch in 10 years. I have just blown the stainless bracelet to peices and am retiring the watch to my BOB. I plan on getting a Zulu band for it.

My new watch is a Marathon Gsar (the tritium version) Automatic dive watch. You just can't beat it for quality, but you have to like rugged watches.

I know these are a little more expensive than some, but I don't like looking for a new watch every 6-12 months and I am hooked on automatic winding watches. You have the reliability of the mechanical movement and it winds itself as you wear it. I keep away from electronic watches as I have had too many just quit on me.

Interesting. I've never really needed the compass, but the altimeter does work reasonably well; took it skydiving last summer, and it tracked the plane's altimeter to within fifteen meters or so, and was only off by five meters on landing. Which is close enough for my needs <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />.