Watch recommendation

C

CrimsonFlyer

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CrimsonFlyer
Fellow pilots, student pilots, and wannabe pilots,

Any recommendation for a versatile watch that is good for IFR flying, switching tanks, records tracks of my marathon training and swimming (has a GPS), alerts by vibrating, does not have to be coupled to a phone, has decent battery life, and--this is important--fits ok on a small wrist. Most of the so-called pilot watches out there are fluff and for non-athletes. I haven't had any luck finding any. A few GPS watches fit most of the above requirements but are way too big and clunky for my small wrist. Greatly appreciate any recs.
 
here ya go


Suunto%20Traverse%20Alpha%20lineup%20870x270.png

http://www.suunto.com/en-US/News/Su...-Watch-Purpose-built-for-Hunters-and-Anglers/



Always been a fan of the NATO straps, comfy, cheap and even if you loose a spring bar you don't loose your watch, lots of colors to choose from too.

MilNATO6LARGE.jpg

http://www.countycomm.com/milnato.html
 
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So does the GPS watch have an HSI style display on the face should you lose your panel? That would be cool. Otherwise why wear a watch.

Other than to look cool, but that's what the aviator sunglasses are for.
 
A big one with two hands to tell the time, and a ring to calculate stuff. But that's not important right now...
 
If MIckey's big hand is pointing to the left, you run on the left tank. If it's pointing to the right, you run on the right.
 
I've had a Blue Angels Skyhawk since it came out. The battery just recently wouldn't hold enough charge to work correctly. I bought the titanium version as a replacement. It has zulu time, easy to change time zones, updates the time every night. I found it through a seller for $200 less than I paid for the SS version years ago.

Sent from my SM-T710 using Tapatalk
 
Sac Arrow said:
So does the GPS watch have an HSI style display on the face should you lose your panel? That would be cool. Otherwise why wear a watch.

Other than to look cool, but that's what the aviator sunglasses are for.
Click to expand...

The baro stuff is nice for weather trends, lots of other nice features too, the HSI is kinda a gimmick, like the bezel E6B.

Personally I like mechanical chrono watches with a dive bezel
 
I have a Garmin D2. It's gimmicky, but it does have the flight plan, nearest, basic data.

It's a tad bigger than the Movado I usually wear (I have small wrists too).
 
I'm a fan of my casio g-shock. They sell ones for smaller wrists. Mine is solar powered, has zulu time and auto updates the time, and cost $100.
 
All the GPS tri-traing watches I've seen are pretty large. Check out the Garmin models, for example.
 
infotango said:
I'm a fan of my casio g-shock. They sell ones for smaller wrists. Mine is solar powered, has zulu time and auto updates the time, and cost $100.
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I have one of those. In addition to being solar powered and auto setting to the Denver atomic clock radio signal,I like that the two analog hands are really visible at night. The only problem is the stop watch display is very hard to see, and impossible at night. If the stop watch visibility were sufficiently improved, then it would be perfect for flying.
 
I have thought about buying a D2, but I wear a Movado as my everyday watch (hasn't scratched in over 15 years) and I have a cheap Casio for the beach/swimming/diving as well as a Garmin Forerunner 220 for running. The Garmin will sync workouts with Bluetooth to my phone, but doesn't require me to carry the phone. Managing three watches really hasn't been a problem, so I am not motivated enough to spend $600 on another watch. In the cockpit, I use my iPad and iPhone. I do see the benefit of the Nearest feature on the watch as another backup, though.
 
I use an Apple Watch, which connects to ForeFlight. I can see NRST, METARs and all manner of other things. Easy to set up to show Zulu. Useful, functional.

I have a Breitling for when I want to look like a pilot. ;)
 
CrimsonFlyer said:
Fellow pilots, student pilots, and wannabe pilots,

Any recommendation for a versatile watch that is good for IFR flying, switching tanks, records tracks of my marathon training and swimming (has a GPS), alerts by vibrating, does not have to be coupled to a phone, has decent battery life, and--this is important--fits ok on a small wrist. Most of the so-called pilot watches out there are fluff and for non-athletes. I haven't had any luck finding any. A few GPS watches fit most of the above requirements but are way too big and clunky for my small wrist. Greatly appreciate any recs.
Click to expand...
Samsung Gear S2. A truly stand alone cell phone, with dozens of apps and hundreds of watch faces.

71aeb340dbc8b4f1e6ef144ec7a03439.jpg


Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
 
Thanks all for the recs. James331, the Traverse Alpha looks great. Does it record GPS track though? And does it show current speed and distance? And swimming with it?

48dodge: the Citizen doesn't have GPS, does it?

rolivi: the D2 looks good. Have you tested it underwater? Do you have a photo of it on your small wrist? The 82 g weight seems to be greater than many other GPS watches.

The G-shock and Apple watch don't have GPS, do they?

I might have to go the multiple-watch route like John221us.

Jay: the Gear S2 looks beautiful. But does it have GPS? And how does it handle water?
 
CrimsonFlyer said:
Thanks all for the recs. James331, the Traverse Alpha looks great. Does it record GPS track though? And does it show current speed and distance? And swimming with it?
Click to expand...

Here's the better spec page, they also have a black one

http://www.suunto.com/en-US/Product...Traverse-Alpha/Suunto-Traverse-Alpha-Foliage/

  • Hiking, Fishing and Hunting modes
  • Sunrise-sunset times and alerts
  • Fishing and hunting specific POI types
  • Moon phases and moon rise/set times
  • Automatic Shot detection
  • Red backlight, Night Vision Goggle compatible
  • GPS and GLONASS for route and POI navigation
  • Real-time breadcrumb view of the recorded track
  • Tracking for speed, distance and altitude
  • Route planning in Suunto's Movescount.com with topographic maps
  • Route preview and route altitude profile on the watch
  • 100 m/330 ft water resistance
  • Altitude (FusedAlti™)
  • Weather trend and storm alarm
  • Compass
  • Backlight in flashlight mode
  • Vibration alarm
  • GPS time update
  • Daily, weekly, monthly and yearly activity tracking of steps and calories
  • Mobile notifications
  • Compatible with Suunto Movescount App (iOS and Android



Here's their video on the mil spec durability testing


One of the selling point for me is that is made in Finland, it's got a sapphire lense like real watch and the GPS is used for real world features.

I'm a automatic watch guy, but the only electric watch I'd debate buying is a suunto, lots of my friends do "extreme" sports with them and they swear by the things.
 
Holy crap! That nearly $500 watch advertises "up to 100 hour battery life"!

You mean I have to plug it in to charge every day just like my cell phone, my work phone and my iPad??? YGBSM!

No way in H-E-double toothpicks will I pay that kind of money for something else that's got to be plugged in daily . . . .

My last watch was an Omega, I averaged 3-4 years on a battery. Now I'm wearing a TAG Hauer, two and a half years old, on it's original battery. "Up to four day battery life" sucks for a watch.

On the other hand, it's functional without needing a cell phone to do anything, unlike Apple's underwhelming "watch." Casio, anyone? :p
 
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I'm a big fan of Pebble Time steel, but it does not have a GPS.
 
flyingron said:
If MIckey's big hand is pointing to the left, you run on the left tank. If it's pointing to the right, you run on the right.
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I still have my Mickey Mouse watch. But I wear a $25 Timex with hands and a sweep second hand. Pushnthe side button, dial lights up at night. Wherever you buy it, they can take out links in the stretchy band to fit.
 
Hank S said:
Holy crap! That nearly $500 watch advertises "up to 100 hour battery life"!

You mean I have to plug it in to charge every day just like my cell phone, my work phone and my iPad??? YGBSM!

No way in H-E-double toothpicks will I pay that kind of money for something else that's got to be plugged in daily . . . .

My last watch was an Omega, I averaged 3-4 years on a battery. Now I'm wearing a TAG Hauer, two and a half years old, on it's original battery. "Up to four day battery life" sucks for a watch.

On the other hand, it's functional without needing a cell phone to do anything, unlike Apple's underwhelming "watch." Casio, anyone? :p
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I hear that, my watch doesn't even have batteries, just uses my movement, it does needs a lube job when it starts loosing time, 6 years and I'm not even at that point yet.

As for these GPS watches, for some sports they make sense, hiking and hunting, canoe, and whatnot where you want a GPS, you want the time, elevation, breadcrumb trails, compass, pre loading a path and keeping a eye on pressure changes is important, but carrying a hiking GPS, compass and a few other things is a pain, but you also need something which can bang around with, submerge without damage, get pounded by the eliments and dirt, these types of watches make sense.

For a city boy who might jump a curb on his fixie bike or maybe spill his capachino, not so much aside from maybe looking tuff.
 
I actually am somewhat of a watch junky. The problem is that since I've retired, I've had less need for a watch. Plenty of clocks around these days on my phone, computer, in the multifunction display on my car, on the GPS in the plane.

I've got everything from a Citizen Blue Angels pilot watch I got as a gift to a few analog hand (but digital gut watch), to some old watches of the future like the Longines/Wittnauer "Futurama" where the hands sweep through about 150 degrees of arc and then snap back to the top. I even have one that has real honest to gosh nixie tubes in it.
 
I like my Victorinox automatic infantry with the stopwatch. Cost 1/4 of the Omega I really wanted but gives me 7/8 of the happiness. Plus the leather band and deployment clasp are a best of both worlds for my comfort and convenience.

For hunting or other outdoors sports where a GPS is handy, including survival scenarios, I have a Garmin etrex 10 because it runs on two AA batteries and I was tired of rechargeable batteries going dead quickly and not taking a charge after a year. I also carry AA-powered flashlights so I only have to worry about one kind of battery.

I use MGRS because it's easy to write down and communicate coordinates. ForeFlight also supports MGRS. I have the free MilGPS app on my iPhone so I don't need a separate GPS unless I am going to be away from wall power for a while.

I don't need or want an additional rechargeable battery on my wrist. I also don't need a GPS there. It would be neat but more of a toy than a tool for me.
 
Used a regular old watch in 41 years of flying, from GA to the airlines. Seen some pilot with watches bigger than their arms. Don't even wear a watch now but I have the iPhone if I need to check the time, or look up at the sun! :D
 
Hank S said:
Holy crap! That nearly $500 watch advertises "up to 100 hour battery life"!

You mean I have to plug it in to charge every day just like my cell phone, my work phone and my iPad??? YGBSM!

No way in H-E-double toothpicks will I pay that kind of money for something else that's got to be plugged in daily . . . .

My last watch was an Omega, I averaged 3-4 years on a battery. Now I'm wearing a TAG Hauer, two and a half years old, on it's original battery. "Up to four day battery life" sucks for a watch.

On the other hand, it's functional without needing a cell phone to do anything, unlike Apple's underwhelming "watch." Casio, anyone? :p
Click to expand...

Hank, definitely don't look at the Tag Heuer Connected watch then. They don't give a maximum, but they do say it has a minimum of 25 hours life..AND it's $1500.
 
I like my G-Shock (LCD). It does the solar charging, atomic clock resetting, and it has the way cool automatic backlight. If you tilt your wrist, the backlight comes on for a few seconds. It's getting to the point where it doesn't seem to charge very well. After about 10 years I replaced the battery because it would lose charge - worst case is in the winter, gets dark early, and I wear long sleeves so the watch rarely got enough daylight to keep it fully charged. Eventually it would shut itself off often enough that I replaced the battery. The new one showed similar symptoms this winter, its first winter, so I'm wondering if the charging system is failing.
 
CrimsonFlyer said:
Thanks all for the recs. James331, the Traverse Alpha looks great. Does it record GPS track though? And does it show current speed and distance? And swimming with it?

48dodge: the Citizen doesn't have GPS, does it?

rolivi: the D2 looks good. Have you tested it underwater? Do you have a photo of it on your small wrist? The 82 g weight seems to be greater than many other GPS watches.

The G-shock and Apple watch don't have GPS, do they?

I might have to go the multiple-watch route like John221us.

Jay: the Gear S2 looks beautiful. But does it have GPS? And how does it handle water?
Click to expand...
Waterproof and GPS built in.
 
CrimsonFlyer said:
Thanks all for the recs. James331, the Traverse Alpha looks great. Does it record GPS track though? And does it show current speed and distance? And swimming with it?

48dodge: the Citizen doesn't have GPS, does it?

rolivi: the D2 looks good. Have you tested it underwater? Do you have a photo of it on your small wrist? The 82 g weight seems to be greater than many other GPS watches.

The G-shock and Apple watch don't have GPS, do they?

I might have to go the multiple-watch route like John221us.

Jay: the Gear S2 looks beautiful. But does it have GPS? And how does it handle water?
Click to expand...
No GPS.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
 
I used to have a Pebble Steel. It looked nice and would stay charged for a week. But I stopped wearing it and now I don't know where it is. Was a decent watch.

I also bought a Casio g-Shock but it doesn't have all the fancy **** like GPS and baro and atomic time but it does have vibe alarm - most do not. It is ugly as sin. Looks like an Abrams tank but it works.

I looked closely at Apple Watch but I finally just decided that it isn't worth the money. Nigh on everyone has an iPhone but I've never seen a single person wearing an Apple Watch and that says a lot about the thing.
 
petrolero said:
I looked closely at Apple Watch but I finally just decided that it isn't worth the money. Nigh on everyone has an iPhone but I've never seen a single person wearing an Apple Watch and that says a lot about the thing.
Click to expand...

All of the hyper Apple fanboys at the office who bought them early on, have all sold them.
 
mscard88 said:
Used a regular old watch in 41 years of flying, from GA to the airlines. Seen some pilot with watches bigger than their arms. Don't even wear a watch now but I have the iPhone if I need to check the time, or look up at the sun! :D
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The phone now tells time. Can't possibly understand how anybody can get by without a watch that makes phone calls :confused: :D
 
I've owned the Samsung Gear S2 since January (?). It is still (I think) the only Smartwatch that is a truly stand alone cell phone, meaning that I can make and receive calls without being tethered to my cell phone.

When I am working on my '52 Chief, up on a ladder, or under the plane, the ability to answer the phone hands free is terrific. Sound quality is excellent.

Other things I have done with this watch:

- Track walking mileage
- Summon Uber rides
- View notifications (Email, Facebook, text, etc.)
- Timers/alarms of all sorts
- Heart rate monitor
- News updates
- Emergency weather notifications
- Music via Bluetooth
- Radar and altimeter

Oh, and the ability to make it into any watchface, including your own designs, is fun.

Downside? As with all these whiz bang devices, the battery is the limiting factor. It recharges on a cool magnetic cradle, and I put an extra one at the hangar for late day boosts.

If all I use it for is as a watch, it easily makes a whole day. If I use it for Bluetooth music, or as a cell phone a lot, it won't make more than 6 hours. The good news is that it rapidly recharges, going from zero to 100% in a couple of hours.

This was Samsung's eighth attempt at a smartwatch, and they got it right. I looked at the Apple watch, and it felt quite limited, in comparison.
 
We all have different life situations and needs. You manage a hospitality business and its essential for you to be connected.

I've deliberately taken a somewhat different approach. Last decade when I was living abroad and working internationally all my partners had Blackberrys. It drove them nuts that I refused to have one. I had a computer for email at my home office, a computer at my professional office and a laptop when travelling. My argument was that (and text messaging or a live phone call on my cell) should be more than sufficient access to me, and I didn't want to be "more available".

Today I live in the Rocky foothills and do not have cell coverage at my home - a blessing in many ways.
 
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