Watches – What’s On Your Wrist?

Many a computer geek have strong affections for particular timepieces. Generally speaking we like our wristwatches to be rugged, take a lot of abuse and last a very long time.

How many watch manufacturers exist? Probably a lot more than you thought, so it would be impossible to show them all here.

I will however show off a few timepieces that have some geek flavor going on. You will see both cheap-o’s and expensive watches in the mix below – and yes, every single one listed is for sale new right now.

Casio W800HG-9AV
Price: $20

Every boy (and probably a few girls) had one of these in the 1980s and 1990s, and Casio still makes them. Some things stick around forever, and this design has to be at least 25 years old if not older. It’s your standard black-band/four-button/very-square digital setup.

The difference between then and now is that this one has a 10-year battery.

Casio PAG80-1V
Price: $250

What makes this one so expensive? Plenty, as it’s packed to the gills with features. Solar trip sensor, digital compass (with 16 points of measurement), altimeter (with memory), barometer, thermometer, world time, 29 time zones and more. Very cool geek’s toy – and useful.

Timex Digital
Price: $40

This watch screams ultra-nostalgia. It starts with the gold-colored expansion band, then to the squared-off gold-colored shell, very old-school LCD green-ish display (with night light) on black face and tall/skinny digital characters round out the nostalgic goodness.

Many of you will say, "I had a watch just like that."

The rest of you will say, "My dad had a watch just like that."

Bulova Eagle Pilot
Price: Around $450

This is one of the Bulova Accutron series of watches. It’s stated to have "21-jewel ETA 2893-2 GMT movement", in reference to its mechanics. No digital here. What gives this watch geek flavor is that it just looks badass, like something you’d see in the gauge cluster of a Ferrari. When geeks aren’t going for the geeky look, they go for the badass look. With the Eagle Pilot, mission accomplished.

It should also be noted the Eagle Pilot is so rugged that it will easily outlast most marriages.

Swatch SUIB408 "Black Dunes Red" and SUIB409 "Black Dunes Blue"
Price: $120 each

These watches look like something straight out of the movie TRON (or TRON: Legacy), so it most certainly has a lot of geek flavor going on. Whether you’re fighting for the users or looking to become the MCP’s next Sark, you’re covered.

Which watch was your favorite? If ‘none’, what would you recommend?

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jdeb
I am a watch junkie for some reason. For Timex, I have an SSQ, Timex (MS) Datalink 150s with software and box, original Indiglo’s silver (gold too), and a C.A.T. I have a very nice small collection of military Swiss watch’s.

Rich
Watch collecting is (pardon the pun) a time-honored tradition. Some people even like the older Casio Databank watches. The CFX40 model specifically is particularly desirable: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfvH7S-eH78

Anonymous
I never went in for the techy brands– but what you wrote: “. . .Generally speaking we like our wristwatches to be rugged, take a lot of abuse and last a very long time. . .” Rings dead-on true.
For me, in addition to that was the notion that the device on my wrist MUST be dependable. Dependable enough that I would never have to think about it ever again. ie– No Battery replacement. Nor could it be so delicate that I could damage it by over-winding.
For me that meant ‘Automatic’ watches. For me it has been a Seiko Sports Automatic. It’s shiny enough to be good enough for dress, and rugged enough to be everyday. And as it’s automatic So long as you are able to wake up, swing your arm and live life. . .it will keep on ticking.
I STILL look at my watch to know what time it is. Being a mere mechanical automatic, it’s never ‘atomically’ correct and I do periodically reset it by my phone. But I never look at my Watch to know the EXACT time. I just want to know how much time has passed.
PS– I knew that automatics were an endangered species– so I bought 2 Seikos when I found them.

Rich
They’re not totally endangered as Seiko Sports Automatics are still available, but you have to know where to find them. Prices are anywhere from $75 to over $1,000 depending on what your fancy is concerning that particular brand.
richtea
Seiko Automatic, by all means. The one originally given to my granddad in 1979 is now with me – 17 jewels, day & date, gold-plated. Last year, it got some long overdue maintenance & is again in good working order. A very solid piece. The watchmaker happened to have a similar one, uncollected; I was sorely tempted to buy it, but resisted in the end.
The cheap Casio is also an evergreen, but I would only have it in full metal; no rubber, no plastic, no silicone.

Rich
Finding a cheaper watch of any brand that’s 100% rubber/plastic/silicone-free is no small feat no matter who makes it. The biggest hurdle is the watch face cover itself which is usually plastic. Casio does make watches using real glass face covers like this one, but it’s not exactly what most people would consider cheap as it’s well over $100.

richtea
Cheap – yeah, I know what you mean. The last dress watch I bought just to have something suitable on my wrist when going to see Tosca at the Met was 6 bucks. Full metal, black face, gold-plated, crystal glass, diamond marking the 12. Brand? Nameless, sort of.

David
Yes, my Geekiness also extends to my wrist. Last month, I bought a new Kenneth Cole touchscreen watch. There’s a single button which activates touch areas on the face which replace the old 4 button design. They’re sleek looking, and also very Geek.
Ruggedness remains to be seen, but I like it so far.

Rich
If it’s a KC touchscreen model like this one, the casing is stainless steel, so it should be rugged enough. No idea what the battery life or touchscreen longevity is however, but I’m assuming at least 3 to 5 years.

David
That’s the one. My band is leather, and not rubber, and they also have metal bands. Still, as you say, it should be rugged enough.
My main hope is battery life. I just replaced a Pulsar which needed a new battery every year or so. Annoying, and not cheap.
Speaking of geek watches, before that one I had a Timex Data Link watch. Ultimate geek, and lasted me about 10 years, battery, band, and all.