I love field watches. They’re a great option for a man who looking for something in-between a casual plastic digital watch and a dressy, upscale dress watch. Field watches are rugged, comfortable, affordable, and stylishly practical. They look good with a pair of khakis and sport coat at the office, and they can withstand the rigors of a weekend outdoor adventure.
I also love Dappered.com. If you haven’t checked them out yet, you should. Unlike many men’s sites, Dappered focuses on affordable men’s style, and tracks down the best sales and bargains going on at any given time. They also offer good tips and advice for life. This week they did a series on the field watch, showcasing five much cheaper alternatives to J. Crew’s shrewdly marketed and amazingly overpriced $150 model. You can check out their picks here.
For a few more field watch options (including one for $13.99), check out this article I wrote about them for another website.
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I wear the LL Bean field watch, myself. It’s exactly what a field watch should be.
I’ll second that, I had one for over 5 years. And it’s backed up by the “famous” L.L. Bean guarantee. I know that it works, they replace mine when it stopped ticking. Smart watch, smarter company.
There has been a remake of the Benrus field watch. It is mechanical–no battery to replace. When battery-operated watches came out the feature was that no winding was required.
You do not need to pay more, but beware of performance. A field watch is not just about the looks. It should be at least waterproof to 100m and reasonably impact and corrosion resistant. You should be able to read it in the dark. Features must be real: buttons, wheels, etc. Of course, you need to know how to use the features, even if you don’t really need them.
The Timex watches above look similar to mine, which is a Timex Expedition. Seems to be well made, much more rugged than the Timex EZ-Reader, which is light an cheap in comparison, and not much cheaper in price.