- Geography. The climate of your next adventure is highly dependent on what watch you should bring. A cold climate is not favorable for automatic watches as the grease and lubricants may become more viscous or even freeze. An automatic is much better suited for tropical climates or warm water diving. For cold climates, I have had good success with a Casio Protrek (all digital screen) in up to -20c.
- Budget. Budget will arguably make up 95% of all watch purchases regardless of intended use (the other 5% is watch investment or trading purposes). While I know some people who have taken their Rolex GMT Master II scuba diving, I do not recommend it nor do anything of that sort. Going on a trip that requires alot of outdoor work in harsh(er) environments than everyday city life, I would choose a watch on the cheap side you wouldn't mind scratching up because you will definitely scratch it up. If you don't are you really going outdoors?
- Functionality. Another thing to consider is functionality. Do you want a triple sensor watch? Do you want to track multiple timezones? Are you diving? How deep will you go? Do you want a chronograph? Dive timer? While most adventures do not require you to track multiple timezones or even require any specialized functions a watch with a simple dive timer will do just fine. I have had good luck with a simple Seiko Monster on dive trips or even on treks. My Protrek in Bhutan was also nice for calculating temperature, altitude and pressure which is important to see your density altitude - how much oxygen is actually available to you given pressure and non standard temperature.
- Waterproofing. While there are much more comprehensive articles on watch waterproofing. This section is here just for you to be aware of the issues and of those articles addressing them in much greater detail. Watch waterproof ratings may as well be a scam. First of all, no watch is ever waterproof. They are water resistant. And while there are definitely high end watches that are true to their waterproof ratings (some even go beyond such as the Seiko Tuna) most lower end watches aren't water resistant to anywhere near their advertised rating. For example, a 100m water resistant watch probably shouldn't be taken diving even if you are going to depths of no more than 18m.
- Size. While size may not be everything it is more important than you think. There are definitely large watches floating around in the 50mm range that are marketed for to be rugged terrain companions. However bigger is not always better. A bigger watch makes it easier to clip and accidentally bang into things scratching it or just simply inhibiting you from certain movements. While my Citizen Ecozilla is rugged as hell, I would probably not take it into the desert or on a trek where I'll be constantly gripping to rocks or brushing past them.
- Straps. This one is obvious, however some are not aware of this. A leather, crocodile skin or shark skin straps ARE NOT waterproof. I do not recommend you bring any of those straps on your next trip. Instead, try a rubber, NATO or even a rubber NATO strap (if you can find one). These are very rugged and durable. The NATO strap also have an advantage over traditional ones. They don't stress the pins as much as traditional ones. As for bracelets, while are perfectly fine for most rugged terrain, should be used with discretion. Mainly due to scratching and potential damages to the bracelet. If you really have to go with a bracelet, a mesh variant will do just fine.
While this guide will only help you choose a watch for your next adventure, it is up to you and your discretion to select one that fits your criteria.
Feel free to message me and ask if you have any further questions.
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