What is a Beater Watch?
A beater watch is something worn on a daily basis that can take the abuse of basic, everyday living. Ideally, because it’s worn so often and not much thought seems to go into them as you wear them, the more durable these watches are the better. Beater watches are not intended to be designed as fashion pieces. They’re made to do exactly like the style of the watch suggests, which means it can take a beating. While it’s not recommended you take that watch off your wrist and whip it against something to test how much of a beating it can take, it is recommended for its practicality for everyday use. Men and women work hard and sometimes play hard. Among those who like to keep track of the time as they do whatever they do, a good, solid watch does the trick. Many people honestly feel naked without having a watch strapped around their wrist at all times. For them, something as sensible as a beater watch is essential.
Beater Watch Varieties
Like people, and like watches designed for the sole purpose to be fashionable, beater watches come in many different varieties. Some are called field watches that are designed as smooth bezel watches that are simple enough to work with and easy to read. The primary purpose behind a beater watch is to tell time, so the easier it is to do this the better. Since this style of watch is worn so often and throughout the day, it needs to be able to keep up with the daily demands of the person wearing it. Not only does such a watch need to be easy to read, but easy to maintain as well. Basically, a set, wear, and forget is what the beater watches are designed to do. The majority of the time, field watches come with an analog design. They do come digital as well but watch critics tend to place the analog watches among the top of the lineup where beater watches designed for fieldwork is concerned.
Best Beater Watches
If it should happen you’re in the market for a good beater watch that has the most favorable reviews by critics, the list provided in this article serves as a guide to look further into various beater watch manufacturers and their designs.
5. SEIKO SNK803
This beater watch is highly reliable and comes from a timepiece maker that has proven itself to be the best among the best. Not only is SEIKO world-famous for making the most eye-catching watches in the world, but also among the most durable. If anybody can build a quality beater watch, it’s SEIKO. At approximately $100 USD per watch, this 21-jewel automatic movement analog-faced watch is encased with a 37-millimeter casing and an 18-millimeter fabric band. The boldness of the watch’s face makes it easy to read. Odds are the fabric band may not last nearly as long as the watch itself, which may not be such a bad thing if one would rather go for a leather or nylon watch strap that would be more durable.
4. Vostok Komandirskie Mechanical Hand-Winding Wristwatch
It fetches for about $55 USD and is manufactured from the same company that supplies watches for the Russian military. This analog-faced watch is encased within a 39-millimeter case strapped to an 18-millimeter leather belt. The deliberate spacing in the bezel makes it easier to read the markers between the 10-minute intervals. This is a standard feature among Eastern Military-grade watches. In general, any watch with the Vostok Komandirskie title to it can pass as a solid beater watch.
3. Marathon Military Field Watch
It’s strong and it does the job like a good soldier. The Marathon Military Field watch is among the most solid beater watched on the market. At a price tag typically at $260 USD each, this 34-millimeter cased watch with the 16-millimeter nylon band is remarkably durable. This beater watch is government-certified and commonly worn among men and women of the armed forces. The Swiss-made, high torque Quartz movement comes with an end-life indicator when the time comes for the battery needing to be changed. Of all the beater watches on the market, this one is among those that can take the most abuse thanks to the high-impact fiber shell casing and sapphire crystal watch face that also happens to be easy to read.
2. Timex Expedition South Chronograph
For timepiece wearers who like to have their beater watch have a bit more to it than just telling the time, the Timex Expedition South Chronograph design does this. The ability for this watch to act as a stopwatch and a display watch at the same time makes it an ideal choice for people who need to time something like a race. Designed with an analog face, this Timex favors the vintage look that happens to keep up with modern society’s needs as well. Often voted as one of the best beater watches on the market by a number of consumers and critics, the Timex Expedition South Chronograph watch is easy enough to come by and is usually priced at about $95 USD. The Quartz movement is encased within a 42-millimeter case strapped to a 20-millimeter leather band. This is usually the top watch of choice among many coaches of teams who make good use out of the stopwatch feature.
1. Timex Weekender
Timex is the most common name brought up whenever the talk about solid watches that stand the test of time (no pun intended) comes about. The Weekender is that one watch series that best fits the beater watch classification. The analog design is simple, flat, and easy to read. The smooth bezel is made with polished brass and its rounded lugs help deliver a clean look that mixes a bit of vintage and modernism. Its basic Quartz movement is encased within a 38-millimeter case and comes with a 22-millimeter leather band. On average, the Timex Weekender beater watch sells anywhere from $38-$50 USD.
In Conclusion
At the end of the day, beater watches are meant to last the test of time, literally speaking. It should be able to be worn anywhere at any time without worrying whether or not it can handle the roughness and tumble of everyday life.
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