Tough steel work watch

[ciaranthemurph]

I am looking to get a new watch for wearing to work and I was wondering if anyone had some other ideas as I've not really got many!

Requirements:

1. I work in a shipyard, so it needs to be tough and able to take knocks.

2. I like black watches, I currently wear a Nixon Sultan (black) in the office, but due to being completely black apart from the second hand, it's next to useless in the low light conditions I work in when carrying out inspections with poor lighting. I like the Bell and Ross watches with the brightly coloured numbers and hands, but this would definitely be OTT for where I work and would be worried about damaging it! So would prefer a black case and bracelet.

3. I work in Singapore, so having a second timezone would be a handy addition.

4. A high/good/big/bright (I'm unsure of the correct adverb) lume is also a requirement. I work predominantly in low light conditions and I don't like having to revert to using my iPhone for telling the time as it is a pain to get into and out of zipped pockets and there is the ever present possibility of dropping it into a bilge/black abyss never to be seen again!

5. I'd like an analogue watch rather than digital, purely for tartish reasons.

I know that many will suggest a G-Shock, but I'm not really sure that they are for me. I have small wrists and think that the G-Shock might be a little too bulky for it.

Here are some watches that I've possibly been considering:

Nixon 51-30 PU:
http://www.nixon.com/uk/en/mens/watches/the-51-30-...
I'm not actually sure that this would be suitable, but I do like the look of it. The Nixon I currently own doesn't feel like the most robust thing in the world and I imagine that this will be the same. It also doesn't have a steel bracelet and doesn't mention anything about the luminosity of the hands, but this is the sort of style I am looking for.

Casio G-Shock GW-4000-1A3ER
http://www.g-shock.co.uk/productview.aspx?ID=1954&...
Once again, not steel and I'm not 100% sold on the size of the G-Shocks.

Seiko SNDD67P1 7T92
http://www.seiko.co.uk/collections/men/other/sndd6...
I know that the Seiko will be reliable, but I think it might still be a little flimsy for the intended use.

If anyone has any other suggestions I'm all ears! Also if anyone has any previous form with the listed watches and has any information to share, it would also be appreciated.

Budget will be around the £200 mark, but might stretch to more if it's something I really like.

Thanks in advance, sorry for the long, rambling post!

[R6VED]

I have a black with red detailing Nixon 51-30 with black metal strap which I don't wear any more purely because I have moved on.

It is huge and very heavy if you have small wrists it is not a good idea. It can definitely take a knock though as many a door frame coming of second best can testify.

Robust wise it would suit your requirements I have no doubt and would be a bit lighter on rubber, but make no mistake you could knock people out with it :-) try one on and see what you think, my 39mm Rolex Explorer looks like a toy in comparison :-) and it took me a month to get used to downsizing.

[GC8]

The Seiko is only £105 from Creation. Half the price.

[ecotec]

what about this:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Casio-W-800H-1AVES-Resin-D...

dual time, light etc


This can take the knocks without looking too g shockish and you wont care, spend the change on something nicer for the office

[kazste]

There are some smaller g shocks made or even a baby g as there are qhife a few which are not obviously a ladies watch just the size giving it away.

as an aside I have a bell and ross and tbought the same as you that it would be easy to rad but this is not the case. Due mainly to the fact that the hands confuse the eyes as tbey are only coloured from about 3/4s of the length meani g the middle portion on mine is black and blends with the black dial.

[AlexC1981]

CWC G10 as supplied to the British armed forces. I'd hope it's tough enough! It's also suitable for your wrist size and has a nice easy to read dial in low light. Fixed bars limit your choice of strap.





(googled images)

[LotusMartin]

No 2nd time zone, but check out Traser. maybe the big date alarm?

[Easternlight]

Try Nite watches, Great for low light with tritium illumination, and not too big.

http://www.nitewatches.com/store/gb/mx10/

They usually have a good stock of used and ex demo.

[ciaranthemurph]

Thanks for all the replies!

R6VED said:

I have a black with red detailing Nixon 51-30 with black metal strap which I don't wear any more purely because I have moved on.

It is huge and very heavy if you have small wrists it is not a good idea. It can definitely take a knock though as many a door frame coming of second best can testify.

Robust wise it would suit your requirements I have no doubt and would be a bit lighter on rubber, but make no mistake you could knock people out with it :-) try one on and see what you think, my 39mm Rolex Explorer looks like a toy in comparison :-) and it took me a month to get used to downsizing.

I do like it, but after not wearing my Sultan for a couple of years it doesn't feel as well build or solid as my dress/not working watch. Is there any illumination on the dial on your 51-30?

GC8 said:

The Seiko is only £105 from Creation. Half the price.

Noted, thanks for the heads up.

ecotec said:

what about this:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Casio-W-800H-1AVES-Resin-D...

dual time, light etc

This can take the knocks without looking too g shockish and you wont care, spend the change on something nicer for the office

Thanks, but it's not really my cup of tea. I'm not wanting to go down the digital route and I'd like it look reasonably smart to wear in the office. I know that I'm looking at it from a purely aesthetic view and that the G-Shock shown would probably outlast me, but I have a watch that I wear out with work so would like something reasonably nice or interesting whilst still functional for wearing while I'm there.

kazste said:

as an aside I have a bell and ross and tbought the same as you that it would be easy to rad but this is not the case. Due mainly to the fact that the hands confuse the eyes as tbey are only coloured from about 3/4s of the length meani g the middle portion on mine is black and blends with the black dial.

Ah, this is interesting. I really loved the bright colours of the BR 03-92's and thought I might eventually pick up a second hand one at some point. They really were the first watch to catch my eye in any amount.

AlexC1981 said:

CWC G10 as supplied to the British armed forces. I'd hope it's tough enough! It's also suitable for your wrist size and has a nice easy to read dial in low light. Fixed bars limit your choice of strap.





(googled images)

I do like these watches and found that they have several different models, all nice and rugged looking. The one problem I think that there might be is the lack of a steel strap. It's very hot at work, so I think that the sweat would have a negative effect on the nato and leather straps supplied. They would also need to be oil resistant, which I'm not sure they would be - even my old Citizen Promaster would need it's heavy rubber strap replaced every 18 months or so due to it deteriorating, I'm guessing due to getting covered in various oils and chemicals.

LotusMartin said:

No 2nd time zone, but check out Traser. maybe the big date alarm?

I am liking this: http://www.traserwatches.co.uk/index.php?option=wa... . Thanks for putting me on to them, they do seem to be very close to what I'm looking for.

Easternlight said:

Try Nite watches, Great for low light with tritium illumination, and not too big.

http://www.nitewatches.com/store/gb/mx10/

They usually have a good stock of used and ex demo.

I do love the look of these also. Where do you find the used and ex demos? I could be being a bit thick, but can't see on their website. I think it will be a toss up between the above Traser and this: http://www.nitewatches.com/store/gb/nato/nato-na1-.... I think that the Nato is edging it, and blowing the budget! Hopefully it wouldn't look too out of place on my wrist... Thanks for that!

Any other suggestions out there? Still open for ideas!

Thanks again for all the responses.

[Civpilot]

AlexC1981 said:

CWC G10 as supplied to the British armed forces. I'd hope it's tough enough! It's also suitable for your wrist size and has a nice easy to read dial in low light. Fixed bars limit your choice of strap.





(googled images)

I was at an event recently with loads of the British armed forces in attendence in full kit displaying their equipment to the public (everything from sniper rifles to tanks).

Pretty much to a man they were all wearing G-Shocks, with a small smattering of sunto's and £10 Casio digitals from Argos.
Being interested in watches I asked a few of them if they have supplied special watches (so many manufaturers claim to be 'official suppliers'...

"Nah, just buy a G-Shock mainly, sometimes if your going on deployment you just go out and buy 4 or 5 of those cheap £10 throw away casio ones from Argos" seemed to be the normal response. A few of them were wearing G-Shocks that were about 5 or 6 years old and had seen a few different parts of the (not so friendly) world. Still worked fine and looked nicely weathered, but not damaged.

It was one of the guys with the sniper stuff who was wearing a Sunto Core as was his spotter. And funnily enough the few guys who were with the light machine guns etc were all in the sturdier end of the G-Shock range (Mudmans, 6900, 5600 seemed the normal choice).

Quite interesting to see there was not that much variation in the models they used either.

[R6VED]

ciaranthemurph said:

Is there any illumination on the dial on your 51-30?

Yes there is, but it doesn't last that long.

[Visionist]

Seiko Monster. Comes in a variety of colours but usually orange. The "Neo" (also called "Baby" despite being the same size) Monster edition is more affordable as it eschews the deeper diving capabilities of the traditional Monster, and also features a groovy exhibition back. A Neo Monster sits on my wrist all day if I'm at home, for several years now.

It's absolutely bulletproof. The amount of knocks and scrapes I've had with this watch testifies to its toughness. Not a scratch. A chunky, tough steel affair with a thick, protected inset crystal. Ultra bright hands and numeral markers at night, with the Rolex tradition of a wider hour hand so both it and the minute hand are visible when atop each other. I could read the time even immersed in ink. An ultra reliable automatic movement- say goodbye to batteries. It's designed so that you can't wind it by hand- that would introduce extra, mechanical linkages which would be a weakness. Wear it to work and it'll stay wound all the time. It has an absolutely lovely "feel" when turning the bezel, hard to describe but of all my watches, many of which cost three times as much, this feels like it costs ten times more, easily.

No chronograph or second time zone but a day and date window.

http://forums.watchuseek.com/f281/collectors-guide...

[toast boy]

I'd go for a G Shock. Of all the watches I own it's the only one I'd trust to take a proper beating still be functional. I've got pretty skinny wrists and my GW3000 is obviously a big watch but doesn't look daft.

[1878]

Visionist said:

Seiko Monster. Comes in a variety of colours but usually orange. The "Neo" (also called "Baby" despite being the same size) Monster edition is more affordable as it eschews the deeper diving capabilities of the traditional Monster, and also features a groovy exhibition back. A Neo Monster sits on my wrist all day if I'm at home, for several years now.

It's absolutely bulletproof. The amount of knocks and scrapes I've had with this watch testifies to its toughness. Not a scratch. A chunky, tough steel affair with a thick, protected inset crystal. Ultra bright hands and numeral markers at night, with the Rolex tradition of a wider hour hand so both it and the minute hand are visible when atop each other. I could read the time even immersed in ink. An ultra reliable automatic movement- say goodbye to batteries. It's designed so that you can't wind it by hand- that would introduce extra, mechanical linkages which would be a weakness. Wear it to work and it'll stay wound all the time. It has an absolutely lovely "feel" when turning the bezel, hard to describe but of all my watches, many of which cost three times as much, this feels like it costs ten times more, easily.

No chronograph or second time zone but a day and date window.

http://forums.watchuseek.com/f281/collectors-guide...

Save for the GMT option, this was the first thing that came to my mind too - the lume is amazing and I think the new models come with a black metal strap.

ETA: http://www.creationwatches.com/products/search/res... Buy with confidence, even though they are on the other side of the world.

[ciaranthemurph]

Visionist said:

Seiko Monster. Comes in a variety of colours but usually orange. The "Neo" (also called "Baby" despite being the same size) Monster edition is more affordable as it eschews the deeper diving capabilities of the traditional Monster, and also features a groovy exhibition back. A Neo Monster sits on my wrist all day if I'm at home, for several years now.

It's absolutely bulletproof. The amount of knocks and scrapes I've had with this watch testifies to its toughness. Not a scratch. A chunky, tough steel affair with a thick, protected inset crystal. Ultra bright hands and numeral markers at night, with the Rolex tradition of a wider hour hand so both it and the minute hand are visible when atop each other. I could read the time even immersed in ink. An ultra reliable automatic movement- say goodbye to batteries. It's designed so that you can't wind it by hand- that would introduce extra, mechanical linkages which would be a weakness. Wear it to work and it'll stay wound all the time. It has an absolutely lovely "feel" when turning the bezel, hard to describe but of all my watches, many of which cost three times as much, this feels like it costs ten times more, easily.

No chronograph or second time zone but a day and date window.

http://forums.watchuseek.com/f281/collectors-guide...

1878 said:

Save for the GMT option, this was the first thing that came to my mind too - the lume is amazing and I think the new models come with a black metal strap.

ETA: http://www.creationwatches.com/products/search/res... Buy with confidence, even though they are on the other side of the world.

Well the cat has been truly thrown amongst the pigeons! I hadn't seen the Monsters and they are also automatics, I'm very interested!

Found this: http://www.creationwatches.com/products/seiko-auto...

Thanks!

[toohuge]

ciaranthemurph said:

Well the cat has been truly thrown amongst the pigeons! I hadn't seen the Monsters and they are also automatics, I'm very interested!

Found this: http://www.creationwatches.com/products/seiko-auto...

Thanks!

remember that the Monster will be affected by strong magnetic fields, which given your line of work, could be an issue....

[AlexC1981]

Civpilot said:

I was at an event recently with loads of the British armed forces in attendence in full kit displaying their equipment to the public (everything from sniper rifles to tanks).

Pretty much to a man they were all wearing G-Shocks, with a small smattering of sunto's and £10 Casio digitals from Argos.
Being interested in watches I asked a few of them if they have supplied special watches (so many manufaturers claim to be 'official suppliers'...

"Nah, just buy a G-Shock mainly, sometimes if your going on deployment you just go out and buy 4 or 5 of those cheap £10 throw away casio ones from Argos" seemed to be the normal response. A few of them were wearing G-Shocks that were about 5 or 6 years old and had seen a few different parts of the (not so friendly) world. Still worked fine and looked nicely weathered, but not damaged.

It was one of the guys with the sniper stuff who was wearing a Sunto Core as was his spotter. And funnily enough the few guys who were with the light machine guns etc were all in the sturdier end of the G-Shock range (Mudmans, 6900, 5600 seemed the normal choice).

Quite interesting to see there was not that much variation in the models they used either.

Interesting thanks, I have heard similar before.

[AlexC1981]

If you think you are going to be knocking the watch about you had best stick to quartz. Far fewer delicate moving parts to go wrong.

[147GTA]

Have you looked at the G-Shock cockpit series? I have the GW1701D and it sounds like it is exactly what you want.

I've had mine since 2007 after finding my other G-Shock was just too big and bulky for my smaller wrists and it's taken an absolute battering in those years. The only issues I have with it are that there's no lume strangely despite the hands and hour markers being painted white so you have to use the backlight in the dark and the screen also sits deep in the dial to protect it, I have never managed to scratch it yet, but the edge around it has got a little rough over the years and needs polishing down too.

Great G-Shock really for those who want something a bit normal looking but with the added benefit of being very tough too.

[BHC]

A bit more expensive, but cool with the tritium tube lame would be a quartz Marathon