Survivalist off-grid watches for the time ahead

This topic was planned for a future blog but it has been thrust upon me this week as my EDC and favourite watch started playing up...then didn't play anymore! Corrosion! But,But I rarely swim or shower with it. Too many possible points of water entry.

(Up front, I have not been paid in anyway and do not gain financially in anyway from what I suggest below.I did however buy the final choice from Joyce Jewellery)

I had been an Apple Fan-boy for decades and had the iwatch series 3 (way back) but the one day battery drove me nuts since I liked the sleep features - so when do get a chance to charge it??? Also my wife (and me a bit) weren't too keen on another bluetooth /wifi device near the bed.

So a few years back I settled on the Garmin Instinct Solar 2 - Tactical. Yes it is a smartwatch and therefore has connectivity...but it has a 'Stealth' mode so as not to emit a wireless signature - in another universe not too far away, that can get you killed! ;)

It's a great watch, one of the big positives was the 29-30 day battery life, loved that! In fact now I want more time. And has a bunch of functionality every prepper, hunter and sports person would want. That functionality comes at a cost and I'm not necessarily talking dollars. Unless you use those function regularly then user interface and learning curve was far from intuitive.

So here I am in the market for a new watch. This unfortunate situation has given me time to pause, reflect on what I really need and what is happening in the world generally...well not generally, specifically from a 'what if'; that not too distant distopian universe collides with this one and having a watch emitting a signature that can be direction found is not great. But also what if I can't afford or access another watch for years to come, or the batteries/parts to keep the thing going? And all that lovely personal data collected on my watch about my health activity (or lack of it), heart rate and sleep patterns etc is it really For My Eyes Only? Marketing agencies (including Garmin) and more worryingly medical insurance companies would love to get hold it. 

Besides, I can take my pulse the old school way, looking at last nights sleep patterns often made me more stressed and I think I know if I have had a big day out in the field walking - am I feeling slothy or stuffed? that's all I need to really know. As far as the built in GPS, well my iPhone Gaia and Avenza apps are the go to and if I had to rely on the watch GPS I would have to find my way out of whatever mess I am in within 4hrs before the battery dies! Fortunately my 'Get Home Bag' which is never far from me has map & compass. Hell ,I could even attach one of those mini compasses to the watch band, all the cool kids have them.

But I still need a watch, I really do! Some are okay without something on their wrist, the phone is always in their hand anyway. But for me, my hands are often dirty and nearly always full so getting the phone out to see the time is just a PITA.

In the search I narrowed it down to: Solar powered or 'Automatic' (inertia powered)

• Casio G-Shock range (OMG it's a big range and confusing)
• Citizen Eco-drive (Widest range and unfortunately the least amount of details between watches for comparison)
• Seiko (a tad pricey for the features and limited 'tactical' range
• Garmin Solar - bitter taste and every model has forums full of technical issues.

So What will it be? My Criteria...

• No Battery - solar or inertia. Apart from being eco friendly, there is something cool about a piece of tech that runs for free.
• Tough enough - for adventure riding, hunting, a bit of rock climbing and general workshop and garden duties. Plastic composites just look 'used' in a short while
• No wireless signature - we have enough EMF's in our lives. Why sleep with more under your pillow. RF direction finding (Like war-driving) is a thing. Devices constantly talking to each other means when a signal is heard in a place where there shouldn't be (on patrol or in an OP) it - YOU stand out.
• Low night time vis, dark case, dark face and band - one less thing to cover up
• No accidental light button pressing - with Night vision common, LED illumination lights up the bush...then you get lit up LOL
• No pressing a button to read at night, Luminous hands (hands free operation) Less movement in bed or the LPOP is always a good thing.
• Minimal points of water egress - buttons, sensors and charge points.
• Preferably has an alarm and stopwatch or timer - are we all in sync
• Looks kinda nice - EDC can look classy too
• Metal band (fabric rots, gets grubby and the rubber can stink and guaranteed it will tear one day)
• Minimal chunkiness that inhibits sleeves - so many are un-necessarily bulky. They may look masculine but make pulling back a shirt sleeve or tight storm weather cuffs up time consuming.
• Value for money - If the SHTF or I meet someone shady, I don't want to die over a watch. I have now bought two 'good' watches only for them to have a short time in sync with the sun.

I hope you don't mind but I am just going to cut to the chase. It came down to Casio and Citizen. But in the end I just couldn't bring my self to wear the chunky and busy faces of the G-shock range. The Citizens are the king with solar conversion to power in a watch. They have arguably been doing it the longest. With a great variety of styles and just good bang for buck. The only problem has been pinning down the ones I like...so hard to find stock! Is that a good thing or a bad indicator? Time will tell.

Here is my short list, All Citizen eco-drive!!! sorry if it offends.

This simple face, cheap, yet cool end up being the runner up due to a lack of stock of the ones below.

 

This became the winner. CA0797-84X but wasn't my first choice.

 

This one was my first choice. Actually paid for it only to be refunded out of stock.

 

Initially my fav due to the big glow in the dark face. But for the same reason it slipped in ranking. In bed, my wife hates the 'raise to on' of iWatches and the heart rate pulse LEDs of the Garmin. So NOPE. But I still like it.

This became the one I really wanted, stylish, and had the handy heart rate pulse dial thing. Alas it was out of stock too.

 

Is my pick suitable for you? Of course not. I'm a guy, you might go by some other pronoun. I have thin flatish wrists 182mm, I have reasonable near vision. I have realised 3 Buttons is about my limit on a watch, I just hope they don't catch on everything. I tend to stick with old brands with such things. Finally, Citizens reviews indicated less issues.

I really hope this has helped or at least given you some food for thought.

Thanks for reading my rambles.

Troy