Looking for a simple and ergonomic men's watch

October 9, 2009 1:20 PM

I'm looking for a men's digital watch that is simple, slim and ergonomic.

I don't care much for style. For most of my life I've used a basic Casio F-91W which has all the functions I need.

Yet I'm not entirely immune to occasional pangs of embarrassment around meeting tables, and I have to admit that while my watch is adequate, it's not something I love or that really reflects my values.

What am I looking for?

First, it has to be digital. (I know that eliminates 90% of the field of well-designed watches.) Second, my arms are skinny and I work at a keyboard all day. Chunky watches look ridiculous on me, and are uncomfortable when my arms rest on a desk. Even my little Casio is chunkier than I'd like it to be. Metal is out.

Third, I work in user experience and care about ergonomics. I hate how most watches compromise usability for style. I value legibility and comfort. I like how some sports watches have large numerals, large buttons, and are sometimes even angled to be readable at an oblique glance. But sports watches all tend to be as pointlessly chunky as 80s boom boxes. While style is not my first concern, I do care about attractive typography, visual balance and colour.

Finally, functions. All I care about is hours, minutes, seconds, date and day. Stopwatch would be nice but is not essential.

So, does a watch like this exist? I consider it so unlikely that money wouldn't be an object.

posted by snarfois to clothing, beauty, & fashion (15 answers total)

This is very much on my wish list at the moment, and I think might cover your requests. it's big, but flat, and the e-ink screen intrigues me.
posted by viama at 1:25 PM on October 9, 2009 [2 favorites]

Nooka has a bunch of really cool digital watches. I'm not sure if they meet your legibility requirements though.
posted by jeffamaphone at 1:28 PM on October 9, 2009

I can think of a lot of slim, stylish digital watches with simple displays. For starters how about these - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Right ballpark?
posted by fire&wings at 1:30 PM on October 9, 2009

Kenneth Cole has a couple you might like. Try this or this.
posted by ferociouskitty at 1:42 PM on October 9, 2009

Hmm, Phosphor and Nooka are a bit ostentatious (and as you guessed, I don't care for cryptic.) The Next ones come closer, but most still are bigger and thicker than they need to be (men = chunky I suppose). 2 and 5 come closest. Thanks for suggestions so far!
posted by snarfois at 1:45 PM on October 9, 2009

The Kenneth Cole ones are quite nice, especially the first.
posted by snarfois at 1:47 PM on October 9, 2009

have a look at nixon watches, they're pretty popular among nerds.
http://www.nixonnow.com/watches/mens/the-newton-digital-A137_000.html
or
http://www.nixonnow.com/watch-selector/
posted by safepants at 1:55 PM on October 9, 2009

I have the metal version of your Casio and it's awesome and very stylish. I get positive comments about it all the time.

Yet I'm not entirely immune to occasional pangs of embarrassment around meeting tables

Don't be. Especially with the metal Casio. It's awesome.
posted by The World Famous at 2:00 PM on October 9, 2009

Watch II by Rosendahl.

The only reason I haven't gotten one yet is that I want a watch that will tell time in the dark as well. Tritium would be awesome, but I'd settle for a watch that wasn't. So far, I haven't found a watch I like as much as the Watch II that glows at all.
posted by Brian Puccio at 5:03 PM on October 9, 2009

Oh, and if you find their men's watch is a bit too big for you, get the women's version of the same model. Problem solved.

(They've got measurements buried in some PDFs on their website.)
posted by Brian Puccio at 5:04 PM on October 9, 2009

I've had this watch for about 4 years now, and it is easily the most comfortable watch I've ever owned. It has a couple more features than you need, but it will take quite a beating and you will hardly notice you're wearing it.
posted by doh ray mii at 6:02 PM on October 9, 2009

I like Fossil's digital watches. Especially this, this, and this.
posted by torquemaniac at 9:06 PM on October 9, 2009

I have a Nike watch from this series. Much thinner and nicer-looking than in the Amazon picture. Super lightweight, and so far, bulletproof. No frills, time + date + alarm. Blue backlight looks cool, too. (I got it because my steel diver's watch was too clunky around a new baby, and liked it so much that I haven't gone back.)
posted by turducken at 11:52 PM on October 9, 2009

Snarfois, this Casio FE10 should be just what you're looking for. Cheap too (although it doesn't look or feel cheap).
posted by Dave. at 11:28 AM on October 10, 2009

Thanks for all the great suggestions! Nixon Newton and Watch II are both beautiful, but they've become a bit too simple: I'd prefer not to press a button to see the date. The Fossil Jr9642, Nike Torque and Casio FE10 are all contenders.

The last inevitable problem is not being able to try them on. I'll see which are possible to get through Amazon UK; they've got good return policies.
posted by snarfois at 11:47 AM on October 10, 2009