Please help me find the right watch

September 24, 2010 12:22 PM

Please help me find the right watch. (Details inside.)

I need a watch that I can wear 24/7 and use as an alarm clock. Style isn't important. My requirements are:

* Digital
* Tough
* A good alarm (strong or persistent enough to wake me) preferably with repeat and snooze
* Cheap (say, under $50)
* Metal case and strap (resin straps break on me very quickly)
* Long life battery /or solar
* Safe to wear in shower
* Decent night ligh

Other stuff, such as dual time, multiple alarms, etc., would be nice, but not at the cost of the features above.

I guess a Casio is most likely to fit the bill, but I believe many Casios have soft alarms.

posted by kitfreeman to Grab Bag (5 answers total)

Dude, definitely keep an eye on 1SaleADay.com - at least three or four times a week, they have typical "guy" watches (tons of features, relatively bulletproof), and they are ALWAYS very cheap. I'd never buy one myself, but that was the FIRST place I thought of.
posted by julthumbscrew at 12:25 PM on September 24, 2010 [1 favorite]

Casio G-Shock is probably the best watch there is for reliability, ruggedness (including water resistance), and features. Used by pilots and other active people. However, it's not metal.

Note though that a good metal case and strap are expensive, and if you get something cheap it may not be comfortable to wear, and could well have other problems.
posted by Hediot at 12:31 PM on September 24, 2010

2nding the G-Shock. Love mine. Had it for 5 years and haven't had a single problem.
posted by Quack at 1:20 PM on September 24, 2010

Had my G-Shock since '99. It's on its second battery. Loud alarm. It's a bit huge, though.
posted by scruss at 1:43 PM on September 24, 2010

Nthing G-Shock. The standard for digital watches IMHO. The are solar models now, too.
posted by gnutron at 1:55 PM on September 24, 2010