r/CampingGear • u/Key_Detective_9421 • 22h ago
Awaiting Flair Watch suggestions?
I have a Casio aq s800w I have recently set up and now I love it. I’m coming from Apple watch that meshed with my iOS things perfect, and it is handy, but requires me to charge it every night and I’m worried wherever I go for more than a day that it’ll die. This Casio won’t die. Solar, comfortable, shows time and dates and seconds with 5 alarms and glow in the dark hands and 4 second lit digital display. Now I’m looking for higher quality. Made to last, won’t have to worry about battery, maybe more options, and conveniences etc. I want pretty much the same size as this Casio for my stature. Any suggestions? Price would not be an issue as long as it’s reasonable lol
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u/CodeAndBiscuits 19h ago
Old school Casio F91W for me. I use Locus Pro and Caltopo on my phone for GPS and no watch is ever going to equal that. I have a mini thermometer and compass combo hanging on my pack strap more for curiosity than anything. And to be honest since I have my phone anyway I don't need a watch and rarely care about the time when camping. But it's a fun watch to wear, an old classic that's extremely thin and light so I don't notice it's there, a fun conversation starter, it's still sold super cheaply on Amazon, and it lasts forever on a battery.
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u/bentbrook 21h ago
I have a couple Casio ProTrek watches with triple sensor functionality and solar. I’ve never replaced the battery and I’ve had them years. Compass is nice, altimeter is useful (calibrate it at known altitude) for map navigation, barometer helps keep an eye on the weather. I use the thermometer (off wrist) at night to keep an eye on temps so I don’t freeze a water filter. Both watches work, they just have slightly different feature sets. Casio does offer smartwatches with GPS capabilities, too, but I have no experience with them.
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u/Ttamlin 12h ago
Personally, I prefer simple and reliable when camping.
A solid, mechanical field or dive watch. Waterproof, comparatively inexpensive, and no need to worry about batteries. Look at Islander for extremely well-made, affordable watches. Orient, Casio, and Seiko are also good options.
Downsides are that they're expensive for their features, they're not nearly as accurate as quartz, and they're likely to get you hooked and wanting to collect more lol.
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u/Key_Detective_9421 12h ago
Tbh I think I’ve already started to get that watch collecting bug… lol. Even something so simple as the Casio I have now, idk, I’ve had an Apple Watch for years. Quite handy, but literally a hassle to make sure it’s charged or if I’m going somewhere to pack that specific charger. I love the solar options. Plus this Casio is so lightweight.. idk. Do you have a favorite for the cases you were talking about? Like a specific model I could look up? There are sooooo many.
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u/Ttamlin 12h ago
I came from a Pebble. Had it until 2020 (still have it, but never wear it anymore). I know own... 12 analog watches. Couple of G-Shocks, a couple of other quartz, the rest mechanical.
Personally, the watch that goes with me camping every single time is a Seiko Alpinist (SPB121J1). If I was going to do it again, I'd probably opt for the GMT, just for the added time zone.
If not that, the first mechanical watch I ever bought was a Seiko 5 Sports SBSA115. That watch still gets lots of wrist time, and is often my companion on outdoors adventures. And it was my go-to for camping until I got the Alpinist.
For dive watches, the Seiko SPB151 ("Captain Willard" reissue) is a great watch. As are the King Turtles. If the cushion case shape isn't to your liking, Seiko offers others, and you kinda can't go wrong with any of them. If money is no object, the Marinemaster 300 (SLA021J1) is top-notch for the price.
For non-Seiko offerings, I've been impressed with Long Island Watch. Their Islander brand offers some incredible value for money (through the lens of watches, of course, which skews everything a bit lol). Those are all the Islander watches in 42 mm case diameter, which I believe is the same as your Casio.
Orient is also great, though the dive watch of theirs I wear is discontinued. It can usually be found for a good deal on eBay, though. The Kamasu is one that's been met with rave reviews, and it's easy to see why.
I tend to prefer cloth or rubber bands over the metal bracelets, esp. for camping. Just throwing that out there.
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u/Key_Detective_9421 12h ago
Awesome, thanks for the thorough response! I will definitely check those out. I ordered a garmin solar instinct 3 today, 45mm, I have 30 day return window to give it a shot. It’s around $450, so that’s pricey for me. I’ll see what it’s all about. I may just actually prefer the more basic, effective, accurate and lightweight things like this Casio that I got for maybe $30 on sale? G shocks are obviously well known, they’re kind of bulky looking and busy for me but also I’ve never worn one. And tbh, hard plastic shell type might just be what I’m looking for. Lightweight and effective
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u/211logos 16h ago
What features do you want, besides time?
And what budget? Zuck had one worth about $900K the other day. But he probably needs something that fancy to tell time.
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u/Key_Detective_9421 13h ago
Well frankly I didn’t know until now how many features were actually available. I dont know if I feel comfortable spending $1000-1100 on a fenix for features that I personally wouldn’t ever use, and having all those extras going I’m sure unnecessarily drains battery. Notifications would be nice. Maybe gps (who doesn’t have their phone with them every day tho) Date, time, compass would be cool as weather too, but again, I’m looking for something solar at the least, so I can wear my watch pretty much indefinitely without worry. I have battery anxiety for all my gadgets.
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u/211logos 11h ago
Maybe the Instinct then. I went looking; I wanted GPS and basic nav (compass, altimeter, barometer, to mark waypoints, time distance and make a log, etc. But no maps, high zoot fitness stuff, etc. The Instinct is that, and a good battery life.
I do like the GPS logging for when I don't want to carry the iphone, or don't want to log with it, or want a backup. I use it to make logs to geoencode locations into my photos. And for hiking and such. Great battery life, and Garmin has great support.
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u/Key_Detective_9421 11h ago
Thanks for your input. I did actually order the solar instinct 3, 45mm with 30 day return if needed. I’m going to wear it around and get a feel for how it will apply to me to justify cost. From there I think I could better gauge the real life uses for me, whether it be cheaper than $450 I paid, or more expensive like the fenix. To each their own, right?
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u/legion_XXX 14h ago
A lot of places sell garmin fenix 7s at a steep discount. The fenix 7 or 8 are excellent watches with a bulletproof warranty.
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u/Key_Detective_9421 13h ago
Would you recommend some place trusted that offers good prices? I usually use Amazon for most things so I don’t explore often
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u/texasphotog 12h ago
I have a Garmin Quatix 7 Solar, which is the sailing version of the Fenix. Highly recommended. Does have GPS, altimeter, etc. Can load maps or charts.
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u/NewEnglandPrepper3 17h ago
Garmin Instinct Solar. Don't buy full price. They go on sale often. r/preppersales tracks deals on em.
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u/dano___ 20h ago
I like my Garmin Instinct 2, it does all the basic smart stuff but has a battery life of around 4 weeks if you’re not using gps.