This. Don't get me wrong - I'd love an Explorer I. However, the perfect field watch is probably plastic, quartz or solar, LCD or simple 24 hour analog dial, costs less than a 100 bucks, doesn't go that well with a Saville Row suit or dinner jacket (in otherwords, fairly ugly looking) and is the very antithesis of the watches discussed 99% of the time on general forum.If we're talking attractive field-style watches, then it's a decent enough list (although I don't think you can really pick just 5.)
If we're talking watches you would actually take hiking, climbing, into battle, etc, (as the article lead-in seems to indicate) then it's a pretty crummy list. The Timex Exhibition being the only truly practical option. A $7,000 Rolex 1016 that hasn't been manufactured in more than 40 years as an ideal outdoors watch? Really?
In my opinion, the best true field watch is the one you don't mind destroying. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter how well-built your watch is - if it smakes into a rock face at high velocity, or a spring bar breaks and it takes a dive off a cliff, it's game over (Well, unless it's a G-shock and assuming you can actually find it again…
Plus, if I'm out on the trail, the last thing I want to be doing is worrying about damaging my watch, as I most certainly will be if it costs thousands of dollars.
Another great example of the cruel irony of expensive sports and field watches. The polar Explorer is very cool looking and absolutely calls out to be a travel watch, or an outdoors watch. Unfortunately, with a starting price of around $7,000, it absolutely ensures that if I owned one, I would never, ever use it for any of these things…
Do you happen to know the model number of those Seikos? I see pictures of those models floating around, but I think it's a discontinued model…They seems to forget the Lorus,Pulsar or Seiko. Awesome lume and practical use, be it quartz and automatic. The low price also means, if you rough it out, just dump it and buy another one.
+100But what's the point of paying thousands for a rugged, excellent time piece if you'e scared to wear it?
+1But the Rolex would be my pick. As much as I like the Submariners, the simple clean lines of the Explorer are hard to beat.