It seems like every watch company offers a field watch. The most familiar ones are simple watches inspired by standard military watches issued to some US troops beginning in the Vietnam era. As the prestige level of each watch company rises so does the price tag. If you just want the look, it's worth checking out the absolute basic starting models of field watch.
George Field Watches at Walmart
For example, Walmart offers some nice looking field watches through their George brand. I consider these watches the baseline for field watches.
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| George Field Watch (white dial) |
Since field watches generally all look the same, if you can get one for $12, that can save you some serious money. Both of the quartz watches pictured (above and below) have the familiar look of a field watch. Both are made by FMD and both have stainless steel case backs. They also have imitation leather straps that look pretty good.
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| George Field Watch (brown dial) |
FMD watches are nothing to sneer at. Their exact ownership is a bit mysterious to watch enthusiasts online. However, if you look up the address on the warranty card inside the watch box, you'll find that service is handled at the address (former address now) of Fossil Watches in North America. Fossil admits to owning Fossil, Michele, Skagen, and Zodiac and licensing brands Armani Exchange, Diesel, DKNY, Emporio Armani, Kate Spade New York, Michael Kors, and Tory Burch. The company probably sells about $700 million dollars worth of conventional watches each year. Suffice it to say, if they are affiliated, FMD is the lowest company on any corporate totem pole for Fossil.
Timex Field Watches
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| A Timex Expedition Camper Watch |
To me, the next step up on the field watch ladder are various Timex watches like the Timex Expedition and Timex Camper (above). The Expedition Camper is an inexpensive watch available on Amazon. I like the World War 2 field watch inspired look of my old Timex Expedition Vintage Metal Field Watch (below). It's an excellent watch and it just keeps getting better with age.
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| Timex Expedition Vintage Metal |
Better Field Watch Options on Amazon
Once you've tried the baseline field watch look, you can decide if you want to go further with it. You may decide that some combination of a mechanical movement, stronger case material, and better waterproofing, are worth extra. On Amazon, there are fine offerings from companies like Alpina, Bertucci, Bulova, Praesidus, and Vaer.
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| Bulova Military Heritage Hack Veterans Watchmaking Initiative Watch (Amazon photo) |
Bulova field watches harken back to watches that the company made for US troops in the 1940s, 50s, and 60s. At online auction sites, vintage Bulova field watches can fetch over $1000. The Bulova Men's Military Heritage Hack Veterans Watchmaking Initiative Watch (above) costs far less on Amazon.
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| The Praesidus 34mm Jungle Field Watch |
The Praesidus 34mm Jungle field watch offers a stainless steel case, 50 meters of water resistance, and a Swiss Rhonda automatic movement. The watch is also assembled here in the United States. The sheer variety of American assembled watches makes the Praesidus brand worth a good look.
If you like field watches and you're comfortable with baseline field watches for everyday wear, you can take your collection in many directions. You'll have a field day!
