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Re: recommendations for wristwatch "inexpensive"
From: Carl Herzog
Date: 2005 Apr 26, 14:50 -0400
From: Carl Herzog
Date: 2005 Apr 26, 14:50 -0400
Casio's are really popular. I've owned a bunch. They're cheap enough that you're not too upset when the wristband breaks and they go over the side. I've lost three of them from getting snagged on rigging. (I figure it's better they break off than take my arm.). But none of them have ever leaked, and a couple vastly outperformed their specs. For all I know, the ones I've lost are still keeping time on the bottom somewhere! They have lots of digital models with all the functions you're talking about. Big buttons to illuminate the display make it easy to check at dusk. Stopwatch functions included. Countdown timers on some, great for racing. Multiple times on some of them, keeping utc and local. Seconds displayed and easily reset. Date and day of the week. The biggest downside to them is that their ability to keep time can vary widely from model to model. (I don't know why. Mostly 'cause of cheap construction, I'd wager.) I've had one that lost a couple seconds a month, but another that gained a 1/2 a second a day! Keep a watch log when you first get it, and track the error over a couple weeks. If you need it and can't check it against a time signal, you'll at least know the correction since you last set it. Carl coralline algae wrote: >Greetings, > >I am planning on buying an inexpensive wristwatch that will be set to gmt, uct >and would like to hear what others on the list recommend. My current wristwatch >is a suunto vector but is a pain as it has no zero set for seconds and >really doesnt >display seconds anyway instead they use a moving 3 block thingy which >is only an approximation. One specific thing the watch should have is >the button >to start seconds at the wwv minute tone. Display of time to the >second is required >and date is also desirable with digital display the preference. > >Any other opinions would be welcome but I cant spend >a lot at this time (under 1 or 2 hundred dollars) > >I use the sextant alone so a stopwatch function would be great but may just get >that as a separate instrument. > >Note: I have gps but that would be cheating. > > > > > -- Carl Herzog Editor, Reed's Nautical Almanacs Providence, RI 401-454-8300