Choosing the best type of men’s watch for your life

When you start to search for a new men’s watch, you quickly realize how many options are out there. But each type of men’s watch has a specific design and purpose. If you find the watch that fits your need, you’re more likely to enjoy and appreciate the watch.

So, what type of guy are you?

The Shark: For men who love the water

The clearest watch decision is for divers, sailors, and other guys who spend a lot of time in or near the water. Automatically this means that you should choose a dive watch. These watches seal and can handle water with ease. They also include some dive features that can come in handy: bezels that turn to track the amount of oxygen left in your tank; stainless steel construction that can handle saltwater; and bands that dry instantly when you get out of the ocean.

A few tips for choosing a dive watch:

• True dive watches can go at least 100 meters/300 feet deep. We engineer ours to 300 meters/900 feet. This requires a locking crown.
• True dive watches also have a uni-directional or one-way bezel. The bezel should only turn counterclockwise. Otherwise, you can hit the bezel underwater and lose your oxygen tracking.
• True dive watches also featured illuminated hands and time markings. It does get darker the deeper you go.

You may be thinking: do I really need a dive watch? Maybe not, but they are nice to have for anyone on or near the ocean. They can handle the salt and the water with ease.

We designed the Atlantis to be a best-in-class dive watch. And because we build it ourselves and then sell it direct, we can give you a great Swiss quartz dive watch for under $500. Try our Atlantis Sport Blue dive watch or – if you also want something a little more tactical – our Atlantis Blackfish Dive watch.

The Lion: For men who need a tactical watch

Are you a soldier? Or law enforcement officer? Or even a man doing construction on a regular basis? You need a tougher watch that can handle a few direct hits without a problem. This is why Smith & Bradley was created.

If you’re in a physical environment, choose a watch designed for it. We recommend looking for a few things:

• Constructed specifically for tactical situations. This means the watch is designed to protect sensitive parts from a direct hit. Glass is protected. The crown has side protections and screws down.
• Utilizes sapphire instead of glass. Sapphire is much less likely to scratch or break than glass, even glass infused with plastic (mineral glass).
• It can handle water. At least 10 meters of water resistance, but we recommend more. Ours watches are constructed with extreme water resistance.

Tactical watches usually look the part as well. They are designed to last a lifetime, not for pure aesthetics. But men of action often prefer a watch that indicates they are men of action. And tactical men’s watches are excellent at sending the message that you’re more than expected.

Our premier tactical watch is the SANS-13 men’s watch. Specifically designed for soldiers and law enforcement officers, it features everything you want from a tactical watch. We also offer the Atlantis Blackfish tactical dive watch. It combines the best of both dive and tactical watches.

The Bear: For men who love the woods

The next logical direction is a watch made for woodsmen. Hikers, fishermen, hunters and anyone else spending some time in the backcountry needs a special watch. A field watch is usually lighter and smaller, so that it keeps out of the way. And these watches need to be built for rugged backwoods as well as a day out fishing.

When considering a field watch, you need to make sure the watch strap works for your situation as well. We love NATO watch bands, which are almost impossible to break no matter how thick the brush. Here’s our indicators of a great field watch:

• The watch band needs to handle sweat, water, fish guts, and whatever else you throw at it. Make sure the band is rugged and can take a bramble or two. We love NATO straps because they are unbreakable and double-strapped around the watch.
• Only consider watches with some illumination. You’re likely to be in the woods at dark eventually and you’ll need to be able to see your watch.
• Weight matters more when you’re hiking long distances. Choose a lighter-weight watch (maybe a 40mm size) made of stainless steel. This is the optimum build for weight versus strength. You’ll still bang that thing around, so don’t get plastic.

We still recommend Swiss quartz movements or Swiss automatic movements for your field watch. This increases the price a bit, but also gives you a watch you can count on. Swiss movements are constructed to last a lifetime (like all of our Smith & Bradley watches). Don’t get cheap on the internals.

Smith & Bradley took a few years to craft the Discovery Field Watch. It is the perfect balance of tough, lightweight, and ready for the woods. And because it uses a NATO strap, you’ll never lose it. NATO straps are also easily interchangeable for updating your look.  

Life’s Tough. Get a Tough Watch.

These are the three best options to choose from. If you’re more of a “Netflix and Chill” all-the-time guy who doesn’t go outdoors, buy a Rolex watch and you’ll be fine. At Smith & Bradley, we build watches for men who move.

So, choose your favorite outdoor activity and then buy a watch that can handle it. That’s the only way you’ll feel great about your watch investment.