Opinion: 4 of the best field watches under $500 for the skinny wrist in 2020.
Rugged and reliable, field watches are the perfect tool to accompany you from household chores to outdoor adventures. Built to withstand harsh conditions, a field watch also typically features excellent legibility in both day and night situations. Most field watches feature a simple time-only dial, so they are generally cheaper compared to watches with more complicated movements. Here are four of the best options under $500 for the skinny wrist in 2020.
Seiko SNK809
- Diameter: 37 mm
- Thickness: 11 mm
- Lug width: 18 mm
- Lug-to-lug: 43 mm
- Movement: 7S26 (automatic)
- Water resistance: 30 m
- Crystal: Hardlex
- Price: $80
One of the most popular models in the Seiko 5 line, the SNK809 is a field watch with a Type B dial that would be a treat for smaller wrists as most Fleigers are big watches. Even as Seiko continues to phase out the 7S26 movement, these Seiko SNKs are still widely available in the market. Its affordability gives you the peace of mind to give it a proper beating and use a field watch for what it is! A small gripe would be that the lume pip at the 12 o’clock position is not differentiated, so orientation in the dark may not be as straightforward. Read more about it here.
Boldr Venture Sand Storm
- Diameter: 38 mm
- Thickness: 14 mm
- Lug width: 20 mm
- Lug-to-lug: 42 mm
- Movement: Japan SII NH35A (hand-winding, hacking, automatic)
- Water resistance: 200 m
- Crystal: Sapphire
- Price: $300
The Boldr Venture sports a modest case size in titanium, giving you a comfortable wearing watch that is both light-weight and hypoallergenic. Titanium is also less of a heat conductor compared to stainless steel, so you will have less of a sweaty spot on your wrist on hot days or a freezing clunk of metal on cold days. With a robust NH35A movement from Seiko and a Sapphire crystal over the dial, it packs a lot of watch for the money. The white dial (Sand Storm) variant reminds me of the Hamilton Khaki Field, but the unique case shape gives it its own identity. An area for improvement would be to differentiate the lume pip at the 12 o’clock position for improved orientation in the dark. Overall, a great watch for your money and a unique proposition since it’s a brand based out of Singapore and Malaysia, which is fairly uncommon for watches.
Smiths Everest PRS-25
- Diameter: 36 mm
- Thickness: 11.3 mm
- Lug width: 20 mm
- Lug-to-lug: 43.5 mm
- Movement: Miyota 9039 (hand-winding, hacking, automatic)
- Water resistance: 100 m
- Crystal: Sapphire
- Price: $450
Let’s get the elephant out of the room right away — this is an homage to the Rolex 1016. If any brand had the right to do a homage, it would be Smiths. As the other watch brand besides Rolex to conquer Everest on that ground-breaking expedition, Smiths was producing watches in Britain until they collapsed during the quartz crisis. Today, the Smiths brand is produced by Timefactors and the Everest is one of their best offerings.
For mere mortals without obscene amounts of money, the Smiths Everest is an excellent alternative to the Rolex Explorer. The dial is highly legible with excellent orientation as you would expect and branding on the dial is minimal, which is nice. The classic Explorer dial also allows you to dress it up for formal occasions, a trait that not many field watches can boast about. The presence of drilled lugs to facilitate quick strap changes is a nice touch as this makes for an excellent everyday watch.
G-SHOCK DW-5600MS-1
- Diameter: 42.8 mm
- Thickness: 13.4 mm
- Lug width: 20 mm
- Lug-to-lug: 48.9 mm
- Movement: Digital quartz
- Water resistance: 200 m
- Crystal: Mineral glass
- Price: $100
No list of tool watches can ever be complete without a G-SHOCK. Unfortunately, you’re pretty much limited to the G-SHOCK squares (DW-5600) if you have smaller wrists. On the flip side, there are a ton of options within this line and my pick of the bunch would be the DW-5600MS-1 if you’re looking for a field watch. Featuring a blacked-out colourway and negative display, this watch screams military from the off. Additionally, the buttons and buckle are ion plated to a black finish to fit the overall aesthetics. As you would expect, the DW-5600MS-1 will survive just about anything you throw at it and more while looking stealthily cool.
