The Best Field Watches of 2024 Are Beautiful—and Built for a Beating

Field watches are perhaps the least understood category of tool watches, partially because there are no precise requirements. The first versions were pocket watches converted to wrist pieces by soldiers in the trenches and on the battlefield during World War I—grunts had a hard time trying to pluck a watch from inside their jackets while aiming down a barrel.

By WWII, the wristwatch had become an essential piece of frontline gear and a number of makers around the world were creating simple, functional pieces specifically for military use, which is a tradition that continues to this day. That’s why the Rolex Explorer is our best overall pick for the best field watch—it’s one of the most rugged and capable timepieces ever made. But many other great field watches for different aesthetics and purposes await below.

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Best Field Watches at a Glance

• Best Overall Field Watch: Rolex Explorer
• Best Automatic Field Watch: Tudor Ranger
• Best Heirloom Field Watch: Weiss 42mm Standard Field Watch
• Best Military-Style Field Watch: Christopher Ward C65 Sandhurst Bronze Series 2
• Best Elegant Field Watch: H. Moser and Cie Heritage Centre Seconds
• Best EDC Field Watch: Hamilton Khaki Field Watch
• Best Field Watch for Pilots: Zenith Pilot Automatic
• More Field Watches We Love: Seiko 5 Sports Field Watch, Timex Expedition North Titanium Automatic, Bertucci A-2TS Solar Classic, Unimatic U2 Classic, Benrus DTU-2A/P, Sinn 856 UTC

Best Overall Field Watch: Rolex Explorer

Probably the most important quality in a field watch is reliability, something the Rolex Explorer has in spades. The bidirectional self-winding 3230 movement is accurate to -2 and +2 seconds per day and is protected from impact by high-performance shock absorbers. The Explorer is available in both 36mm and 40mm sizes and like the other Rolex professional models, the Oystersteel case and bracelet are highly corrosion-resistant. It will keep on keeping even in the toughest of environments. All in all, it’s one of the most rugged, capable timepieces ever made and perhaps the ultimate go-anywhere, do-anything watch.

• CASE: Stainless steel
• MOVEMENT: Rolex 3230
• DIAL: Black
• SIZE: 36mm, 40mm
• STRAP: Stainless-steel bracelet

Best Automatic Field Watch: Tudor Ranger

Sure, Tudor’s Black Bay banks more hype, but don’t sleep on the Ranger. It’s a boss-level field watch from the house of Wilsdorf. Want to go swimming? No problem, it’s good for 100 meters, which is deeper than most of us will ever go. The self-winding, in-house MT5402 caliber is good for 70 hours on the nightstand and it comes with a five-year warranty, just like big brother Rolex. Trust us, it’s handy. While field watches aren’t typically worn on a bracelet, Tudor makes a great one. We’d buy it that way and throw it on a strap when we head into the great outdoors.

• CASE: Stainless steel
• MOVEMENT: Tudor MT5402
• DIAL: Black
• SIZE: 39mm
• STRAP: Nylon, leather, stainless-steel bracelet

Best Heirloom Field Watch: Weiss 42mm Standard Field Watch

Made in the U.S., Weiss’s field watch is built to last. The company mills each case from individual blocks of 316L stainless steel and every dial is machined from a solid piece of naval brass, then painted by hand. The face is protected by a double-domed and antireflective sapphire crystal. A second crystal on the back allows the wearer a peek at the manual wind Weiss Watch Company Caliber 1001 mechanical movement, a modified ETA 6497 that is finished and assembled by hand. It’s a simple, understated piece that wears equally well with a suit and tie or jeans and a T-shirt.

• CASE: Stainless steel
• MOVEMENT: ETA 6497
• DIAL: Black, White, Sand, Blue
• SIZE: 42mm
• STRAP: Canvas, leather

Best Military-Style Field Watch: Christopher Ward C65 Sandhurst Bronze Series 2

The cool thing about bronze is that it will develop a unique patina over time whether you wear it hiking through the woods or camped out at your office desk. Christopher Ward got the sign-off from the British Ministry of Defense for this 38mm tribute to the 1969 Smiths W10 field watch of yore. The updated piece features arrow hands coated in gold and filled with Super-LumiNova while old radium BL grade X1 lume is applied to the indexes and dots above the Arabic numerals as well as the triangle at 12 o’clock. Inside beats a Swiss-made, chronometer-certified version of the Sellita SW200-1, which means it’s good for a 0 and +5 seconds per day variance. A screw-down crown helps give the watch 150 meters of water resistance and the back is stamped with the British Army’s logo.

• CASE: Bronze
• MOVEMENT: Sellita SW200-1
• DIAL: Black
• SIZE: 38mm
• STRAP: Canvas

Best Elegant Field Watch: H. Moser and Cie Heritage Centre Seconds

The H. Moser Heritage Centre Seconds manages to evoke the vibe of a first generation of utilitarian wrist watch but with a healthy dose of elegance and panache. The case, crown, and wire-style lugs are clearly inspired by early-20th-century converted pocket watches, as are the thick Arabic numerals. But for added depth those numbers are applied in three-dimensional “Globolight,” a ceramic infused with Super-LumiNova for long-lasting low-light legibility. The 42mm stainless-steel case houses a time-only, in-house movement that spins the hands around a stunning blue fumé dial. All in all it’s a sophisticated, luxurious take on the iconic tool watch style.

• CASE: Stainless steel
• MOVEMENT: HMC 200
• DIAL: Blue
• SIZE: 42mm
• STRAP: Leather

Best EDC Field Watch: Hamilton Khaki Field Watch

Hamilton makes its archetypical Khaki Field Watch in both 42mm and the more traditional 38mm size. Either way, it’s one of the coolest EDC (everyday carry) watches in the brand’s catalog. Both iterations feature a classic dial design and hand-wound, time-only movement that is good for around 80 hours with a fully charged mainspring. The stainless-steel case and sapphire crystal combination yield 50 meters of water resistance. You get the choice of nylon NATO, leather strap, or bracelet. We’d go with the bracelet, which goes against the grain with field watches. Plus, NATO straps are cheap and good bracelets at this price point are hard to find.

• CASE: Stainless steel
• MOVEMENT: Hamilton H-50
• DIAL: Black, white
• SIZE: 38mm, 42mm
• STRAP: Nylon, leather, stainless-steel bracelet

Best Field Watch for Pilots: Zenith Pilot Automatic

There’s a good deal of overlap in the requirements for field and pilot watches. Both need to be able to take a fair bit of abuse while still telling the time accurately and consistently. They both also need to be easy to read, day or night. The Zenith Pilot Automatic checks those boxes and more. The black ceramic case and black corrugated dial are stealthy while the large Arabic numerals and hands are painted in white for high contrast. They’re also pumped with lume for when the daylight fades. Powered by the high-frequency, automatic El Primero 3620 movement, the Pilot Automatic is water-resistant to 100 meters and comes with two Cordura-effect rubber straps—one in black and a second in khaki. So it will look the part whether you’re in the trees or sitting behind the controls at 30,000 feet.

• CASE: Ceramic
• MOVEMENT: El Primero 3620
• DIAL: Black
• SIZE: 40mm
• STRAP: Rubber

More Field Watches We Love

Best Stylish Field Watch: Seiko 5 Sports Field Watch

It’s shocking how much watch Seiko offers for the money. This field watch boasts an automatic movement with 41 hours of power reserve and a day-date calendar. Plus, the 39mm case is water resistant to 100 meters. On the dial, luminous hands and markers tick around Arabic numerals marking the hours in both standard and military time. It’s an affordable, stylish option that stands out in a crowded field.

• CASE: Stainless steel
• MOVEMENT: Seiko Caliber 4R36
• DIAL: Gray
• SIZE: 39mm
• STRAP: Nylon

Best Titanium Field Watch on a Budget: Timex Expedition North Titanium Automatic

It’s hard to argue against a titanium, automatic watch for under $400. And this Timex also gives the wearer a sapphire crystal, plus a screw-down crown and case back yielding 200m of water resistance. The textured, gray dial displays the time in larger numerals painted in Super-LumiNova with a date window at 3 o’clock. In a nod to sustainability, Timex offers the piece on a recycled plastic strap with a titanium buckle, indisputably making it a slick daily beater.

• CASE: Titanium
• MOVEMENT: Miyota 8215
• DIAL: Gray
• SIZE: 41mm
• STRAP: Nylon

Best Solar-Charging Field Watch: Bertucci A-2TS Solar Classic

Not only does this inexpensive and handsome field watch from Bertucci have a titanium case, but it also features a perpetual solar-charging, all-metal movement that can pull energy from any light source. The A-2TS is good for +/- 20 seconds per month of accuracy and has a six-month power reserve when fully charged—it will also tell you if it’s low on power by the integrated circuit causing the second hand to skip for 24 hours. Other essential features for a field watch include the solid titanium case, a high-contrast dial, 12-24 hour time and date, sapphire crystal, screw-down crown (at the 4 o’clock position for comfortable wrist movement) and back, luminous hands, as well as 200m water resistance. For straps, you get a choice of green, black, or orange in a durable NATO-style nylon webbing or, our choice, a supple and strong Horween leather band in the same NATO style that instantly conforms to your wrist, no long, chafing break-in needed.

• CASE: Titanium
• MOVEMENT: Solar powered
• DIAL: Black
• SIZE: 40mm
• STRAP: Leather, nylon

Best Minimalist Field Watch: Unimatic U2 Classic

Anyone who loves minimalist design will find Unimatic’s U2 Classic a beguiling addition to their everyday carry. Assembled in Italy, the watch, a.k.a. “Modello Due,” offers a simple, signed dial with sword-style hands and round indexes painted in lume. Inside the time-only piece is powered by a reliable Seiko sourced NH35A automatic movement with a 41-hour power reserve. The 316 solid stainless-steel case lends the watch a diver level of 300 meters water resistance and reaches a svelte 38.5mm in diameter and 12.7mm thickness. But the double-domed, antireflective sapphire crystal tacks on an additional 2.7mm of girth and the lugs aren’t curved, so it will wear a bit bigger than other watches of similar stature. That won’t fit everyone, but for some it will be just right.

• CASE: Stainless steel
• MOVEMENT: Seiko NH35A
• DIAL: Black
• SIZE: 38.5mm
• STRAP: Nylon

Best Outdoors Field Watch: Benrus DTU-2A/P

For those who eschew labels and logos, the dial on this Benrus field watch is unsigned with only numbers and lumed indexes in standard Zulu time. Originally created to serve the U.S. military’s needs, the 39.5mm, bead-blasted 316L stainless steel case houses a Swiss Sellita SW200 automatic movement with a 38-hour power reserve and 50 meters water resistance. As a bonus, the watch comes with a removable compass attached to a NATO strap as an extra tool for the field.

• CASE: Stainless steel
• MOVEMENT: Sellita SW200
• DIAL: Black
• SIZE: 39.5mm
• STRAP: Nylon

Best Hybrid Field Watch: Sinn 856 UTC

Sporting a Sinn is a good way to show other collectors and enthusiasts you’re in the know. The German maker is renowned in the watch community for its bulletproof construction. The 856 UTC is no different. Though technically from its pilot line it still meets all the requirements of a great field watch and then some. The 200 meter-rated case is constructed from bead-blasted, scratch-resistant stainless steel. The hour numerals are painted in lume. But beyond time and date, the Sellita automatic movement powers a UTC (a.k.a. GMT hand) to track a second time zone using an interior 24-hour scale on the dial. That hand can also be used as a sort of compass. In the northern hemisphere during daylight hours, one can hold the watch horizontally and point the 12 toward the sun and the UTC hand (set to local time) will point north. That’s a great feature whether you’re flying a plane or overlanding in the wilderness.

• CASE: Stainless steel
• MOVEMENT: Sellita SW 330-1
• DIAL: Black
• SIZE: 40mm
• STRAP: Leather

What Is a Field Watch?

Field watches are essentially tough as nails and easy to read. Most examples deploy large numbers and hands coated in luminous paint for low-light visibility. Another key feature is a stop-seconds function for synchronizing with others or against a reference time, similar to an atomic clock. Some display a 24-hour ring for tracking military (a.k.a. Zulu) time. Typically, they don’t offer delicate complications (extra functions) since those can be easily damaged and difficult to repair.

It’s that simplicity coupled with their rugged, utilitarian nature as well as their minimalist design that make field watches great for wearing day to day, whether you’re climbing a via ferrata or just hiking off to work.

Why You Should Trust Me

I’ve been collecting watches for nearly as long as I’ve been able to tell time. Around the age of 10, I started disassembling pocket watches to see what makes them tick. Today, I feel naked if I accidentally leave the house without a watch on my wrist—so I’ll go back and get one. Currently my cache includes a variety of vintage and contemporary pieces from micro brands to G-Shock. Most days I wear an Explorer II (Ref. 226570) but my grandmother’s Mickey Mouse watch will always be my favorite.