Digital technical watches

Yes, digital and technical! They aren’t terribly classy and if you aren’t climbing, flying, sailing, diving or some other verb requiring technical knowledge of timing, altitude, and barometric pressure, you probably don’t need, or want, a watch that tells you those things. On the flip side, if you do, an all digital military or sport style watch can offer a lot of bang for your buck. 

You could go for the well known Suunto watches or lesser known, and far cheaper, Chinese, Japanese and US offerings. The Suunto Core is a favorite of military types, film directors, and wannabe adventurers. The good thing, they’re useful and no one knows if you work at a desk in Columbus, Ohio or a clandestine office in the Middle East. So, don’t go trying to pair a digital tech watch with a suit but for sure don’t listen to anyone who insists you ought to wear your Timex Weekender to the store on Sunday afternoon and you don’t “need” a Suunto Core or whatever else you decide to wear.

Having made mention of Suunto, I think it’s realistic to point out that while popular, made mostly in Finland and very cool, they aren’t unique, aren’t particularly better for the money and don’t necessarily warrant special status. I know, heretical things to suggest, but Pyle(of Pyle Audio fame) and several Chinese companies, Skmei, O.T.S. and Sunroad, along with Casio and Timex, all make watches that compete with Suunto on price and performance, often besting the Nordic marque in spite of movie appearances. Suunto is far more costly, hasn’t got a great track record for durability and isn’t very water resistant by comparison to Pyle and a couple Chinese competitors coming in at trivial prices. The Suunto Core, in particular, does get major style points, but that’s a subjective value. The O.T.S. pictured above looks almost identical to the Core, is slightly more water restant but lacks advanced features like thermometer, altimeter and barometer. Things I like, but don’t necessarily need.

Image courtesy of Amazon

The Pyle Sport Watch looks good, has a better water resistance rating and offers similar features to the Core including weather forecasting. That’s useful to have on your wrist and in the case of this class of watches the information does not require an internet or cell connection, useful for anyone who is often out of cell range. The Pyle can usually be had under $70 new, often much lower. (At the time of writing the pictured watch was $42 including shipping via eBay).

Having now used both the O.T.S. and the Pyle, I’ve discovered a couple things. I do like the style of the Suunto enough that it makes a difference for me. Maybe not a $150 difference, but it suits my personal aesthetic. I also definitely like the added features of the Pyle, ones identical to the Suunto at 1/4 the cost with better water resistance. They have both become alternating work watches for me, currently surviving life in a commercial kitchen. No small feat with fire, steam, scalding water, chemical cleaning agents, freezers, sharp abdvheavy things. I have screen protectors on them and they are both holding up well. The O.T.S. is arguably better than what should be expected of a $10 watch.

There are a couple brands, LAD Weather and North Edge, that match the Suunto look and function a bit better while staying in the $60 range. They may be next on my list as I can’t justify the Suunto price tag on its Scandinavian origin alone. Especially without any gain in performance. Even if the O.T.S., fails, a new one can be had for less than shipping the Suunto back for repair, something they seem to need more than a watch at their price point ought to.

I’ll add that the timer and backlight are the most used features for me on a daily basis. Features found on all of these watches. I do like the barometer and altimeter but they aren’t everyday useful for the vast majority of us.

That’s my take on it so far. I’ll admit to adjusting my opinions at several points on this topic regarding everything from digital only watches to Chinese technology. Not sexy but for sure practical and affordable, even stylish in a tacticool kind of way.