Yeah
I second the Suunto, they also have a GPS version now…
I use a Nike Triax 65 with
heart rate monitor.
It lets me know how hard I am working.
Casio G-Shock with Suunto compass
mounted on the wrist strap.
Reef Gear to Sunto
Timex had a watch called Reef Gear which told you the water temperature. It was about $49.00 and worked great for teaching water aerobics.
The high end would include a Sunto and I guess those do just about everything and perhaps tell the time as well. Dicks carrys them - I don’t know if they actually sell them.
Sunto’s cost mucho dinero
How do you guys like them really?
Also how do you did you decide which model to buy?
I just bought
the little 8 dollar suunto compass to put on my Casio G-Shock. Best ask Razor about the watches.
Not when the current
changes in an hour and will be sweeping you away from your goal at 4 knots unless you paddle like heck.
Still your friend (I hope) but there are a lot of ways to do this thing we love. some of htem require a watch or its equivalent.
Now that I have one I use the clock
feature on my GPS if I need to know the time. I have a sports stopwatch/clock/alarm that I keep attached to my PFD for general time-related things. I also carry a beeper that has a time display and an alarm function. Mostly though, I try not to think about time when I am paddling; but like you mentioned in one of your retorts -sometimes you do need to know what time it is.
needs a barometer function; Suunto
for day trips, sport paddling and the like, my plastic cheapy Timex.
for tripping, always the Suunto so that i can monitor the barometric trends to try and predict weather.
c’mon people, where are all the well trained sea kayakers and their weather sense!
(ps. not a knock at all the seasoned paddlers who have posted)
And ditto again on the Luminox.
I’m on my second one since my first was stolen off of my wrist in Iquitos, Peru.
Been using this one for years
– Last Updated: Nov-22-05 6:12 AM EST –
for work and play I have replaced the band several times because it was just plain worn out, Casio Marine Gear http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b315/Indy425/Kinzua%20frost%20campout/SugarBaytolowtolaunch.jpg
LL Bean Field Watch
I’m a traditional kind of guy, and I like the WWII styling.
Jim
Rolex Submariner
Easiest to see under all lighting conditions, the Sub is the most rugged and dependable water sports watch on the planet. Expensive and worth every penny.
I have the Suunto Vector…
which I paid 200 clams for. I use it for my primary and kayaking watch as I’m interested in barometric and altitude features on the watch. The compass thing, less so. You need to set your altitude reference at a known elevation or it will be off. In the hills it is a great tool for keeping track of where you are. On the sea a diving barometer of more than a few millibars says “sump’ns coming!” Nice feature to have when weather broadcasts are not available on the VHF. It tracks trends in barometric pressure so you can try your hand at evaluating conditions. The key is to get it set to the pressure of the area so that it is accurate.
Augustus Dogmatycus
MMV
Jeweler’s opinion…
What the public doesn’t know is almost all quartz (battery powered) analog watches are pretty much equally dependable. There are about 3 major watch movement manufacturers and different brands of watches oftentimes use the same types of movements. That means there are some $50, $250, and $2500 watches that all have the same movement inside! The price difference is oftentimes the quality of the casing (the watch case and the bracelet) The biggest price difference is in name only. I’ve seen $2000 Tags with the exact same movement as $200 watches.
What are you paying for? The name. So find a watch you like that seems to be well made on the outside and go with it. I’d recommend staying away from Fossils…personally, I find them to be poorly made.
The Rolex Submariner is the best and most dependable watersports watch on the planet? Sorry Bill, can’t agree. Rolex is way overpriced and notoriously “undependable” and will never be as accurate as a quartz. Wear your’s long enough and you’ll see what I mean. They are definately a “good” watch but way overrated. But then, who wouldn’t want a Rolex! As I said, this is just my opinion based on 21 years in the business.
2 Likes
I carry a Casio stainless pocket watch…
…in the inner pocket of my PFD. That way it’s always with me and I don’t have to remember to put it on.
So…
My LL Ben sex “Swiss Movement”. ANy comments?
Jim
Not sure about a
"LL Ben sex" but if it has a Swiss movement I’d about bet the farm that it is a movement shared by the Luminox, Swiss Army brand and probably some $2000 “exclusive” swiss brands. I assume you mean LL Bean label watches. They’re good watches and have had customers send defective watches back to LL Bean and receive brand new watches. They seem to stand behind them.
Let me add…
While kayaking I wear a Bulova diver’s watch. Most diver’s watches are good choices. They have screw-down crowns with O-ring seals and screw backs. Most are water-resistant from 100-300 meters. (if you go deeper than that you’re not kayaking any longer!) They also have extra thick crystals which will take a lot of abuse before breaking, and are designed to be impervious to saltwater corrosion.(I’d rinse it off)I like a diver with a rubber strap as opposed to a metal bracelet. The rubber strap is (obviously) waterproof and doesn’t collect dirt. Many metal bracelets collect dirt and get just grimy down in the links.
The divers watches are designed to be used IN the water and are a good choice for kayaking.
Having said all this, there is nothing wrong with a good ole cheapo Timex.
I just use my same Apple Watch I wear everywhere else. I the use the “WorkOutDoors” app set to paddling mode to show me a map, my cadence, speed, heart rate, etc. I also have tide and boating weather apps installed so I can do a last check that conditions are as expected. And if as per usual, my wife texts me a dozen times to see if I’m dead, I can voice respond.