Good cheap w proof wrist watch?

[TheJRK]

I picked up a Timex Ironman Triathlon about 6 months ago from Walmart for about $30...

This one. Before I moved from Hawaii to the DC Metro area I wore one of these watches every day I surfed, which was almost every day. The thing lasted through numerous sessions and some pretty gnarly wipeouts.

For $30 it's pretty damn good.

[jasonhgross]

I have both a Solar Gshock Atomic GW-5500 and an Ironman triathalon. Both are awesome, very functional, and will do anything you need. The ironman is more comfortable, the Gshock is more "stylish" since gshocks are trendy again. I actually sold all my more expensive "nicer" (a couple of Sinns) watches because these do everything I need.

[tesseract]

Can you define cheap?

For under $100, I am a really big fan of the Casio G-Shock solar atomic watches. I own two, and have given them as gifts. They were well received.

They do make models that do not have the solar feature, or the ability to sync with an atomic clock for about $50.

Nice and cheap is a rare combination in the watch world.

I second the G-Shock. Mine has survived a number of 100+ ft dives, banged against granite cliffs, and submerged in the ice and snow of glaciers. It has also nicely handled the pedestrian, day to day issues of being dropped onto concrete, banged against walls, etc.

The only issues I have are that the solar-atomic model is really large, and the batteries die too quickly -- in 6 years, I've replaced the battery twice. That may not seem like a big deal, but the battery is not easy to replace, and Casio charges an arm and leg to do it.

[Vic303]

Timex Ironman series. Under $40 pretty much everywhere, and they are durable.

[munch520]

I got my G-Shock rescue off ebay about a year ago for under $100. Easily the most durable and most comfortable watch I own - the fabric band (as opposed to link/leather/rubber) is comfortable and will last forever. I really like the tide/moon phase feature as well, we do a lot of boating and it's a handy tool.

[Arcana71]

Yeah... I'm another one. My vote goes to the G-Shock. In my experience, they're one of the few things that actually live up to their reputation. I've never been able to kill one... and I've tried. Currently, I own TWO:

[NWPilgrim]

I still have both A Casio G-Shock and Timex Ironman from the early 1990s that work fine except all the case and face labels are worn off and they have small displays compared to new models. Both took real beatings and lots of water and sand, mud, wet concrete.

My latest knock around watch is a Timex Ironman (about $40) because it has a larger digit display than the Casio making for faster recognition when glancing while running or working in awkward positions. The Casio Pathfinder sounds interesting for hiking use, though.

The other deciding factor for me is the Ironman I selected has a standard band so it is easy to find replacements. All of the G-Shocks I looked at have the custom molded band that are a little harder to find exact matches.

Either the G-Shock or Ironman are inexpensive and extremely durable. Comes down to which has the ergonomics and features you prefer.

[zacii]

How accurate are the thermometer and altimeter on the G Shock watches?

Sent from my Galaxy S2

[Dionysusigma]

If I could have anything I wanted watch-wise for daily/hard use, it would be a G-Shock with:

- Analog hands
- Solar-charged
- Uncluttered face (which apparently doesn't exist in the Casio universe)

Barring that, one watch that lives up to its hype of being ridiculously great for its price is the Casio F28W-1. My dad and I have put these through all sorts of hell, and they keep on going... for years. If it dies, it's $15 to replace.

[Brimstone]

How accurate are the thermometer and altimeter on the G Shock watches?

Sent from my Galaxy S2

I have a Casio Pathfinder and the altimeter is pretty accurate, but the thermometer is not very useful because it is affected by body heat so you would need to take it off to let it acclimate. I have never found it useful.