My survival watch is the only item of equipment I wear every day.
It’s possible that you’ll need to track time, use a GPS, or have a compass to get around in the region where you are.
These features are available on most survival watches, and they’re an excellent way to assist you on your trip.
Having the finest survival watch on your wrist at all times may be critical, whether you’re lost or simply walking about.
Some watches are useful simply because they don’t require batteries and yet keep track of time and days.
To help you find out which survival watch best fits your needs here’s our review of some of the absolute best survival watches on the market.
Best Watch To Survive An EMP or Nuclear Attack
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Do you wear a wristwatch?
Wrist watches are no longer in vogue.
Most people wear a “smartphone” these days, and the watch’s main purpose is on the screen.
Time, date, and various timer applications exist to meet the demands of measuring time forward or backward.
However, there are the ‘what if’ scenarios that might render a smartphone useless.
Although a mechanical wristwatch may still tick. But be careful! Not every watch would survive an EMP attack.
Best Survival Watch To Survive An EMP Attack
Will an EMP (electromagnetic pulse) affect a wristwatch? Will your watch still work?
According to Wikipedia: The resistance to EMP by a device is listed below, from most to least vulnerable:
- Integrated circuits (ICs), CPUs, silicon chips
- Transistors
- Vacuum Tubes (also known as thermionic valves)
- Inductors, motors
While no one can be sure, true automatic watches should survive because they’re mechanical rather than electrical.
However, the automatic timepieces that utilize a mechanical movement to charge a battery may die.
So…
Would These Survival Watches Survive An EMP Attack
Mechanical Watch
In a mechanical watch, a spiral spring drives the gears. A knob on the side is turned (winding) to store energy in the mainspring.
All you have to do now is wind it up. It’s all about remembering to keep it wound up!
No electronics inside. A mechanical watch would survive an EMP.
Automatic Watch
A mechanical watch with a ‘kinetic’ self-winding mechanism is also a mechanical timepiece. The natural movement of the user, on the other hand, provides energy to power the watch.
An oscillating weight spins (on movement) and keeps the mainspring wound.
No electronic circuits are required. An automatic watch would survive an EMP.
Solar Powered Watch
A solar panel captures light. The watch is powered by converting sunlight into electrical energy using this solar panel.
During the night or when covered by a person’s clothing, a rechargeable cell (battery) will store energy to power itself.
Best Survival Watch For When SHTF
I prefer a mechanical (wind-up), automatic wind, and battery-powered mechanical watch so long as there are no digital displays.
Keep extra batteries stored in a cool place.
In my view, a watch that gets its energy from the sun may be borderline SHTF, owing to the unknowns of EMP effects on electronic components in something like a timepiece.
Seiko 5 Automatic Stainless Steel Watch
There are no electronics on this timepiece. It has a stored kinetic energy of 40 hours. It’s made of stainless steel (bezel) and features bright hands, a 21 jewel movement, and more.
This is their most popular automatic watch on Amazon.
Get the Lowest Price on AmazonCasio Men’s Solar Sport Combination Watch
Casio is best known for creating sturdy and dependable timepieces these days.
The G-Shock collection of shock-resistant timepieces is well-known (see below), as is the ‘Solar Sport’ brand of watches.
Get the Lowest Price on AmazonCitizen Watches Men’s BM8180-03E
Solar-powered Eco-Drive timepieces contain a solar panel hidden beneath the watch face that recharges the battery.
Their light-capturing cells are instead built to be virtually unnoticeable behind the dial rather than extremely obvious.
This is their most popular watch on Amazon.
Get the Lowest Price on AmazonBest Survival Watch (If No EMP Attack)
Casio Men’s GW9400Rangeman G-Shock Solar Atomic Watch
G-SHOCK watches are the most durable digital and analog-digital timepieces on the market, with a long history of being worn by military personnel, police officers, surfers, and other outdoor enthusiasts around the world.
This is their most popular g-shock watch on Amazon.
Get the Lowest Price on AmazonCasio G-Rescue Solar Atomic Classic Color Watch
With its reliable performance and timeless design, this timepiece is a classic. The watch fits well. Double wings that are placed underneath the watch bed ensure that the timepiece does not flop on your arm.
The watch’s band and the timepiece are both exquisite. It still looks brand new despite frequent showers, work, pool swimming, and workouts six days a week. It’s difficult to scratch this lovely item.
Get the Lowest Price on AmazonSUUNTO Core All Black Military Men’s Outdoor Sports Watch
Designed to be your reliable companion wherever you go.
Suunto Core is all about capturing the essence of the great outdoors. It will bring out the adventurer in you by combining an altimeter, barometer, and compass with weather data.
Get the Lowest Price on AmazonWhat Features Make The Best Survival Watch
It’s a tough decision to buy a survival watch, and it must be carefully considered. This is an excellent piece of equipment that you must keep with you through the toughest circumstances, so don’t buy on impulse.
Below you can find some of the most important features that make a survival watch the best.
Reliability
The sense of time is reduced when you’re lost in the woods or any other kind of environment. A decent watch must be dependable in its basic function: telling time.
Waterproof
Your watch must be able to resist all that and still work properly.
Keep in mind that there are two types of watches: water-resistant and waterproof.
The first is intended to endure being submerged underwater, while the second is only designed to withstand high humidity levels when immersed in water.
Power Type
Basically, most survival watches are either Quartz powered or mechanical.
Quartz is not able to retain a good battery charge for long periods of time, so they will need to change the battery every few years or so.
If they use Quartz to power the watch, they’ll need batteries to keep it operating, which might be off-putting because the batteries may die at inopportune times.
Although these timepieces are practical, they nevertheless have some disadvantages: They require frequent resets (in comparison to flashlights, GPS systems, etc).
Because mechanical timepieces do not rely on batteries, they do not need to be wound in order to keep working.
To give you a better idea of what type of cattle they are, I’ll describe how we kept them alive without electricity for so long.
They will never desert you at the wrong moment (even during an EMP blast), and if you take good care of them, they may serve you for many years.
Barometer
A barometer sense atmospheric pressure. Changes in atmospheric pressure often predict significant weather changes.
Extreme exposure and a lack of clean drinking water are two of the most hazardous dangers in survival situations.
However, if you have a barometer on your survival watch, you’ll be better prepared for severe weather.
Altimeter
An altimeter on your survival watch, tells you your exact altitude. If you have a topographical map, it’s easier to figure out where you are on the map.
When you know where you’re at, you can return to camp or civilization.
This is a must-have function if you spend time in locations with extreme altitude changes or enjoy traveling to them.
Compass
A compass is one of the most important survival tools you can have. Sure, there are several bushcraft techniques for determining your location without a compass.
However, nothing compares to having a high-quality compass for accuracy and speed.
Natural navigation entails recognizing that thicker branches on trees generally face south, suggesting a southern orientation. It’s possible but not simple.
Even the most skilled woodworkers can occasionally struggle to get natural navigation correct.
However, for your own safety, it is preferable to learn how to find your way without a compass and then always have one on hand!
Why not wear your compass on your wrist where you’ll never forget it.
Sunrise & Sunset Times
It’s never a smart idea to go trekking in the dark since it’s hazardous and difficult.
As a result, knowing when sunset will occur is a significant advantage.
That way, you won’t have to rely on your long arm and 4 fingers to figure out how many hours until sunset.
Instead, if you have a survival watch with sunset/sunrise times, you’ll know exactly how many MINUTES you have till night falls.
Thermometer
When conditions are wrong, hypothermia can happen fast.
If you’re able to keep an eye on the temperature, you’ll know if you’re sweating too much. And if it’s too chilly and can’t get dry, you’ll have problems.
Instead of working up a sweat and taking frequent breaks,
In the words of Les Stroud, “if you sweat, you die.”
If the temperature outside is high, it’s important not to overheat.
You risk a heat stroke if you’re sweating but believe yourself, “I just need to finish this task.”
It’s simple to lose track of time as you focus so intently on your activity that you don’t listen to your body.
Instead, check the temperature on a regular basis with your survival watch. To avoid a potentially deadly heat stroke, take frequent rest and drink lots of liquids if it’s really hot.
To Wrap It Up – Best Survival Watch
Given the fact that a top-notch survival watch is rather pricey, you’ll want to do your homework.
We hope that reading our reviews assists, but if you have the opportunity to try on a few watches before making your decision, this would be fantastic.
You may get an idea of how the watch performs this way.
Customers may have a bad experience with a manufacturer or the product itself that has nothing to do with them.
To avoid such mistakes, find more information about the watch you liked the most and consider buying.
Need Your Help
As a survival site, we’re always on the hunt for the best gear for any sort of survival or emergency situation.
In the past, we’ve covered most of the obvious survival gear we think everyone should own, such as:
- Bug out bag
- Survival flashlight
- Survival shovel
- Water containers
- Neck gaiters
- Survival Machete
- etc., etc., etc.
What other survival gear would you like us to review on this website? We want to know your opinions. You can share them below.
Do you wear a wristwatch? Do you have a preference for what you wear?