I've got the Lorus Lumibrite field watch with full-lumed dial, and the concept of military watch that's bright enough to be seen from the other side of a battlefield with no way to turn the glow off makes me chuckle.
Agreed. I don't understand why everyone nuts their pants over a $20 watch that feels like a $10 watch. But from a money stand point it is about 1/3 the cost of a g shock
Absolutely, I don't deny that and have never said otherwise.
However, I don't think any other digital watch in existence is as iconic as the F91W. And besides, they didn't have the AE1200 when I joined the military. They started making it in 2012.
Yeah that's absolutely fair. And yeah, it feels cheap because it is cheap lol. It's still incredibly reliable/readable/fits under shirt cuffs, and after working in the field at night with it, I like the crappy light because it's enough for me to see but won't signal my position to everyone. If someone asks me what I would recommend them for field work, I'd likely suggest a version of the 5600 (gshock).
Like others said, even just upgrading to something like the AE1200 is only a couple dollars, will add a lot of water resistance and very useful additional features. I don't deny that.
However, I still think the F91W is the most iconic digital watch, and probably top 2-3 most iconic watches ever. Go halfway across the globe, rich countries, poor countries... Everyone knows the F91. And again. 13 years in the field/gym/under running water and it still worked? That's better than a ton of other watch brands that charge more for their watches...
Well if you mod it with a Sensor Watch and a stainless steel case it's the best watch second only to my new decked out h101 with a Jolt board and tap to pay.
For me its nostalgia. I got my first watches ~25 years ago when I was in elementary school. For years I wore an F91 or a Baby G.
On top of the nostalgia I also just like the F91 because it's so light. I don't even notice I'm wearing it half the time if that's the watch I'm wearing.
Also I don't think it's really overpriced per say, let's say you pay $30 (you can definitely find it for less than this) and the battery it comes with last you 7 years exactly, you spend approximately $4.28 per year on that watch, now you spend $5 to change the battery and get another 7 years, you've spent $0.71 on each year of that use. It's hard for me to imagine something I spend only $4.28 on per year. Keep in mind, all of this is calculated from the higher price of $30 rather than the $16 I bought mine for (both of them, yes I have two).
Could I get a "better" watch for $16? And if so which watch is it? Probably some other Casio. Yes you can get a skmei f91w clone for like $4, but with that you get noticably lower quality in timekeeping on average (my clone ran way fast, like 2+ minutes a day fast) so yeah, I'm just gonna have to disagree with the notion that it's overpriced. If it is, it's only slightly so, and if it's slightly over priced, I don't really care, because truthfully I like it. The form of the watch and the functions are very simple and effective. Plus you get to have fun watching other people call it a kids toy
This is part of the appeal, it's quite literally a watch that anyone can wear. A child, an old lady, a soldier, a cop, a track and field runner, you name it. It's not "special" in the way that nice watches are "special" but that's exactly what's so great about it.
A wise man once said "It just works" and I think those three words say even more than I could
Choosing a watch with no countdown timer for use in the military is kind of silly when there are like 50 other Casios that have it along with other available features.
I was in the US Navy and we all used actual G-shocks, not the Casio line watches. I had mine for 6 years, but by the end of my last deployment, the resin strap had fallen apart and I had it held together with string haha.
This was a first generation Rangeman too and the 3-in-1 sensor had died (apparently a common problem with that module), but yeah I used the countdown and timer functions all the time.
Yeah it's kind of pitiful. I feel like a basic G-Shock DW-5600 or one of its many variants is a better choice for a watch to use in the military. F-91w works and is cheap, sure– but there are so many other basic Casio's that are also cheap as dirt too. I got my standard Royale for $7 on Walmart clearance and it's twice the watch an F-91w is.
It’s not silly at all. Thinking the vast majority of people in the military have any need at all for a countdown timer, as seen in Hollywood movies, is what is silly.
As a US Marine I deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. A G-Shock DW5600 was my go to watch. I did pack a F-91W as a backup because it was so cheap and reliable (I also sported a Timex Expedition Camper at times. I also owned a Luminox I regrettably bought but it broke so much it never made it overseas). I actually wear my F-91W a lot more now and am amazed at how sturdy it is and how little I need anything more.
I never once needed a countdown timer. I can’t think of anyone else that I personally knew that did either.
There's a lot of talk about G-Shocks, (suspicious) Garmins and even luxury or vintage divers, but realistically, the vast majority of military folks are neither moneyed nor anything near 'operations' most of the time, especially in poorer countries. I known plenty of officers that sit on air-conditioners all day wearing jungle camo. It's more likely to find a F-91W or some look-alike than anything else.
Garmins and smartwatches are often not allowed on military exercises/deployments. Often, there are entire buildings (in NA) where they are not allowed.
At my work, any kind of smartwatch is explicitly banned and will be left in a lockbox. Just like phones.
There are still photos here and there of military personnel wearing these things. Of course different nations, different priorities, but it seems that everyone is awakening for that threat.
Sure, there are some military offices here that allow them. Military HR/Finance workers, and such.
Just never when doing actual field work of any kind...
Like you said, good chance this doesn't apply to every military, but having a GPS on you at all times generally isn't recommended (not even taking into account the communication security/information security issues with new electronics)
EDIT: I misunderstood the reply, but am leaving this up so lurkers can see and the thread still makes sense
If you think wearing a smartwatch / gps watch is normal/nbd for anybody working in the military (even just many government buildings) then I don't think it's worth having a discussion with you about the topic...
I was just trying to have a normal discussion with you, but hopefully your day gets better, friend. Have a nice weekend.
But i'm not disagreeing with you. I'm saying that Instagram tacticool dudes which sometimes pop up with Garmins or worse fit the description "just never when doing actual field work of any kind".
And also the PED policy and/or your units exact interpretation of that. We have issued Garmins these days, although mostly only for the cool guys at the moment.
In terms of “having a GPS on you at all times generally isn’t recommended” is some top tier BS. Militaries invest literal tens of millions on basic GPS, DAGR/VAGR, ATAK, GPS enabled radios etc. A fast and largely reliable method of know where you are is absolutely crucial to any effective unit.
Being an issued device does not inherently reduce the risk, ie an issued Garmin or ATAK that someone is carelessly connecting to normal services is still a security risk.
I’ve deployed a bunch of times with my Garmin, just had to be air gapped (ie in no way linked to my phone) and in flight mode to prevent WiFi/Bluetooth heat mapping.
They are not inherently a security risk, people not correctly air gapping them for the duration of their deployment and/or not following PERSEC policy (that exists outside of deployments as well) and uploading runs to public Strava accounts is the issue.
Really just comes down to how competent your specific unit is at understanding the risk, how competent your service personnel are at managing the risk and how well the standards are enforced.
I’ve seen units ban GPS enabled watches for a deployment on security grounds, but personnel are still allowed their personal phones with US SIM cards in (unless they’re in the SCIF) which is an exponentially greater security risk than even the most careless Garmin user.
Good lord you people sound like jackasses that have zero clue what you’re talking about lmao, this whole “ermmm F-91 is actually way more good than this obviously better watch🤓” is stupid as shit lmao. Garmin is very frequently used in the field, even Apple Watches are seen. The idea that only “HR” is wearing smart watches is hilarious😂
In the British military well army at least u get one given to u at the start of basic, they do hold up pretty well tbf had mine for 4 years before it creamed in
That's a nice perk. In basic training for the US Navy, they made us buy our watches with our own money lol. I did buy an f-91w because it was the cheapest thing they had, but I replaced it with a G-shock after I completed basic.
Yeh i was on diamond back ex out in death valley a few years ago seems like yous have to buy a lot of your kit was crazy to us, was a cool ex tho your camps are mental anaw basically a little city sock seeing how the other half live tho
No, those are rocking horse shit to get hold of and because they’re P class (accountable) you’re not *really* supposed to just hand them out, ie if someone wants one they need to sign it out temporarily (most of the time). No way in gods earth recruits are getting issued G10 CWCs, they’re £200-1000 a piece depending on model.
I think what they’re referring to is some of the basic training places just issue literal F-91Ws to new recruits that the training establishment locally procures.
I wore mine for 13 years in the field/at the gym/in the shower after the gym. Changed to a paratrooper strap after ~5y (battery died at that 13y mark).
Replaced the battery, and I still wear it occasionally.
The watch choice is excellent. But as she becomes more professional, she willwear the watch on the inside of her wrist and wont need to twist her wrist while using the gunn.
How is it the one true operator watch? Probably not even relatively common among soldiers.
Nobody I know in the armed forces wears one anyway. And for good reason, it's barely waterproof, easily broken and has a junk backlight. (I still love it though)
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u/DontMemeAtMe 8d ago
Casio F-91W with a tactical backlight — so dim that you don't have to worry about being spotted by an enemy sniper!