CakCity Men's Digital Sports Watch
KXAITO Waterproof Military Watch
Citizen Men's BM8180-03E Watch
If you’re in the military, you need a timepiece that can handle any situation. It needs to be super tough, extremely reliable, and full of useful features. But these watches aren’t just reserved for military personnel, anyone can get their hands on one. We’ve been searching the internet to find the best military watches. From analog watches inspired by WW2 military design to more modern and beefy watches, here are our ten favorites.
The Best Military Watch
1CakCity Men’s Digital Military Watch
Military personnel needs a watch that’s tough and full of useful features. CakCity has managed to deliver that at an amazingly low price. From all accounts, CakCity Men’s Digital Sports Watch should cost way more than it does – just check out the thousands of positive reviews on Amazon.
With a built-in alarm, automatic date, and stopwatch, this is a truly multifunctional digital watch. The info is displayed on the large LED screen, which has a backlight so that you can see it in the dark. It’s waterproof down to 50m (164 feet) but you can press any of the buttons underwater or it could damage the seal and let water in. It can also handle being dropped or bashed against walls, thanks to the shock-resistant design. We love the fact that it’s available in a range of bright and camo designs. This watch delivers above its expectations. Check on Google and you’ll find a ton of different reviews saying how surprisingly good this watch is when you consider how much it costs. For more excellent timepieces like this, check out our selection of the best watches for pilots.
LED digital display
Shock-resistant & water-resistant (50m)
Stopwatch, alarm, automatic date
LED backlight
Available in five colors
- BrandCakCity
- Model1068
- Weight3.2 ounces
2Casio Men’s G-SHOCK GA 100-1A1 Military Watch
The Casio G-SHOCK range has earned the title – ‘the toughest watch of all time’. So, it’s easy to see why they’re such a big seller. The pioneers of shock-resistance in watches, Casio has made these watches resistant to electric shock, water, gravity, vibration, and low-temperature. In short, they can withstand pretty much anything.
The GA 100-1A1 is one of the cheaper G-SHOCK watches. It doesn’t have the frills of the expensive models, but it’s still just as tough. It’s also got a super-detailed face that’s full of useful features. As well as the analog clock, it tells you the time digitally. You can also see the date, set up to four daily alarms, set a stopwatch, and use the daily timer. It takes a bit of time to understand the watch’s controls but it comes with a detailed manual. On top of its amazing shock-resistant ability, it has a battery that lasts for around two years. There’s nothing worse than a tough watch that needs a replacement battery every month. Our guide to the best altimeter watches features more durable options like this, so check them out.
Analog & digital display
Shock-resistant & water-resistant (200m)
Stopwatch, alarm, countdown timer, automatic date
LED light with afterglow
Available in three colors
- BrandG-Shock
- ModelGA100-1A1
- Weight5.6 ounce
3PALADA Men’s Digital Military Watch
This military watch from PALADA offers a more low-key design that still packs in a ton of features. If you don’t like your watch to be too chunky, this could be perfect for you. It has a low-profile rubber strap and a watch face that doesn’t stick out on your wrist anywhere near as much as a G-SHOCK.
In terms of functionality, PALADA Men’s Digital Sports Watch is not the most stacked watch on this list. But it does work as an alarm clock, stopwatch, and calendar. You can choose between 12 and 24-hour formats and it has a backlight to help you see in the dark. But the feature that really caught our eyes was the compass. If you’re the adventurous type, a compass is an essential tool to keep you on the right track. We’ve found that this feature comes in handy way more often than you’d expect. It’s water-resistant to 50 meters (164 feet) but they don’t make any mention of shock-resistance. However, some Amazon customers have said they last longer than G-SHOCK watches. The truth is, you won’t know until you’ve lived with it for a few years. For the price, we’re sure this is an awesome military watch.
Digital display
Shock-resistant & water-resistant (50m)
Stopwatch, alarm, automatic date
LED backlight
Compass
- BrandPALADA
- ModelT7005G
- Weight3.2 ounces
4Timex Men’s Expedition Scout 40 Watch
Timex has been making timepieces since 1854, so they know how to make a reliable and beautiful wristwatch. The Timex Men’s Expedition Scout 40 Watch is one of our favorite military watches for men that want to connect with the past. Whilst it’s not the watch that was worn by military personnel in WW2, it’s made to look similar. The army-green nylon strap and the fonts on the watch face are a tip of the hat to the watches of that period.
Of course, this watch isn’t 80 years old. It might look timeless but it has some modern watchmaking technology inside. For example, it has an Indiglo backlight to help you read it in the dark. Plus, the hands are luminous so they will glow in the dark anyway. Other than that, it’s pretty light on features – you’ll have to take a compass and alarm clock with you on your travels. You may also be interested in some of the best waterproof watches from our list, so take a moment to check them out.
Analog display
Water-resistant (50m)
Date window
Available in 22 colors
Nylon strap
- BrandTimex
- ModelT49961
- Weight4 ounces
5Citizen Men’s BM8180-03E Watch
You can tell from a glance that the Citizen Watches Men’s BM8180-03E uses the same design inspiration as the Timex watch we just looked at. The black and white watch face and stitched canvas band make it look like it could be a well-kept relic from a past era. But under the hood, this is a modern and high-quality watch.
It has a Japanese-quartz movement, which is quickly becoming as well-known as swiss-quartz. The bottom line is that it will be much more accurate and reliable than a mechanical watch. Despite its attractive design, it’s actually a pretty tough watch. It’s shock-resistant and waterproof down to 100 meters (330 feet). The other huge benefit is that it’s powered by Eco-Drive. This technology takes natural and artificial light energy, stores it in a permanently rechargeable power cell, and keeps the watch running forever. That means you never have to nip out to buy watch batteries again. If you’re looking for a reliable, beautiful, and tough watch, this is one of the best. For more quality options like this, check out our guide to the best hiking watches.
Analog display
Water-resistant (100m)
Date window
Japanese-quartz movement
Stitched canvas band
- BrandCitizen
- ModelBM8180-03E
- Weight8.8 ounces
6Casio Men’s ‘G-Shock’ Quartz Resin Sport Watch
Next up, we’ve got another amazing watch from Casio’s G-SHOCK range. We talked earlier about just how indestructible these watches are. As the pioneers of shock-resistance in watches, the G-SHOCK has a big reputation to live up to. Fortunately, this model is as good as any. You can drop it, stand on it, or even throw it out of a window and it will survive. Casio Men’s ‘G-Shock’ Quartz Resin Sport Watch also features 20-bar water resistance, so you can wear it whilst showering, swimming, and even diving. If you’re deep-sea diving though, we’d recommend buying a dive watch.
The digital watch face shows the time in either 12 or 24-hour formats. It also shows the date, which is preprogrammed until 2039. Other features include a stopwatch, countdown timer, and an electro-luminescent backlight with afterglow. If we had one complaint it’s that the time is quite hard to read when the backlight isn’t on. It’s important to have a watch that you can check at a glance! But, if you’re looking for durability over everything else, this is the watch for you.
Digital display
Shock-resistant & water-resistant (200m)
Stopwatch, alarm, countdown timer, automatic date
Electro-luminescent backlight with afterglow
Available in four colors
- BrandCasio
- ModelDW9052-1CCG
- Weight4.8 ounces
7KXAITO Sports Outdoor Waterproof Military Wrist Watch
If you’re a fan of chunky watches, you’re going to love this KXATIO watch. The first thing we need to mention about this watch is the price. It costs just $14.99 (at the time of writing), which is crazy cheap for a watch of this quality. It’s built like a watch that costs ten times that much!
The watch face is striking and super busy. Even after hours of research, we’re not totally sure what everything does. So, we’ll focus on the important stuff. It has analog and digital dual dials, meaning you can keep track of two time zones at one time. It shows the date, works as a stopwatch and is water-resistant (but don’t use the buttons underwater, you could break the seal). One of the things that impressed us most about this watch is the fact that this watch is powered by a Japanese quartz movement. This is normally reserved for much more expensive watches, so it’s a huge selling point for this watch. If you’re looking for a solid and affordable military-style watch, you won’t find much better. You may also like some of the best field watches, so be sure to check them out and pick your favorite.
Analog & digital display
Shock-resistant & water-resistant
Stopwatch, alarm, automatic date
LED backlight
Available in 17 colors
- BrandKXAITO
- ModelSMELL-01
- Weight4 ounces
8Big Face Military Tactical Watch for Men
As you might have guessed from its name, the Big Face Military Tactical Watch has a pretty big watch face. If you’re looking for a subtle watch, you might as well stop reading now. Having said that, as far as big watches go, this is definitely one of the better-looking ones. We particularly like the black and orange color scheme – it looks great with pretty much any jacket or shirt.
Even though the 46mm watch face is large, it has a pretty minimalist design for a tactical watch. It shows you the time in both analog and digital, so everyone can read it. Like the last watch, it also means that you can set one of the times to a different time zone if you travel a lot. On top of that, it has a date function, alarm, stopwatch, backlight, and an hourly chime. Another thing we like about the Big Face Military Tactical Watch is that it’s tough. The dial window is made from anti-scratch glass and the watch is housed in a durable stainless-steel case.
Analog & digital display
Shock-resistant & water-resistant
Stopwatch, alarm, automatic date, hourly chime
LED backlight
Japanese analog-digital movement
- BrandInfantry
- Weight8 ounces
9Seiko Men’s SNK805 Automatic Stainless Steel Watch
Seiko is a Japanese watch brand that’s been in the game for over 100 years. They make a huge range of watches, costing anything from $30 to $10,000. Thankfully, the Seiko Men’s SNK805 is closer to the bottom of that range. Similar to the Timex and Citizen watches we looked at earlier, the design is inspired by watches worn by the military in the middle of the 20th century.
With its low-key watch face, this is one of the more understated military watches on this list. It’s both small and thin, so it looks just as good with casual dress as it does with a suit. The watch face has a minimalist design, showing just the time (analog) and the date. It’s powered by Seiko’s Hardlex crystal, which is a byword for reliability. Be sure to also check out some of the best Victorinox Swiss Army watches for more amazing timepieces like this.
Analog display
Water-resistant (30m)
Date window
Hardlex crystal
Nylon strap
- BrandSeiko
- ModelSNK805
- Weight12 ounces
10WISHFAN Men’s Military Watch
The last watch on our list is a beefy one. Watch fans are generally split into two groups – those who like chunky watch faces and those who don’t. If you fit into the former category, you’ll love this watch. WISHFAN Men’s Military Watch looks almost identical to a branded sports watch but costs a fraction of the price. The question is – is it as reliable and durable?
It seems to be pretty tough. It has a thick plastic casing around it that is shock-proof and water-resistant. It’s definitely not a diving watch, we wouldn’t recommend taking it in the water if you can avoid it. The rubber strap is well-made and looks like it will last a while. In terms of reliability, it’s powered by imported Japanese movement. That means it keeps time well without ever having to be adjusted. Plus, it tells the time in both analog and digital, so you can set it to different time zones. If you are also looking for the right sports watch, be sure to check out our selection of the best ones on the market and pick your favorite.
Analog & digital display
Shock-resistant & water-resistant (30m)
Alarm, date, hourly chime
Luminous backlight
Available in seven colors
- BrandWISHFAN
- Weight3.2 ounces