Garmin, Seiko, G-SHOCK, and more: Our picks for best outdoor watches in 2024

If you’re an outdoor enthusiast, you need the perfect wrist companion for all of your adventures. Whether you’re biking and hiking on rugged terrain or simply tracking your fitness goals, you need a watch that keeps time, looks stylish, and can handle your activities. We’ve created a list of the best outdoor watches, including brands like Garmin, Seiko, G-SHOCK, and Suunto.

Contents

The best outdoor watches for men
How do you choose the best outdoor watches?

We’ve focused on features like GPS tracking, construction, and top-tier technology to bring you what we think are the top outdoor watches at the moment. Whether you’re a seasoned explorer, a fan of going to the gym, or someone who appreciates these types of manly watches, there’s a timepiece to suit every taste and lifestyle, including yours. Each of these watches brings its own bit of flair to the world of outdoor watches, from Seiko to the famously tough G-SHOCK brand.

The best outdoor watches for men

We’re exploring the best outdoor watches for men that will not only bring your everyday style to new heights (pun intended) but also help you out as you bike through muddy puddles and camp in rough terrain.

1. Seiko Prospex SNJ025

The Seiko Prospex SNJ025 is a reinterpretation of the 1982 Hybrid Diver’s Watch, meaning it has a more sleek and high-end design compared to other outdoor watches, but it never loses its utility. It features both an analog and a digital display, meaning it can work well in more than just outdoor settings; you could wear it to the office after a weekend of hiking. A battery change is not necessary as it contains a solar-powered movement and has a massive 6-month power reserve (in case you ever get lost!) This Seiko watch comes with several features that are certainly essential, like a stopwatch, alarm, and a local time indication mode. It’s made with a lightweight matte black case with Hardex Crystal screw-down crown, pushers, and case back, giving it a water resistance of up to 200 meters (living up to its Seiko name.)

2. Hamilton Khaki Field Expedition Auto

The Hamilton Khaki Field Expedition Auto is all about a luxurious yet tough exterior with a stainless steel case and black dial that measures 37mm. It includes an incredibly impressive 80-hour power reserve, something we, The Manual, are big fans of, as well as an H-10 caliber movement. It also features a sapphire crystal and an open case back so you can see what’s going on inside. It fits in pretty much any environment as it has a 100m water resistance and anti-reflective coating, so those afternoon bike rides in the blazing hot sun won’t be a problem.

3. Victorinox INOX Professional Diver

Victorinox Professional Diver — Victorinox

If you’re looking for an outdoor watch that is made for extreme conditions (are you planning on climbing Mt. Everest anytime soon?), the Victorinox INOX Professional Diver will certainly be happy to join you. It’s ISO 6425 certified for diving and has a water resistance of 200 meters (in case you want to go straight from Everest to the bottom of the ocean.) This Victorinox watch is made of sandblasted stainless steel and has a hand-braided survival paracord strap with reflective tracers, meaning it will safely fit over a diving suit. Other features include an additional rubber strap, a color-matched protective number, and luminescent hands.

4. Casio G-Shock GG-B100-1A

If you’re looking for a rugged timepiece designed for adventurers, the Casio G-Shock GG-B100-1A is your friend. With a case size of 55.4 × 51.3 × 19.4 mm and weighing 92 g, it’s super strong yet still lightweight, something all hikers look for. You can use this G-SHOCK watch on any type of terrain, from mountains in France to deserts in Egypt, as it’s made with a carbon/resin case and bezel. It features a Carbon Core Guard structure, as well as several different types of sensors like a step counter and altimeter. The best part? A battery life of approximately two years.

5. Garmin fēnix 7X – Sapphire Solar Edition

The Garmin fēnix® 7X – Sapphire Solar Edition is a super versatile smartwatch, and it’s made for endurance athletes, i.e., you like to do race biking on weekends, and you’re practicing for the next Iron Man competition. In smartwatch mode, you get up to 28 days of battery life and 37 days if you’re using the solar charging, meaning its made for those extremely long races. Its other features include built-in mapping, an LED flashlight, and pulse ox blood oxygen monitoring (an exceptionally cool addition if you ask us.)

6. Suunto 9 Peak Pro All Black

If you need a watch made from long-lasting materials like stainless steel and reinforced polyamide, the Suunot 0 Peak Pro All Black is for you, even in extreme conditions. Crazily enough, it only weighs 64 grams, meaning you’ll barely notice it as you engage in all your outdoor activity (even if that means simply lifting a cold beer to your lips as you camp outside your tent.) It has an incredibly cool set of features, including integrated wrist heart rate monitoring, customizable watch faces, and a color touch display.

7. Apple Watch Ultra 2

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 has a 49mm titanium case, but it’s really what’s inside that counts. The Always-On Retina display gives you clear visibility no matter what environment you’re in, and the S9 SiP gives it intuitive controls such as double-tap gestures and a Precision Finding for iPhone. Of course, it’s all about your health with these babies, so you’ll also find an ECG app, high and low heart rate notification, and temperature sensors.

How do you choose the best outdoor watches?

Hamilton Khaki Expedition watch on cliff — Hamilton

To select the ideal outdoor watch:

To choose the right outdoor watch for you, you’ll want to prioritize the durability factor if you know you’ll be using it in rough conditions. You should, of course, consider its features, as that’s really where these watches shine (think GPS navigations, altimeter, and barometers), and you’ll want to find something with good water and shock resistance. Lastly, consider how much you want to spend in relation to all the add-ons you need for your watch, as you may have to compromise in some areas.