Watch your time: Timepieces play important role for anglers, hunters

Jul 23, 2023

What's that on your wrist?

Accurate timekeeping is essential to tournament anglers who suffer substantial penalties for being late to a weigh-in. Hunters, especially waterfowl hunters, must know the precise minute of legal shooting time to avoid costly financial penalties and worse for shooting too early. The game wardens watching them know the exact time, as well.

At the 2016 Bassmaster Classic in Tulsa, we interviewed some of the world's top professional anglers about timekeeping. The elite of that bunch, including Mark Davis (Breitling), Skeet Reese (Rolex), and David Walker (Rolex) wore Swiss-made wristwatches. All of their equipment is the best you can buy, including their timepieces. Mike Iaconelli, ever the contrarian, wore a Casio. It works. Ike is seldom penalized for being late.

Especially since the introduction of the Apple Watch, wristwatches are still staples for most sportsmen. It is a lot easier and more instinctive to glance at your wrist than to extract a phone from a pocket or to look down at the time on an electronic graph. A smartwatch keeps perfect time, and it performs many of a computer's functions. However, an Apple or Android smartwatch has engineered obsolescence. You have to constantly update it, and you will have to replace it regularly.

That is why so many people still wear traditional analog wristwatches. You must reset them occasionally and replace the battery. If it's an automatic watch, it runs perpetually, fueled only by wrist movements. For the sake of simplicity, this article will focus on the automatic genre.

Automatic watches, or self-winding watches, use a complex rotary system that winds the spring whenever the watch moves. The best movements are built within tight tolerances and are silky smooth. Swiss-made movements are the gold standard, but Japan-made movements rival them for accuracy. The Miyota 8200 series is one of the world's most popular movements and is used in many Asian brands. It is accurate to within minus-10 seconds to plus-30 seconds per day.

My Orient Mako 2 runs on Orient's proprietary movement. It is as accurate as any Swiss watch, as is my Seiko 5, an inexpensive timepiece that runs on Seiko's proprietary N35 movement. Citizen also uses a proprietary movement.

Most Swiss watches use an E.T.A. movement. It generally has 25 jewels, compared to 21 jewels for most Japan-made movements. Swiss movements are highly polished and elaborately decorated. Many are gold plated. They often have clear backs so you can admire the works. Japan-made movements are not as well finished.

JEWELING

Jewels are to a watch what bearings are to a fishing reel. We generally equate a high number of bearings in a reel to higher quality. Likewise, a large number of jewels in a wristwatch represent higher quality, as well.

Jewels are generally synthetic rubies or sapphires that serve as bearings. They are highly durable. They don't rust. They don't corrode, and they are highly resistant to abrasion and erosion. A fully jeweled watch contains 17 jewels. A 21-jewel watch contains additional cap jewels to minimize movement and reduce the effects of shock.

Watches with "complications" such as perpetual calendars or chronographs, have additional jewels to reduce wear and shock.

CRYSTAL

The crystal is the clear cover over the watch face. Many watches come with a mineral crystal that scratches easily and is highly vulnerable to cracking.

A synthetic sapphire crystal is highly resistant to scratching and breakage. Sapphire crystals are associated with higher end watches, but they are available on a surprising number of highly affordable watches. You can also upgrade a mineral crystal to sapphire. A sapphire crystal usually costs less than $100 online. A jeweler will charge about $100 to install it and replace the water resistant crystal seal.

WHICH WATCH?

By international law, only a genuine Swiss watch that was entirely built in Switzerland may contain the words "Swiss Made" on the watch face. Exemplars are Rolex and Omega, which cost thousands of dollars. However, there are a lot of high-quality Swiss made watches available for about the same price as an upper end Seiko 5.

One fine example is the Hamilton Khaki Field King. It has 25 jewels and a sapphire crystal. Its presentation back displays the highly decorated movement, including its jewels and gold-plated elements. Its day-date function is between the 11 o'clock and 1 o'clock positions, as opposed to their usual positions at 3 o'clock. This watch is very accurate, gaining just under 5 seconds per day. Water resistance is 50 meters.

The hands are narrow swords. Hours 12-11 are denoted by large Arabic numerals. Hours 13-24 are denoted by small Arabic numerals beneath the larger numerals. There are also half-minute hashmarks between the minute markers.

A consistent complaint about this watch is its luminescence. It is faint and does not shine for very long without recharging. Nevertheless, this very cool watch is my everyday wear. It costs about $430 with a leather band about $490 with a stainless steel band.

ORIENT

Though often dismissed as a cheap "off" brand, Orient's automatic watches are actually high-quality. Orient makes a lot of diver style watches, including the Ray, Skate, Mako and Kanno.

My Mako 3 USA has 22 jewels and a sapphire crystal, with a water resistance rating of 200 meters. The day-date function is at the 3 o'clock position. Its large, spear-type hands are very easy to read. The spear tip of the second hand is trimmed in red. The 12 o'clock marker is a large triangle. The 6 o'clock and 9 o'clock markers are large rectangles. The other hours are large trapezoids. The lume is brilliant and lasts for hours. Its durable silicone strap is comfortable and attractive.

You can hear and even feel the movement when you move your arm. This is not desirable and might contribute to this being an exceedingly speedy watch.

My Mako 2 has 21 jewels, but also a cracked mineral crystal. I like the Mako 2 face better. It has large numerals at 12, 6, and 9. The other hours are small rectangles. The hands are smaller sword types. It has a very rugged and attractive stainless steel band.

Both of my Makos have dark blue faces that shine brilliantly in sunlight. The Mako 3 costs about $220. The Mako 2 costs about $180.

SEIKO 5

These accurate, highly affordable watches are available in many styles at many price points. The "5" denotes the watch's five features, including an automatic winding system, water resistance, day-date display, durable case and recessed crown at the 4 o'clock position. Many have a presentation back.

At about $60, my Seiko 5 was one of the cheapest. It was also extremely accurate. It is, regrettably, on the bottom of a deep pool on Crooked Creek.

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