I recently got rid of my Apple watch, too intrusive for my taste. I am presently wearing a Citizen and it works okay but has a few minor drawbacks. Anyway I have been considering an automatic recently.

So here is my list of wants, Automatic, tritium tube hands, date or day/date, no rotating bezel or lots of other dials, rugged enough to be an everyday watch.

The Atacama Field by Lumi Nox looks interesting and seems to meet most of my criteria but I am open to suggestions. I have never owned an automatic before so do not know if this is a decent/reliable watch for a beginner.

Thanks!

ETA. The watch I am looking at is the Atacama Field Automatic and tritium tubes are a must. $1000 range

Price range?

Just hang on , you're about to get a hundred suggestions with pics . Watch threads take on a life of their own .

Atacama field appears to be a Quartz movement.

For everyday wear in autos, Seiko has several.

There is a Seiko Field that meets your criteria. Automatic, day/date, no bezel. Under $200.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Mr.9mm,

quote:

Watch threads take on a life

Agreed. If OP can offer a cap on his pricing it will cut down on a lot of that. Or not, which would be even more fun - I love spending other folks' money on watches, guns and electronics!

Also, I'd encourage him to spend some time poking around the two most popular watch sites; Watchuseek and Timezone. A lot of great content there and no shortage of people and ideas to help that may be broader even than here.

Normally I'd steer you to Seiko, but the tritium is an issue. I'm not aware of anything in what I'd consider the entry level price range using tritium tubes. Ball has some really nice watches with tritium, but they aren't inexpensive. The Marathon GSAR is a tank, but it's price has nearly doubled in the last 10 years or so from "tool watch" to "status watch."

If tritium isn't a must have, the Seiko lume is very impressive and remains legible well into the wee hours of the morning after I go to bed. The Seiko automatic movements aren't lovingly handcrafted works of art, but they are rugged and reliable and generally accurate to within 20 seconds a day (often much better). Accuracy is one thing to consider. Automatic is nowhere near as accurate as quartz. In the real world I don't have anything so time critical that the difference matters and I tend to switch watches nearly daily so I normally have to reset whatever I'm wearing anyway. Some people can't stand not being accurate to the second though.

What's your price range? That would help narrow it down.

any of the seiko 5 SNK line for a modest budget. For that same 600$ ish as the luminox, Hamilton makes a nice field watch.

Google search “field watches” and fall into the rabbit hole.

Make sure you tell us what you buy!

Seiko lumabright lets the watch glow all night. I would suggest one of their automatic field watches at a price where you will feel comfortable treating it like a field watch. If you want to spend more look at Hamilton. It's what your family wore in battle.
https://smile.amazon.com/Seiko...i%2Caps%2C298&sr=8-8

I know tritium feels like a good idea, but I don't think it is. Tritium will be dead in far less time than a good (or even decent) automatic watch's lifespan, and then you have to get the tubes replaced. Modern glow paint (most of the big makers use materials called Superluminova) is excellent, will glow all night, and won't wear out for a very long time, if at all.

Consider Seiko. The Seiko 5 line will give you a solid automatic for less than $200, or even $150. Other Seikos go up from there, but you can buy a lot of what Seiko makes for under $600, and all but the hotsy-totsy Seikos for less than $1000.

Knowing your budget would help a lot.

There is a huge watch thread over in "The Gallery" of this forum. Start there - see what seems attractive to you.

quote:

Automatic, tritium tube hands, date or day/date, no rotating bezel or lots of other dials, rugged enough to be an everyday watch.

I updated original post but here is my additional info, $1000 absolute max or less, much prefer tritium and likely at my age won't outlive them.

You could call David Truong and get his advice.
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quote:

Originally posted by OKCGene:
You could call David Truong and get his advice.
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I will be doing that but wanted to narrow choices a bit before calling him.

Just as a reference point, the Seiko quartz I bought in 1990 still glows through the night. By 0600 it's dim, but still readable, even with dozy eyesight.

If you're big on Tritium then Luminox makes some of the brightest ones available. They have tons of different styles, sizes and prices so you can probably find something you like.

I've had one for about 7 years now and it's still very bright and never any issues what so ever.


There website also shows you what the tritium looks like if you hover your mouse over the watch.

www.luminox.com

A Hamilton Khaki should be high on the list. Seiko SARB is another. I don't think either has tritium but they're both classic and plenty tough to be worn everyday.

Traser Officer Pro would fit your criteria. It's available in quartz or automatic. Here is the automatic:
https://shop.traserwatch.com/p...pro-automatic-black/

Also available on Amazon. It's 45mm so a little on the larger side. I have the 42mm quartz version and it's a great watch.

You guys should give the OP several pics of great options for Seiko 5's. Not for me, of course, I would definitely not be interested in great watches for under $200... For the OP. And the chirren.

Look at Ball watches- all models are automatic with tritium. The life on the tritium markers is about 10 yrs

I love my US Govt Cage marked 2007 dated vanilla smelling rubber band Marathon!

Has the Nuclear logo to warn of the luminous gas on the face. My watch is quartz actually but the Automatics are available.

HK Ag

Ball seems a likely candidate with those criteria, although I don't know if you can make your price goal. Perhaps a used one?

https://www.ballwatch.com/global/