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Watches are all designed, worn and used for a variety of reasons. One of these reasons is to be sturdy and tough. Whilst luxury watches may appear to be cooler, be made of finer materials and have complex movements inside them. There are some things they are just not suitable for. You wouldn’t want an investment banker trying to rewire your house. In the same way you wouldn’t want to wear a Patek Philippe whilst running a triathlon.
Tough watches are generally quite a bit cheaper than everyday fashion watches, although it can be tough to find a bargain under $100. Below, we have listed some bargain finds. You will be surprised at how far $100 can go for a watch which should last you at least 10 years. Specifically, if you buy a Japanese brand, you can give it quite a significant beating before it eventually fails you.
Whether you work a manual job, want a watch for an outdoor physical activity, or are simply fed up of your watches breaking on you. There will be something on the list that fits your needs.
Table of Contents
What To Look For From A Tough Watch
Waterproof
This is the first hurdle the watch must get over. If it isn’t waterproof – it hasn’t made the list. Whilst there are other things that are important from a tough watch. If it can’t handle getting wet from washing up or a downpour of rain, this is pretty pathetic.
It must be able to withstand the elements to be considered a tough watch.
Shock Resistance (Can it be dropped?)
Shock resistance is another important factor. A tough watch needs to be able to drop on the floor and survive. Not just this, there is a good chance it’s going to be banged on various surfaces and accidently knocked.
We have all see the G-shock videos by now which came out in 90’s. It’s not necessary that a watch has to survive a pneumatic drill or being dropped from a 4th story window. It should however be somewhat resiliant.
Scratch Resistant
The most scratch resistant material to protect a watch dial is sapphire crystal. Many watches will have glass to stop this happening, followed by an added layer of sapphire crystal. It is still possible to scratch the said crystal, although it’s a lot tougher than standard glass. You would almost need to go out of your way to spoil it.
Made Of Durable Materials
Ideally you will want either a stainless steel or silicon strap. Nato straps aren’t bad either, but leather straps simply aren’t durable enough. They are eventually worn down by sweat, heat and moisture, thus need replacing.
You will never want a watch to be made of fine metals or cheap plastic if you want it to withstand everyday life.
What Movement Should You Look For?
For a tough watch, ideally you would like a quartz movement. There is just a much smaller chance of things going wrong if you use quartz. Mechanical movements contain hundreds of different parts which require perfect alignment. If something gets knocked or broken, the watch will simply stop working.
If you do opt for a mechanical watch, you should make sure it has a real workhorse movement and is from a reputable brand such as Seiko. Overall though, it really is best to stick with quartz unless you have a specific reason not to.
Toughest Watches Under $100
Casio G Shock DW5600E-1V
This watch is what happens when a classic Casio design meets G-Shock. The original design of the Casio everyone knows and loves has been beefed up and offered an extra layer of protection. Each groove in the silicon strap has been rivted together so no more tearing or splitting will happen.
It should go without saying that you’re not going to damage this watch unless it gets run over by a bus. In fact that’s a joke. This watch was ran over by a truck and still worked afterwards. It has everything you could ask for such as water resistance, shock resistance, as well as a ton of extra features such as alarms and stopwatches. It’s solid quartz movement is pretty much guaranteed to work, no matter what you do to it.
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Timex Expedition Rugged
The Timex Expedition is named precisely as it should be. This is a watch that you want when you’re outdoors, particularly if you are camping or hiking. The watch is not suited for swimming or any kind of submersive activity such as diving. Although if it rains heavily, don’t worry, it can easily withstand that.
If you’re not a fan of digital watches, this is a good solid alternative if you’re looking for a tough watch. Another nice thing about Timex watches is their “indiglo” technology. If you’re out late at night and cannot see your dial, simply press the crown inwards and the hands will illuminate. This prevents a lot of digging around for your torch or rummaging in your bag to find your phone.
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Casio Tough Solar
Casio have pretty much written everything you need to know about this watch all over the case and dial. As you can see under the brand lettering “5 Alarms” should immediately catch your attention. This is because the watch allows you to set up to 5 daily alarms if you so wish.
Another great thing about this watch is that you will not have to replace the battery. The tough solar, runs itself by storing light energy in a solar capacitor. It will then use this energy when you are in darkness, whilst surviving off the natural energy from the sun during daylight hours.
As it’s made by Casio, you can do as you like this watch. It is completely waterproof and will never let you down.
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Timex Ironman Rugged 30
Timex Ironman are a tough brand, so tough in fact that they are worn by former Navy Seal Jocko Willink. If that wasn’t enough of an endorsement already, it has 100 meters water resistance and a variety of alarms, world time and countdown features.
Another good thing about this sturdy watch is that it features a 100 hour chronograph. This means that if you want to time anything up to this amount of time you will be able to. Whilst you will likely not get anywhere near close to measuring something this long, it is at least 100x better than an analogue watch that typically offers a 100 hour chronograph.
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Casio Edifice Tough Solar
Edifice are typically associated with Formula 1 and are mostly Casios range of sports fashion watches. The Edifice tough solar does this, but is also tough. If you were wanting a watch that was both tough and fashionable, this is ideal.
Not only this, but the watch is made from stainless steel. Knowing this, you will never have to worry about replacing the bracelet or plating wearing away. Sure, it will get scratched over time, but if you can find a watch that won’t, please show it to me.
As with most edifice watches, it has a basic chronograph. Lastly, it is Casio solar watch, which means you won’t have to change the battery since it will survive on sunlight.
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Invicta Pro Diver
The Invicta pro diver is really quite a bargain for the price. I was shocked to see that this didn’t have a quartz movement and was in fact an automatic watch. The movement itself will not win any awards for its inventiveness, but it is a real workhorse and can be found in a lot of Seiko watches.
The case is obviously made from stainless steel and a sapphire crystal protects the dial. A screw down crown alongside 200m of water resistance will put your mind at ease if you are ever in the ocean or a swimming pool.
Overall this is really a tough divers watch for a real knockdown price. Some people aren’t fond of Invicta watches, but if you’re a fan of the brand and looking for a sturdy watch. You really can’t go wrong with this model.
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Seiko 5
It’s going to be difficult to find a Seiko 5 for under $100, but if you find a less popular color scheme, you can do it. Seiko are well known for producing watches that last for an eternity. The Seiko 5 model is pretty much the posterboy of longeivity, with the model being manufactured since the early 1960s.
This is not the toughest watch on the list, but is certainly the most tough and reliable watch with an automatic movement. Seiko finish their watches to a higher quality than many other brands. It will be very difficult to find better value than a Seiko 5, although you can certainly find tougher watches if required.
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Citizen Quartz BI1041-22L
Citizen are another Japanese brand that make good quality watches for very affordable prices. Best known for the eco-drive, you likely won’t be able to find one for under $100. With that being said, there are several other Citizen models available at knockdown prices. This model in particular has great water resistance and can be used for swimming.
Its ribbed silicon strap makes sure that it can survive tugs and pulls, it will not tear. Citizen quartz movements are very solid on the whole and will not let you down. This is a reliable and tough watch that will not come close to breaking the bank.
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Timex Expedition Field Chronograph
The Timex Expedition chronograph is a more fashionable and complicated version of the simple Timex Expedition Rugged listed above.
You’ll be getting pretty much the same features expect are paying more money for a larger dial and a chronograph function. This watch, although tough, could also be worn on everyday and wouldn’t look out of place. The indiglo feature is very standard on almost all Timex watches and comes in handy at night, or out in caves if you want to know the time.
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Stuhrling Original Aviation Watch
Although it’s not recommended to get a leather strap on a tough watch, this watch by Stuhrling is slightly different. It uses 4 large rivets to hold the strap in place and is very durable. This will give you a lot longer lifespan when compared with normal leather strap watches.
All hands, numbers and markers are heavily lumed so that you will be able to see the time in the dark without pressing any buttons. In addition to this, all Stuhrling watches come with a 2 year international warranty, so even if something goes wrong you don’t have to worry.
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Victorinox Swiss Army Watch
Available in 4 different colors, this model of watch is mostly for fashion rather than toughness. However, Victorinox is a brand best known for its production of solid equipment such as Swiss army knives.
For under $100 it’s very rare to find any watch made by Victorinox, so this had to make the list. It is not quite as tough as many of the other watches on the list, but also has a practical function as a fashion watch. If you’re looking for something wearable and durable that you will wear everyday, this is really a great choice.
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Parnis GMT
Parnis are well known for their very liberal use of other watch designs. The Parnis GMT in particular offers no prizes for which watch it’s trying to imitate. Whilst it’s no where near as tough as most of the other watches on this list, its still not bad at all. It features a screw down crown, a solid silicon strap and a well made case.
The movement is an automatic which is very good value for money. I doubt you have ever heard of a Mingzhu 3804, but it is pretty much a clone of what is inside a Citizen divers watch. The glass also features a sapphire crystal layer to prevent scratching. Really you won’t find a waterproof submariner watch for anywhere near this price other than Parnis.
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