The 10 Best Digital Watches for EDC in 2021
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You've got the toughest gear in your pockets, but what about on your wrist? If you're constantly up against jobs too heavy for a dress watch or like to spend time outdoors, a “tough digital” watch in your EDC is the way to go. They're better built for any adventure than most analog watches, thanks to their shock resistance, rugged construction, and outdoor-friendly features. That's why you'll see plenty of military and law enforcement opting to go digital for those tough missions, too. In this updated guide, we're highlighting 10 more excellent digital watches tough enough for EDC.
What to Look for in a Digital Watch for EDC
Digital watches (and their considerations) can be surprisingly different from their analog counterparts. In general, they push function over form, and tend to cram a ton of information into their displays compared to most traditional watches. To get the most out of your digital watch, pick one with…
- Shock and water resistance: To make sure your next watch can really stand up to some abuse, get one with shock absorbing materials like urethane in the bracelet and bezel, or even one equipped with suspended internals. For light splashes, 30M water resistance should hold up, but consider one with 200M+ if you plan on swimming with it.
- A good battery or power source: A potential drawback to going digital is the risk of a dead battery. Most watch batteries last several years at a time, but spending a bit more can get you a solar powered watch that recharges itself.
- Legibility: While digital displays can be easier to read than hands on an analog watch, sometimes all the other sensors can overwhelm the face of the watch. Pick a watch with the right balance of information and legibility. Another benefit of digital: electronic backlighting for telling time in the dark.
- Specialized features: If you have a specific use case in mind, look out extra features that would come in handy. For example, some GSHOCKs can tell altitude, atmospheric pressure, and even the temperature outside. Other watches include GPS, weather alerts, world time, and more.
Now that you know what to look for, here are eight examples of digital EDC watches worth your time.
The Best Digital Watches
Apple Watch Series 6 Digital Watch
PurchaseKey Features
Always-on display
ECG
Fall detection
Specifications
Case Size
40-44mm
Materials
Aluminum, stainless steel, titanium
Water Resistance
50M
While obviously not a traditional watch in any sense, the Apple Watch represents one of the best options if you wish to wear a watch with a digital face but also perform more tasks with it than just tell the time on a regular basis. Now in its sixth edition, the Apple Watch Series 6 adds a new health sensor that can help keep track of your blood oxygen levels as well as an always-on altimeter that helps with outdoors recreation. Pair that with a plethora of digital watch faces (and more) and you have one of the best smartwatches in the market at your wrist ready to go.
Garmin Instinct Solar Tactical Digital Watch
PurchaseKey Features
Tactical features
Built to U.S. military standard
Solar-extended battery life
Specifications
Case Size
45mm
Materials
Fiber-reinforced polymer
Water Resistance
100M
Garmin’s prowess in making superior GPS/GLONASS digital smartwatches reaches its apex with the Instinct Solar Tactical, which adds extended battery life to the equation with its namesake solar panels built into the watch itself. This helps sustain the life of the watch on extended trips away from a charger, whether that’s while you’re on a hike, traveling to your next destination, or out on patrol on your day to day. Plus, with its military-standard toughness ratings, the watch is ready to take on all the bumps and scrapes you might encounter with it on your wrists, and the smartwatch function allows it to stay connected to your phone functions at a moment’s notice.
Casio W-59 Digital Watch
PurchaseKey Features
Lightweight
Mineral crystal
Micro light
Specifications
Case Size
36mm
Materials
Resin
Water Resistance
50M
The Casio W-59 is actually an upgraded version of another timeless Casio quartz digital watch classic: the F91-W. It sports a similar simple, no-nonsense design with a prominent face, backlighting, and stopwatch/timer complications, but it comes with some quality of life improvements like a mineral crystal face, 50 meter water resistance, and standard lugs that make it easier to adapt this watch to the straps of your choice.
Suunto 9 Baro Titanium Digital Watch
PurchaseKey Features
GPS-enabled
Bluetooth connected
80+ sport modes
Specifications
Case Size
51.5mm
Materials
Titanium
Water Resistance
100M
To call the Suunto 9 Baro just a run of the mill digital sports fitness watch would be a drastic understatement. While it does feature lots of exercise tracking and up to 120 hours of battery power to support those activities before needing a charge, it can do way more. Underneath its sapphire glass crystal is an intuitive touchscreen interface that allows you to control all aspects of this smart watch, including finding your GPS position. In fact, it will even give you turn by turn navigation information when paired to your phone. And as its name implies its built in barometer allows it to help you keep track of the shifts in weather, which can be very important if you’re out on a hike especially in and around treacherous mountains.
Nixon Regulus SS Digital Watch
PurchaseKey Features
Designed with US Spec-Ops
Double-lock bracelet
Shock-absorbing build
Specifications
Case Size
42mm
Materials
Stainless steel
Water Resistance
100M
The Nixon Regulus SS is overbuilt in order to stand up to the task at hand. Designed with input from military professionals, the regulus has a discreet design that offers high visibility of the digital time and date. But where most watches emit a loud beep to confirm button presses, there’s a silent mode on the Regulus SS that helps keep things quiet when you’re sneaking about. And even if things get a bit exciting on the job, the double clasp on the metal band will help ensure that it stays on your wrist no matter what.
Timex Command Shock Digital Watch
PurchaseKey Features
100-hour chronograph
Negative digital display
Multiple timers, alarms, time zones
Specifications
Case Size
54mm
Materials
Resin
Water Resistance
100M
At 54mm, the Timex Command Shock is a statement watch that makes it really easy for you to read the time, but where it truly shines is its 100 hour chronograph with lap and split functions. This makes it great for anyone who needs to time or measure things quickly and accurately, and the large numbers make for a very easy read even in the dark. Plus, its namesake ISO-rated shock and 100 meter water resistance means you can take this watch pretty much anywhere and count on it to keep on ticking away.
G-SHOCK GBD-H1000-1A7 Digital Watch
PurchaseKey Features
GPS and Bluetooth
Fitness tracker
Triple environmental sensor
Specifications
Case Size
55mm
Materials
Shock-resistant resin/steel
Water Resistance
200M
To many people in the community the G-SHOCK line is the standard by which all other digital (hard use) watches should be measured against. At the high end of their offerings sit watches like the GBD-H1000-1A7, which expand the feature set of the durable G-SHOCK watch by adding in this case fitness tracking, heart rate monitoring, altitude surveillance, and Bluetooth connectivity with your smartphone. It features a high visibility white and highlighter yellow band that’s easily identifiable in your gear drawer, but the blacked-out bezel and digital watch face make for an easy high-contrast read especially when the sun drops low or out of the picture entirely.
Bulova Archive Series Computron Digital Watch
PurchaseKey Features
Retro design
Dual time zone
Red LED display
Specifications
Case Size
31mm
Materials
Stainless steel
Water Resistance
30M
As its name implies, this is a reissue/update of one of the first digital watches that came out in the 1970s. While its unique stainless industrial design and red digital readout harkens to the past, Bulova made a number of improvements to the design owing to the demands of the modern consumer. Notable, the watch now features a 3 ATM (30 meter) water resistance rating, and a mineral crystal window that’s far more sturdy than the original.
G-SHOCK GA2100SKE-7A Digital Watch
PurchaseKey Features
Shock resistant carbon core
Transparent case
Hybrid analog-digital
Specifications
Case Size
45mm
Materials
Carbon, resin
Water Resistance
200M
EDC Rating
Just released
Price
$$$
If you’re a fan of digital watches but you still want a traditional analog watch face to come along with it, picking up a G-SHOCK watch is one of your best bets. The GA2100SKE-7A is the newest edition of the popoular "CasiOak" model, in a new transparent series that sets it apart. If you look closely at the internals you can see past the case and directly into the Carbon Core of the watch, which improves the durability while helping keep this watch lightweight on your wrists. And of course you shouldn’t mistake the see-through nature of this watch for a weakness. This is a G-SHOCK after all, and it features 200 meter water resistance and the hallmark shock resistance that you expect.
Timex Q Reissue LCA Digital Watch
PurchaseKey Features
Chronograph
Alarm and timer
Retro design
Specifications
Case Size
32.5mm
Materials
Stainless steel
Water Resistance
30M
EDC Rating
Just released
Price
$$$
The all-digital retro design of the Q Timex Reissue Digital LCA brings back one of Timex’s most popular designs of the heyday of the digital watch trend. At a glance you can see the signature feature of the watch, a digital-analogue watch face that gives this watch a unique look. There’s also a chronograph, timer, and alarm function built in. Keep in mind though that you shouldn’t expect Timex’s modern Indiglo backlight system in this watch: their faithfulness to the original meant that they opted to bring back the older style retro LED backlighting instead to keep the nostalgia factor going.
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