# best watch for a deployment to afghanistan?



## jaysou (Nov 21, 2011)

Hello All,
I'm trying to buy a watch as a Christmas gift for my boyfriend, who will be deploying to Afghanistan. He had talked a lot about a watch he wanted that "does everything except scan and fax!" and I've been doing some research and narrowed it down to the following 3:
-Casio PAW2000 Pathfinder

-Garmin Forerunner 405

 -Suunto X-Lander Wrist-Top Computer

I had considered the Suunto 10x Military, but eliminated it due to so many negative reviews.

Any feedback would be very, very appreciated!


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## turban1 (Oct 21, 2010)

here in kabul all the military people i work with seem to wear big, boxy, plasticky watches like casios, with lots of functions. indeed i cannot recall seeing any other general type but i do not see the brands and i doubt they use many suuntos. i'd think get something cheap for getting knocked around, or dustproof or both. lots of dust here.


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## Myron (Dec 27, 2009)

Hi Jaysou,

Welcome to the forum, and many thanks to your boyfriend for his service. I don't own any of these kinds of watches, but I have recommended Suunto to a friend and it has given great service. Good luck in your search.

Myron


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## Rusty_Shakleford (Jan 19, 2011)

I wore a Casio Pathfinder myself in Afghanistan and it was perfect for the conditions. I would highly recommend sticking to one if the models that are solar powered. It is useless if the battery dies over there.

RS


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## Jade330i (Oct 13, 2010)

Rusty_Shakleford said:


> I wore a Casio Pathfinder myself in Afghanistan and it was perfect for the conditions. I would highly recommend sticking to one if the models that are solar powered. It is useless if the battery dies over there.
> 
> RS


I total agree with the above poster.....I have a Casio Pathfinder Ti that is super light, feature packed and nearly indestructible....solar powered is the way to go!

Please thanks your BF for his service!

Here what mine looks like: Casio Pathfinder Ti PAG240T-7


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## MarkB (Dec 5, 2007)

The 2000 is my "can do all" favourite; sunrise and sunset times, second time zone for phoning home, lots of alarms, 24 hour countdown timer, light and weather trend indicator.

Have also used the Vector (same module as X-Lander) and it comes in a good second. Remember to take a spare battery.

Be careful with a bracelet, in the heat my wrists expand and a bracelet becomes too tight to wear (for me) so I only take (plastic) straps. Plastic so you can give it a good wash once in a while, something you really want to do once in a while even with the chlorinated water.


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## Rusty_Shakleford (Jan 19, 2011)

I agree with MarkB about the bracelet\strap.

I wish that I had the model number of my Pathfinder handy. It came with two straps neither of which were very comfortable but more importantly it had the adapters that allowed me to put it on NATO\ZULU straps. This was great for comfort as well as hygiene as I could wear one for a few days and switch it out. I could machine or hand wash as needed and let them air dry. Extremely useful when the comforts of home are far away...

RS


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## Rusty_Shakleford (Jan 19, 2011)

Here is my Pathfinder...

View attachment 562343


BTW. This picture shows documentary use of the watch which is in keeping with WUS rules. Please don't bother warning me that there is a weapon in the picture, I'm aware of it. I carry it often enough to know it's there.


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## charger02 (Apr 28, 2011)

I wore a g shock both times I was deployed. Pathfinders and Suuntos are nice but would I use the compass features? Not if my life depended on it. Knowing the temp is nice too but it gets really hot in the summer and really cold in the winter (especially at the foot of the Hindu Kush). Barometer? Thats what METOC reports are for. G-Shocks are durable and cheap.....relatively speaking.


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## Rusty_Shakleford (Jan 19, 2011)

charger02 said:


> I wore a g shock both times I was deployed. Pathfinders and Suuntos are nice but would I use the compass features? Not if my life depended on it. Knowing the temp is nice too but it gets really hot in the summer and really cold in the winter (especially at the foot of the Hindu Kush). Barometer? Thats what METOC reports are for. G-Shocks are durable and cheap.....relatively speaking.


Sometimes your life may depend on it, mine has. My lensatic busted and I needed the most accurate azimuth I could get and the Pathfinder worked for me. I would never choose to rely on it but sometimes it happens. The Altimeter and Barometer are not all all useful but the compass is better than nothing...

BTW, I checked mine and it is a PAW-1300G.

RS


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## charger02 (Apr 28, 2011)

I would argue that you would be in the minority having to depend on your watch compass. If your DAGR and lensatic compass are broken and no one around you has some sort of backup to include a radio then there are some serious issues.


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## jaysou (Nov 21, 2011)

Thank you all so much for your replies! Sounds like the consensus is the Pathfinder (among the 3 I had narrowed it down to). I'm not sure exactly which features he would find important, but for some reason he was wanting a watch that does a lot of things...not sure if this information makes any difference, but he will be commanding a company in a forward support brigade. If that means anything to anyone in terms of which functions might be helpful, awesome!
Thanks again!


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## Rusty_Shakleford (Jan 19, 2011)

As far as I know all of the Casio Pathfinders have Time, Compass, Altimeter, Barometer so functionality is not a concern. Some sync up with the atomic clock but that feature does not work in any part of Afghanistan so don't worry about it.

Again, I would highly recommend going with a solar model but beyond that it's purely taste. Most of them come in subdued colors so that shouldn't be a factor.

Good luck,

RS


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## snpr9696 (Oct 17, 2010)

One that runs really fast so he will make it back sooner. My prayers are with him.


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## cal..45 (Jun 4, 2006)

charger02 said:


> I wore a g shock both times I was deployed. Pathfinders and Suuntos are nice but would I use the compass features? Not if my life depended on it. Knowing the temp is nice too but it gets really hot in the summer and really cold in the winter (especially at the foot of the Hindu Kush). Barometer? Thats what METOC reports are for. G-Shocks are durable and cheap.....relatively speaking.


I couldn't agree more. In the field it is best to have a simple to operate watch without any gimmicks. For maximum touhgness nothing gets the job better done than a G-Shock, for maximum readability (day and night), nothing is better than a H3 watch (Luminox, Traser ect.) and this is exactly how I ended up on my missions - a G on the left wrist, a H3 on the right.

cheers


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## scooby (Jun 3, 2009)

cal..45 said:


> I couldn't agree more. In the field it is best to have a simple to operate watch without any gimmicks. For maximum touhgness nothing gets the job better done than a G-Shock, for maximum readability (day and night), nothing is better than a H3 watch (Luminox, Traser ect.) and this is exactly how I ended up on my missions - a G on the left wrist, a H3 on the right.
> 
> cheers


x10 and if I were going, I know I would take the new Casio Gshock Mudman G9300. A no nonsense solar powered watch that can take a serious beating and has a compass! I think Suunto's are excellent instruments, but I wouldn't trust them in that environment. Not to mention having a battery die at the wrong moment or having to change it with all that dust around etc. That being said, I think a Pathfinder is a great choice as well. The upside of a Pathfinder or a Suunto are the large digits....much easier to tell time at a glance.


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## Rusty_Shakleford (Jan 19, 2011)

scooby said:


> x10 and if I were going, I know I would take the new Casio Gshock Mudman G9300. A no nonsense solar powered watch that can take a serious beating and has a compass! I think Suunto's are excellent instruments, but I wouldn't trust them in that environment. Not to mention having a battery die at the wrong moment or having to change it with all that dust around etc. That being said, I think a Pathfinder is a great choice as well. The upside of a Pathfinder or a Suunto are the large digits....much easier to tell time at a glance.


Great point about the large digits. I suppose that I take that feature for granted but it is also very important.

RS


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## cal..45 (Jun 4, 2006)

A SGW-100 makes also a great watch. nearly as tough as a G, plain cheap, thermomter, compass and a failure-free reliable CR2025 battery (which will outlast probably many solar watches). The digits are among the biggest in the whole Casio line, the display is totally uncluttered, the illumination is preferably negative style (only the digits light up), 200meters WR and it show scurrent time in all modes. The only downside I have found on this one is the stopwatch is too short (only 60min.) but other than that, it is a nearly perfect digital watch.










cheers


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## jaysou (Nov 21, 2011)

Thanks again for all your input! He already has a g-shock he uses everyday, so I'm glad to hear that will be so useful during the deployment. I was able to do some sneaky information-gathering and it turns out it was the x10 he wants, so I got it on cyber monday. Take care, and Happy Holidays!


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## SlowTwitch (Dec 16, 2011)

hello mam! Im glad I cam across this thread. I just purchased a Mudman 9300 for the exact reason as your boyfriend's needs. Army at this end, and from all the research I did the Mudman was truly the best choice for all the aforementioned reasons. I was looking into Suunto also, a Ranger had recommended the Core to me but the solar power feature was hands down a no contest at that point. If anything, get him another G-Shock if and when possible, but make sure it is the Mudman 9300 which has all the features as the X10 HOWEVER- it does not have GPS capabilities. I had been told that GPS watches or "wrist top computers" were not allowed unless authorized due to its tracking capabilities. I could be wrong but that was what I heard so I chose not to even try after hearing it. God bless. Hooah.


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## donoharm (Nov 23, 2011)

I know an army ranger who uses this watch.



cal..45 said:


> A SGW-100 makes also a great watch. nearly as tough as a G, plain cheap, thermomter, compass and a failure-free reliable CR2025 battery (which will outlast probably many solar watches). The digits are among the biggest in the whole Casio line, the display is totally uncluttered, the illumination is preferably negative style (only the digits light up), 200meters WR and it show scurrent time in all modes. The only downside I have found on this one is the stopwatch is too short (only 60min.) but other than that, it is a nearly perfect digital watch.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## Desertnate (Feb 4, 2012)

cal..45 said:


> A SGW-100 makes also a great watch. nearly as tough as a G, plain cheap, thermomter, compass and a failure-free reliable CR2025 battery (which will outlast probably many solar watches). The digits are among the biggest in the whole Casio line, the display is totally uncluttered, the illumination is preferably negative style (only the digits light up), 200meters WR and it show scurrent time in all modes. The only downside I have found on this one is the stopwatch is too short (only 60min.) but other than that, it is a nearly perfect digital watch.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I'll second the vote for this watch. I wore one for a year, non-stop during my tour to Afghanistan. It was durable and easy to read. I frequently used the alarm while traveling between locations and the world time function was excellent as my job frequently required me to jump between at least three time zones. Keeping zulu and local time within a button push of each other was priceless.

Of all the features, it was the easy readability that won me over. I could easily get the time at a glance in most lighting conditions. In the dark, only the digits glow, so your wrist doesn't turn into a flash light if you don't want it to.

I'd gladly take this watch back if I go again. It's a permanent part of my deployment kit.


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