I am working on my PhD mainly doing lab work. When I first started, I bought a Tissot LeLocle Powermatic 80, which I absolutely love. However, in the lab, there’s a lot of hazards for an automatic and I started taking it out fairly often. Is there an automatic that’s not too expensive (ideally under 500 but sub 1000€ at most), somewhat magnetic and shock resistant? Been thinking that I’d like to get a Diver, but not a prerequisite
Thanks for your help, cheers!
Honestly? G-shock is the answer.
Right?
Can even get one of the nicer japanese made models for around $500
I love my titanium square. Def gets a lot of wrist time in the summer doing outdoor activities!
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I’m not sure what type of lab environment you are in but it’s probably best to remove watches, rings, and other jewelry. If it could possibly restrict movement or get caught on equipment while working its a bad idea.
A diver is going to be a good choice for a tough automatic. To be honest, you’d probably be best served by a Casio 5600 or other G-Shock, though.
The tricky part is that I think it’s a bit difficult to find cheaper automatics that with non-magnetic mainsprings.
I just got a tag heuer solargraph watch as my every day watch but in your case I would get a nice citizen or seiko watch that can take a beating. I like quartz watches end even better solar versions because you can set them and forget them for decades.
What kind of lab are you in?
We do combustion tests. I’m around an awful lot of steel and some electronics (and some magnetic fields occasionally).
For the environment you’re in I’m going to echo some of the other comments - a G-Shock might work well and with a solar powered / radio controlled reference (M5610) you’ll get over a decade of trouble free timekeeping.
If digital is really not your thing, you could consider a robust quartz diver (solar again) like Seiko’s SNE569.
If it has to be an automatic and a diver is your preference, within the budget there isn’t too much separating what is on offer and I would go with what you find most aesthetically pleasing.
If your budget can stretch a little I would look at something like Formex.
There’s lots of options from Seiko and Orient in that price range, and you can’t go wrong with either brand IMO.
Garmin Instinct
If digital is your thing, go with a Garmin Fenix (sapphire faced). My job was very, very dirty and rugged. I made construction workers and heavy equipment operators look clean. That thing is bomb proof, once I added a screen protector and a plastic (removable) cover for $20.
Battery life is insane and you get all the notifications etc.
