Reynolds 531 

I think my criteria are the same as yours.

Of course I have watches, so do you................... But on a bike it is hard to read the elegant little numbers. The self winding mechanisms are heavy, so the watch slips over to the left. The metal band digs in if you tighten it...and why do Titanium watches all need to be some big thing from a Cold War movie?


Can you nominate a watch?
Appropriate more than period-correct, very lightweight if not titanium, hand wound if not battery powered, easy to read, and with whatever strap you think is best for riding classic bicycles.

Mr. 66

Back in the day I had the Casio LCD. You could get them in plastic or metal. Water resistant, stopwatch features. I think these may be available still or again.

Wasn’t there an Ironman watch?

Chuckk

Timex Ironman or Expedition watches work well. I have a Expedition that is analog.
Garmin GPS watches can give you all the information in the world without a bike mount or wiring.

Manny66 

I have a plastic Swatch watch with YUUGE number dial which comes in handy cause my eyes are lousy. Very lightweight , easy to read .

I paid about $35 from EBay a few years ago..It looks similar to this ..

https://www.ebay.com/itm/28568610176...Bk9SR-DZqvuzYw

mpetry912 

+1 on the Garmin

don't wear a mechanical watch (and especially not a rolex) on a bike. the vibration will wear out the winding rotor pivot and generally beat the heck out of the movement

/markp

Portlandjim

Stainless steel and self winding, but still a great bicycle riding watch! Patek Philippe Aquanaut 5165A

Piff 

Agreed. Go digital! Don't wear a nice piece on the road.

mpetry912 

Ah, that Patek 5167a, does not get much better than that. Funny thing, I did a ride one time with a guy who was wearing one of those.

one of my favorite rides ever

/markp

Portlandjim

This is what I found about external vibration affecting a mechanical watch:

WEARING AN AUTOMATIC WATCH ON A MOTORCYCLE OR BICYCLE
An automatic watch consists of a multitude of parts that are vulnerable to strong vibrations. The vibrations of a motorcycle engine or the bad condition of a road can damage the movement of the watch. However, this phenomenon is rather rare and generally does not lead to serious malfunctions. Using a bicycle is much less risky because the watch is only exposed to road conditions. It is nevertheless possible to control the impact of your trips on your watch by monitoring the case of a possible drift. As a general rule, we recommend that you have your automatic watch serviced every 7 years to ensure that it is functioning properly. However, if you ride a two-wheeler for your daily commute, we recommend that you drop your watch off for a service every 5 years or so.

There is the risk of serious damage from a crash, road rash on a nice watch would not be desirable. Jim Merz

steelbikeguy

I've been happy with the Casio SGW500H, which is a digital watch with hands as well as a small digital display. It also has an internal compass that uses a watch hand to point to north, and a thermometer (to tell you how warm your arm is). It also calculates sunrise and sunset, which I find to be quite useful, but may have limited appeal for others.

This is an image from the Casio site:



Naturally, it isn't expensive, it's lightweight, it doesn't mind vibration or sweat, and it's easy to read with a quick glance from almost any angle.
I've had mine for 8 years or so. No idea how long Casio will continue to make them, considering how watches are no longer thought of as essential pieces of gear.

Steve in Peoria

The_Joe

I usually go for any number of the sub $20 Casio watches you can find on Amazon.

tkm

Yeah, any digital Casio is great and they are cheap but still function fine and look fine. Some of the batteries last 10 years and by that time you'll be ready for another. Some styles haven't changed since the 1980's.

If you want something a bit more rugged, get the G-Shock version. Though those will be a bit thicker due to the extra case protection.

bikamper

Casio Solar Atomic in black chrome


It was my 24/7/365 watch while I was traveling for work. I went with an Amazon Smart watch when I went part time but I'm thinking of going back to the Casio cuz I'm not crazy about text messages on my wrist that are too small to read or useless email notifications while I'm riding.
I have a chrome Solar Atomic on the handlebar of my putt putt bike and they both read the same to the second.

tgot 

I have an Ironman, nice functional and affordable sport watch if you need a stopwatch or countdown timer (reffing soccer!).

My everyday is a Skagen. Titanium, light, good sized face and hands. Roughly similar to https://www.skagen.com/en-us/product...h/SKW6913.html
or https://www.skagen.com/en-us/product...h/SKW6891.html

I have two but don't see the exact model anymore of either. One's pretty scuffed at the corners, but the face isn't. To wear riding I do rotate it to the inside of the wrist.

My sweat is so acidic that leather bands die quickly, and I've had several inexpensive digital watches where the pot-metal body corrodes away after the coating (paint?) wears through.

bibliobob

I don't wear my nicest watches while riding, but do wear my daily wearer, the Tudor Black Bay with the smiley face.

But, I recently picked up this solar powered quartz Vaer field watch and I'm pretty happy with it. It was on sale over the holidays for about $200 and it's shaping up to be a favorite. Six hours of light will run it for six months. Gotta like that.

Ex Pres 

Wristwatch? No

You need a Terry's stopwatch holder

Kontact 

This is pretty neat-o for quartz watch. $20. It will probably last forever.

I wear a Swatch riding because it is light and easy to clean. You can buy used automatic Swatches sometimes for relatively cheap.

One of these days I'm going to finish rebuilding a Hamilton Vietnam issue pilot watch. Small and light enough to bike with.

john m flores 

Skagen. Swatch. Timex.

WaveyGravey

I second the recommendation of any of the Casio G-Shock watches.

John E

Another vote for dirt-cheap CASIO F-91W. Full functionality, including stopwatch.

VRJAKE 

Picked this up about a year ago. RZE Valour 38 field watch. Llike it for biking for several reasons. Very easy to read at a glance, just to know the time, not too large. Not expensive, durable and waterproof enough, automatic mech with 40 hours reserve. And for us weight weenies, the case is Titanium!

cinelliguy 

For me, the perfect watch is no wrist watch at all. My Garmin has the time, also my phone has the time. If I did wear a watch I would not trust myself with a nice watch!

Guy

sbarner 

I found mine in a drawer just the other day, put a fresh battery in it, and it's running just like 1990 again. I think I paid $16 for it, brand new.

Dfrost 

I’m a big fan of Garmin watches - love my Forerunner 935.

Cardiologist suggested years ago that I monitor my heart rate closely, so I looked into Fitbit’s etc. Thanks to great advice at my local REI, and their wonderful return policy, even for electronics. They suggested Garmin since I’d need good battery life in GPS mode for long rides (expect to get about 1/2 of what is claimed!), and pointed out the extremely comprehensive reviews here:

https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2021/11/...uide-2021.html

Tried a touch screen first and didn’t care for it, although the new Garmins are apparently much better in that regard.

I’ve been really appreciating the 935 since early 2018. Here it is on my skinny wrist (camera angle makes it look much bigger than actual, which is about 3/4 width of my wrist) with my favorite downloaded watch face (hugely customizable “Time Flies”, one of hundreds available), then the primary data field I set up for bike rides (also easily modified with different data) - note plenty big enough numbers, followed by three of the built-in watch face options. BTW, I typically charge this watch every other day when riding long miles like the 3-day 180-mile tour of Willamette Valley with fellow C&Vers in 2019; more like once/week during every day use with the occasional day ride.

SJX426 

Pixel 2 watch. Previous was a G-Shock Need to see if the HR data can be input to Ride with GPS or Wahoo.