I apologise in advance to those who find these posts trite but I do need help
My eldest son aged 24 having gone the route of University, graduate accountant programme etc has decided this is not the life for him and has quit to travel the world with only the belongings he can carry. He has funding /work lined up (if playing/coaching rugby can be classed as work) to keep him away for at least 2 years and I suspect he may well not return to the UK for even longer.
To celebrate/mark his departure his mother and I wish to give him a watch as a gift but he received an Omega Seamaster for his 21st birthday and this watch only managed to survive 2 years on his wrist before the celebrations after a cup victory reduced it to scrap (For those of you who have played Rugby this is quite understandable for the rest it is best not explained)
If you have continued reading you will hopefully have a mental image of my much loved No 1 son. This watch therefore has to withstand the rigours of life with him plus be able to be worn whilst travelling to Australia/New Zealand/PNG/Malaysia/Vietnam/Laos/Cambodia/Korea/Japan/Africa/South America then the States. Whilst visiting these places he has 2 mountains to climb/Rainforest treks/a desert to traverse and lots of diving plus the usual shenanigans
At this point you have no doubt reached the decision I did of either a G shock or a Seiko but you like I did not factor in the "mother response" which to para phrase was along the lines of "you are going to mark the loss of my little boy ( he is 6ft 5 inches tall and built like a brick outhouse) to the big bad world by giving him a crappy Argos (a weird shopping outlet in the UK) watch.
Hence the dilemma to which I am seeking guidance. This watch needs to be quartz (he will never wind it) have an alarm ideally, waterproof and be robust. I do not want to spend a fortune plus I do not want a watch that stands out too much (security reasons) but it has to pass the mother test.
I have looked at Squale ,Sinn and Marathon but whilst the Marathon Jumbo Diver LGP JSAR meets most of the criteria it doesn't have an alarm.I also know very little about these watches
Am I missing a blindingly obvious watch ? or will I have to compromise
Any help gratefully received as I am now under pressure to deliver as he goes 25/05 and clearly at this point in time I am uncaring/thoughtless and if it had been a vintage watch for me would have sorted it months ago 1

 

Will he have a cell phone? If so, then removing the alarm requirement from the watch might help. That said, I'd give him a G-Shock to wear on his travels and a nicer watch (I very much like a lot of Sinn models....103) that you will keep for him for two years and when he emerges from his travels and heads back into the 9 to 5 job world, the Sinn will be waiting for him.

 

Sieko SKX 007/009 or the new Turtle rerelease. Cheap as chips esp the SKX, large enough as I'm 6'4 and it wears appropriately at a tastefully modern but not oversized 42mm. On a bracelet it's tasteful and can pull of dressy (007). Or pull the bracelet and get a few natos in leather and nylon and it will go with anything you wear and will take anything you throw at it. My father a banker wears his 007 everyday on a bracelet to work, I wear my 009 hiking, swimming, biking, and diving not to mention day to day a lot.

I agree the alarm on a watch is not needed with Cellphones as the alarm requirement will force you towards a digital. The G shock is great but your never going to be able to dress it up at all. These Siekos are all automatics that take a beating. An automatic is just as good as a Quartz in my opinion for a no hassle single watch.

If i was traveling and needed a watch that looked great, can take a beating and would not care if I lost hands down it would be a skx007. Pack a bracelet, brown leather nato/zulu, and 3 nylon nato straps dark green,black, bond black grey and maybe a nice red or something bright to be fun.

As a bonus I might mod with a 12 hour bezel for dual time zone.

Obligatory picture of my 009 on my 7 3/4inch wrist.

 

...

 

It might be helpful to know what the budget is. Some thoughts:-
1. Rolex Explorer II Polar - it's rugged, has date and GMT functions which are useful if he's crossing time zones. It's not so obviously Rolex and is as good as money if he lands in the St and needs to pay his way out of trouble.

2. Sinn 103 or 104? Yes why not. Way cheaper than a Rolex but have no significant exchange value in case of trouble. The leather straps are really robust and look great but not sure how long they would last in the tropics, so a steel bracelet would be better. I was not very impressed with the Sinn bracelets so I put my 104 St Sa on a WatchGecko Shark Mesh (the polished version is GTA-MLE-WF J061-PSS-20). It will be plenty long enough and is really comfortable/robust (actually I like this bracelet so much I now have it on my Omega Globemaster).

While the idea of a Victorinox plus Swiss Army knife sounds appealing (a knife is seriously useful) he wont be able to take it into the cabin of any civil airliner, which means checked luggage, which inevitably goes on it's own (wrong) tour.

 

Consider a Seiko quartz alarm like this, or this, for his trip...

...and upon his return, consider a world timer, like this, so that he can fondly remember all the time zones he's visited.

 

Whatever you get him (and a good quality Seiko diver would be my recommendation) make sure it's on a nato. Better a lost springbar than a lost watch

 

I have the watchgecko mesh on my PO and love it!

 

I would also suggest something that is not eye catching and with that I mean forget a metal bracelet. Not only will people in the street be attracted but so will everyone in the dorms at the hostels. I highly suggest something he will never need to take off and I would go for rubber bracelet or those HIRSH rubber/leather bracelets that can handle water. Forget the big names and go for something that is under the radar.
With this comes to mind Eterna and Tissot. He can always get himself a cheap travel clock.

I didn't think about a Nato but for sure interesting and durable.

 

Seiko SKX007 on the Z22 rubber strap all the way. A $200 watch that will last through nearly anything, he'll never need to take off or wind, and will not attract a thief. I also like the idea mentioned above to buy another nicer one to give him upon his return to the corporate world.

 

My vote would be for a Orient Mako, auto, Seiko build quality and looks great. They get excellent reviews and are cheap as chips.

 

£115 on Amazon with a rubber strap.

 

I'd go for this one also. They are indestructible. I've owned mine for over 12 years and is my daily wearer on the building site. I am a carpenter. I couldn't fit more scratches and dents on it if I wanted to and has been run over by a car or two. I'll have it till one of us dies and I am likely the first one to go.

 

My GMT Master II .... My go to travel watch. Sitting in an airport now. Versatile accurate and tough with GMT complication.

 

I think the G shock is the right answer.

The only alternatives I can think of that would be appropriate to placate mom would be a Sat phone or emergency beacon or Breitling Emergency II.

 

He will be taking an I phone and pad but even at home they are constantly in need of charging so the watch alarm was his primary wake up call to avoid missed flights or get his backside to work on time
I agree the G shock would be excellent but his mother does not agree !

 

SKX007/009 are fantastic watches

 

The Rolex/Omega suggestions would normally be the default tough, waterproof and accurate choices but if he's going to the rougher places in the world then a Seiko SKX 009. Keeps good time is tough and waterproof and it wont attract unwanted attention.

 

His Mum wants him to have a watch so that when he looks at it he will be reminded of home/her Go figure eh

 

I considered a Rolex Submariner (I have one that does not get a lot of wrist time) for the very reason you state but then discounted it as he will be staying in some accommodation which will not be very secure
I do think the Sinns are a good option and for circa £1600 you get a lot of watch