By now readers of this blog are aware that EDC gear refers to “Everyday Carry” gear, and it’s the basic helpful stuff that you consistently carry as you conduct your day-to-day activities. This collection of items provide high utility and prepares you for unexpected issues, including potential emergencies that may arise spontaneously. Some of the EDC equipment you can carry and use includes wallets, phones, pens, flashlights, knives, and watches (the subject of this post).
EDC watches help you keep track of time, and they are a critical part of any Everyday Carry setup. EDC watches could include diver, pilot, field, digital, GPS, tactical, chronograph, Swiss, mechanical, or luxury watches.
Although virtually everyone has a smartphone device that they can use to check the time, doing so isn’t applicable in all situations. Checking the time using your smartphone can come off as rude, particularly during professional and social meetings. Also, some environmental situations can prevent you from using your phone, such as when you’re diving underwater. However if you are wearing a watch, you can quickly and seamlessly check the time by flicking your wrist.
Ten Common EDC Watch Types You Can Purchase
Apart from telling the time, an EDC watch can provide other people with an insight into your style and personality. Also, watches have a long, rich history. Military personnel traditionally used them as tactical gear. If you want to pick up a watch for everyday carry, here is the run down on ten different EDC watch types that you can purchase.
1) Diver Watches
If you’re an avid fan of exploring the underwater world, it only makes sense to have a diver watch. Such an everyday carry watch helps you monitor the time spent underwater and determine how much air is available in your tanks (If you are scuba diving). Some of the benefits of owning a diver watch include; water resistance and top-notch build quality that will allow you to explore greater depths for longer. It also provides automatic movement control that enables you to use hand motions and wrists movements to “wind” the watch.
2) Pilot Watches
A pilot watch, popularly known as a “Flieger,” belongs to a class of gear used by German fighter pilots during World War II. This watch type is legible, anti-magnetic, accurate, and durable. Although the original “Flieger” watch class typically measured 55mm, manufacturers reduced its size significantly to improve its appeal among EDC enthusiasts. A pilot watch provides quick and easy-to-read functionality and contains minimal or zero branding.
3) Field Watches
When you’re participating in an outdoor activity such as hiking or Fieldwork, it is imperative to have a field watch. This class of watch provides a stylish and trustworthy way of tracking time while also offering reliability and robustness. The infantry initially used the field watch during World War I, and this watch type can withstand wear and tear and harsh environmental factors. This everyday carry watch type is ideal for outdoorsmen and adventurers. I cover down on field watches over in this post: The Field Watch.
4) Digital Watches
A digital watch varies from analog alternatives by providing an electronic display interface that tells the time instead of the traditional interface. This watch type is typically resistant to shock and water and has a long-lasting battery/alternative power source such as solar recharging. This watch’s modern design allows it to have various specialized features such as an inbuilt thermometer, altimeter, and barometer.
5) GPS Watches
A GPS Watch can provide you with accurate data on the distance you’ve covered, your speed, and your current location. Modern variants of this watch type come with other practical features such as a heart rate monitor and sweat/water resistance. Utilizing a GPS watch when jogging or exploring the outdoors saves you the hassle of carrying your smartphone device. It also provides a long battery life (up to 120 hours for some models) and emergency alerts that send your current location to your emergency contacts if you have an accident or get lost.
6) Tactical Watches
Tactical gear is widely prevalent among everyday carry enthusiasts, and people love it because it provides military-grade reliability, durability, and performance. A Tactical watch provides you with Dark, non-reflective surfaces, legibility, and durability. This watch is ideal for outdoor and indoor use, and most watch models in this class come with glow-in-the-dark tritium tubes that allow you to read the time regardless of your current lighting conditions.
7) Chronograph Watches
A chronograph comes with stopwatch capabilities while also providing you with several other valuable features. You consider this watch as a hybrid of a conventional watch and a stopwatch. This watch type also typically contains a pulsometer, telemeter, and tachymeter that increases its functionality. Chronograph watches tend to be visually appealing and can seamlessly draw the curiosity of onlookers, making them among the most popular EDC watch types on the market.
8) Swiss Watches
A Swiss watch provides the renowned “Swiss-quality” and the functionality (and durability) associated with EDC gear. This watch type is resistant to scratches and corrosion. Additionally, it contains hypo allergic components that don’t affect people with skin or respiratory allergies. If you ever procure a Swiss-made everyday carry watch, you’ll undoubtedly notice its impeccable craftsmanship.
9) Mechanical Watches
A mechanical watch uses a traditional clockwork system rather than an electronic system that uses a battery to power the watch. Mechanical EDC watches are a perfect amalgamation of fine engineering and robustness. This watch type can continue ticking continuously for centuries as long as it undergoes proper servicing. Also, it tends to hold or increase its value with time due to its unique craftsmanship and durability.
10) Luxury Every Day Carry Watches
This watch type offers high-end features, and most models within this class come with smartwatch capabilities and military-grade performance. For instance, you can find such a luxury watch with unique features such as a Titanium grade case, dedicated storage memory, large battery capacity, Touchscreen interface, connectivity technology, water resistance, luminescence, high autonomy, and robustness. Luxury ECD watches tend to have higher price tags than the other watch types discussed in this list.
Conclusion
Purchasing an everyday carry watch provides you with reliable and extended functionality. Since different EDC watch types exist within the market, it would be best to identify a particular class that fits your style, requirements, and aesthetics. For me, I have multiple watches for different EDC applications. My current go-to watches are my Casio G-Shock 5600 and MTM Hypertec (pictured on the About page).
