Time Pieces: What's On Your Wrist?

Discussion in 'Functional Gear & Equipment' started by Brokor, Jan 7, 2008.


  1. ghrit

    ghrit Bad company Administrator Founding Member

    If all else fails, an automatic watch is one way to go. I also have a 130 year old grandfather's clock that keeps time well enough (within a minute a week.) I can find the accurate time close enough to set the g-pa clock with solar observation.
     
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  2. Ganado

    Ganado Monkey+++

    I honestly don't ubdetstand why a time piece would be important if SHTF. If we have that type of event I can't see how time of day will be important. .. perhaps you could clarify why time would be important
     
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  3. smithcp2002

    smithcp2002 Monkey+++

    Unit movement, rendezvous points and salutes.
     
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  4. Hanzo

    Hanzo Monkey+++


    Relatively unimportant.

    But a good watch, like a Rolex, for example, has value. I have heard stories, even in wartime, where a quality and valuable watch is traded for something. Ammunition, transport, medical care, etc could save your life.

    Now, it is just to help me to stay on time.
     
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  5. Ganado

    Ganado Monkey+++

    Salutes? Not very tactical... soz... it's just ignorance on my part
     
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  6. kellory

    kellory An unemployed Jester, is nobody's fool. Banned

    You may not be tactical, but you might like to follow a recipe. Also, the face of a watch can be used with the sun as a compass, to help you find your way. Or if nothing else, if you are forced to fight, a heavy metal watch in your fist will act as brass knuckles. Some watch bands can act to hold a bandage in place. Or may have a compass on the band.
    James Bond would keep his just for the garrot wire and the lazer.;)
     
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  7. Ganado

    Ganado Monkey+++

    Lol... spy watch. .. I don't use timers when I cook.... I follow my gran's method ... does it look right and smell right. I would miss my thermometer for making candy :)
     
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  8. Hanzo

    Hanzo Monkey+++

    I left my watch on when showing a student an application to a tai chi move. Did it really softly, but he said my watch was now imprinted into his chest so he could remember what time I showed it to him. [emoji33]
     
  9. Seacowboys

    Seacowboys Senior Member Founding Member

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  10. Ganado

    Ganado Monkey+++

    Whatever happened to navigation using the sun? No need for a watch for that I think
     
  11. Hanzo

    Hanzo Monkey+++


    No need a watch for anything except conveniently telling time.

    I think the point was you could use the watch for more than that. Such as finding compass points. Using the watch is faster than say, a shadow stick.
     
  12. Brokor

    Brokor Live Free or Cry Moderator Site Supporter+++ Founding Member

    Some folks won't need a watch, but if you would like to organize a group and use tactical knowledge, it's essential. First, a watch is necessary to establish a baseline and keep all subordinate groups coordinated. If you want to attack a position at a given time, a synchronized attack can be more effective than a randomly struck attack. Practically all organized and militarized functions require accurate time awareness. Examples can range from tracking, tracing, and monitoring enemy locations and their habits, to defensive or offensive maneuvers.

    Let's think about the individual, now. As an avid hiker and survivalist, I can say with little reservation that TIME is not your friend in the wild. You must wake on time, and this can certainly be accomplished without a watch once your body adjusts, but as the seasons change, especially when it is cold, you will not be waking in your sleeping bag willing to jump out into freezing temps on time every morning. You will be lucky to get a good night's rest. Now, you have 'X' hours of daylight. You must acquire food and fresh water. In fact, most of your time will be spent doing these two things...and there's much more to do in a day than just try to find food and water. By regulating your time, you can effectively approach any task with more cupidity rather than stumbling around losing track of time and essentially being a loser. Survivors are winners, and time can be on your side with a simple tool known as a watch.

    As was pointed out, a watch also has the really cool function (as long as it's analog *has hands*) of allowing you to tell direction, and it's a simple matter of aiming the hour hand at the direction of the sun horizontally, and the North/South line will always be running through the halfway mark between the hour hand and the 12 o'clock position. That's northern hemisphere, but good luck trying this at noon. Just as a caveat, I wanted to add that I do not prefer this method. There's more than one way to get a general sense of direction.

    On a less than critical level, a watch can also give you the ambient temperature, elevation, barometric pressure, and a host of other cool functions to give you more information when it is needed if these are available for the watch you may own...
     
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  13. Seacowboys

    Seacowboys Senior Member Founding Member

    I lost the bezel on my Tag about a year ago, still wear it every day. I tried another watch and I tried just using my cell phone but just couldn't get used to not having my favorite watch on. Maybe it's just habit, maybe it's a comfort thing? But there are a few things that I dress in pretty much 365, my Tag, kangaroo boots, Levis, long-sleeved shirt, pocket knife, brass Zippo, Keltec .380, handkerchief, Costa Del Mar glasses, smart phone, stainless Cross pen, gold fouled anchor and chain. Usually, I have my Stetson or Tilly and a 1911 and maybe a vest or jacket, they are always in my pickup or on my bike if I am not wearing them.Old habits die hard and I find comfort in habits.
     
  14. rclark

    rclark Monkey

    Agreed on both these, in terms of a timepiece's usefulness:

    Never underestimate the value of barter, folks!
     
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  15. jimLE

    jimLE Monkey+++

    i havent had a wrist watch for a few years now.simply because i dont realy need one.so i just use the clock on my cell phone for now..then i'll start using my wind up watch,when the time comes..only problem there.is keeping it set on the correct time.and the best way i know doing that.is to get a sun dial.and then setting it up right..
     
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  16. kellory

    kellory An unemployed Jester, is nobody's fool. Banned

    If you wait until "the time comes" and cell phones go down, and power fails (by intent or natural) then you will not have an accurate clock to match your sundial to. You will then have no choice but to try and measure the sun's thrown shadow at noon.
    I also doubt, that "We Be Sundials" will deliver when the SHTF. You just might want to think ahead......;)
     
  17. jimLE

    jimLE Monkey+++

    good point there.maybe a sun dial for each situation? LOL
     
  18. 3M-TA3

    3M-TA3 Cold Wet Monkey

    Nothing is on my wrist unless I am out in the woods. I wear an analog watch because I can use it as a backup compass (keep it on standard time, point the hour hand at the sun and due south is halfway between there and noon).

    I estimate time, by walking my hands up from the horizon to the sun. Each hand is about an hour, each finger about 15 minutes. I don't give a rip about what o'clock it is - I want to know how much time I have until it gets dark.

    During SHTF, it won't matter if I get to work on time or not...
     
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  19. ghrit

    ghrit Bad company Administrator Founding Member

    And one for snow?
     
  20. ghrit

    ghrit Bad company Administrator Founding Member

    All too true that one must (living up here in the boonies) send watches off for repairs rather than tend to them at your friendly neighborhood jewelry store. So, the replacement is a Seiko automatic that is doing fine after a month in service. It resides on my wrist 24 hours a day, so it's also a diver's rated watch, I don't need to remember to take it off to shower or wind it up, a good thing when you are as advanced in age as these old bones have become. As it turned out, the supplied band was sized for an elephant's ankle and the tools I had didn't go small enough to take the extra links out. So now I have a cheap watchmaker's tool kit. Maybe I should go in business ---
     
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