Best SHTF Watch for Preparedness – EMP Proof

Are you looking for an EMP proof watch or one that’s better for SHTF?

Many people don’t wear a wrist watch anymore. Why? Because nearly everyone carries a ‘smart phone’ these days. So there’s no need.

However, there are “what if” scenarios that might zap a smart phone. Whereas a good mechanical wrist watch may keep on ticking.

Best SHTF Watch for Preparedness

The “what if” hypothetical scenarios that would turn your iPhone or Android (and possibly electronic watches) into a paper weight are pretty extreme. However there may be a wrist watch that will keep on ticking under many of those scenarios.

SHTF scenarios that are bad for smart phones:

– Electrical grid down for extended time. Modern life as we know it will be changed in a very big way (that’s putting it mildly!).

– EMP (electromagnetic pulse) or CME (Coronal Mass Ejection – from the sun) may bring down the grid for a very long time. And/or fry electronic devices.

– Cyberattack may bring down the grid.

EMP Proof Watch

Will an EMP (electromagnetic pulse) affect a wrist watch? Will your watch still work?

While no one knows for sure (thankfully it hasn’t happened yet!), a kinetic mechanical winding (or automatic self winding) wrist watch will certainly work after EMP.

There is also opinion that a modern solar powered watch and/or one with digital features ‘may’ still work afterwards. Why? Given their very small size, no ‘antenna’ effect, metal enclosure (or partial), and EMP variables themselves – the watch may continue to function. But we don’t know for sure…

Mechanical Watch

In a mechanical watch, gears are turned by a spiral spring. Energy is stored in this mainspring by turning (winding) a knob on the side. All you do is wind it up. The trick is remembering to keep it wound up!
No electronics inside.

Automatic Watch

A ‘kinetic’ self winding wrist watch is also a mechanical watch. However the natural motion of the wearer provides energy to run the watch. An oscillating weight turns on a pivot (upon movement) and keeps the mainspring wound.
No electronics inside.

Solar Powered Watch

Sunlight (and artificial light) are absorbed by a solar panel. This solar panel converts the light into electrical energy to power the watch. A rechargeable cell (battery) will store energy to power itself during the night or when covered by a wearer’s clothing (e.g., sleeve).
Some electronics inside.

Best SHTF Watch

Popular brands include Seiko. They appear to have the most choices for mechanical watches.

(UPDATE)
Regarding an EMP proof watch, I am removing the solar powered watch from consideration. Although previously mentioned (due to its minimal electronics), we don’t know for sure if it will survive an EMP – due to many variables. So, I am restricting choices to either a mechanical wind-up, or automatic mechanical watch for EMP proof.

I like a mechanical (wind-up), and/or automatic wind.

A watch that gets its power from solar, in my opinion may be borderline for SHTF, given the uncertainties of EMP effects on electronic circuits in something like a wrist watch. (Update – No longer recommended).

Although there are many to choose from, I’m going to present one watch as an example of what you might consider for EMP proof.

Seiko EMP proof watch

Okay they don’t call it that, but you might as well.

This watch has zero electronics. It will hold about 40 hours of stored kinetic energy. It’s of stainless steel (bezel), has luminescent hands, a 21 jewel movement, analog day-date, case diameter of 37 millimeters, and more.

This is an automatic mechanical watch. Automatic watches do not operate on batteries, instead, they are powered automatically by the movement of the wearer’s arm. In order to maintain accuracy, wear the watch for 8 hours or more per day, or manually wind the main spring by turning the crown.

~ Seiko

About Seiko

Seiko produced the first automatic quartz that combined the self-energizing attributes of an automatic watch with ‘quartz accuracy’. The watch is entirely powered by its movement in everyday wear. Today these watches are under the name Seiko Kinetic.

  • Military-inspired timepiece featuring green dial, luminous accents, and day/date functions.

SNK805 SEIKO 5
(amzn)

Of course, tastes and styles differ. The style of watch is personal. There are many others…

>> Search Automatic Watch
(amzn)

Uses for an EMP Proof Watch

Some of my own input and that of our commenters – post-SHTF uses for a wrist watch include the following:

 
– Coordinate a time when to meet (for whatever reason). “After 90 minutes, let’s meet back here”. Accurate meet-up time.

– Use as a compass. Point the hour hand in the direction of the sun. Halfway between 12 and the hour hand (in the smallest angle) will indicate which way is south (in the northern hemisphere).

– Tactical & Security – coordination. (e.g. knowing when your night shift is up.)

– Night time. It’s difficult to perceive the time during the night.

– Medical: Timing one’s pulse. Or, take medication every 6 hours.

– Kitchen (timing anything) Baking, cooking. Boil an egg for three minutes?

– You wake up in the middle of the night and wonder, how long until sunrise – just check your watch.

– Estimate speed: If you hiked 6 miles and it took two hours on your wrist watch, you were traveling 3 miles per hour.

– Home canning; time required for canning recipes (important regarding food safety!)

– Meetings: it might be difficult to round up half a dozen people for a meeting without everyone carrying a watch (lets meet at “such and such” time… Or perhaps several people are asked to give a hand with a task and having everyone arrive within a couple of hours just won’t work.

– How long does each person take to walk a perimeter?

– Communication: You are supposed to communicate on a ham radio at 8:00 pm. Sorry, I missed your call!

[ Read: How To Use A Watch As A Compass ]

[ Read: How To Determine Remaining Hours Before Sunset by the Sun ]

57 Comments

  1. It’s probably been 20 years since I’ve worn a watch, but I still wake up in the middle of the night to look at my wrist. Usually before I completely wake up, I think, “Oh, my watch is missing.” Actually, the last watch I owned was broken and I couldn’t get it repaired.

    That is the problem with the old fashioned wind-up watches; there is no place to get them repaired. And if it is a battery-operated watch, there is no place I know where you can buy a replacement battery.

    1. Anyplace that sells watches, including WalMart, Target, or your local jewelry story sell every size of watch battery. An inexpensive ($5) spanner type watch wrench will remove the back of almost all watches, just be very sure to put the back on w/out cross threading and to seat it properly (easy to do with patience) so as to form a proper waterproof seal. Also, most watches tell you on the back of the case which battery is needed. It really is quite a simple procedure, I’ve done it several times on my Timex indiglo’s and my Casio’s.

  2. No, I don’t wear a watch; never have, too dangerous in the Construction Industry, same way with “rings”.
    Personally I have a good old windup pocket watch. Similar to this…

    Dial Mechanical Pocket Watch

    Yes you need to wind it, but what else ya got to do if the world goes to hel! in a handbag? For now I do not carry it, but after…. Probably will

    I also have a very accurate Grand Fathers Clock in the house, less than 30 seconds off in a week.

    A thought on the smallness of an electronic watch in an EMP situation, there seems to be a HUGE agreement if one has a pace-maker they are toast, would the same not be for a Watch? Just wondering.

    1. -NRP –
      A pacemaker generally has a couple of electrical leads stretching out several (10-12) inches, which a watch does not. Repeat after me, “Antennae”… Also remember what those leads are connected to.

  3. I wear automatic diver watch! Brend is Yema (made in France). It is made for France navy commandos. So I am pretty sure that watch is seriously made. I don’t believe in electronic!

  4. Don’t wear a watch. Tell time by the sun. When I worked underground used to carry a cheap $4 pocket watch. Like NRP no watch or rings allowed in industrial settings, Don’t want to get hung up, chance losing a finger or an arm.

  5. I now have three antique pocket watches. Fortunately there is an antique dealer nearby who sends them to his brother who will service and repair them. It is quite costly. A hundred dollars minimum.

    If a pocket watch is stored it should still be wound once a month. Sometimes they will run and then stop. Give it a couple of good downward shakes.

    I also have an anniversary clock and a decorative wind up.

    In a faraday cage I have several cheap dollar store battery operated alarm clocks. Unfortunately they don’t have a light in them. Careless of me.

    On cloudy days meal time prep would be difficult. DH is always ready for supper before I am. Also, people will have changed their schedule to accomodate the grid down situation.

    Stay frosty.

  6. I have always worn a watch. I would be lost without it, as time was always important to me when working. I still always glance down at my watch, because time is still important to me. We have a fixed time on this earth, and I want to make the most of it. Every second counts to me. I want to know how much time I have to goof off and enjoy myself, and squeeze in all I can. I want to know how long I have been in the woods, and when to move to a new stand when hunting. I want to know how long I’ve been waiting for my wife to get ready to go somewhere, etc., etc. I don’t have time to look at a smart phone, all I have to do is glance at my wrist. I have an extremely nice Bulova for good wear, but most of the time I wear a good old fashion Timex expedition, with the Indiglo light up. I think it cost about $29.95. If it stops working, I simply buy another. Usually I have a spare on hand. Love ’em.

    1. P.S. By the way, I worked in the timber industry quite a long time, and yes I did have a few ripped off my wrist. The moral is, thank heavens for cheap wrist bands.

    2. Timex expeditions are awesome watches. Have been wearing one for many years. Actually have two, one for work and one for dressed up. At least dressed up for me. Plus, the indiglow works awesome. They are nice break away watches that will break fairly easily if caught on something pretty good. I would wear it on job sites in the oil field if we were allowed to wear watches, they had to be break away. No metal banded watches were allowed. Some job sites though were very strict, nothing on the wrist, no rings, no necklaces, no earrings, no nose rings or visible piercings.

    1. Yes, don’t forget that you can use them to tell you when it is time for brunch and the afternoon snack. Hehe

  7. Now my imagination is in overdrive thinking about all the reasons to have mechanical time keepers.

    The kitchen: how do you boil an egg for three minutes? In the old days women had songs they would sing. When the song is done, the eggs are ready. This wouldn’t work with a turkey. How many times would you open the oven door to see if the muffins are done?

    Meetings: it might be difficult to round up half a dozen people for a meeting without everyone carrying a watch. Or perhaps several people are asked to give a hand with a task and having everyone arrive within a couple of hours just won’t work. How long does each person take to walk a perimeter?

    Mechanical: you have just applied glue and you are to wait half an hour until you can apply a part. How do you that? How many songs would you have to sing?

    Medication: the dose is every six hours. How do you know?

    Away from home: best to let people know when you are returning.

    Communication: great! You are supposed to communicate on a ham radio at 8:00 pm. Sorry, I missed your call!

    Hygiene: how long does it take to heat a pot of water for filling a shower bag? The amount of fuel you need and the use of the equipment available for that time period have to be accounted for.

    Well, that’s it for now. Thanks for the link, NRP. I am always checking antique and thrift stores for pocket watches. I shall place an order and remove one more thing off my “todo” list.

    1. Hour Glass. Very old idea hour glass. For cooking etc. This would be helpful. Time it now with a good time piece. Then take some sort of counting item like beans and when you turn it over put a bean in a bowl or cup. That way you remember how many times you have turned it over. I wore watches when I worked. So convenient just twist your arm!

      1. I’ve always had a fascination with hourglasses. I have several of them. They’re all pretty accurate but I got one of them from Amazon and for some reason it times out at 45 minutes.

  8. i was fortunate enough 20+years ago, not married and saved enough for a rolex stainless steel submariner date and it still keeps good time. almost a part of me now. i hope i never have to part with it. i expect to give to my son when i pass on.

  9. Okay, okay. Was thinking that only reason to have one would be if I was taking or administering medications. Haven’t worn one since my Winnie the Pooh watch with the swarm for a second hand broke @ 25 years ago. Still crave me a Spiro T. Agnew watch.

    Besides NRP’s grandfather clock, how about an hourglass, egg timers, sun dials, roosters, night-blooming ginger, tide charts, the stars . . .

    I think, for many locales, a barometer to know a big storm is coming would be pretty useful too.

    1. My son bought me a digital timer. What a pain to operate. I took my old Sunbeam mechanical timer calibrated it with my atomic wall clock and viola a precision time piece! This timer is over 30 years old and I canned a WHOLE lot of food and baked a whole lot of food with it. Made in USA back in the day!

  10. I took off my watch the day I retired– it’s in a drawer somewhere.
    Don’t care what time it is, eat when hungry, sleep when tired, work when work needs doing.

    1. I am with you, tango. The day I retired I took it off and have not worn one since. I felt it was like a rite of passage not to care what time it was….or to need it for taking pulses or determining the timing of when to give meds.

      Skeezix gave a great list of why we would need the time. And from what I hear, when canning food we probably need to keep an eye on how long to pressure can. So I guess I need some timepieces!!

  11. I love my Citizen Eco-Drive, and I wear it every day. I’ve often wondered if it would make it through an EMP. Here’s hoping I never find out! It will supposedly work for six months in complete darkness, after being fully charged (11 hours of sunlight).

  12. I have two ancient wind-up watches and a kinetic self-winding watch. One is in storage, one is in the BOB, and one sits on my bedpost and sulks because I’m not wearing it.

  13. – Cheapo wind-up plastic case Timex with a wristband compass. Basic backwoods instrument panel, tells me when to go, how fast I am going, and which way to go. Just now the compass (a Suunto) is in the pocket on my GHB. Takes about 2 minutes to install on the move, without counting the 30 seconds to stop and dig it out. That’s how I learned to use it while in the Army, it’s the next best thing to automatic now.
    – Papa S.

    1. – Actually, when it comes to things like checking a pulse, etc, it’s very unhandy to have to pull out and turn on a phone. Just a glance at my wrist and I am good, I can do what i need to with just the one hand and no assistance.
      – Papa

    2. – I do have half a dozen wind-up alarm clocks around the house. None are in current use, but a Baby Ben is an old reliable tool that should continue to work for a long time. At least two have never been used for more than a day or two, so are essentially new in box. I also have two wind-up travel alarms. Just no need for the things right now.
      – Papa S.

  14. I am with the no watch crowd. We eat when we are hungry, sleep when tired and pretty much go anywhere we want when we want. However I can see the practicality of one after the SHTF. I do have two wind up clocks, however no watches.

  15. Wear a Timex Expedition always, the indiglo is nice to check if it’s legal shooting time either duck or woods hunting, or time to quit. Low end unit and need to upgrade.

  16. I wear an inexpensive Casio for my work/everyday watch. I also have had a Citizen eco-drive for over 9 years that is more of a dress up- no work watch . We also have 2 mechanical kitchen timers. We have 2 battery operated clocks and rechargeable batteries for them .
    We are concerned having a timepiece for cooking,canning, taking pills , etc.

  17. Up til 8 years ago I always had a wrist watch since the age of ten.
    Then came the cell phone.
    My folks bought my first watch with a second hand as I had to time the -what I called pee sticks. (Glucose test strips.)
    I’ve even looked at pawn/antique shops for a good watch, for the facts Ken stated, in a shtf scenerio. And now he has thrown out some other options for me to consider.
    Time of day/day of the month may not be a big deal now, in the routine of things, but how important it could become when/if all shift breaks out?

  18. I wore a watch for many years until I started doing engineering. When working as an engineer, I was constantly on the phone. Since I almost had the phone in my hand or very close by 24/7, the phone was more convenient. Immediately after my last engineering contract expired when over seas, I put the watch back on. The main reason was I wanted to get as far away from any and all phones as possible. I got sick of having that darn phone at my ear for many years. Nowadays, I might pick up the phone maybe once or twice a day and some days not at all. Ohhh, such freedom.

  19. I have a very old Timex that was my mothers. Keep replacing the leather band on it but it still works beautifully. OOH,that reminds me it’s time to get another band for it. DH also got me a couple of wind up watches he found at a garage sale that I need to get to the watch maker (jeweler in town). I over wound the one I had, that’s why DH picked the others up. Hopefully the jeweler will be able to fix that one and the others. As for the Timex, gotta make sure I can store batteries for it.

  20. Another thing to consider, is a sundial. Not so much for keeping time of day, but more importantly, the time of year. You could go through the process of actually making a calendar, but why bother, the sun does it for us.

    I attached a protruding block of wood on the south side of my cabin and spent a year marking the shadow on the wall at NOON for the spring & fall equinox’s and also the summer & winter solstices. For now it’s just a novelty and hopefully it will remain so. But someday it may just come in handy for knowing when to plant certain crops. Watching that shadow get longer during winter sure gives me a hopeful feeling too. :)

    If you make one too just don’t forget that noon during daylight savings time is 1:00 pm. The only thing that will affect it’s accuracy is a change in the earth’s axis.

    Making one now while we have access to proper calendars is definitely easier than doing it the old fashioned way of measuring the sun every day at noon for a year.

    Besides the equinox’s and solstices, another nice mark to add, is your birthday. lol

      1. I know you’re just joking 😝 but someone out there might get the idea of marking their shadow according to noon on their “watch”. 😆

  21. I;m a watch-aholic, I have (only a guess) 40 or 50 of them.

    I have $20.00 Casio’s to $5,600.00 Montblanc automatic to a used Rolex Sub, most of my watches run in the $100.00 to $400.00 range.

    Hard to beat a Seiko SKX 007 or SKX 009 both are divers watches (Have both) that are automatic (self Winding, no battery needed) and they keep good time and are not too bad as far as price.

    For a quartz watch I like my Casio Marlin dive watch, it looks like a Rolex Submariner and sells for $35.00 to $60.00.

    One advantage of dive watches is the rotating bezel, this is a dial that is around the numbers on the watch and is very handy timing things (up to an hour) You set the dot/ zero min mark on it to match the second hands position and it very easy to see how long of a time has passed. I use it for timing all kinds of things, mostly for things in the oven.

    I have several chronograph watches (5 I think) (basically a chronograph has a built-in stopwatch) but I find the rotating bezel more handy.

    Interestingly enough a $20.00 Casio keeps better time then a $10K Rolex. Quarts watches, even one from “The Dollar Tree” are very accurate.

    For a long term SHTF I don’t know that you could call any watch the best choice. Quartz watches can go for up to 10-years on a good quality battery. This would seem to make a self-winding watch the clear choice.

    But automatic (self-winding) watches need to be serviced every 10-years to keep them working right. Rolex recommends every 5-years (most people send them in at the 3-year mark).

    Before you buy an expensive Swiss Watch look into how much it will cost to have it serviced. Last time I checked a Rolex (I have a Sub) cost $600.00 to $900.00. I have had my Sub 8-years and it keeps time, it was serviced when I bought it, but it’s due to go in soon.

    There are watches that run longer but over time they slowly start to loose time.

    I do have my grandfather’s gold pocket watch, it’s 127-years old and it keeps time within a min a day. But I’ afraid to carry it as it is too valuable to me to risk dropping it or putting any additional ware on it.

    PS: a very handy thing to have is a watch winder for automatic watches. It sucks to have to reset the date every time you set them down for a few days.

    1. yes, it has been many years since my rolex sub-date was serviced by rolex. i am going to take chances and try to find a watch repair that has some people that know/former rolex technicans to service my rolex. i dont want to pay rolex again 600.00+ for what someone else can do cheaper and do the same thing. so far my rolex is 20+ years old and keeps good time.

    2. i have ss rolex sub date which i have had for about 25 years, i had it serviced once and it was at that time about 400.00. so far it is keeping good time. i will not be sending it back to rolex, they charge too much. when time comes i will find some place that has experience with rolex, a few still have some old rolex technicans working for them. i really like my rolex and years ago people used to say “nice watch”. last decade or so people don’t even know what kind of watch i have on or say anything about it, but that is ok with me, don’t want someone trying to hack my wrist off to get my watch.

  22. I’ve had a casio tough solar for over ten years now with no problems beyond changing the band (almost time for a third one) and I’ve beat the heck out of it pretty much every day. I’ve also got a ecodrive for when I feel like dressing up and I’ve probably had that thing for going on 15 years without a problem. I do wonder how they would hold up if there was an emp type event, though that would probably get bumped down in the list of things to worry about.

  23. I wear a watch everyday, I have taken it off at work several times over the years for safety reasons, but I feel naked without one. I did wear the Casio G-Shock for a few years, but poor night glow. I now wear, and have for 30 years, the inexpensive Timex Indiglo Expedition. Under $40, avail. in several sizes, colors and face designs, is water resistant enough for swimming, snorkeling and river crossings, has the ‘glow face’ back light, which worked very well in the Army for a small, quick night signal when crossing danger areas, etc. (24 years in the Army, all in Combat Arms). Timex’ are inexpensive and reliable. $40 every three years+- is not bad IMHO and most have replaceable batteries, but investing in a Seiko self-winding would be a wise investment for SHTF, checking the price, which is less than I thought, I might just have to do that…

    1. (Investing in a Seiko self-winding would be a wise investment for SHTF, checking the price, which is less than I thought.)

      A basic Seiko 5 sells for $60.00 on Amazon, not a bad price. You can spend more for a Seiko 5, but even the inexpensive ones are good watches and they never need batteries.

  24. Old man tried not to wear a watch after we retired about 100 years ago but found he needed one. All the battery ones kept running down so he used the one he bought in Vietnam-self winding but it finally died. So 1 year ago I bought the Citizen eco watch. He loves it and finally stopped complaining about how bad watches are today! I finally needed one when we went to different doctor appointments but there were no women’s watches I could actually see, so I bought one the same as his. It is a little large but I can read it! I usually only wear it when we go out. On another note, his was 2 yr old and $99, mine was from Sept and was $119, and now the same watch is $139.

  25. i’m still looking for a good, dependable self winding watch, no batteries, but it self winds by wearing it.
    i had one years ago and it was stolen. i don’t even remember the brand, but it was a good one. made in the late 60″s.
    i believe that keeping up with the time and dates in a long term grid down event will be important for communications. that’s just me.

    1. hey, i think the orient watches are pretty good, lot of them are automatic and some quartz. i think island watches sell them. i bought my son an automatic orient diver deluxe ( i think thats the name) and it keeps fairly good time and he likes it. sort of looks like a rolex.

  26. I had a Seiko 5 just like the one in the picture. I was not very happy with its ability to keep accurate time. It stopped after a couple years and i have switched to a solar powered Seiko and the time is on the second. I am not saying the 5 is a terrible watch, a solid watch for the price.

  27. I can’t wear a watch or jewelry at work (aircraft mechanic) but, I do have a Timex Expedition that I wear when not at work, will have to take a look at the Seiko line of self winding watches.

    Years ago I wound up going to a watch expo (kind of like a gun show but, with watches) oh man! the watches that they had on display and were selling UNBELIEVABLE they had railroad pocket watches that were very VERY accurate
    like a loss of 10 seconds in a year. They ranged from $50.00 to $10,0000.00 and of course they had wrist watches too but, I liked the pocket watches. Some of the railroad pocket watches where 2 1/2″ to 3″ in dia.

    Wish I could find another watch expo.

  28. These days, I have been having good luck with relatively inexpensive watches like Timex Expedition or Casio. I still use the conventional watch face with sweep second hand because I still take pulse manually as part of my work. ( the IVACS and machines that record pulse and BP do not do well with irregular heart beats ). If my watch gets trashed at work, I go out and get another one cheap.
    Within my kitchen, I have at least 3 timers so I can keep track of multiple things going on at same time. I got away from using a rice cooker butt, that means I use a conventional pot on the stove with…a timer. In getting away from using some machines that are “automatic”. I find my food turns out better.
    The area I live in experiences wide seasonal temperature swings so batteries need to be stored inside at room temp. The alarm clocks we purchase are from my local pharmacy/dry goods store. The alarm clocks are inexpensive because the batteries may leak or my wife tends to throw her alarm clocks in the early am. (not a morning person).
    I guess I am not ready for an EMP butt if such were to take place, a way to keep track of time would be the least of my worries. For people that appreciate high-end watches, it carries the same appeal as precious metals and high end guns. When times get tough, a Rolex may be able to get you through a border crossing butt, you need to find a buyer with the same appreciation for the quality and workmanship that is built into such devices.
    Other applications for a high end time piece: Open ocean navigation and/or navigation in fog where there are no/minimal points of reference. This is kind of spooky and this is at the edge of my comfort zone. I do not dive using scuba so I will not even get into keeping track of your air supply. ( diver’s watches – don’t skimp here)

  29. i have always had good luck with the timex indiglo watches, the batteries have always lasted 5+ years and they are self illuminating and i have had them deep down in some bad stuff. the bands wear out before the watch itself will.

    30 bucks and like Calirefugee said, when they go bad get another one. i have many self winding watches that i have collected over the years that are great, but the timex is my everyday watch. i have found mine to be bullet proof and if i bust the crystal i just go get another.

    anyone concerned about keeping their watches running should get a kit like this-

    Watch Repair Kit, Watch Case Opener Spring Bar Tools

  30. Bad news. Most mechanical watches are NOT immune to EMP. The balance spring essentially acts like an antenna and is highly susceptible to electromagnetic forces. This is the reason why “scientific” watches were made in the first place since many scientists in labs working with EM or equipment in general were seizing / damaging their mechanical watches. Only watches that feature a silicon balance spring and isolate the movement from the case electronically (aka turns the case in to a faraday cage) are resistant to EMP. High-end mechanical options are the
    Rolex Milgauss. Lower end there is also the Casio G-shock GAUSSMAN.

  31. i have a Citizens solar powered watch for my everyday and many old wind up watches that i have collected over the years. wind up alarm clocks and weighted wall clocks for the home are a good addition. i’m trying to move away from anything electrical as much as i can, at least for my backups. wall calendars and such. electricity is awesome when it works. it’s just not something that you can depend on always being there. i don’t like being dependent on others.
    good luck all

  32. Most any mechanical watch, but the Seiko 5 of one of the best watches and even if its not for SHTF situation its a lot of bang for the buck. Rolex and other high end watches are fine but not worth the money. Great if you are a collector or got it by inherited it or you found an estate sale deal. But if you want a lot for the money Seiko is your go to watch. The Seiko 5 sport GMT now out is a 375 dollar watch that is very well built. If you don’t want to spend that then a regular 5 can be had for 50 to 100 dollars with ease on eBay all day long. If you want a watch that is just tough as nails a good Gshock would be good but you would have a few years if you kept batteries rotated for it. I think Duracell has them that have a 5 or 7 year shelf life. I have one Gshock that I have not changed the batteries in for 4 years.

  33. BTW the balance spring getting magnetized the only thing an EMP maybe could do but I would doubt it unless maybe you were at ground Zero for that impulse, can be easily demagnetized. In fact watches are magnatized all the time, if your watch gets near any source of magnatisim it can cause the spring to be magnetized and can run off time. Most times a magnetized spring will not stop the watch from running, it will make it run fast. This is because the watch balance wheel has a shorter deg of amplitude. Personally I would not worry about EMP issues. I would buy a good Gshock and a good Seiko sports watch that you like and keep a few high end battery’s on the shelf. You can demagnetize a watch by purchasing a demag for watches on ebay. It is just a matter of plugging it in and holding the button down as you pass the watch in and back out of the degausser, this takes all of 10 seconds and done.

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