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14 Best Digital Watches Review: Great Value, Rugged, Every-Day Watches

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Franz Rivoira
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best digital watches review

Let’s be very practical from the start: not everyone on the surface of the Earth goes grocery shopping with a Patek Philippe strapped around their wrist. Nor do they wear a Rolex Daytona to ride their bike and keep track of their performances.

The world is full of situations where understatement is a virtue, even if you have the “big guns” stored in a wall safe back home. If you don’t, that isn’t an excuse not to look cool all the same, wearing a very precise, nice-looking and well-made watch which won’t cost you a fortune ($1000 was our rough budget limit).

Perhaps you might be a sporty individual, or perhaps you need a watch to accompany you through your trips in the wilderness. Whatever your needs, there’s no reason to worry. The team at Groom+Style have prepared a list of the 14 best digital watches you can find.

Image Product Features
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  • Very Classy Smartwatch
  • Compatible With Android and iOS Smartphones
  • Stainless Steel Case With Blue Dial
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  • Hybrid Smartwatch
  • Ion-Coated Black Stainless Steel Case
  • Coin Cell Battery
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  • Japanese Quartz Movement
  • Rugged Design
  • "Triple 10" Development Concept
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  • Neobrite LED Backlight
  • Mineral Glass
  • Stainless Steel Case
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  • Eco-Drive Technology
  • Intelligent Functions
  • Bluetooth Compatiblity
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  • Swiss Quartz Movement
  • Titanium Case
  • Always Visible Under Any Circumstances
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  • Swiss ETA Quartz Movement
  • T-Touch Technology
  • Sapphire Crystal
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  • GPS, GLONASS and Galileo Satellite System
  • Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) Titanium Bezel
  • Muliple Functions
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  • Japanese Quartz Movement
  • Stainless Steel Bracelet and Case
  • Automatic Updating Calendar
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  • Muliple Built-In Sensors
  • Quartz Movement
  • Intelligent Storm Alarm
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  • Iconic Design
  • Lightweight
  • Indiglo Backlighting
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  • Swiss Quartz Digital
  • Bauhaus-Inspired Design
  • 100 Year Perpetual Calendar
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  • Solar Japanese Quartz Movement
  • 15 Year Battery Life
  • Altimeter, Compass, Barometer
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  • Quartz Movement
  • Retro-Inspired Design
  • Stainless Steel Case with Hardened Mineral Crystal
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The list contains a variety of different timepieces from the quite simple, to the more esoteric devices for sports and trekking, as well as smartwatches – but the common denominator here is that they will all be quartz-powered and offer you a lot for your money.

Also, they are all very good-looking. A nice shape is as important as a slew of features, and our 14 selections will be up to this task.

Regarding the display, if you are more traditionally-minded, you will get your cherished analog display with the hands sliding across the dial to show the time. Yet there will also be options for the all-digital crowd.

This is the reason why we have selected such a peculiar number: we will be presenting you seven analogic (or anadigital) watches as well as the top seven strictly digital ones.

Let us not wait any longer and get right into the selections:

The Best Digital Watches (Analogic and Anadigital)

1) Skagen Hagen Hybrid SKT1104

Skagen Connected Men's Hagen Stainless Steel and Leather Hybrid Smartwatch, Color: Rose Gold-Tone, Dark Brown (Model: SKT1103)

The brand name is a bit hard to pronounce and does not convey truly the beauty of this understated and very classy smartwatch. It’s best feature is that it does not look like one at all!

The Hagen smartwatch is a sort of a middle ground between a “dumb” watch and a true smartwatch – meaning that you could personalize its functions at will through its three pushers. It offers a wide range of smart features, including activity and sleep tracking, a phone finder, and music control.

When you connect it to your favorite mobile it can receive discreet notifications that you can setup and decide by yourself – if you receive a text, email or call. The Hagen automatically updates to the correct time and date, and runs on a standard replaceable button battery.

It sports a sexy, understated look, some quality materials as the titanium case and a standard 20mm wide leather strap that can be easily interchanged with any other to personalize it fully.

Features:

  • Quartz Movement
  • 30 Meters Water Resistant
  • 42mm Case Diameter
  • Mineral Crystal

Check Skagen Hagen Hybrid SKY1104 Price on Amazon

2) Fossil Q Hybrid Mod. Machine

Fossil Men's 45mm Machine Stainless Steel and Leather Hybrid Smart Watch, Color: Black, Brown (Model: FTW1163)

This new battery-powered hybrid Fossil Q Hybrid Machine takes its place in the developing Fossil lineup of great-looking smartwatches. This peculiar model has a sporty, understated look which is enhanced by its sleek ion-coated black stainless steel case, uses smart technology to send you discreet notifications, show you a second time zone, and offers many more features.

The three buttons allow you to customize your favorite functions, such as controlling your music or tracking your phone by ringing it down – or taking the perfect photo without anyone noticing.

Through the Fossil App technology and a Bluetooth connection, you can pair your Fossil hybrid smartwatch with phones running modern Android and iOS systems.

Features:

  • Quartz Movement
  • 30 Meters Water Resistant
  • 45mm Case Diameter
  • Mineral Crystal

Check Fossil Q Hybrid Mod. Machine Price on Amazon

3) Casio G-Shock GA 100

Casio Mens G-Shock Ana-Digi GA100-1A1 3-Eye Wristwatch

A very good take on the quintessential G-Shock, this Casio model offers the usual characteristics of the sports watch with lots of quality and a very compact price.

With its rugged design, the G-Shock GA 100 is part of the Casio military series. Its dual display – analog and digital – is very clear and stylish, offering support for 29 time zones, a pre-programmed calendar until 2099 and a highly accurate stopwatch with speed indicator.

Of course, it comes with the typical G-Shock features: a resin covered body with a shell that ensures shock resistance and up to 200m water resistance, something which pretty much classifies it as a heavy duty outdoor gear. It’s made from an anti-magnetic structure and has a built-in auto LED light with afterglow.

Features:

  • Japanese Quartz Movement
  • 200 Meters Water Resistant
  • 51mm Case Diameter
  • Mineral Crystal

Check Casio G-Shock GA 100 Price on Amazon

4) Casio Pro-Trek Monte Cevedale PRW-600YB-3ER

 Casio Pro-Trek Monte Cevedale PRW-600YB-3ER

The Casio Pro-Trek Monte Cevedale is an outdoor professional watch suitable for the most demanding situations. It features a system called Tough Solar technology for charging the watch in poor lighting conditions, and offers an automatic LED backlight mode that is activated by a simple rotation of the wrist.

Inside it mounts three very precise sensors which measure pressure, temperature and direction – a feature that has been the signature trait of the Pro-Trek series since 2013. And it looks extremely pleasant on the wrist, with a very legible dial showing all the analogic and digital counters.

It also offers 100 meters of water resistance – so it is also suitable for diving.

Features:

  • Solar Japanese Quartz Movement
  • 100 Meters Water Resistant
  • 51mm Case Diameter
  • Sapphire Crystal

Check Casio Pro-Trek Monte Cevedale Price on Amazon

5) Citizen Eco-Drive Hybrid Smartwatch Z1020-14L

Citizen Watches BZ1005-51E Proximity Black One Size

The Citizen brand is synonymous with Japanese quality, and this hybrid smartwatch is a typical example of this legacy.

The sporty design combines a black rubber strap with a heavy-duty stainless steel case and a striking dial with blue details.

In addition to the time and date, the intelligent functions are displayed on the analog dial. Through an app installed on your smartphone, the watch can be configured to alert you to incoming calls and messages: you can easily set alerts, answer messages, answer calls and even locate your smartphone at the touch of a button.

Thanks to the Eco-Drive technology, once fully charged by the rays of the sun, the watch can continue to run for up to six months. It offers also a handy 100 mt water resistance.

Features:

  • Eco-Drive Japanese Quartz Movement
  • 100 Meters Water Resistant
  • 48mm Case Diameter
  • Sapphire Crystal

Check Citizen Eco-Drive Price on Amazon

6) Luminox – XCOR Aerospace Titanium 5240

Luminox Outdoor Black Mens Watch XCOR Aerospace (XU.5023/5020 Series) - 200 M Water Resistant Day-and-Date Indication Ultra Light Carbon Case

The Luminox Watch Company is an American brand founded in 1989 which most important claim to fame is its patented technology featuring tritium gas tubes which insures an always visible glow-in-the-dark effect for at least 25 years.

The company has a distinctively military-influenced vibe, and its watches are heavy-duty timepieces made to weather the most taxing conditions.

This XCOR Aerospace 5240 analogic/digital model, developed together with the private aerospace XCOR company, represents the high-end of its offerings: it features a titanium case covered with an anti-glare sapphire crystal, and a slew of different functions between which you may find day, date, month, year, 2nd time zone, chronograph, and alarm function, as well as a water resistance of 100 mt.

Features:

  • Swiss Quartz Movement
  • 100 Meters Water Resistant
  • 46mm Case Diameter
  • Mineral Crystal

Check Luminox XCOR Aerospace Titanium 5240 Price on Amazon

7) Tissot T-Race Touch Aluminum

Tissot Men's T0814209705703 T-Race Touch Aluminum Watch with Black Band

Coming from the venerable Swiss brand, the T-Race Touch is a very sturdy and surprisingly affordable timepiece that is going to find a lot of of exposure on your wrist.

The most striking feature of it is the T-Touch technology, allowing you to control several functions of the watch by simply touching the glass, which is a sapphire crystal.

The timepiece features a lightweight anodized aluminum case – available in different colors – which is both very pleasant to the touch and tough, housing an industry-grade Swiss ETA-made quartz caliber E49.303 movement.

The silicone watch band is heavy-duty.

Although the T-Race Touch does not have the altimeter and barometer functions, available on more expensive models, it does have the compass function, as well as a series of timing and calendar data, a tide chart included. It also offers a water resistance capacity up to 100 meters in water.

Features:

  • Swiss ETA Quartz Movement
  • 100 Meters Water Resistant
  • 45mm Case Diameter
  • Sapphire Crystal

Check Tissot T-Race Touch Aluminum Price on Amazon

Digital Watches

8) Garmin Fenix 5 Plus

Garmin fenix 5 Plus, Premium Multisport GPS Smartwatch, Features Color Topo Maps, Heart Rate Monitoring, Music and Contactless Payment, Black with Black Band

Everyone who has a passing interest in the outdoors is aware that Garmin is a major player of the GPS position tracking field – and it has issued a lineup of smartwatches which incorporate this feature into their assortment of features.

While not cheap by any means, the Fenix 5 Plus does about everything, and very well. For those who love the outdoors and sports, the Fenix 5 offers a GPS multispot system with maps, as well as support for the Galileo system, for the best location in the most inaccessible places, as well as more conventional tools like a three-axis compass, a gyroscope and a barometric altimeter.

As you would suspect, you would also get the usual set of functions to monitor music, physical analysis and much more.

But it also shines in the city, as it is compatible with Garmin Pay, a way to make contactless payments on your wrist from your smartwatch, without cash or credit cards.

Features

  • Quartz Movement
  • 30 Meters Water Resistant
  • 50mm Case Diameter
  • Sapphire Crystal

Check Garmin Fenix 5 Plus Price on Amazon

9) Seiko Pulsar PQ2001 Silver-Tone

Pulsar - Mens Watch - PQ2055X1

The brand guarantees quality, and this digital watch, belonging to the Pulsar line, offers many features and quality – and a decidedly robust construction.

The watch feels heavy, with a stainless steel bracelet and case except for the bezel that has a black PVD coating with labels for the five buttons which command its functions.

The LCD screen looks very sharp, and offers several choices for backlighting, from a bright blue to a soothing amber.

It features time, date, day, month, and year display with an automatically updating calendar, with support for different timezones around the world. It is also water resistant to 100 meters, so you won’t have to worry about taking a dip while wearing it.

Features:

  • Japanese Quartz Movement
  • 100 Meters Water Resistant
  • 42mm Case Diameter
  • Sapphire Crystal

Check Seiko Pulsar PQ2001 Silver-Tone Price on Amazon

10) Suunto Core All Black Military

Suunto Core Classic, Outdoor Watch, All Black

Suunto was born in Finland in 1936, when Tuomas Vohlonen, an enthusiastic outdoor orienteering champion, developed an affordable liquid compass. Since then, Suunto has been at the forefront of innovation in sports-related devices, entering the digital market and manufacturing “watches” which goal is to become the best travel companion for the more rugged expeditions on the wilderness.

The Core is one of the entry-level devices in the Suunto lineup, and it plays up to its name featuring a built-in series of sensors to offer a compass, barometer and altimeter, as well as a weather trend analyzer to predict impending storms, with preset sunrise and sunset times for over 400 individual locations.

It also displays a 24-hour clock, and functions to gauge altitude and depth while snorkeling, as it is water resistant up to 30 meters.

Features:

  • Quartz Movement
  • 30 Meters Water Resistant
  • 49mm Case Diameter
  • Mineral Crystal

Check Sunnto Core All Black Military Price on Amazon

11) Timex Ironman Classic 30

Timex Men's T5E901 Ironman Classic 30 Gray/Black Resin Strap Watch, Black/Gray/Orange Accent, One Size

The Ironman is a kind of legacy model for Timex, and is manufactured since the end of the last century – so you will get, as per traditions of the brand, a very sturdy watch at a very affordable price. This model is basically a sports watch, at its core, with a 30-lap memory stopwatch, a countdown timer and alarm, and a bold, black water-resistant polymer case for up to 100 meters featuring a very legible display. The timepiece feels very light at the wrist – something that runners would certainly appreciate.

It is equipped with three alarms, two countdown timers, a stopwatch and “Indiglo” backlighting for night vision of the time.

Features:

  • Quartz Movement
  • 100 Meters Water Resistant
  • 34mm Case Diameter
  • Acrylic Crystal

Check Timex Ironman Classic 30 Price on Amazon

12) Braun BN0106

Braun Men's BN0106SLBTG Prestige Digital Digital Display Swiss Quartz Silver Watch

This watch, which was presented in 2012 and won several design awards, is a minimalistic, Bauhaus-inspired timepiece which offers some quirky – but lovely – retro-styled design inspirations.

The movement inside of the watch is known as the Ven_10.1 digital quartz movement, featuring time, full calendar, chronograph, countdown timer, alarm, and a second timezone. The watch is made in Germany, and features a solid steel case in either this black tone, or in natural brushed metal.

The fit and finish of this watch is great, and its operation, through the use of a single roller, after a little adjustment becomes a breeze. From what we see, people tend to be very vocal about the Braun – and this is a good thing, meaning that even through its understated looks, its character is quite strong.

Features:

  • Quartz Movement
  • 30 Meters Water Resistant
  • 42mm Case Diameter
  • K1 Mineral Crystal

Check Braun BN0106 Price on Amazon

13) Casio H5PRG-240-1ER

Casio Men's Pro Trek PRG240-1 Black Plastic Quartz Watch

Even if it does not belong to the Professional G-Shock line, this watch offers a surprisingly wide set of features at a very affordable price. This model in particular is directed to the trekking and hiking buffs in general.

The construction of the case and the attention to detail is impeccable, as in all Casio releases.

It is equipped with the three classic functions: Altimeter, Compass, Barometer, and relies on the Tough Solar technology for recharge, which should allow for a battery life of up to 15 years.

The different functions of the watch are quite reliable, once properly calibrated, and perform quite well outdoor.

The LCD display is crisp, but a bit difficult to read under direct daylight – but its wide size makes it very easy to access all the different features. As an added bonus, it offers a water resistance of 100 mt.

Features:

  • Solar Japanese Quartz Movement
  • 100 Meters Water Resistant
  • 51mm Case Diameter
  • Mineral Crystal

Check Casio H5PRG-240-1ER Price on Amazon

14) Adidas by Nixon Archive_M1 Gold/Black

adidas Originals Watches Archive_M1. Men’s 70’s Style Stainless Steel Digital Watch with 5 Link Bracelet (36 mm) - Silver/Black/Blue/Red

Born from a partnership between Adidas and Nixon, this watch delightfully mixes a style which reminds one of the beginning of the digital era with modern-day contents. It is a 36mm digital wristwatch (there are larger, 40mm versions available) with a classic, clean, simple, retro-inspired design which makes it a stunner.

It offers a square stainless steel case and bracelet as well as a hardened mineral crystal sheltering a negative LCD screen.

You will find all the usual suspects in the Archive_M1 – functions like date, day, chronometer, alarm, and whatever you need in a “regular” watch which has no esoteric goals. But the style with which you will use them is pretty unique and distinctive.

Features:

  • Quartz Movement
  • 50 Meters Water Resistant
  • 36mm Case Diameter
  • Mineral Crystal

Check Adidas by Nixon Archive Price on Amazon

Franz Rivoira
Click image for Franz’s linkedin profile.

About the Author: Franz Rivoira is a Chartered Journalist and Marcomm Professional operating internationally in the world of high-end and luxury products, mainly watches and design objects.

He lives in Italy, but frequently travels the world, especially to Asia. He is a regular contributor to www.ddnblog.it, a reference for everything design-oriented. He is also very active on Quora, the most read Q&A portal in the world, where he has been nominated as one of the Top Writers for 2018.

Author

  • Franz Rivoira

    Franz is an expert in watches and grooming. He has extensive knowledge of mechanical watches and loves exploring the details that make each one unique. He's also passionate about helping men look their best and shares tips on grooming, including achieving a perfect shave or maintaining a healthy beard. Franz is a go-to source for anyone looking to elevate their style game. Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/franzrivoira/

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