Grand Seiko, Rolex, Omega, and More…

When it comes to building a watch collection, there are many different categories to consider, and it’s important to understand them all to know exactly which kind of wristwatch suits your needs. Beater watches are one of the most popular categories, and there is a lot to go through when it comes to identifying the best among them. First off, however, we have to start with what a beater watch is, and what makes a good beater watch…

What Is a Beater Watch?

A beater watch is essentially a watch that can take a beating, the kind of watch you can throw on everyday, for almost any occasion, including going to work, playing sports, or being outdoors. We’re going to focus, however, on the daily wear aspect of beater watches, since most of us are probably not going to wear these watches hiking – and if anything will be wearing them to go to the office and then to dinner afterwards. For the purpose of this article, consider a beater watch to be the watch you wear everyday.

Shop Vintage Watches

What Makes a Good Beater Watch?

A good beater watch needs a few things, namely the ability to take a beating, but also for it to look good with what you wear. And, depending on your taste, its fair share of style and brand recognition. At the end of the day, the watch or watches you wear are extensions of yourself, a representation of you. So, you want to make sure that whatever style or brand of watch you pick for your daily piece says exactly what you want it to say. While a G-Shock may be a common answer to the question of what makes a good beater watch, when it comes to the ‘modern man’, a G-Shock probably wouldn’t be right.

To get more specific, outside of style, versatility is an important part of a good beater watch – so it can go with what you wear rain or shine. That’s why we only have one dive watch and one chronograph in our list below. Part of this is having a steel bracelet instead of a leather strap or anything else, especially as leather can get wet and start to wear out pretty quickly. Another important aspect of a good beater watch, that has to do with its durability, is its water resistance and potential shock resistance. This needs to be the kind of piece you can keep on while you wash your hands and that can keep on ticking even if you bang it against your desk at work. Functionality is also important – and while you may not need to know the month or the day of the week, at least being able to tell the date is essential.

Finally, price; you don’t want to be spending more than about $10,000 on a beater watch. As much as you might want to wear your Patek Philippe everyday, it might be a bit tacky – even if you can afford it.

Thus, given the criteria, these are the six timepieces we’d consider the best beater watches for the modern man.

Grand Seiko Heritage ref. SBGX263

Probably the best brand when it comes to getting a beater watch. Unlike Rolex, which might get more mixed reviews when someone spots one on your wrist at the bar, Grand Seiko is still known mostly among connoisseurs, it’s the kind of brand that will get you high praise, but only from people that matter.

The Grand Seiko Heritage ref. SBGX263 measures 37 mm in diameter, comes on a clean steel bracelet, has 100-meter water resistance, and is powered by the venerable Grand Seiko Cal. 9F62. The 9F62 is a Grand Seiko quartz movement with an accuracy of ±10 seconds per year. One good thing about a high accuracy quartz beater watch is that you can really just pick it up and go.

For those who instead prefer mechanical timepieces, the Grand Seiko Heritage ref. SBGR307 is a great alternative. Better yet, for the Grand Seiko purists who miss the old days of the pre-2017 dial configurations, go with the Grand Seiko ref. SBGX063. In any event, these are nice modern timepieces that will look good with formal, business casual, or casual attire.

Rolex Air-King ref. 126900

The new Rolex Air-King ref. 126900 makes a great beater watch. Rolex is known for its sports watches and the Air-King is rugged enough for whatever it might encounter. Its new updated look is very versatile, and unlike the Grand Seiko Heritage ref. SBGX263, it does have a screwdown crown to go with its 100-meter water resistance. It has a sleek Oystersteel Oyster bracelet, and it’s powered by the Rolex Cal. 3230 – that has an accuracy of ±2 seconds per day. While the combination of black and green may not be the most versatile, few will fault you for wearing a Rolex Air-King.

If you prefer a vintage Rolex Air-King, and something more accessible, the Rolex Air-King ref. 5500 is the perfect vintage beater, if you’re not too worried about having to take care of it.

Rolex Oysterquartz Datejust ref. 17000

While a vintage watch may not be the best suited for a watch you wear everyday, a quartz watch just might be slightly better suited for everyday use than the typical vintage watch.

Rolex is not usually associated with quartz, but the Rolex Oysterquartz was once its go-to quartz wristwatch. There are 12 different references of the Rolex Oysterquartz made in metals ranging from stainless steel to white gold. The Oysterquartz ref. 17000 was among the first, and is the simplest; in stainless steel with just the date at 3 o’clock. The Rolex Oysterquartz Datejust ref. 17000 would have made a great beater watch when it was released in the 1970s, and would still make one today. The movement, if taken good care of, should be in solid condition given it’s a quartz watch. And while the build may not be as solid as in the case of the new Rolex Air-King ref. 126900, it should be fine if you don’t mind keeping an extra eye out.

Tudor Prince Oysterdate ref. 72000

Just like above, the Tudor Prince Oysterdate ref. 72000 may have some mileage on it, but in this case, this Tudor was made from the 1980s onwards; so it is much better suited to being a beater watch. Tudor still has the panache of being a recognizable watch brand, although not as much as in the case of Rolex. The Tudor Prince Oysterdate ref. 72000 is small, at 32 mm in diameter, and is powered by the ETA 2824 – so not an in-house movement. Nonetheless, the classic look of the Tudor Prince Oysterdate will look good no matter what you’re wearing; its automatic movement is good for throwing on while you run out the door for work, and the date at 3 o’clock gives you the bare essentials when it comes to watch complications.

Be warned though, this vintage Tudor might be suited for daily wear if that means going back and forth from the office, but nothing more. And you might want to take this guy off if you wash your hands, unless you have it pressure tested first.

Shop Vintage Watches

Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional Chronograph ref. 310.30.42.50.01.001

The modern Omega Speedmaster may be the obvious choice for some, it’s definitely made to endure all kinds of situations; it’s stylish, almost as recognizable as Rolex, but it does have some shortcomings. While the others on this list were all clean and casual, the Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional Chronograph ref. 310.30.42.50.01.001 is more heavy duty than the others, with its chronograph pushers and 42 mm case size. Surprisingly, although meant to be a more ‘serious’ wristwatch, the Omega Speedmaster only has 50 meters of water resistance. It’s also manual winding, which may not be too convenient when you’re in a hurry to get your day started.

Theoretically, the Omega Speedmaster may be better suited for collectors who want to wear it more casually. Practically speaking, many Speedmaster owners like it as a beater watch and report wearing it regularly.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Automatic ref. Q9008170

And for the final watch on our list, we have the most prestigious brand, Jaeger-LeCoultre. For a brand that is typically known more for its complication and dress watches in various precious metals, Jaeger-LeCoultre sure makes a great dive watch.

The Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Automatic ref. Q9008180 comes in at 41 mm and is powered by the Jaeger-LeCoultre Cal. 898. The Cal. 898 is certainly something when compared to the typical beater watch, it is automatic, made of 195 components, with 30 jewels, a 28,800 bph rate, and a 40-hour power reserve. If you’re going for a more ‘horological’ beater watch, this is definitely it. Unlike the Omega Speedmaster, the JLC Polaris is much less bulky, even for a dive watch. It is sleek and would be equally appropriate in a business casual setting or in a more relaxed setting, like a bar during happy hours.

Conclusion

Ultimately, all of these watches are different and appeal to a different kind of collector. Some might prefer the simple elegance of a modern Grand Seiko SBGX263 or a Rolex Air-King ref. 126900, while others might prefer something with more character like a vintage Rolex Oysterquartz Datejust ref. 17000 or Tudor Prince Oysterdate ref. 72000. Both of which are typical beater watches and were even made as such originally. For the sportier crowd, an Omega Speedmaster or Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Automatic ref. Q9008170 might make more sense. However, when it comes to the criteria that makes a good beater watch, the Grand Seiko SBGX263 or Rolex Air-King ref. 126900 take the cake. While the vintage watches may have been perfect 20 or 30 years ago, today they’re just a bit too delicate to survive the ups and downs of daily wear. And the Speedmaster and JLC Polaris are just too sporty, they wouldn’t work if you have to suit up at a moment’s notice.

By: Andres Ibarguen