Field watches at every price, compared by spec

The floor of the ladder, and the entry with the least published about it: $185 buys a titanium case and a spec sheet made of pictures. Bertucci sells the A-2T direct at $185 in every band variant and its product page states, in text, only a 40 mm unibody titanium case, a fixed bezel and a quartz movement it does not name; the water rating, crystal, thickness, lug-to-lug and band width are shown as images and are not in the data here. The brand's lume wording is "Swiss Super-Luminous". The A-4T Super Yankee at $295 adds a low-battery indicator, and a search snippet gives it as 44 mm, which is not adopted. What the next $64 buys is a spec sheet, and an automatic.

$249 buys the first automatic and the first sapphire on the ladder, from Long Island Watch's house brand: a Miyota 8215 in a 39 mm case, 48.5 mm lug-to-lug, 12 mm thick, 100 m, flat sapphire with AR, a nylon weave strap with leather backing and quick release. Islander does not print the lug width. Day-date DAY-T versions on the NH36A are the same $249 and DLC versions $279. Two things count against it: the 48.5 mm lug-to-lug is the longest on the page below the Timex, and the 8215 does not hack. The $700 Traska fixes both; the $299 Boldr fixes the first. One-year warranty, assembly not stated. See the Islander guide.

$299 buys the first titanium case with a movement inside it and the first 200 m rating, on the second-shortest lug-to-lug here: 38 mm, 44 mm lug-to-lug, 20 mm lugs, Seiko NH38A no-date, flat sapphire with AR, a full-lume BGW9 dial. Boldr does not state the thickness on this listing, so the table shows none. It is the one to look at for a small wrist below the Marathon's 41 mm, and it costs $276 less than the Marathon. For $16 more the Seiko gives a hacking movement and a bracelet and takes back the sapphire and 100 m. The Venture range runs $299 to $459; the Venture GMT on a Ronda quartz was sold out in every dial.

$315 buys the Seiko name and a 4R36 that hacks and hand-winds, and gives back the sapphire. 39.4 mm, 48.1 mm lug-to-lug, 13.2 mm thick, 20 mm lugs, 100 m, curved Hardlex, LumiBrite, on a bracelet. The dimensions are Seiko USA's; Long Island Watch rounds them to 40, 13.5 and 48. It was sold out at both on the check date, with Long Island Watch at $252. Against the Islander one rung down it is $66 more for a hacking movement and a bracelet, and a mineral-family crystal instead of sapphire; against the Boldr it is $16 more for the name. Strap versions (SRPG35 and siblings) exist at Seiko.

$349 buys the first stated USA assembly on the page and a solar movement that needs no winding: 40 mm, 48 mm lug-to-lug, 10.4 mm before the crystal (12.2 mm with it), 20 mm lugs, Epson VS42, 100 m, single-domed sapphire with AR, two straps in the box. The trade is the movement: for $34 less the Seiko is mechanical, and for $50 less the Boldr is titanium, 200 m and 4 mm shorter. Vaer's field range is the widest here by price: the S5 quartz at $189, the C3 solar at 36 mm and $319, the A5 automatic at $599 and the A12 Dirty Dozen at $1,099 on a Sellita SW260-1, Swiss-assembled and sold out on the check date. The Vaer guide has the table.

$429 buys 200 m, titanium and sapphire from Timex, on the watch it sold until recently as the Expedition North, and the longest case on the page: 41 mm, 50 mm lug-to-lug, 13.5 mm thick, 20 mm lugs, a Japanese 21-jewel automatic Timex does not name, black IP brushed titanium, on leather (TW2Y90900). The fabric-strap sibling TW2V95300 is $419 and 12.5 mm thick. The old Expedition North URL now returns a 404. Check the 50 mm against a wrist before the 41 mm. For $80 less the Vaer is 2 mm shorter, sapphire and USA-assembled, on solar. Timex's $95 Expedition Scout is the field watch most people search for and is in the notes at the end, because it is brass, mineral and 50 m.

$575 buys a watch built to a military specification, MIL-PRF-46374G Type II Class 4, with tritium gas tubes in place of paint, and the shortest case on the ladder. 34 mm, 41 mm lug-to-lug, 12.5 mm thick per the product page (the collection page says 11 mm), 16 mm lugs, Seiko NH35A, sapphire, a high-impact composite fibreshell case, 30 m. That rating means no swimming, and the 16 mm lug width narrows the strap choice. Marathon sells direct, so street equals list. The steel Officer's version at $675 is 36 mm, 44 mm lug-to-lug and 10.5 mm on a hand-wound Sellita SW210-1, parkerized, 50 m. For $50 more the Nodus is titanium, 100 m and 6 mm longer.

$625 buys the first small-batch maker and a hard-coated titanium case: 38 mm, 47 mm lug-to-lug, 11.7 mm thick, 20 mm lugs, Seiko NH38 no-date regulated to a stated plus or minus 10 seconds a day, 100 m, box sapphire with blue AR, grade 2 titanium with a 2000 HV coating, BGW9 Grade A, a titanium bracelet tapering 20 to 16 mm with Nodus's extension clasp. Designed and assembled in Los Angeles per the product page, 24-month transferable warranty. Marina and Sequoia are $625, the Cerakote Canopy, Dusk and FDE $600, Shale sold out; the steel Sector II Field is not in the catalogue and redirects to a waitlist. For $50 more the Hamilton is the same 47 mm, 2.2 mm thinner, hand-wound and steel. See the Nodus guide.

$675 buys the field watch the format is named after, and $675 is the point: pages still ranking quote $441 to $495, and Hamilton's own site says $675. A hand-wound H-50 with an 80-hour reserve and a Nivachron hairspring, 38 mm, 47 mm lug-to-lug, 9.5 mm thick, the thinnest on the ladder, 20 mm lugs, 50 m, sapphire, matte steel, on a NATO. Jomashop had it at $526.50. For $25 more the Traska is automatic, 100 m, on a bracelet and 1 mm shorter; the Hamilton is 1 mm thinner and the better-known name. The automatic Khaki Field Auto 38 on the H-10 is $845 at 11 mm and 100 m, the Auto 42 is 53 mm lug-to-lug, the Murph 38 is $995.

$700 buys the sheet the Hamilton does not have: a hardened case, an automatic, 100 m, a bracelet and the longest warranty on the page. 38.5 mm, 46 mm lug-to-lug, 10.5 mm thick, 20 mm lugs, Miyota 9039, box sapphire with AR, steel hardened to a stated 1,200 HV, BGW9 Grade A, a 20 to 16 mm bracelet with a six-position quick-adjust clasp. Three-year transferable warranty; the brand is in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, and does not state where assembly happens. The Summiteer 36 uses the 36.5 by 44 by 10.5 mm Commuter 36 case at $690, with Sage Green dials at $640 and $650. Against the Hamilton one rung down it is $25 more for all of that and 1 mm of thickness. The Traska guide has the Commuters.

$975 buys a Sellita SW200-2 Power+ with a stated 65-hour reserve in a titanium case, on pre-order: 40 mm, 46.6 mm lug-to-lug, 10.6 mm thick, 20 mm lugs, 150 m with a screw-down crown, sapphire front and back, grade 2 titanium hard-coated to 900 HV, BGW9 Grade A, on nylon or calf leather. The store's own dollar pricing runs $975 to $1,115 (CHF 750 to 895). Formex does not state COSC for this model, unlike its Essence and Reef lines. Shipping mid-November 2026 on the check date; three-year warranty; Biel, founded 1999. For $275 less the Traska is steel, 100 m and 0.1 mm thinner; for $415 more the Serica is certified. The Formex guide has the certified lines.

The top rung, $1,390, buys the only chronometer certificate on the page. Serica's 6190-1 is a COSC Soprod M100 in a 38 mm case, 46.5 mm lug-to-lug, 10.4 mm thick, 20 mm lugs, 200 m, a 1.8 mm double-domed sapphire with inner AR, a fixed flat step bezel, a Bonklip steel bracelet. The site shows $1,390 to US buyers and €1,190 in Europe; made in Switzerland per the brand, two-year warranty. The 6190 California is $1,290 and the 35 mm 7505-1 is $1,290 at 41.5 mm lug-to-lug and 9.6 mm. Against the Formex it is $415 more for the certificate and 50 m, and 0.2 mm thinner; that is the whole of what the last rung buys. The Serica guide has the diving chronometers.

The green Alpinist has left Seiko USA, and $725 is a dealer's number: seikousa.com and seikoluxe.com both returned a 404 on the check date, and Jomashop showed $725 retail, $699 on sale, with no stock. A 6R35 in 39.5 mm, 46.4 mm lug-to-lug, 13.2 mm thick, 20 mm lugs, 200 m, sapphire with inner AR, and a rotating inner compass bezel that puts it outside the fixed-bezel rule above. The lug-to-lug and lug width are borrowed from the SPB117 sibling at $750, the same case. For $25 less the Traska is 2.7 mm thinner on a hardened case. It stays for search demand; it cannot be bought new from Seiko.

The 42 mm Khaki Field Auto is the one to skip unless the wrist is large: 53 mm lug-to-lug is the longest figure on this page, 3 mm over the Timex. 42 mm, 11 mm thick, 22 mm lugs, H-10 with an 80-hour reserve, 100 m, sapphire, Super-LumiNova, $845 at Hamilton and $628 at Jomashop on the check date. The Auto 38 on the under-$1,000 list is the same $845 and 11 mm at 47 mm lug-to-lug, 6 mm shorter. The 42 buys a larger dial and nothing else. Against the Mechanical 38 at $675 it is $170 for an automatic, 50 m more and 1.5 mm of thickness.

A clearance price on a certified movement, and out of stock: Christopher Ward's page showed £689, reduced from £985, and served pounds even on its /us/ path; $934 is the US figure on record. Sellita SW200-1 with a COSC certificate and a 38-hour reserve, 38 mm, 43.6 mm lug-to-lug, 11.9 mm thick, 150 m, box sapphire, a bronze case. There is no steel Dune COSC; the steel Dune Aeolian is the non-certified D2. At 43.6 mm it is shorter than every ladder entry but the Marathon. Treat it as discontinued. The certified field watch you can order is the Serica 6190, $456 more, 200 m and 1.5 mm thinner.

$995 buys the Auto 38 with a film credit and beige lume, and $150 over that watch is the whole difference: the same H-10 with 80 hours, 38 mm, 11.1 mm thick, 20 mm lugs, 100 m, sapphire with AR, on leather. Hamilton does not print a lug-to-lug for the Murph 38; the Auto 38, also 38 mm, is 47 mm. Jomashop had it at $895.50. The Murph 42 at $1,095 adds 4 mm of case, 53 mm lug-to-lug and the Morse-code seconds hand. For the money the Traska Summiteer 38 at $700 is hardened, on a bracelet and 0.6 mm thinner; the Murph is the name.

The Murph most people mean, and the one whose 53 mm lug-to-lug deserves a tape measure before the $1,095: 42 mm, 11 mm thick, 22 mm lugs, H-10 with 80 hours, 100 m, sapphire, Super-LumiNova, the 'Eureka' Morse on the seconds hand, on leather. Jomashop showed $889. It is $250 over the Auto 42, which is the same case, movement and dimensions without the seconds hand, and $100 over the Murph 38. The Studio Underd0g 02Series at $1,200 is $105 more for a hand-wound Sellita in 37.5 mm and 46 mm lug-to-lug, 7 mm shorter; the Hamilton is the one with a film behind it.

A pilot watch filed under field for want of a better shelf, and here so that it is placed somewhere: the Khaki Aviation Pilot Day Date runs the H-40 automatic with an 80-hour reserve in 42 mm, 11.85 mm thick, 20 mm lugs, 100 m, sapphire with AR, a fixed bezel. Hamilton prints neither the lug-to-lug nor the lume. $1,125 at Hamilton; Jomashop had the bracelet version at $899, 20% off. The Khaki Field Auto 42 at $845 is $280 less on 22 mm lugs with the same 80 hours and a printed 53 mm lug-to-lug. Buy the day-date for the complication; the field watch is the cheaper Hamilton.

Titanium adds $350 to the Auto 42 and takes away the printed lug-to-lug: $1,195 on leather, 42 mm, 11.45 mm thick, 20 mm lugs where the steel Auto 42 has 22, the same H-10 with 80 hours, 100 m, sapphire, Super-LumiNova. The black-PVD bracelet version, H70665130, showed no price on the US page on the check date; a 38 mm version exists. Against the Formex Field Automatic at $975 it is $220 more for the Hamilton name and 0.85 mm of thickness, and the Formex prints 46.6 mm lug-to-lug, 150 m and a hard coating. The Nodus Sector II Field at $625 is titanium too, hard-coated, and $570 less.

A drop that has dropped: the Canyon is not in Nodus's catalogue, was made in 100 pieces per colour, Mint and Sunset Orange, with Matt Farah, and the specs here are from WatchGecko's magazine in December 2023. La Joux-Perret G101 with 68 hours, 41 mm, 47 mm lug-to-lug, 11.5 mm thick, 20 mm lugs, 200 m, flat-top sapphire with blue AR, BGW9 Grade A, a 20 to 16 mm bracelet, $1,199 when it sold. The Sector II Field at $625 is the Nodus you can buy: the same 47 mm lug-to-lug in titanium, 100 m, on an NH38. The Canyon is here for the record and the second-hand market.

$1,200 buys a hand-wound Sellita and a dial made of tinted sapphire: SW200-2 M Power+ with a 63-hour reserve and a stated -7/+7 seconds a day, 37.5 mm, 46 mm lug-to-lug, 11.5 mm thick, 18 mm lugs, 100 m, sapphire over a 1 mm tinted sapphire dial layer, X1 Super-LumiNova, a Strap Tailor leather strap in three lengths. Studio Underd0g shows £875 including VAT at home and $1,200 to US buyers. Mantis, Red L0lly, Steffany Blue and Pink Lem0nade cost the same. The Hamilton Murph 42 is $105 less with an automatic and 7 mm more lug-to-lug; the Underd0g is the dial.

Glasgow enamel at $2,630, and the second-shortest lug-to-lug on the page after the Marathon: the Model 2 in Medium is 36 mm, 43 mm lug-to-lug, 11 mm thick, 18 mm lugs, 50 m, sapphire with three-layer AR, a brushed 316L case, Super-LumiNova on the hands. anOrdain sells it at £1,925 plus VAT; the feed runs to $2,745 with the options, a Sellita SW210-1 hand-wound, an LJP G101 automatic or the decorated A1, and a Large at 39.5 mm. The trade is 50 m, level with the Hamilton Mechanical and above only the Marathon; the Tudor Ranger is $1,395 more for 100 m and a certificate.

$4,025 is a dealer's regular price, not Tudor's: tudorwatch.com prices by location and has no US locale, so the figure is Exquisite Timepieces, a US authorised dealer, on the bracelet; the strap version is $3,675. The specs are Tudor's: MT5402 with a COSC certificate and about 70 hours, 39 mm, 12 mm thick, 20 mm lugs, 100 m, domed sapphire, satin-finished steel, a smooth brushed bezel. Tudor does not publish the lug-to-lug. Against the anOrdain it is $1,395 more for the certificate, 100 m and a bracelet; it is $4,325 less than the Explorer 40, which is also 100 m and also certified.

The field watch the others are measured against, at Rolex's own $8,350 on rolex.com, which is a list price; dealers differ. Calibre 3230, Superlative Chronometer, about 70 hours, 40 mm, 100 m, sapphire, a smooth Oystersteel bezel. Rolex publishes neither thickness nor lug-to-lug, so the table shows dashes where the $299 Boldr prints a figure. The Explorer 36 is $7,900, on the under-$10,000 list. The Tudor Ranger 39 is $4,325 less, certified, 100 m, and prints its thickness at 12 mm. What $8,350 buys over the Tudor is the 3230 and the name; on the sheet the two are 1 mm apart in diameter.

The 36 mm is the Vertex to buy, and the one in stock: 14 on the check date at £2,150 including VAT, £1,791.67 without. Sellita SW260-1 with small hacking seconds and a Nivaflex hairspring, 36 mm, 46.5 mm lug-to-lug, 11 mm thick, 18 mm lugs, 100 m, double-domed box sapphire with AR08 and AR06, an expandable metal bracelet with a sand NATO and a leather NATO in the box. The Bronze 36 at £1,912.50 ex VAT and the 12-piece Pressure Edition at £1,887.50 were sold out. Against the M100A it is £291.66 less ex VAT, 4 mm smaller, 2 mm shorter and 1.2 mm thinner.

The M100A was sold out on the check date at £2,500 including VAT and £2,083.33 without, as was the DLC M100AC at the same price. Sellita SW260-1 in Top Execution grade, 40 mm, 48.5 mm lug-to-lug, 12.2 mm thick, 20 mm lugs, 100 m, double-domed box sapphire with AR08 and AR06, a moulded C3 X1 dial, a black leather strap and two NATOs in a Peli case. The 48.5 mm lug-to-lug equals the Islander's and is 2 mm over the M36. The anOrdain Model 2 places beside it in dollars; in pounds the M36 is £291.66 less and in stock.

The tallest watch on the page: 16.1 mm thick, 44 mm across, 52.7 mm lug-to-lug, 24 mm lugs and 127 g. Schofield prices it at £4,680, one of 50, in stock on the check date, with a gilded ETA 2824-2 at 42 hours, 200 m, a flat sapphire with Swiss AR and a domed printed sapphire back, X1 green lume, tumbled steel, a screw-down crown and a 24 to 22 mm grey chenille strap. A 42-hour movement where the Tudor and the Rolex quote about 70 is the trade; Schofield's buyer is not deciding on the sheet. The Obscura is £4,878 more for the Unitas and the Damascus.

£9,558 for a hand-wound Unitas in Damascus steel, limited to 40, in stock, British made per the maker: Unitas 6498-2 at 3 Hz with 57 hours, 44 mm, 52.7 mm lug-to-lug, 15 mm thick, 24 mm lugs, 200 m, a double-domed sapphire with green or red Swiss AR, a triple-sapphire smoked caseback, cellular Damascus by Vegas Forge with bronze bushings, a Grey Cloud calf strap. It is 1.1 mm thinner than the Skeptiko in the same case dimensions and £4,878 more. It places above the Explorer 40 at the September rate; the Rolex has the certificate, the Schofield a pocket-watch calibre behind a sapphire back.

Laventure showed no price for the Marine II on the check date; the page is the Steel/Gold version with a solid 18 k gold dial, limited to 99 and sold out. A Sellita SW200-1 base modified for Laventure, no date, 40.5 mm, 48.8 mm lug-to-lug, 10.2 mm thick before the crystal, 200 m, a Plexiglas superdome, 316L steel, an integrated bracelet with no published lug width. It is the thinnest published 200 m case on the page, 0.2 mm under the Serica. The Serica 6190 at $1,390 is the 200 m Swiss field watch with a price and a certificate; the Laventure has the gold dial and no stock.