Huckberry's Best Watches For Heading Outdoors

September 29, 2021

Hodinkee has teamed up with Huckberry and their?3rd Annual Grail Gift Giveaway?to give away one of the most intrepid sports watches of all time -- a 36mm Rolex?Explorer 124270.?Click here for more details. To celebrate this partnership, we're republishing this story from September 2021. When youre heading into the wilderness, youre gonna want a watch. That way you can time your morning hike so you return to camp before breakfast. Or use the GPS if you get lost. Or harness the suns rays to build a fire when you realize you forgot the matches.??The question is: Which watch should you take? Now, we have our share of outdoorsy staffers here at Hodinkee. James Stacey is a certified scuba diver, for instance, and Cole Pennington was raised by wolves. But to give our list some extra cred, we turned to our friends at Huckberry, the Austin brand responsible for some of Americas coziest sleeping bags, driest rain boots, sharpest pocket knives, ruggedest coolers, and most essential Coors Banquet corduroy hats.?Heres whats on nine Huckberry wrists. In the spirit of previous Hodinkee stories on the best watches for running (as chosen by Tracksmith) and cycling (as chosen by Rapha), these are Huckberrys favorite watches for outdoorsing. Ben O'Meara, VP of Marketing To me, the perfect adventure watch is one you dont have to think about, with enough style to wear every day. I love my Halios Seaforth in how beautifully designed, yet rugged and utilitarian it is. It works anywhere. This watch has been with me every day for the past five years C from my wedding day to backpacking through Asia, and everything in between. I love the steel bezel and lugs C it feels bigger than the 41mm it is. I also threw on a nylon NATO strap, which makes it even easier to wear anywhere. Chris Aung, Head of Footwear My oldest possession, and one that has seen the most adventure in its lifetime, is a vintage Omega Seamaster that was passed down to me from my grandfather. In the 1950s, he was posted as a diplomat for the newly democratic Burmese government in Washington, DC, and brought along his family, including my then elementary-school-aged father. Back then, international travel was by boat. They steamed from Rangoon to Ceylon, around the Horn of Africa to the Suez Canal, and onto the US eastern seaboard where my dad saw snow for the first time. Along the way, they stopped in Aden, a port in Yemen, where my grandfather picked up the watch that I would later wear to my college graduation and wedding, and plan to one day gift to my daughter. He would later have to smuggle it out of Burma when my family was exiled after a military coup. Whenever I put it on, it conjures that extraordinary journey he made nearly 70 years ago and reminds me how much I wish I had been able to meet him in person. Hayden Crider, Social Media Manager Before I became addicted to my Apple Watch, I seldom took off my Luminox Colormark Navy SEAL. The thing is just an absolute tank. I wore it swimming, wakeboarding, surfing, skating, snowboarding, and it took a beating but never stopped working. The black-on-black look made it kind of go with everything, and since it was waterproof, I literally never had to take it off. Even though I still wear my Apple Watch every day, I still keep my Luminox with a working battery, because you just never know when you need to get into some Navy SEAL stuff. Brandon Walton, Customer Experience I always come back to my Timex Weekender. I love it for its versatility to go from adventure to everyday wear. Sure, its not the flashiest of watches, but, because of the changeable strap options, its a watch I can depend on for pretty much any occasion. Ive had mine for over 15 years and its been on countless hikes, runs, bike rides, and beach outings. Its affordable, can take a beating, and can be dressed up or down to fit the scene. Danny Segal, Creative Director My favorite adventure watch is a vintage Panerai Luminor that my dad "lent" me and has never left my personal collection. I love that I can go surf with it, wear it to any fancy event, and rock it casually as well. Its way too big for my very dainty wrist, but I love it, nonetheless. Georgia Naumann, Head of EDC Ill be the first to admit that my taste in watches is anything but sophisticated while I have a great appreciation for the precise and intricate engineering behind a classic automatic watch, the 90s kid in me just cant seem to ditch my Freestyle Shark Clip. It has the right colors and retro vibe, its lightweight and waterproof so I barely notice it when Im jogging or swimming, and best of all, its a great conversation piece amongst my fellow millennials. Tony Le, VP of Product I found this vintage Longines on my second trip to Paris. I love collecting things from my travel adventures, and this is one of my favorite finds so far. What I love most about the watch is the simplicity of it, as its all about the rounded hexagonal shape. Its faded to the perfect amount of wear. Mike Idell, Director of Brand I spend a lot of time in or around water, so a proper dive watch is the only option. Aside from the overbuilt tool-watch functionality, when I look at my Doxa Sub 1500T Searambler, I get transported to the good old days of 70s tarpon fishing in Key West C standing barefoot on a skiff in cutoff denim shorts and a linen shirt, listening to Jimmy Buffett playing on the FM while casting a rickety bamboo 12 Weight. A constant reminder of simpler times when saltwater fly-fishing was unexplored and the most technical piece of gear on your boat was the watch on your wrist. I also particularly love the bracelet clasp on this watch C it has an expandable feature that lets you make micro-adjustments on the fly, for when your wrist expands in hot weather or when wearing it over a wetsuit; no need to swap out for a rubber strap. Lyndsay Harper, Managing Editor Whether Im hiking along the coast or running intervals on the track, Ill log my miles with a Garmin Forerunner 645 Music. Not only does it track my pace, distance, and effort, it syncs up to Spotify so I can download workout playlists and connect to my wireless earbuds. Its so much more streamlined than carrying a clunky phone. (Im also convinced that if you cant hear how hard youre breathing, you dont feel nearly as tired.) Even if Im not actually working out, Ill still toss it on to see my GPS data when Im out for a weekend bike ride, kayak, or surf. Its fun to see where Ive been C especially with surfing, where every ride looks like a zig and every paddle out looks like a zag. When you look back on all your activities, its a bit like going through an album of all the places youve traveled to, explored, and interacted with. Shop this story The Hodinkee Shop is an Authorized Dealer of Garmin, Longines, Omega, and Timex.