Looking to buy a watch as I always loose track of time!
Thinking of picking up this bad boy, although not sure if I'll really use the tide function (kite in port philip bay)?!
www.ripcurl.com.au/mens/watches/surf.html
Any feedback on surf watches???
Cheers
Had mine 3 years. Use the tide function every day. Never have to adjust the time.
Iv got one of the rip curl tide watches and its awesome. though i have one of the fancy metal classy ones, i just have a neoprene band to protect the face and also ensures the band stays on.
Talked to a watch repair guy a while back, reckons ripcurl tide watches are really crappy and very poorly made. I also had one a few years back, always running slow,, and chew batteries.
My two cents - go for a quality dive watch, I've been a dive instructor in the past and they are very tough. I just got an ecodrive, solar recharge, waterproof 300m etc,, never missus a beat.
Also had a G-shock a while back,, piece of cr#p,, lol
Good luck
Have had an analogue metal RC tide watch (despite tide function being useless on west coast) for about 12 years now.
Tough as fk. Other than changing batteries it has been a pearler.
Dunno about these days, but it's been the best quality watch i have ever had (wifey bought it for about $300 back in da day)
That orange bad boy looks a bit castaway when the band goes tho.
a stick in the sand and look at the shadow does the trick
And if the water is up near the sand dunes its high tide.
Hope this helps
Ive had one for around 3 years, only had to change the battery once
wear it every time i surf swim or kite. best watch ive ever had
Bought an 'anion' watch of Ebay (looks like a Powerbalance, except it actualy does something!). Cost me $1 including postage. Has never leaked, never broke. Plus its thin so fits nicely under a wetty and doesn't get caught on lines etc. If you do happen to lose one...buy another..
I got a cassio digital watch for my birthday when I was about 12 in 1988. I used it as my surf watch from then untill the band broke out in the surf last year
. Needless to say I was absolutly gutted at the time, and still am now that I am thinking about it again. 21 years, I bet no one can beat that. It was starting to corrode on the inside but all the functions still worked.
Funny thing is I bought a "water proof" digital watch at the airport last summer to replace it(cheap $50), and it has already stopped working after several months kiting
Hey.
I use a TAG Link. Never looses time and 200m water resistant.
Just had a look at the anion. They are rated to 1ATM. That is the pressure at sea level not below. Might give them a go cos you said your don't leak. It's a cheaper option if it gets ripped off.
Cheers
I've got old casio watch that is rated to 50m but it stopped working after a few sessions in the pool.
Maybe thinking of this one as well
over the last 20 years always bought my watersport watches from Big W cheapo range.
As long as they are water resistant to 50m you can swim in them and never cost more than $30 and last for years (if you get a plastic band not velcro).
I have noticed BCF sell them too and pickrd up my last one for $15.
Cheap enough for the kids to buy as a present for you, and better the socks.
Casio GShock - I've owned one for 3 and a half years, the strap (rubber) hasn't cracked - easy to read in the water and it has a solar panel in it to keep the battery charged - which means no need to open it up to replace the battery. Still looks like new! Not the cheapest though. Water resistant to 200m.
It costs $45 to have the battery changed and the watch pressure tested. If you buy a watch that costs less than $45 and it lasts you a year then you are ahead.
Cheap is also good because the bands are only as strong as the $1 pin that holds the band together. It gets a bit tedious diving for your $800 watch because a $1 pin has broken. 
Tide calculators are a bit of a waste of time. They just do a simple arithmetic calculation based on a 50 minute difference in the tides. It's more complicated than that. They're ok if you set it at the start of a trip and use it for just a few days. Eventually you have to reset it. It's much easier to print the tides out for each trip away or load it into your phone or access on the smart phone. On a daily basis it's easy enough to just remember the tide times.
A digital tide time display is better than a dial or a graph if you are after accuracy. The graphs and dials can only be read down to about 2-3 hours precision.
I have a Casio G-Shock solar powered jobbie for flying trips (to the Himalayas) and it is a good thing. Mega cheap on ebay. They're $450 in the shops and I got mine for $120. It's too thick for surfing. It barely fits under the wetsuit. Thick watches can break your wrist if you hit them wrong.
I use a relatively cheap Rip Curl watch for surfing that I got for my birthday. It's nice and slim and doesn't get in the way.
If I was buying a watch I'd buy a $20 ebay Casio.
Be careful with "Water Resistant" measurements, they don't mean what you think they mean.
Water Resistant: Will resist moisture from accidental splashing, rain, sweat, etc.
Water Resistant 30M: Will resist moisture and can be submerged, no swimming
Water Resistant 50M: Will resist moisture and can also be worn while swimming in shallow water.
Water Resistant 100M: Watch may be worn during snorkelling, skin-diving, and swimming.
Water Resistant 200M: (plus): Watch may be worn during standard scuba diving.
Water Resistant 1000M: Watch may be worn for deep sea divinghttp://www.watchit.ca/waterres2.html
ive had one since ripcurl started making tide watches about 15 yrs ago. Its great, never missed a beat or stopped. The battery lasts a few years. Mine needs replacing now (the night light is dim) Ripcurl replace it for 20 bucks or so from memory/ I use a velcro band so it wont come off, even if one pin breaks. I never adjust the time or date, it just works 
My Ripcurl Core Tide watch is the best (it was a freebee)
Good points are-
Keeps good time
double action metal band clip stays on in the surf (a pin workes loose once so i put a slight bend in it and pushed back in, all good)
don't have a problem with battery life
Bad points-
calendar is only 31 days to each month therefore the months with less I have to wind it forward 24 hours (February is a bugger)
as for the moon phase, tide range and tide height I look at seabreeze cause the dials on the watch relate to mars I think
So if any knows who can reset the dials let me know
Love my Suunto - have it for yacht racing. Had it for 6 years and she's still charging on strong.
I've had my ripcurl watch for 3 years , excellent , had the battery change and the dude said it failed the pressure test but that was a year ago and i havnt had a problem in the surf with it
Select to expand quotebennie said...
I got a cassio digital watch for my birthday when I was about 12 in 1988. I used it as my surf watch from then untill the band broke out in the surf last year. Needless to say I was absolutly gutted at the time, and still am now that I am thinking about it again. 21 years, I bet no one can beat that. It was starting to corrode on the inside but all the functions still worked.
errr... yeah... just lost my seiko dive watch in vietnam last month, had a wipeout and the board hit it and broke the strap. totally bummed... bought it in hong kong 1983. never done anything to it other than batteries and one seal kit in 27 years. awesome! bought another one hopefully some local kid will get a few more years out of it...
G shocks are the go. Have had mine for over 5years. I work on oil/gas rigs so it goes through its fare share of chemicals, salt, you name it. Even lived through a flood for 3 months. Hasnt missed a beat cost 160 back in the day.
